bear canisters

Of the three brands I currently own the Wild Ideas – Bearikade is my favorite. Comes in two sizes suitable for both of your specified needs. Big bucks, but by far the lightest of the serious canisters.

For short solo trips, I'd recommend the BearVault BV450 (www.bearvault.com) or the Bearikade Scout (www.wild-ideas.net). The latter is lighter, but is also a lot more expensive. For solo overnighters, the small BareBoxer (www.bareboxer.com) is another possibility. For extended solo trips, or to allow packing bulkier food, consider the larger BearVault or Bearikade. Note that the larger Bearikade is lighter than the smaller Bearvault, at a cost :-( Make sure that whatever canister you get–especially the larger ones–fits in your backpack. Many of the smaller ultralight packs don't have enough space to hold a large canister.
For the canoe trips, the larger BearVault (BV500) would be a good cost/size compromise.

denis and aaron, thanks for the advice. will look into websites….

A lonely cry from the wilderness. Check out the Ursack, it weighs a lot less than any canister, is effective and, as your food is eaten it reduces in size. We’ve used them in Brown bear Country for years and they work well. Here is a picture of one on a kayak trip (in the black bag)…

I recently got a chance to use the UrSack vs. my bear vault solo and I do love it.

Lighter, more compact and it does not suck up all the space in my pack.

However, the UrSack lost it's conditional approval and is not approved in places like Yosemite.

The makers of the UrSack have filed suit to contest this ruling or to simply get access to the information used to remove their conditional approval.

That said, I do love the UrSack, but if you get one, you are still going to need to have a bear vault for places like Yosemite.

Tony, that is a bit misleading – most parks and NF's don't have any policy besides the old "keep your food from the animals" one. They don't tell a hiker what to use either.

Obviously there are issues in places such as Glacier NP, parks in Ca and in NY and a sprinkling of other areas. Simply though, just because they are banned in Yosemite doesn't mean they are banned elsewhere.

Although not UL and not marketed as truly bear proof, blue barrels are extremely popular for food storage for canoe trips. They are much larger than a bear canister, and fit nicely in a canoe. I think the 30l is big enough, I wouldn't want to carry a 60l full of food on a portage. They are totally watertight, and if strapped down, provide a ton of floatation.

I just carry mine out of camp and leave it in the woods at night. I haven't read a credible report of a bear ripping into one, but raccons have been rumored to pop the latch, so I put in a pin in that to back it up.

Here is just an example up your way:
http://www.boundarywaterscatalog.com/browse.cfm/4,3252.html

Several companies including piragis offer harneses for them too (but the 30l will fit in a portage bag).

Not just Yosemite, but SEKI, and many of the National Forests in California like Ansel Adams, Inyo etc. I own one and love it.

For hiking, the ursack sounds nice and light and I would want one. Except they are not approved in the high peaks of the adirondaks either. My plan if I do a hike over there is just to rent the bear canister.

so all the ursack owners, a question. are they meant to be hung in a tree? that was part of the problem when we were up in the boundary waters. couldn't find a suitable tree limb to hang our "gregory" bag from. mostly pine trees, so hence the interest in a bear canister.

http://www.ursack.com/propper-hang.htm

link

thanks, george. guess i could have looked it up on the website. sounds like the perfect compromise. and thanks to everyone else who posted…vicky

I use a Bearikade Weekender for 3-day trips with one other person. They make a larger model, and will also build custom-length canisters. They're very light but, as mentioned, very spendy.

One little canister worth looking into is the Bare Boxer. Good enough for overnighters, maybe.

There are times we don’t hang our Ursack from a tree, but instead around a log or stuffed inside a rock wall. Most of our food wouldn’t be harmed if crushed. We have been using the ALOKSAK inside our bags for a few years. I know bears can smell better than I, but it seems the ALOKSAK really odor-proof. I only used it on a backpacking trip along the Chilkoot Trail, shown here.

I have both the Garcia and a Bareboxer. For solo use I find the Bareboxer easily can fit a three day weekends worth of food. Granted you will have to be good about repackaging some things, but no big deal. At least the Bareboxer fits in all my packs better. Here is a photo of them.

For our upcoming trip in the Boundary Waters my date and I will take two BearVaults (300's, I think). Our seven full days of food, around twenty-two pounds, will 'just fit' into the containers. Although the second one is a little snug, the two containers fit into her ULA P1, along with kitchen, fuel,filter, first aid, hygiene, meds. etc. We do use a liner bag inside the P1, but I don't know how the system would fare in the drink. With two containers, clear view of the contents saves time and frustration when searching for a particular item.

The containers are a four pound twelve ounce premium, but hanging food involves a premium in time, especially during shorter daylight hours this time of year.

At the less developed sites, we often use them for sitting. I wish they were lighter, submersible, and had a backrest!

Is hanging food so time consuming that you would rather use a canister in areas that don't require it.

I know I can hang my food in less than a minute. A 1 minute operation is definitely preferable to carrying 2+ lbs.

If it's required it's one thing. If it's not, I wouldn't dream of taking a heavy canister.

I too own a Bearboxer and really like it. Great for overnighters and such. Heck I even had a bear try it out last month in Yosemite!!! I have the scratch maks on the can to prove it. Seriously though, for its size and weight the Bearboxer is a nice cannister

Ursacks are not meant to be hung on trees. In Yosemite and Seki when they were allowed, it was illegal to do so. If above tree line you can use a cam to wedge into rocks. I have owned a Ursack for the last 7 years and have never had problems with them or with bears.

No, on Ursacks you tie them off to a tree or hefty branch at the base and they sit on the ground. Above tree line, same with what Ken mentions – I find a way to "hide it" and make it hard to get to.
Hanging an Ursack like a bear bag is not a good thing – high in the air it can give a bear purchase on it, allowing it to 'hang' on it for extra strength. This would allow a higher chance of a bag failure.

I have been an Ursack user since around 2001 after I realized I suck and blow at bear bagging – and I had no desire to carry a heavy canister. I now have two Ursacks – one for me, one for the kid. I do own a Bearvault Solo for the few times I need one. There is only one area for the most part where I need a canister in Wa and Or – the Olympic Coast. So otherwise, I am good to go with our Ursacks 99% of the time.
In our hiking group nearly everyone owns one as well. We have one of every style made – including when they made odd shaped ones from fabric scraps during the start of the Iraq war.

also, I suck at hanging so I purchased mine around '01 also. In all the years that I have used my Ursack, I have never had a problem with bears. Then again, if I am in Yosemite or SEKI then it is a cannister. Ursack's are awesome!!!!!