Community Forums

tuffr2 · 11-08-2012, 07:04 PM

I am thinking of buying a trailer with an outside kitchen. Is this a bear magnet? I would close it up at night but how long would the smell of bacon linger and attract a bear? Also what do you think of the outside kitchen option? Worthwhile or not? Thanks

bt76 · 11-08-2012, 07:21 PM

We have an outside stove (far from a full kitchen) and use it all the time even in bear country. We always make sure it's clean after use. I guess if your concerned about bears I'd rather them be on the outside kitchen then the inside one. I don't know that I'd leave food in it.

rjf7g · 11-09-2012, 06:32 PM

I wonder about the extra plumbing and lack of insulation if you're camping in 4 seasons. Some of the kitchens seem really cool, though.

tuffr2 · 11-10-2012, 07:01 AM

Good point - That extra plumbing did cross my mind as did the normal refrig. Probably would need to bring that refrig indoors somehow to keep it out of possible zero degree weather while the rest of the trailer was winterized.

Bears may be the least of my problems...ugh

capsfloyd · 11-10-2012, 07:32 AM

moved from a pop up to 33' flagstaff 831 rkss , bunks , outside kitchen
trailer was the wifes pick . outside mine . LOVE IT !!!! .. we hardly ever cook inside
sink , microwave , apt. size refer. storage
It seals very tight ,
we are in it in Texas in July , 105 outside and the trailer stayed very cold .... where the bunks are the grand kids sleep and play there , same temp through out
we dont have o temps , but its a electric refer, it works only with electric . we empty the fridge
The model she pick out , had to have a outside kitchen on my end
when you see one camping , stop by and ask them to see it and ask questions , I get a ton of that .

Thehammer · 11-10-2012, 06:28 PM

A little depends on where you are. We live in bear country and most of the time they are afraid of people. If a bear gets too familiar, it gets shot. However, near National Parks and Forests, bears are more protected and tend to be very aggressive around food. They have been known to tear car doors off. I know of one situation where a bear walked into town and into a supermarket. In our camping areas we have electrified fences for backpackers to store their food. A friend of mine had a bear hanging around her house. She pee'ed around her property and the bear went away.
So you could have a problem with a bear with an inside or outside kitchen.
I would worry more about raccoons as they are nasty. Also skunks can wander around.
Bottom line is that if you clean up well and dispose of your trash, you should be OK.

Jmjtx · 11-10-2012, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tuffr2

I am thinking of buying a trailer with an outside kitchen. Is this a bear magnet? I would close it up at night but how long would the smell of bacon linger and attract a bear? Also what do you think of the outside kitchen option? Worthwhile or not? Thanks

Our Rockwood has an outside kitchen. I'm no great chef, but it was great and we used it everyday. I'd say you would need to keep everything clean to avoid attracting animals of any kind.

JAMMFAM · 11-11-2012, 01:35 PM

We love our outside kitchen. Gives you some extra cabinets, counter space etc.

clyon51 · 11-11-2012, 05:21 PM

We love the outside and bears are a plus. Black bears are not agressive unless you approach THEM and if a sow has cubs. Normally when they approach you they are fine if you feed them. We have feed many by hand and it is a thrill! This is not for the faint of heart of course. We have hand feed many wild animals over the years including skunks.

I guess it's your confidence level with animals. Animals can certainly sense if you are afraid or are not, or have positive feelings towards them.

This is of course dangerous and you will certainly know this depending on your comfort level and experience.

RanCarr · 11-14-2012, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clyon51

We love the outside and bears are a plus. Black bears are not agressive unless you approach THEM and if a sow has cubs. Normally when they approach you they are fine if you feed them. We have feed many by hand and it is a thrill!

This can make the bears tame and dangerous to others. They are then shot and killed. It's not a kindness to feed them. They have plenty of natural food.

Thehammer · 11-23-2012, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clyon51

We love the outside and bears are a plus. Black bears are not agressive unless you approach THEM and if a sow has cubs. Normally when they approach you they are fine if you feed them. We have feed many by hand and it is a thrill! This is not for the faint of heart of course. We have hand feed many wild animals over the years including skunks.

I guess it's your confidence level with animals. Animals can certainly sense if you are afraid or are not, or have positive feelings towards them.

This is of course dangerous and you will certainly know this depending on your comfort level and experience.

This is some of the worst advice I have ever heard. Don't follow it.

As the Forest Service says, "A fed bear is a dead bear". By making them lose their fear of humans, they tend to become more aggressive and then have to be shot. Feeding a bear will intimately cause that bear to be killed and it will be your fault.

All animals can have rabies and not show any outwards sign. Rabies could be contracted from getting bitten, or even coming in conact with saliva. That includes skunks, raccoons, or any other 'cute' but wild animals.
If you want to interact with animals, go to a petting zoo.

Bears in your backyard. What to do!

pagosajoe · 11-23-2012, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clyon51

We love the outside and bears are a plus. Black bears are not agressive unless you approach THEM and if a sow has cubs. Normally when they approach you they are fine if you feed them. We have feed many by hand and it is a thrill! This is not for the faint of heart of course. We have hand feed many wild animals over the years including skunks.

I guess it's your confidence level with animals. Animals can certainly sense if you are afraid or are not, or have positive feelings towards them.

This is of course dangerous and you will certainly know this depending on your comfort level and experience.

Having lived in bear country (Alaska and Colorado) for decades, I absolutely and emphatically disagree. Although perhaps well intended, feeding ANY bear (wild animal) sets a dangerous precedent. Acclimating them to human interaction/free food will result in a tragedy - either human or ursine.

Just a month ago, a black bear wandered down our driveway and through our yard, right up to the door. It had been fed previously (I have pix/video or the neighbor doing it), and will certainly be killed the next time it is caught, having been ear-tagged already.

They are powerful animals - I've personally seen the damage they can do to homes/cabins in search of food. I've seen black bears run 30 mph and grizzly bears dig 3 feet deep holes in less than 10 seconds chasing a ground squirrel.

I've had black and brown bears walk by me within far too close a distance in the wild without attacking, but I had a heavy duty weapon available if necessary.

Each year, many black bears are killed by appropriate enforcement officers in this area of southwest Colorado because they are too acclimated to the human environment. I have to agree - "a fed bear is a dead bear".

Save a life - either yours/another human's or the bear's - and do NOT feed them. I have known people personally who have been killed by bears in the past - and it ain't pretty.

wonderer1 · 11-23-2012, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clyon51

We love the outside and bears are a plus. Black bears are not agressive unless you approach THEM and if a sow has cubs. Normally when they approach you they are fine if you feed them. We have feed many by hand and it is a thrill! This is not for the faint of heart of course. We have hand feed many wild animals over the years including skunks.

I guess it's your confidence level with animals. Animals can certainly sense if you are afraid or are not, or have positive feelings towards them.

This is of course dangerous and you will certainly know this depending on your comfort level and experience.

this is the type of action that people get away with for years and then you read, so and so was found eaten by bears. or no our dog doesn't bit, until .

daveshan · 11-23-2012, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clyon51

We love the outside and bears are a plus. Black bears are not agressive unless you approach THEM and if a sow has cubs. Normally when they approach you they are fine if you feed them. We have feed many by hand and it is a thrill! This is not for the faint of heart of course. We have hand feed many wild animals over the years including skunks.

I guess it's your confidence level with animals. Animals can certainly sense if you are afraid or are not, or have positive feelings towards them.

This is of course dangerous and you will certainly know this depending on your comfort level and experience.

Please tell me you're kidding, that is the worst advice I've ever seen. Great way to make dead bears or worse.

Please ignore the first line of my sig' my statement is not experience/opinion, it's a fact based on many tame bear fatalities each year around town and someone who "loved her bears" up in Ouray being killed by them last year.