Climbing and Car-Camping in Grizzly Country - Food in the Car?

I'm taking a trip next week up to northern WY/southern MT and plan to camp out of my car and climb/hike during the days (Beartooth mountains, the Bridger range, and the Tetons in particular). I know some of these places have bear boxes at major campgrounds and trailheads, but I also know most/all primitive sites don't have those and people are parking their cars either while they climb or to sleep in them overnight.

How reckless is it to leave food in the car and/or sleep in the car with food inside (in a cooler/rubbermaid container)? Everywhere I've car-camped before it's been no big deal/standard practice but I'm wondering if the same is true up there. Are vanlifers really taking all of their food out of their RV and putting it in bear canisters every time they park? I'm just trying to figure out whether it's a necessary caution or a needless inconvenience.

Thanks in advance for your advice,

Matt

No expert but I did have a fridge full of food and a crate full of food in my van parked at a main trailhead in both the tetons and big horns unattended for 4 days each without issue.

Bears are hunted more frequently here and dislike human smells because of that. When we have slept in the car we put the food in the front seat in a bin like you describe with no issues. If you need a partner hit me up! 

I've lived and camped in MT. for 10 years and have always left food in the car overnight/during the day with no issues. I highly doubt anyone is removing food from the car into a bear canister every night/whenever they leave for the day. I have heard scattered reports of (black) bears breaking into cars in the Tetons but it seems quite rare at most. If you practice good bear awareness and keep a clean campsite you'll be fine. 

I have about forty years of experience, camping and hiking in the wyoming mountains.  I have seen maybe 4 black bears that f***ed off as fast as they could when we got near them, and I always left food in the truck.  Never seen a grizzly tho.

Totally location dependent. I wouldn't leave food in my car in places where bears are frequent - i.e. Beartooths. Bears that are hunted are still hungry bears. The idea that they run from humans is sometimes true but if no one is around they will certainly go for the car food. If you are at an undeveloped camping place just hang your food - it's easy and denies the bear food. They are particularly hungry this time of year and will go to extremes for food. You are doing the bear a favor so you might think about that.

Thanks for the advice everyone! At the primitive FS road spots we've ended up hanging the food, but we left it in the car at the developed site. No bears so far but we did have a close encounter with a mountain lion one evening which was pretty dang spooky.

As a random aside - holy hell there's so much undocumented/unclimbed rock in WY...The Ferris Mountains and Southern Beartooths (along 296/212 between Sunlight Basin and Beartooth Falls) were particularly mind boggling as to how there's basically zero reported routes on so much good looking rock. I guess they're both far from major climbing population centers??

MattH wrote:

Southern Beartooths (along 296/212 between Sunlight Basin and Beartooth Falls) were particularly mind boggling as to how there's basically zero reported routes on so much good looking rock. I guess they're both far from major climbing population centers??

The Dirty Sox Club still prevails in this general area.

Mr. Southfork wrote:

The Dirty Sox Club still prevails in this general area.

Ha, well I’m scoping a move to the area so I might need to know the initiation process at some point. I’ll keep this post in mind.