How to keep marmots out of your stuff??

Will Albinowrote: Spray wasp repellent on your stuff every few hours. 

Why would I spray my stuff with a stinky pesticide when I have to wear it again?   And it's kinda hard to spray every few hours when you're on an 8 pitch route with a two hour descent.  Duh.

Not Hobo Greg wrote:

Above tree line is the worst place to go quarrying rocks. Rocks are the foundation upon which soil slowly accumulates. Move a rock, you’re allowing whatever organic material that was accumulating there to blow away in the wind. 

Maybe where you climb, but in RMNP there are lots of places where the soil is several feet below the surface of head-sized or larger rocks.  No soil is being disturbed.   Often there's not even lichen growing on them.    

This is why artistic cairning is such a problem. 

I don't know what you mean by "artistic" but the only problem I've seen is that the cairns aren't big enough, and people go wandering all over the place causing even more impact.  In RMNP the rangers have built cairns that are 6 feet high.

Besides, marmots are basically built for digging, and they’re stronger than you think. But they can’t climb 5.10, so just find some steep rock to hang off of, or a boulder that overhangs.

Like I said earlier and others agreed, I've had bad luck (actually NO luck) hanging my food bag.  When I bury it, it's still undisturbed when I get down.  YMMV.

The larger problem is that animals LEARN where the food is, and where the salt is, in places where climbers and hikers frequent.   They'll learn to defeat just about any precautions you take.  A bear-proof container might be the only thing that will work, if you can fit your food, clothing, pack and shoes into it.  

At Lovers Leap I hung my food bag about 20' up off a nut.  After we finished the first pitch and started the second, the damned marmot climbed up, detatched the bag and took the entire thing down its hole.  Gone.  Eldo?  Fogettaboutit.  

John Byrneswrote:   Eldo?  Fogettaboutit.  

Metal cookie tin solves the problem. Keep it out of your pack and the critters won't have any interest in your pack either (unless you forgot your bar or chemical handwarmers in the lid of the pack). Anything else with a smell (sun screen, lip balm etc.), should probably be squished into that tin as well. I'm the guy with the red Christmas tin (slightly dented and rusty) that you have probably spotted in Eldo occasionally. Never had a single item pilfered and no rips on my pack. Too heavy and bulky to haul up into marmot terrain though.

Patrikwrote:

Metal cookie tin solves the problem. Keep it out of your pack and the critters won't have any interest in your pack either (unless you forgot your bar or chemical handwarmers in the lid of the pack). Anything else with a smell (sun screen, lip balm etc.), should probably be squished into that tin as well. I'm the guy with the red Christmas tin (slightly dented and rusty) that you have probably spotted in Eldo occasionally. Never had a single item pilfered and no rips on my pack. Too heavy and bulky to haul up into marmot terrain though.

Disagree, I’ve had handles of hiking poles gnawed on. My buddy has had his backpack straps completely chewed to shit. I’ve had sleeping bags torn apart. We aren’t talking about Eldo, we’re talking about Marmot country. I’ve never had any of my stuff tampered with in Eldo And I just leave a whole bunch of food in my pack but hang it from a tree or something.

A tin can ain’t gonna help with Marmots. 
Hang it, or bury it.

Not Hobo Greg wrote:

Above tree line is the worst place to go quarrying rocks. Rocks are the foundation upon which soil slowly accumulates. Move a rock, you’re allowing whatever organic material that was accumulating there to blow away in the wind. This is why artistic cairning is such a problem. Besides, marmots are basically built for digging, and they’re stronger than you think. But they can’t climb 5.10, so just find some steep rock to hang off of, or a boulder that overhangs.

Bro, staging area is in the boulder/talus field, there’s no soil to disturb. Have you ever been above tree line under a cliff bro?

Thomas Chapmanwrote: Tanks for all the good responses y'all. As the climbs are above treeline, hanging a proper rodent/bear bag isn't really an option. I'll probably be burying my bag in the talus to keep it safe

You can use stick/hiking pole with counterweight to hang your pack  on a boulder.

Get the Kevlar bear bag. It’s lightweight, not legal as a bear proof container here in California for some reason but it will definitely keep the marmots out of your food. Not big enough to cover your whole backpack obviously but maybe they won’t dig around if there’s a tempting impenetrable food bag to focus on next to it.

https://www.rei.com/product/124165/ursack-allmitey-bear-bag?cm_mmc=aff_AL-_-3184-_-3816-_-NA&avad=3816_d1b615bed