Food storage is an important issue when hiking, but especially when backpacking. Everyone is familiar with the problems backpackers have with bears, but other animals can become a problem when they learn that improperly stored human food can be easy pickings.

Unfortunately, human food is not good for wild animals. One of the main problems is that young animals can associate food with humans and fail to learn to forage properly. They might then starve to death when humans go away (e.g., during winter). Also, high-fat, high-salt, and high-sugar food products can disrupt their digestive tracts. Another problem is that when animals become a problem, the response of many humans is to kill them to get rid of the problem. I would rather take care of my food and leave the animals wild.

This little criminal, a rock squirrel, works on a bag of peanuts stolen from a plastic trash bag. Unfortunately, rock squirrels and their cousins carry lots of fleas, and fleas can carry bubonic plague. When there are lots of squirrels around humans, people might get sick, and land managers will poison the rodents.

It is easy to take care of your food. Wire-mesh food sacks are good for everything except bears. As seen below, even large squirrels can't get through them. I always carry a bear canister when I backpack. It might be overkill for mice and ravens, but it works well. I can also use it for a camp seat, and I can wash my clothes in it (something everyone appreciates).