BareBoxer Contender

Christopher,

The only thing I'd consider is the future. The small Bearikade weighs a few more ounces but holds about twice as much. It also costs one hell of a lot more.

If you're an avid hiker, you'll likely be taking longer hikes in the future, so you could save yourself a return trip to the store if you get the additional capacity now.

There are times when I've regretted saving money on gear, but I've never regretted saving weight.

K

Christopher, I've used one of those for two or three years now. All I can say is that three days worth of food is about correct. Last August, I took it on one four-day trip. When I started, I could not get all of the food into it, so I simply carried the excess along to the first camp. After that evening meal, I could cram all remaining food into it.

I have larger bear cans that I use on longer trips, but they are very bulky.

–B.G.–

Bob, I hope you now realize that you do not have to put the first day's food (lunch and dinner) in the bear canister! You will have eaten it before the bears show up that night!

If it will all fit inside, that is a good way to go. Often I will leave my pack and dash up onto some rock to shoot a photo for a few minutes. I wouldn't want to return to my pack and find a marmot-size hole in the top. I've seen that very problem on packs of other hikers.

Of course, if the first day's worth of food doesn't fit, it is not a huge deal, but I just have to be quicker than the marmots.

I had to do a 9-day trip once with a Garcia. That was a pain. I could get only about 7 days worth of food in it.

–B.G.–

Christopher and I will be doing this hike together and woe to me, my beloved Ursack won't cut it in Yosemite — even with the aluminum liner. So both are us are looking.

Piggy-backing onto Christopher's question, my food contents will be something like this — for 2 days:

Breakfast – 3 instant oatmeal packets x 2 = 6 packets
Lunch/snack – 4 Pro bars x 2 = 8 Pro bars
Dinner – 1 MH dinner (2 servings size) x 3 = 3 MH dinners – one extra for just in case.

Then there are the non-food smellables like wet wipes and sunblock lotion. So, pray tell, what's the lightest and most compact solution?

BareBoxer Contender?
BearVault 450?
Something bigger?

I'm not sure that I understand the question. Are you seeking one bear canister per hiker, or one for the two of you?

One per hiker, I would suggest the BearBoxer. I have one that I use for up to 4 days, because it holds about 3 days worth of food.

One for the two of you, I would suggest the BearVault whatever. I have one of those, and it holds a lot more than the BearBoxer. I don't know which model it is. The small one.

I know that I can never estimate the volume of my food until I actually start packing it in. Everybody seems to have radically different ideas about how to package or repackage stuff.

–B.G.–

One per hiker — I couldn't possibly let Christopher carry one canister with both our food all by himself! :)

Uhhh, I've done trips where one guy carried the bear canister with his food, and the other guy carried just his food. At night, all of the food went in the bear canister.

The guy with the biggest volume pack gets that job. The other guy gets to carry the stove and cook pots.

–B.G.–

Ben,
I have a similar menu for a trip I'm taking this weekend using a Bare Boxer. If your wetwipes are small, and you keep one of your three dinners outside of the canister, then the Bare Boxer should be just large enough for your trip. Unfortunately, I have no experience with the other small canisters you're considering.

I have a Garcia, a BearVault 400, a Bearikade Weekender and Bare Boxer Contender. Yes, most of my trips are in bear country!!!!

The Bare Boxer is just the ticket for one or two nights. It easily fits in my smaller packs and the others won't. Bear can external carry is a real PITA so I always have mine inside.

If you have the coin Bearikade makes a smaller version of the weekender. It's expensive but far lighter than the Boxer.

The only bad thing I can say about the Bare Boxer is the latching mechanism. Overly complicated IMO and you must keep it well lubricated.

Bearikade makes a smaller version of the weekender. It's expensive but far lighter than the Boxer.

Are you sure? I thought the Bearikade Scout was a couple of ounces heavier than the Bare Boxer, but held almost twice as much.

–MV

Ben,

Dave and I share a bear can all the time. I usually take the can as I use bigger packs than he does, but he carries his own food, putting it into the bear can once we hit camp.

Here are the specs of the Scout:

http://tinyurl.com/29lmaam

Hi Ray:

I saw that thing last weekend. It's light all right — but wide!

Yes, it would be more efficient to share a bear can of some sort, but I am also thinking ahead in terms of individual use…

I really like my Bearikade Scout(28oz)–I use to own the Expedition(37oz) but I wanted save some weight plus it took up alot of space in my pack. I am amazed by how much I can pack into it(Scout). If you have a lot of extra food just use the PCT Bear Bagging method for the first few days.I am not sure of this but I think the Scouts CI is 510ci.

Thanks for all the advice, input, and recommendations. Upon review I'll go with the BareBoxer Contender.

As a few have mentioned, Ben and I could share a canister. However, I'm looking at this specific product additionally for future solo 2-3 day trips when a canister is required.

One additional question if I may….with the BareBoxer Contender or similar sized canisters – what is the smallest volume pack in which it would fit and still allow gear for 2-3 days?
As for gear I use a solo tarp, bivy, and down bag or quilt – if I bring a stove I use a GG Caldera Keg or a Gram Weenie with BPL Trappers Mug – so for the most part my gear is light weight and compact. The three packs I have that I want to utilize for this trip are:
1. GG Gorilla
2. ULA Conduit
3. MLD Burn (my go to 3 season pack – but probably too small for this trip after the canister takes up volume :-(

Thanks again…..

I know this is an old thread, but I used it to make a current purchase, and it is still getting views. It needs a correction.

The weight of 1.6 lbs (22 oz) for the BareBoxer Contender 101 is for the CANISTER ONLY WITHOUT LID.

I was annoyed to see the weight WITH lid on my scale at 31 oz. This is only 2 oz lighter than my Bear Vault 450.

I was attracted to the smaller size and weight to fits better in my UL backpack for 2-4 day trips, but the BareBoxer Contender is clearly NOT half a pound lighter than the Bear Vault 450. For the features advantages on the Bear Vault 450 such as the transparent canister, the wider opening, and larger capacity at only 2 oz. more, the BareBoxer will be returned.

That's what I did. That lid with the overly complicated locking mechanism weighs too much. The little opening grew tiresome. I bought a BV 450, but wish it were opaque to keep things cooler and not get sweaty when sitting out. I know what is in it, I don't need to see it in there.

Mine, purchased in 2010, weighs 26.5 ounces including the lid. At 31 oz. it would be much less attractive.

Ken, I've had chocolate turn molten when forgetting to not leave my BV in the sun. I've thought about a light coat of white spray paint to solve this. Spray the inside and it should be somewhat durable?

I have the Bare Boxer Contender. I bought it about 2 years ago and mine weighs 30.24 oz weighed on a vey accurate scale. That's with the lid on it and after painting 1/2 of it bright yellow.

I painted parts of it after a trip where I had a hell of a time finding it in the morning. An animal had knocked it over in the night and rolled it a couple of hundred yards away from where I placed it the night before. I finally found it about 10 feet into the woods. I was camping in a place with designated backpacker camp sites. Most of the area was an open field.

It's only been used 3 times when it was required. I have an UL bear bag system I use when possible.

I agree that the top is a pain to deal with, both the locking mechanism and the small sharp opening. I had to sand the edges of the opening because mine was cutting into the food wrapping when installing and removing the food.

I carry homemade dehydrated meals exclusively when I go out, and can easily fit 3 1/2 days worth of food along with scented items in it. 4 days worth if I carry the first days food outside the container.

I chose it for 4 reasons:
1) I usually only go out on weekends so I haven't needed anything bigger capacity yet.
2) It's small enough to fit in my pack without having to bend the aluminum stay that goes across the top of my pack.
3) It was cheap.
4) The canisters that have the latch like the Bearvault 450 aren't allowed in a few areas around where I go because bears have figured out that if they knock it over, sit on it and bounce up and down, that the lid will pop off.

I made a cardboard scale model of the Bearikade Scout and had to bend the top horizontal stay on both of my Deuter backpacks to the point where they dug into my neck in order to get it in and out of the pack. So, if anyone has a pack similar to mine with the lateral stays, I'd suggest doing a cardboard model and trying it before they commit to buying a Bearikade. That's the only reason I haven't purchased a Bearikade Scout yet.

I purchased my Bare Boxer Contenter Model 101 a couple of months ago. I see some confusion here on the weight. Like John K above and others, the weight (including lid) on my scale is 26.50 oz (752 grams).

Bare Boxer site says it weighs 1.6 lbs which is 25.6 oz or 726 grams.

I checked my scale a while ago, weighing 9 loonies ($1 coins) that should weigh 63 grams. They weighed 63 grams on my scale.

I have one I bought in 2007, and at the time it was advertised as weighing 31 oz. I bought a new one this summer, and it was indeed about 5 or 6 oz lighter. In case anyone is wondering, the lids on both models weigh exactly the same, but the lighter model has a less hefty body.

BTW anyone want the older one ? :)

I got the Bare Boxer for weekend trips with the wife. It fits in my 50L pack just perfectly and the AirSpeed system on the Osprey keeps it off my back. The lock system isn't any more difficult than the BV450, taking a whopping 15 seconds to undo the three locks with my pocket knife, and doesn't become a PITA when it gets cold outside like the BV stuff. I can fit 3 MH dinners, 2 MH Breakfasts, and a handfull of energy bars in there.

Density of food can be important when trying to stretch extra days into a small bear cannister.

I tend to pack things like peanut butter, stick pasta, cheese, rice, jerky, dried fruit, nuts, … and other high density foods and avoid freeze dried(Mountain House) and other fluffy foods.

Most food bars, but not all, have less food value to weight ratio than nuts and dried fruit.

Spend some time comparing and you should be able to squeeze an extra day or two into your cannister, especially if you leave the first day's worth of food outside of the cannister.