Is there a gate I can use with my Bear Sentry?
You can make a gate or ‘door’ in the Base Camp model. You’ll need to use 2 posts for the door and string the polywire in a zig zag pattern. An Expansion Pack can be used for a door.
Without stepping it in, position a ‘door post’ right up against the ‘start post’. Loop them together with the Velcro tie straps that come with this Bear Sentry. Make a doorway by inserting a ‘pivot post’ about a meter or yard away. Space the rest of the posts evenly around your campsite perimeter.
String this set up starting from the bottom clip of the start post and move away from the door posts. Once you’ve gone all the way round, step up for another line on the door post. Then zig back in the direction you came until you reach the start post again, where you step up for another line, zag back and repeat the pattern for as many as 5 lines.
To exit through the door, be sure to disconnect the fence from the energizer first and then swing the door post out. Once you’re back inside and the fence is hot again, check to see that your Bear Sentry is working properly (see the FAQ) and that your lines haven’t sagged.
For longer stays you may want to use guylines on the posts because small movements can loosen their footing over time. They help keep tension in the lines, which is a good thing (see the FAQ). Bear Sentry Guyline kits are available.
To exit from a Backcountry fence it’s a matter of procedure, not set up, because of the spiral flow of the polywire in one direction (and you wouldn’t want to sacrifice a pole to make a door).
Rather, to exit, disconnect the energizer and follow these steps:
1. Separate the top section of a corner pole.
2. Lightly pull that top section outward and downward, keeping the lines taut.
3. Lower it to the ground and use the bottom section to brace it.
