Bear Canisters in the Sierra

Ursack was definitely your best alternative up until about a week or so ago. Now the Ursack is no longer an approved canister to carry through the park. This is sad news for many many hikers. I am unaware of any other affordable alternatives. This development is making me consider carrying Odor Proof bags made my Aloksak and sold on this site.

This is the best light weight canister i've used on the east side which is approved for kings canyon, sequoia, etc — basically, all of the east side areas requiring cannisters.

when you say the "black barrel" i think you are referring to the traditional garcia model which is like 3 lbs or so. the weekender is an ounce shy of 2 lbs and has more ci. i just used the expedition (the second, larger model made by bearikade) for an 8 day circumnavigation of the kaweah range this summer and it worked perfect. that model is still lighter than the garcia.

the clincher is the price. whew! over 200 bucks. but there is a solution there too. the company will rent you the cannisters by sending them to you a day before your propsed date and then charge you on a per diem basis. parks like sequoia will rent them, but thats the only area to do so– at least that i know of.

the bears were very active this last summer because of the drought. we were bummed rushed by one in the middle of day while stopped creekside. i had my pack off for a second and the bear came up behind me– i heard it as it was 10 ft away, spun around and grabbed my pack, shouldering it immediately. then we yelled and the bear took off. but then it followed the trail and wouldnt get off. we knew the bear was acting very strange so we waited over an hour to let it clear off the trail. it did, but we hightailed it out of that canyon.

last note. if you are thru hiking you dont technically need the cannisters. finally, in the heavey use areas (by both people and bears) there are bear boxes to store food.

hope that helps.

Dylan, what trail/park were you in when the bear surprised you? The bear was a black bear, right?

The Weekender is a great canister, even with the breathtaking price. I've managed to press mine into supporting week-long trips with a lot of squashing and repackaging, which means a smaller backpack than needed to haul its bigger brother.

After a few years the price/year drops enough to make it seem much more reasonable. And in its own industrial way, it's a beautifully made piece of gear to contemplate in camp :-)

yeah, it was a black bear.

we were in sequoia national park. down along the kern river. about 14 miles from mt. whitney. after that run-in, we saw, about 4 or 5 miles down, a note from a ranger saying that the established camp there had been "visited" several times by a bear and to keep an eye out.

later in the trip, we talked to a backcountry ranger. we reported the incident. he said they were having problems in that area and with that particular bear. i guess it had gotten some food from some rookie backpackers.

poor bear. reason to always keep food away from them b/c once they get it, they become emboldened and scary. it probably didnt make it thru the rest of the summer.

Dylan,
Where, exactly, were you rushed by the bear? Was it at Junction Meadow? Kern Hot Springs? Upper Funston Meadow? I do a lot of packing down there and would love to have your input. Many thanks in advance.
Tom

Say Tom, which way do you generally go in? Have you ever hiked up to the gorge from Camp Nelson and vicinity?

Hi John,
I usually come in via Shepherd Pass, but I have come in from from Franklin Pass/Rattlesnake Creek, down Whitney Creek or Wallace Creek from Crabtree Lakes, down Big Arroyo Creek from 9 Lakes Basin in the past. Mostly Shepherd Pass, though. My main concern is Junction Meadow, which I often camp at on my way up the Kern Kaweah River to a variety of destinations. There's a bear box there, but if there is bear activity in the area I sure would like to know in advance, especially if it's into highway robbery. I don't get down south of there much anymore, and have never been south of the Rattlesnake Creek trail junction and am not familiar with Camp Nelson. Where is it? As a rule, I prefer the higher country up out of the canyon north of Upper Funston. Too many bears and horse packers down lower in the canyon for my taste.

Tom,

One of the prettiest and most scenic campsites to bless my eyes was the headwaters of Rattlesnake Creek straight down from Franklin Pass. Never experienced any bears either and just on the other side about a mile from the Mineral King trailhead on the way back we threw up camp late at night many many years ago and just put our left over food out on the ground in a plastic bag. The bear didn’t think to check the ground and the food was still there the next morning. I understand that the area is swarming with bears.

I too prefer the high country and avoid the lower elevations except for the trailheads. But in the winter time I have enjoyed the lower elevations in the Southern Sierra. Camp Nelson is almost straight south of the Kern River Gorge on Hwy 190. The map shows some trailheads in the vicinity and I would like to hike, snowshoe or ski in over that route in January or February and drop into the gorge and hike up as far as I can before the trail starts climbing again. The closest I have been is Tyndall Creek from the north and it doesn’t seem too inviting a hike from there especially in the summer with the heat and the dust. Bear cans are not required from October 31 thru April 31.

Yeah, Rattlesnake Creek is sure a beaut. Long ago for me as well, 1975. We camped up near Franklin Pass(Mineral King side) our first night out and, like you, didn't worry about food storage. Blind luck, but we got away with it and went on to have a memorable leisurely 17 day trip that ended up at Road's End in Kings Canyon NP via Harrison Pass. The old
trail down Tyndall Creek is a beautiful, seldom used shortcut into Kern Canyon from either Shepherd Pass or the JMT. Rough descent down the canyon wall, but worth the bumps, IMO. But from there, you've got a long hump down the canyon to Hwy 190. Dust, horses, bears, and people. You've gotta have a good reason to do that. Better to hang around in the Upper Kern Basin or the Kern Kaweah drainage for my money. Lots of really neat cross country routes up in those parts.

Tom,

we were a couple miles south of junction meadow. the note was at the bear box there in junction meadow– taped on top.

the ranger– who we talked to a few days later, at the little five lakes station– said the bear was hanging around in junction meadow.

we did a circumnavigation of the kaweahs starting and ending at mineral king. we went over franklin pass and down rattlesnake canyon. up the kern to junction meadow; cut up over colby pass and down, then up deadman valley to elizabeth pass then thru the kaweahs, nine lakes basin, little five lakes then out via sawtooth pass. quite a ride. it was sweet.

my starting weight with a liter of water and 8 days food was 27 lbs.

On the government sponsored SIBBG website there is no listing for Ursack under "approved containers". However, the FAQ section states the following: Ursack is the only SIBBG approved soft-sided canister. The container is made of a Spectra fabric and users are required in SIBBG areas to use the aluminum insert sold with the container."

Dylan,
Many thanks for the beta. That is most definitely in my neck of the woods and, since I will be down that way in August, 2008, I'll be sure to do some careful checking in advance. Boy, you sure picked a great route! That is pretty much the "Grand Tour". Sweet, indeed!

Hey Eric, do you have a reference for that?–jeff

Jeff:

I found out about the Ursack being decline '08 approval through the PCT-L. A poster on the mailing list said that they contacted the SIBG, and was told that at a recent meeting this month, the decision was made to take back the Ursack approval. I'm fully aware that this may not be official, but I took it as such. I have since seen this news posted on other forums and no one has yet to dispute it.