Beeswax soaked cord wrappings and bears?

madbomber1998

madbomber1998

Joined
Nov 27, 2008
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182
So I've been dabbling in cord wrapping handles and soaking the cordage in melted beeswax...I was thinking, would it be bad to take said knives out camping / backpacking / etc. Because of bears? Will they be able to smell the beeswax and such?
 
Maybe a better question: will they be attracted enough to come around looking for it? :confused:
 
I heard recently of a camp getting raided by bears and they broke open and ate all the tinned food save for about 9 tins of Sauerkraut, these were left untouched.Now the bears could not smell the contents through the can but they could smell traces of the product from the canning process. Their sense of smell is that great !!!

So I don't think I'd be too worried about the beeswax, they are probably more interested in the smell of hotdogs on your clothes from the day before or the mint caramel that ya left in your trouser pocket etc !!!!!
 
A lot of leather boots are waterproofed using beeswax. I don't think I've ever heard of anyone being attacted and there boots eaten. All my boots are beeswax treated, and I haven't been mauled yet.
 
Ive never messed with beeswax on
handle wrapping. Wouldnt that get plain messy?
Sticky,dirt and grime embed in it over time?
The beeswax I have used for boots,gloves etc have other additives in it
that I think prevent the "gummy" factor.
 
In the Sierra they warn that bears will get into your pack to eat a tube of chapstick. I'd be wary of beeswax.
 
MM said:
In the Sierra they warn that bears will get into your pack to eat a tube of chapstick. I'd be wary of beeswax.
Click to expand...

Yeah, like I said, I haven't been eaten yet, and I've been camping in the sierra's since before I was born...

Whether they can smell it, and whether they decide they want to try and eat it are two different things. I think they warn against chapstick, because most of them are flavored/scented. Cherries, yum.
 
My bad experiences with bears are food-related, but the BSA rangers against carrying these types of products at some of the Boy Scout camps/trails.
 
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