How do YOU pack your bear canister?

[Justin Baker]

I shove my mountain hardware lamina bag into it and put it in the bottom of the pack, fits pretty snugly. This way it takes up barely any more space. I have the smaller 4 day one.
How do you personally pack your bear canister when you need to carry one?

[Bob Gross]

"How do you personally pack your bear canister when you need to carry one?"

If you want to get a high calorie packing density, then purchase about ten pounds of Robertson's Shortbread, remove from the wrapping, and crush it all with a rolling pin. Once you have ten pounds of crumbs, you pour that into the bear canister. There is virtually no wasted space.

–B.G.–

[Konrad .]

Wait, Justin you pack your sleeping bag inside your canister?? Where does the food go? Aren't you concerned about food odors permeating your sleeping bag? I'm pretty sure the majority of people here put their sleeping bags directly into their packs, then put their upright canister directly on top, vertically aligning it with their spine. All the other people who carry way to much stuff end up strapping their bear canisters to the outside of their packs, usually on top of their pack lid (I used to be guilty of this myself)

[James Marco]

Good question. There will be MANY different answers. Most all will NOT involve putting your bag in the bear ball. This can be less than optimal in grizzy country…

When I am required to use one, it just fits in the GG Miniposa. This pack is about the perfect size for me and has four pouches. So, I stuff my bag down in, then get the BV450 in. This seems about the best for balance in the pack, too. It sure gets my vote. I tried strapping it on externally, but the balance was wrong. I am not sure if the pack was mis-sewn or what, but it widens out about 2" after getting beyond the collar. I flip it sideways and pull my bag around the ends so it sits a bit more comfortably against my back and stays put. Since I won't be needing it for the rest of the day, it usually stays in there once it is packed for the day.

[Erik Basil]

I fill the BearVault with all my food, keying it in and filling gaps with the long-handled spoons, etc…, along with an empty gallon ziplock that becomes the trash bag for the various containers in the canister.

Then, I lay it sideways across the top of my gear inside my Tioga, which snugly fits the BV500 inside the confines of the pack and spreader bar. This puts what's pretty much the heaviest thing I carry up top and forward, much like the water in the top/outside pockets. Works great and there's still a lash point for the large helium balloon I use to negative ballast my pack…

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

When I do have to carry my Bear Vault or a Garcia I use the one pack I won that is big enough for it and pack it inside. I carry my food/garbage in it during the day, just keeping the days snacks in a small sack that is easy to grab. Thankfully the only time I usually need a can is for the Olympic Coast and those are not long mile days – more luxury backpacking than anything!

[Christopher Yi]

BV500 vertical in my old TNF 40L pack, sleeping bag went into the seperate compartment below that. Haven't had to carry one yet in my Circuit. My friend always carries his Bearikade Expedition on top of his Circuit or Catalyst rigged with bungies.

[Paul Wagner]

From our blog earlier this year:

It's not a science, but more like an art.

Step One: First you have to get all of your food together: the freeze-dried dinners, the soup packets, the instant oatmeal and cocoa, the energy bars and the gorp, the dried fruit and salami, bread or crackers. It all has to go into that little plastic barrel.

Step Two: Take everything out of its pre-packaged wrapper. Pour the freeze-dried dinners into zip-lock bags, so they take up less room. Open the dried fruit packages, squeeze all the air our of them, then re-seal them with their finger seal. Remove all extraneous paper wrappings, cardboard, etc. If you are taking bread, squeeze it down into a much smaller dimension, and then put it in the freezer over night. It will take up less room, and stay fresher that way.

Step Three: take the first night's dinner and set it aside. It doesn't have to go in the can, nor does the first day's lunch or snack. Whew! That makes it a little easier.

Step Four: imagine all of this fitting into that little plastic can. And imagine how you are going to use this stuff. Start by putting a couple of days' breakfasts and dinner down into the bottom of the can. You won't need these for the first few days, and it's better to get them out of the way.

Step Five: Now stack all those energy bars around the side of the can. This is the most efficient use of space for these bars, and this way they are more or less easy to grab. As you stack them in there, use more breakfasts or dinners to hold them in place.

Step Six: now it's time for the stuff in the middle. Take your salami, cheese, and anything else you are going to eat for lunch and pack it in the middle of the can. You'll need to access this stuff every day, so there is no point putting it in the bottom.

Step Seven: Toss in the last breakfast–that's what you'll need first thing in the morning on the second day, and it makes sense to put this on top. Hooray! It all fits perfectly!

Step Eight: Inform your wife that the bear canister is now packed for the trail. She asks if you want to put the toiletries in there as well.

Step Nine: Take the sunscreen, moisturizer, insect repellent, toothpaste, and face cream from your wife. Go back to the bear can and start shoving it in. With a little bit of luck and some brute force, you'll be able to wedge this stuff in between the salami and the cheese, and maybe shove one down the side with the energy bars. That last tube of face cream is just going to get mashed on top…and let's hope it doesn't jam the lid when you try to unscrew everything.

Step Ten: Inform your wife that the bear canister is now packed for the trail. She asks if you remembered the bread.

Step Eleven: Take the bread out of the freezer. Unpack the entire can and start again, shoving things together even harder. Forget trying to keep the noodles in once piece. Sacrifice the crispy crackers and turn them into powder to gain more space. Mash the bread into a solid ball, then shove the final toiletries on top and jam the lid in place. Slowly screw the lid down, listening for structural failure in the bear can.

Step Twelve: Inform your wife that the bear canister is now packed for the trail. She asks if you remembered to put the soap in.

Step Thirteen: Put the soap in a side pocket of your pack, along with the last two energy bars, a tube of neosporin, and the raisins your wife just bought at the store.

Step Fourteen: Inform the ranger at the trailhead that all your food and odorized items are in the bear can.

Step Fifteen: Start hiking. Hope for the best. Inform your wife that next time, we'll have take less stuff.

She suggests a larger bear can.

[Some Body]

What's with the misogyny?

[Brian Austin]

I don't waste my time with a bear canister to start with.

Much easier packing.

Don't cook where you camp if you are paranoid. By this I mean cook at mid day when you rest and get out of the noon blazing sun. Then keep hiking.

If you are so worried about bears do you also not go to the bathroom? Bears love the stuff you excrete… If its near the surface and Buster Bear wanders near it they certainly will eat it. Since there is usually TONS of food for a bear they don't go around digging up outhouses though, but if they are hungry they certainly will.

Do you wash yourself VERY carefully afterwards? If not you are kidding yourself that you don't smell like "food". Even then if a bear is that hungry you are probably on his dinner list regardless so having your food with you in the tent won't make any difference.

A bear canister is just a VERY heavy anti mouse food storage method. Otherwise to be used only if you plan on leaving your food at base camp while you go up a mountain peak for the day.

[Bob Gross]

Brian seems to have opinions about someplace. Fortunately, in many places along the John Muir Trail, there are regulations requiring food to be stored overnight in a bear canister. Also, human waste must be buried six inches deep to avoid animals getting into it.

–B.G.–

[Brian Austin]

Next the commies in the forest service or national park service will be requiring "safety certificates" to go hiking in the woods.

I have to wonder which cousin sat on the comity to mandate said bear canisters to get their bear canister manufacturing facility a nice boost.

Or, horrors you could shoot a couple bears. I refuse to have my freedom stomped all over in a PUBLIC land.

Next "safety" ignoramuses are going to mandate helmets/knee/elbow pads for walking on a sidewalk or in our own homes. They are essentially already there, just a matter of time because it doesn't matter what said "safety" folks recommend it ALWAYS gets passed and never repealed.

The overbearing safety insanity regulations have to stop.

[Justin Baker]

Konrad, very good point. I never thought of that. Honestly I am not afraid of black bears, just need to follow regs and keep them away from my food. It might be iffy spooking one that was strolled into my camp though.
Brian, bear canisters are usually only required in very high use areas. Accidents happen, and unfortunately the park service has to require bear canisters to protect the wildlife. Some of the bears turned into yogi and spent all their time looking for pic-a-nic baskets. In California, they aren't for protecting people they are for protecting the bears. So far, only the most popular sierra destinations and some places along the coast require them. Even in Seqouia only certain trails require them.
And some places you can't hang. Although, usually bears don't go above the treeline, unless you are just above the treeline. And if you ever go to Denali, you will definitley be carrying a bear canister regardless of regulations or your food will gone. It's tundra.

[Brian Austin]

I've never hung my food anywhere. Saves a heck of a lot of time and energy. Besides no place to hang usually unless you camp below tree line. Who does that? No one generally goes backpacking to stare at trees. Most hang their food right at bear swatting pinata height anyways or too close to the tree as said trees branches aren't long enough. Or provide a perfect spot for chipmunks to descend to.

Folks in Alaska never bother with bear canisters either. Just all the lower 48 folks who don't know any better when they go north.

Like everything else in life it requires prudence.

I have had exactly 1 mouse problem and 1 pica problem getting in my food in my entire 30 years of backpacking/mountainclimbing/kayaking/boating/carcamping lifetime of continuous outdoor experience. I had to throw all of one bagel away and my boots were slightly nibbled on.

What is more dangerous are mountain goats wanting to lick pee from the spigot. Now that is dangerous! No, I am not kidding. Go to Lake Ingals, Kool Aid lake or any of a dozen spots other spots. So do we all have to now be forced by our lovely overlords and masters in the forest service or national parks department to wear armor underwear? A mountain goat here in Washington killed a man(gored via horns) recently probably when said man wasn't too happy with said goat trying to gain access to said salt a bit earlier than desired.

A bit of hunting would nip that problem in the bud. Just like the yogi bear problem. Not to get rid of mountain goats/bears but to instill fear of humans into said mountain goats/bears and keep them away. I don't mean making noise via a blank shotgun cartridge either. That just trains them that you make noise but can't do anything.

Sorry for thread hijak. I won't post anymore.

Back to packing a can or box… Uh same way you pack any other can or box.

=)

[James Marco]

Bear balls are required in some areas. No fooling. I do not agree, and would not use them. Except in some areas, as was mentioned. They are not really needed her in the ADK's, except to prevent *some* people from feeding the animules. Bearbags work well for me. I have never had one broken into, 'cept by a flying squirl, in better than forty years of camping.

Generally, in the High Peaks area, they are *required*. I obey the law, only because of the extreme number of people out there.

I could never make an external mounting work for me. 'Corse, I never tried bungies, either. Good suggestion!

[Robert Perkins]

I pack mine vertically on top for easy access throughout the day. I own a Bearikade Weekender and it is one limiting factor in pack selection in finding a pack that it will work with. I am breaking down and getting a pack made by Zimmerbuilt to accomidate my can without compromising comfort.

Brian. I used to think just like you on my feelings towards bearcans. After hiking so long in the Sierras, I can't imagine hiking without it now! I tried stealth camping, camping up high, PROPER bear bag hanging techniques and still lost food to bears over the years. I don't like being limited in my campsite locations and I don't like hanging food, so a bearcan works for me REALLY well. I get a great nights sleep knowing Yogi isn't getting my food. For some reason bears in the Sierras are habituated and smarter than other bears, because they will find your food in time. You may go years without any encounters, then you will see bears for nights in a row.

[Erik Basil]

The OP asked us how we pack our bear canisters, not whether the canister represents a sinister conspiracy.

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

I don't have an issue using a can when required – for example cans are required on the Olympic Coast not for bears but rather raccoons. Due to the rule changes the raccoons have gone down considerably are not as brazen as they once were (ripping up tents, refusing to leave camps and simply charging in/grabbing and sitting there eating said food). The thing about the PNW is that cans are rarely required..so Brian shouldn't be so upset. Sheesh! Rainier got around it by simply parking bear poles in camps and overall requiring people camp in camps (cross country permits are not exactly handed out easily). The Olympic NP did the opposite – with so many people and so much wilderness they slowly went pro-cans – the lowest common demoniator – is the human who doesn't get how to keep their garbage/food from animals. But still there are thousands of miles of trails with no regs.

I use an Ursack every where else and keep a clean camp.

On the issue of doing #2 and cleaning…ummm….there is no reason to be all fanatical about that. Yes, bears have superior sense of smell but that sense of smell also tells them we are humans and not animals. What they smell is human and that is why it is only rarely a human is attacked in a tent (and if you notice on these attacks often the person did have food with them).
Bears overall want nothing to do with us. Bears will adapt to easy food (ie…sloppy hikers who leave bags o' food for easy grabbing) but so will squirrels, birds and coons! The key is as long as your food/garbage is put away if a bear does come along they will give up due to frustration. That is what a can or an Ursack buys – that the animal will walk away. They want an easy meal, not your stinky butt.

Goats want our pee for a real reason – as do deer – they need the salt. They don't want anything else but the salt. Just pee on a rock and let them do their thing. Nothing is going to change that! That is why agencies ask hikers to pee on rocks, not soil – then there is less damage to plants.

Anyhow, while regs are a pain at times there is a valid reason they are there. All we have to do is go back to the 1970/80's and the over running of the wilderness by fanatical hikers to see why they exist. We can't have the days of then back very easily. The land was being abused – but hey, history is hard to overlook. At least we have an easy way to avoid having animals killed!!

[Paul Wagner]

"What's with the misogyny?"

Why? Because she remembers stuff that I forget?

[Mary D]

Paul/Balzacom, your essay on packing the canister is hilarious! I go through those same gyrations–but with myself! That may be because I generally use the canister only once a year, when I go with son#3 and his kids to the Olympic NP coast.

[Bob Gross]

"for example cans are required on the Olympic Coast not for bears but rather raccoons"

Geez, Sarah, if it is only a raccoon, you could store your food in a simple paint can. That would be a lot lighter.

A proper bear canister is the size it is in order to be too large for a bear to get it in its mouth. Raccoon mouths are tiny by comparison. Sharp teeth though, and mean-spirited animals.

–B.G.–

[Raymond Estrella]

Because much of the time I am in bear canister required country I am with Dave we each carry our own food separate. As he is UL and has tiny packs I always carry the canister. But I too put my sleeping bag in it and keep it in the bottom of the pack. In camp I pull the bag out and we put our food in. One of the reasons I do it that way is it fits best in the bottom of my Exos 46 and lets me tailor the weight best.

As we don't carry paper-wrapped salmon, but freeze-dried and Lara Bars I don't worry about my bag smelling like food. (I am in black bear country, not griz.)

On long trips that call for more food I do carry my food in the can and put it in the top of my pack. But then it is a bigger pack like the Exos 58.

[David Frederick]

Before bear canisters were required in most of the Sierra Wilderness bears had begun living above 10,000 feet where there is VERY little food and not exactly bear habitat. They were living off backpacker food. Every night in Sequoia and Yosemite bears would come prowling around your campsite, sniffing and searching, and keeping you wide awake! Bears had learned that camp meant food and they learned to get it no matter what strategy people used.
Since the can requirement bears (smart guys) have learned that there is NO available food near campsites. I have not had a bear encounter in over ten years, when in the past I had one nearly every year.
Cannisters are difficult to pack and I appreciate all the useful comments here. Thanks!

[Mary D]

Bob, you can use paint cans on the Olympic NP coast, but you have to get prior approval from the rangers before you go in, which is a pain, especially if you're entering via one of the self-permitting trailheads. It's much simpler to use a bear canister. There are some bear, as well as raccoons, in the coastal strip, too. Olympic NP is gradually moving towards requiring bear canisters everywhere.

Paul, one thing you omitted from your account of packing the canister–be sure to have the second day's breakfast, lunch and maybe dinner on top, so you don't have to unpack and repack a full canister the second morning. Going through all that hassle a second time is no fun!

[Steve B]

I've been able to fit 9 days of food into a Weekender canister. I divide the food into two halfs of the 9 days, and one half (breakfasts, lunches, snakes, dinners) go in the bottom half of the canister. Keeps from having to dig through the whole canister.

No ziplock bags, just the bulk food bags with twist ties. The ziplock adds bulk.

A full canister is 18lbs, and is most comfortable at the bottom of the pack (GG Vapor Trail) horizontal. With a light base pack weight, having 18lbs at the top of pack is terrible.

When the can is half full, it goes vertical on top of the sleeping bag. I've made thin vertical bags for clothing to go on the side of the canister. MLD Serenity Shelter also goes on the side. This leaves only 3 things to go on top of the canister; Cook kit, down jacket, and 1.5L water bottle with CC and small stuff inside.

Steve

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