Protecting food from pests

[Orion]

What method do you use to protect your food from possums or other pests at night? Will they chew through a pack? Or through the tent fabric? Do they care about sunscreen or toothpaste?

[sthughes]

Basically I either tripple bag it in the main compartment of my pack with all the straps, zips, drawstrings etc. done up tight and placed in the vestibule or I sleep with it within a few inches of my head (with nothing sepatating me from my food). The first option doesn't always work however.
Never had them attack my sunscreen and I don't carry toothpaste.
Last time I went overnight I forgot a snap loc bag of M&M's in the netting side pocket of my pack and they made short work of eating through that. Personally I haven't seen them eat through a pack but I have seen them undo a zip, drawstring, supermarket bag, snap loc bag, cup-a-soup box and cup-a-soup sachet all to get to those good ol artificial flavours. They did once eat through a solid part of my day pack - but it wasn't the really tough outer fabric part - I'm sure others will have had far worse encounters however!
I wonder if you were to stuff food in a possum wool sock would they eat through it?

[tasadam]

<snip> all to get to those good ol artificial flavours.

LOL

Great topic and would love to know how people deal with this.
We generally keep our food in several plastic bags then in a pack in the vestuble. Overnight we put billies and the aliminium stove windshield on the pack so that if there's some rifling going on, we hear the metal clinking and make as much noise as possible.
Food in the tent is not a good idea due to rodents, native or otherwise they can still be a pest.

Don't forget about the dreaded FLY. A fly landing on your food or food prep area can give you a whole lot of invisible grief.

[Orion]

We kept our food in the tent with no problems.

[Robbo]

I always keep food in plastic bags - zip lock or otherwise - in my pack, in the tent vestibule. I remember one experience at South Cape Rivulet where rodents chewed through the bottom corner of the tent to get to food inside.

TR

[adventurescape]

I use a WE roll top dry bag for my food and string it up from trees or roof timbers in hut with a spare spectra tent guy rope. I am pretty sure critters of all sizes have trouble going along something so thin. It gives me peace of mind that none of my gear is going to get chewed up. (Except maybe roll top bag if a daredevil critter manages to skydive onto it!) I guess to go another step further is to balance a pot on top again to work as an alarm as per Tasadam's practice.

As a side note, I do take care when tying off on trees. I make sure that I do not cut into the bark. I always carry a small amount of nylon webbing for slinging purposes/possible gear repairs.

[Tony]

I am wondering who the pests really are, check this video out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuoYSgNIkbI

Tony

[geoskid]

I am wondering who the pests really are, check this video out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuoYSgNIkbI

Tony

Haha - not nice for the Goanna or the Bloke, but Geez I laughed

[Steve73]

I am wondering who the pests really are, check this video out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuoYSgNIkbI

Tony

If anyone did that to me, mate or not, I would seriously beat the crap out of them. That is not funny.