Bearikades

[Steve B]

Bear Boxer Contender; less expensive and less weight than a Weekender. But it only holds 3 days of food. I expect four days could fit if you pack it well, which means 5 days of backpacking (first day of food outside the canister) with a 1.6lb canister.

I have both the Weekender and the Contender. I got my Weekender back in 2002 and it has been a good investment (2 JMT hikes). I can put 9 days of food into it, and have only had to replace the o-ring one time. Cut the chain off. Cut a sit pad to fit the top. No complaints.

Can't wait to use my Contender this summer!

Steve

EDIT: I fully agree with what Christopher above said about providing pack structure. A weekender sitting on a stuff sack of sleeping bag; very comfortable in forming a lumbar curve, as long as the canister is allowed to lean toward you (kinda away at the bottom).

[Marko Botsaris]

Personally I have been thinking about getting a new can this season. I was thinking along the following lines as I have an old Garcia can (44 oz/614 ci) I have used for the past decade….

If I buy a Bearikade I would moat likely only want to buy 1 for obvious reasons. I might just buy the expedition size Bearikade (36.5 oz, 906 ci), this is only 5 or so oz heavier than the weekended (31.1 oz/656 ci), and at any rate would still save 1/2 lb over the Garcia. I would eat the extra 5 oz, and on shorter trips could pack other stuff in the can – someone was asking about any advantages and I suppose the extra wide opening would be one. I would probably build my kit around having that Bearikade inside, and in the center of my pack, as usual.

Also I would probably first do a lot of thought on how long the longest trip I would want to go on without resupply would be. Looks like because of the simple design it doesn't cost …um.. more, at least, to buy a custom length one. I could very well buy a shorter one.

So in short, figure out the max food volume/total pack weight you would put up with without resupply, and buy that size. Weight on these thing goes approximately as the surface area so the volume per unit weight goes up in proportion the length, as does efficient use of the extra weight. Then buy the largest can you would ever need and just eat the small difference in weight of the "optimal" size for your trip when you go on a shorter one. On shorter trips use the extra space to pack other things in the can and keep your bag compact for those trips, or even use a smaller bag for those.

You are still going to have to swallow the weight of the bear can, but at least this way you only need one can and the volume issue doesn't matter so much on shorter trips.

[Dirk R]

As someone with first-hand experience with both Bearikades, Garcia and the BV500 I offer these thoughts….

First, the Garcia is the easiest to eliminate if weight and volume are requirements.

The Bearikade vs the Bear Vault becomes a more subjective question.

First, the one advantage that the Bearikade offers is the ability to get custom sizes. I've mentioned this before, but they were pretty easy to work with in the event you wanted something outside their normal product line.

You can find custom size information on their website here.

The downside of the bearikades is that that 90 edge at the lid can cut into lightweight pack fabric. This is a concern. I did send a missive to to the company, and when I get a reply, I will let you know. The Bear Vaults have rounded lids.

Despite the edge issue (which requires to pack carefully, I rather carry Bearikade because of the weight issue.. Having a quarter along helps with opening the lid, obviously, but I found that system preferable to the BV500 I've used. I am sure there are others who would find the opposite to be true.

But the BV500 is a very good canister and I don't think you'd go wrong either way. I think where you live and the style of packing you employ factors into this decision: I generally don't need a canister except for very few locations. In those cases (such as the Sierra) I would like to spend a greater time in the back country than resupplying, in which case, I choose my bigger bearikade and larger pack. If I were doing shorter trips (say, three days), I think the BearVault might shine here – certainly weight isn't as much an issue (you generally are carrying less food to begin with).

Happy Trails!

Dirk

[Tom D.]

" I did not know that they only bought your food slightly more time than with out. I assumed(I know I know I should not assume)that they stopped bears from getting your food."

This is not really the case. Bear resistant canisters are a very strong deterrent to bears getting your food. There have been some unusual cases of bears getting them open, but except on rare occasions bears knock them around for a while then give up and look for an easier source. I have had many friends hike the JMT and while a few have had canisters knocked around, not one has actually lost food from a canister to a bear.

[steven franchuk]

I have the Bearikade Scout and my brother has the Weekender. I have used the Bearikade, Bearvault, and Garcia canisters. All are waterproof when placed on the ground upside down. The Bearvault is waterproof right side up the Garcia is not (no oring seal on the Garcia lide. Bearikades have o-rings on the lides and are probably water proof right side up. I always place my canister upside down on the ground when it rains.

The bearikades have the widest opening when compared to the bearVault and Garcia canisters. The bearikades use a lid latch mechanism similar to the Garcias. I have never heard of any black bears managing to open the Garcia or Bearikade latches. The one Bearikade that a grizzly ripped open is the only report of a Bearikade failure I have seen. For the weight Bearikades generally have the best internal valume to weight ratio while keeping the external size about the same to similarly sized bearvaults, Garcias and Bearboxers.

As mentioned the BearVault has been opened by one black bear and her cubs may know how to do it. BearVaults are the only transparent canisters on the market. Some like that feature but keep in mind that if you leave it exposed to the sun your food can get hot due to solar heating it's a great green house). I have not found anyone that likes the Bearvault lide latches. As mentioned earlier the only way to easiiy open a bearvault is with a credit card.

Garcias are the gold standard. To the best of my kinowledge no bear or grizzly has ever goten into one. However it has a very narrow opening which can make it difficult to pack and unpack. The thicker plastic walls also reduce the internal valume meaning you cannot pack in as much food.

"Bear canisters provide about 40 minutes of protection."

Not True. Since Yosemite started requiring the use of bear canisters backcountry bear problems ave very infrequent. Yosemite valley and its heavily used high sierra camps do occationally have bear problems. However in most cases it is because some people don't follow the rules and try bear bagging or carry no food protect at all. Most bears quickly learn they cannot get the food inside a bear can and then leave bear can users allown.

[Erik Dietz]

I didn't read all the comments so I'm not sure if this was already mentioned…but the bearikade canisters are much more cylindrical so you're able to use all the space. I have a small bear vault canister as well and I find that I can't pack as much food in it as I can my bearikade scout. A bear canister is needed more often then not where I backpack so the extra expense for a little less weight was worth it to me. Just my .02c

[Tom D.]

"I have not found anyone that likes the Bearvault lide latches. As mentioned earlier the only way to easiiy open a bearvault is with a credit card."

Now you have. It doesn't take much if any longer to open one than it does to turn the 3 latches on the Bearikade. The easiest way is actually with a stick, pen, or any pointed object as I mentioned in an earlier post, not the credit card, although that works too. Just a quick, single push behind the tab on the lid to get it past the lock and unscrew the lid like you would opening a jar. You need a coin or a key to get into a Bearikade as well. It really shouldn't be an issue when deciding on a bear canister, as none of the 3 are difficult to open. Also, its transparent but tinted blue and the solar heating is not likely to be much worse than leaving a black container in the sun.

I don't think that anyone disagrees that the Bearikade is the best approved canister available for all the reasons you mentioned. I saw many last year on the JMT and I certainly liked them better than the Bearvault. The only real concern that I've heard is the cost, but that's a biggie. For some its not an issue, but for the average backpacker its difficult to lay out $250+ for a bear canister, especially if you will rarely use it again, if ever. This is even more of a factor when you can get a canister that will do the job just fine for just over 1/4 the cost (I bought 2 Bearvault 500's from a major retailer for $65 each). You are taking a 10 oz weight penalty, and it may be worth it to you to save that 10 oz if you can afford it, although there are more cost effective ways to save weight if you haven't already done them. But if you need more than one canister (I had to buy one for my son as well), the cost starts becoming prohibitive for most people.

[A W]

So call me crazy for this, but I'm thinking of buying the Bearikade for (one) JMT trip this summer, and then selling it. I would like to have the bearikade and use it to shake out my gear / food packing ability well before my actual trip.

Since noone has mentioned it in this thread, what does a used Weekender typically sell for on these forums? If I could get 200 for a $250 can I would say it's worth it, and gives you more flexibility than the rental.

[Bean]

$200 shipping included, I'd buy a lightly used weekender. I want an extra for g/f for JMT this summer (which I'd probably sell right after myself).

[steven franchuk]

You can rent a bearikade canister directly from the Bearikade web site.

[Erik Basil]

I also find the BearVault "latch" marvelous and happy. I personally use either my finger or the back of my Baladeo pocket knife that's clipped in my pocket to push the latch. Most of my Scouts just use their fingers and the only issue is whether King Kong cinched the threaded lid or not. It can be funny watching someone in ragg gloves trying to get traction on that lid!

After years with a Garcia, I'd give it the Leaden Standard, rather than the gold one, if only to emphasize the weight without glam. Harder to open, harder to pack, harder to get things out of, harder to find things in, heavier… With BV's holding up to California bears, marmots and racoons just as well as any Garcia, the BV vs. Garcia issue is an easily-resolved one for me.

I love that we can rent Bearikades (and REI rents BearVaults), because it's an affordable way to get one if you don't use them often.

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[Diane Pinkers]

Probably people get tired of Andrew Skurka getting quoted, but he did have a very good blog post on this very topic:

http://andrewskurka.com/2012/bear-canister-shopping-guide/

[Ken Thompson]

I bought my Weekender used here on Gearswap. The previous owner used it for a JMT hike. We agreed on a purchase months in advance. They don't pop up on swap much. When they do they go fast. For fairly close to the retail price. And why not. They don't get worn out by the average user.

[Raymond Estrella]

I have both a Scout: http://tinyurl.com/29lmaam and a Weekender. I honestly do not know how many days out with them, but a lot. I love them. We also have a bunch of Bear Vaults but rarely use them.

I have never had a bear try them out.

I can get four days of food in one (carrying the first nights meal out of it) and can get up to a week from the Weekender.

[Josh Brock]

For those of you sitting on the edge of your computer seat wondering what I decided(sarcasm). I ordered a bearikade. And the advice about the bearikade be more cost effective the bigger it is was taken into account to a degree. I ended up getting a 12.5 inch one. He had one in stock. It should get mailed out today and I'm actually more excited than I thought I would be.

[Josh Brock]

Ordered my bearikade and it came super fast. Ordered on 3rd showed up on the 6th. The below is a picture of it on my pack. It looks Hyuuuge on my little gorilla. I got the 12.5 size. Hopefully its the last bear can I have to buy.

[Dale Wambaugh]

Nice. What does it weigh?

[Josh Brock]

The site says 33.8 but I don't have a scale to weigh it with so I cant confirm it. but it weighs 6 ounces more than the smallest one and has 780ci so 280 more Cubic inches comes with that.

[jscott]

Josh: my Weekender is going on 12 years at least…lost count really…probably more…still going strong except that the chain joining the lid to the can is broken. I could fix it but it's not really a problem. I can't see the can ever wearing out. The only thing is that I loan it out sometimes; that's asking for trouble. So yeah the initial frightening price is worth it, imo. ( I got mine the first year that it was available, so it was a bit cheaper!)

[Greg F]

I think bear canisters come down to dollars per ounce saved and could those dollars per ounce be better put to something else in your kit. $15 per ounce on the weekender and $30 per ounce for the small one are some expensive ounces.

However the ounces are free ounces in the sense that you don't give up any functionality to save them where getting lighter in other areas might mean a less supportive backpack, a smaller sleeping pad or smaller tent.

For me I bought a Bear Vault as my frequency of use is fairly low and I perfer to spend my money on gadgets I can play with rather than a chair.

[Jennifer Mitol]

Wow…that IS huge. I guess I should be glad I got the circuit…

Have you tried carrying it up there yet? I can't imagine it rides well up there, but I'd love to hear that it does….

[jscott]

I definitely carry mine inside my pack. For 5 days I can use the Scout, which lays horizontally on the bottom of my pack and still leaves room on either side to stuff socks etc. You have to carry the first night's dinner and lunch to make this work. The Weekender "just" goes horizontal. I carry a larger volume pack precisely for the canister; plus I don't have to shmush my sleeping bag so much. Part of the penalty of bear canisters.

[Jennifer Mitol]

Jeffrey which pack?? I hear most need to carry the weekender vertically…..

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