Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Easier WAG Bag Transport

Hello! I wanted to share my method of carrying wag bags in hopes that others may experience an odor free hike down the mountain.

I am working this season as a backcountry ranger for the Whitney area which means at the end of a tour I carry down many wag bags, some of which are mine and some of which careless hikers left for me to find. The best way I've found to cut the odor is as follows:

1. Use the Gel! Put some water or urine into the bag before using it. The powder in the bottom will absorb up to 40 fluid ounces of liquid. The gel has an anti odor agent. After depositing in the bag mix the gel around the bag. It works well.

2. I bring O.P. Saks up with me to store the wag bags. I prefer the 12.5 x 20 in. saks, they hold more WAGs. I have had many ripe WAGs in one O.P. Sak and could smell nothing through the sak. Maybe my sense of smell is dull but I couldn't smell a thing with my nose right next to the bag.

When I get back to town I soak the bags in a bleach solution which sanitizes them and deodorizes the inside. Just make sure to mark them so a friend doesn't borrow them unknowingly for food storage! O.P. Saks can be found online and at many gear shops.

Those two steps make the process of transport much more pleasant.

Hope the tips help! Happy WAGing!

-Nathan

Thanks, Nathan. Welcome to the board. We look forward to hearing more from you.

Here are two O.P. Sak links (O P = Odor Proof)
http://www.basegear.com/op-sak-odor-proof-bag.html
http://www.ursack.com/ursack-odor-barriers.htm

question - can one pick up (unused) wag bags on the summit? we are coming from the west on the JMT down to the Portal.

next day we go back up - do we burn the bags at the next legal elevation or do I have to pack them to Muir Trail Ranch northbound?

From the West Side of Whitney: Wag bags can be picked up at the Crabtree ranger station in Crabtree Meadows. They can then be disposed of in the human waste receptacles next to the bathrooms at Whitney Portal.

From the East Side of Whitney: Wag bags are required from Whitney Portal to Guitar Lake, beyond Guitar Lake solid human waste can be buried. Burning of Wag bags is not allowed. If you tried to burn them it would put off terrible fumes, poison the soil where it was burned, and most likely not fully burn. If you use a Wag on the way over the crest it must be carried out of the wilderness until it can be disposed of properly.

Most people use the bathroom before they hit the trail then wait until they get past Guitar Lake.

-Nathan

According to the website, these OP (Odor Proof) bags are great to keep Bears away from the campsite.
So, Can I just carry my food and other delicious smelling items in the light weight OP Bag and not fuss around with a Heavy Bear-Proof Canister?

Sounds good to me.

Website says:
http://www.basegear.com/op-sak-odor-proof-bag.html

Features
Great for preventing campsite animal instrusions.
Bags meet FDA and USDA specification for food contact.
Store tobacco products, use as a cigar humidor, or for freezing food.
A special non-permeable film is used to make these unique storage bags. Designed for hazardous materials and biological waste.
Place your toiletries and food into the O.P. SAK to prevent bears from visiting your campsite.
These bags have been proven odor proof, humidity proof, vapor proof and certified 100% leakproof to 200 feet under water.
Also makes excellent pilot and hunter urinals or human waste containers.

> Website says: ... to prevent bears from visiting your campsite.

That's pure BS (bear scat).

OP Saks are not a substitute for a bear cannister. Bears have an increcible sense of smell and could easily tear open the OP Sak. Humans on the other hand don't have such an advanced nose so the OP saks work great for blocking smells from ourselves.