ULA Circuit and Bear Canisters

[Ryan C]

Bear Canisters fit vertically in a Circuit. I tried carrying my BV500 this way and cannot stand the bulge of the round canister against my back, even with padding items. I really don't want to upsize to a Catalyst just to carry a stupid bear can horizontally in comfort like my heavy hauler Osprey Aether 70.

Can anyone confirm if a Bearikade Weekender will fit horizontally in the top 1/2 to 1/3 of the Circuit?

Thanks!

[Justin Mckinney]

I have a circuit and the bear canister you have. Here's another way you can carry it. Place all your food in a stuff sack and put it into the pack; place the empty bear vault on the outside of the pack , directly on top. Secure it using the long top strap. When you get to camp, put the food stuff sack into the vault, and there you go. I used this method a few times, but have since found the whole bear vault with food inside my pack doesn't bother me.

[Michael S]

I used to have a Bearikade Weekender (now I have the Scout). I remember attempting to load the Weekender horizontally as you mentioned. If I remember correctly is was quite a squeeze. I was concerned how the ripstop nylon would fare against the edge of the Weekender over time. I'm sure eventually it would wear through with enough bouncing around against the fabric in tension.

I had to play around with the position of the Can in the pack to alleviate the problem you mention. I found that positioning the Canister vertically and a little higher in the pack totally got rid of the hard canister against my spine. So from the bottom of the pack the order was sleeping bag, spare clothing, then bear canister.

One other thing I did…not sure how much this helped but this is part of my sleep system. I use a short NeoAir and a small piece of Thermarest Ridgerest Foam for my legs and feet. I coiled the Ridgerest into a 1/2 circle and placed it between the pack frame and bear canister. It essentially wraps around the canister to further protect your back and provide a little more pack rigidity.

This set up worked great for me, you could give it a try and see if it fixes the problem you stated while still preserving the inherent durability of your pack. Cheers!

[Jennifer Mitol]

It fits just fine…no pokey things at all.

I used it last weekend to try it out: quilt and down things and sleeping/insulation clothes loosely packed and sealed in a bag liner on the bottom, weekender sitting vertically on top, random things to fill up the spaces around the can, voila. Easy, plenty of extra space, no sense of a bump on my back.

I am a bit curious how you could feel anything through that big bulky frame against your back, tho. Between the aluminum stay and the frame pad I feel pretty protected from anything in the pack.

[Anonymous]

I used a BV450 in my Circuit with no problems on the JMT a couple of years ago and could fit about 6 days of food in there(although it's like playing tetris to fit everything).

[Ken Thompson]

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[Christopher *]

Ryan, Ken,

I have a Circuit and a Berikade expedition. My friend across town however has a Weekender. If no one answers you question on horizontal loading in the next couple days I'll try and borrow his to take some photos for you.

[Ryan C]

Thanks for the suggestions. I don't know why carrying a can vertically in the Circuit bothers me compared to others. Replaced the thin foam back panel with some Ridgerest foam and will try it out when I get time.

As far as loading the food in the pack and carrying the empty canister on top, I have read that this is frowned upon by rangers and all food needs to be kept in the canister. I always keep my food in the can but the JMT stretch from MTR to WP maxes out the BV500 for me. If anyone knows otherwise about carrying food, let me know.

@Christopher: Photos of a Weekender horizontal in a Circuit would be appreciated if it works out!

[Jennifer Mitol]

Christopher, I actually have the weekender and circuit sitting about 2 feet away from me. After work today ill post some photos so you don't have to worry about heading across town to borrow anything.

Ill cloud pack my quilt in first (20* Revelation, 6' wide – so you have an idea of size) then ill put the weekender vertically on top and take some photos of the room you have left.

Now I did NOT modify anything involving the frame of the circuit, so maybe that matters? The aluminum stay and the original foam pad are all still there. I also fold up my exped downmat UL7 and smoosh it vertically behind the quilt. But I think it ends up under the can anyway, so I doubt that is any help to the padding situation.

Ill be able to post pics about 7p central time tonight.

[Christopher *]

Jennifer, that sounds like an easier plan! LOL.

Ryan … I know this isn't the point of your OP but have you considered hopping out and back in at Kearsarge pass? Depending on how you hike that could shave at least 2 days of consumables from your long stretch plus give you fresh goodies for the summit … not to mention help keep you from feeling rushed at the end due to dwindling supplies. Just a thought.

Cheers

[Michael Schwartz]

Christopher, what kind of distance/time does the resupply you suggest add? Sorry, drifting off the OP. Mike

[Christopher *]

Mike,

The trail over Kearsarge was less than 10 miles, but there are big elevation changes. Once down in the Onion valley (the other side), hitching to any of the 3 nearby towns is SUPER easy. Kearsarge is a typical PCT thru-hiker resupply out, so "Trail-Magic" rides might actually be waiting for you. Once back at the JMT/Kearsarge trail junction, I think it is around 45 miles to Whitney summit.

Cheers

[Michael Schwartz]

Christopher, thanks for that tip. The option to resupply before Whitney is very tempting and opens up other possibilities too. Very helpful. Cheers very much.

Now back to your regularly scheduled program…

[Ryan C]

@Christopher: I considered doing the Kearsarge Pass resupply last year but we planned on going all the way through (I had to leave the trail at VVR). If I end up going this year, I will probably be solo and take my time. Having some more food and the assurance of a suitable "out" after MTR may ease those back home too.

[Jennifer Mitol]

Had to run out of town yesterday afternoon unexpectedly. I'll be back this weekend so if no one does it first ill get those photos for you. Sorry about the delay…

[Betsy Frazier]

I also have the ULA Circuit (love it) but when first loaded it with my BearVault 500, I could feel the pressure/ridge of the canister against my spine. There was no way I could hike all day with it. I simply added a very thick egg crate foam in the reservoir pocket and it solved all my issues with the canister.

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