Any suggestions for protecting car from marmots, etc?

[RobertKay]

Just take a rental car, but make sure you get the full insurance policy first.

[KD5ZZK]

What is the lure for marmots to chew stuff on vehicles? Is it the smell of food inside your vehicle?

Andrew

[MountainHiker]

I've been doing the chicken wire. I've seen vehicles wrapped, but that won't work if you're sleeping in the vehicle - unless you want to enter & exit via the window NASCAR style. I wonder how the marmots have been defeating the chicken wire. Are they going over or under? Perhaps some hybrid of the two methods would work to completely secure the underneath while still allowing the doors to open.

[rpdawes]

What is the lure for marmots to chew stuff on vehicles? Is it the smell of food inside your vehicle?

Andrew

It is widely believed that salt and other chemical elements on rubber hoses attract critters and even mountain goats. I do recall a report regarding a hiker who caught goats licking underneath last year.

[derekesq]

Somewhat related - can any food be left in the car at a trailhead (Sawatch and Uncompahgn/sneffels) or is that just asking for animals to try to get into the car (packaged food - trail mix, protein bars)

[SoCool]

can any food be left in the car at a trailhead

I had always thought it was okay to leave food in a car, unless you're in Yellowstone or something where the bears will break in for a cooler. But now I try to leave no food at all because some trailheads have mice that are habituated to finding food in cars. Specifically: the Willow Creek TH in the Sangres (KC and Challenger), and Zapata Falls TH in the Sangres (South Zapata Lake approach for Ellingwood Point).

[Trotter]

I've used mothballs and that super stinky rodent repellent spray. The spray is annoying as some always gets on my hands and it smells like a outhouse.