bear canisters, bv500 overdoing it for the JMT? anybody try to fit one in a Granite Gear Crown VC 60?

The size of bear can you need will depend on your resupply schedule and your daily mileage. One can easily get by with a BV450 between Yosemite and Muir Trail Ranch. But, between MTR and Whitney Portal you need more capacity unless you are planning to resupply or are planning on 15-20 mile days. I used a BV 450 last year and included an Ursack in my MTR resupply for the 4 days of food that wouldn't fit in the can. Bear cans are not required on the JMT between MTR and the Rae Lakes but you do need some protection on that stretch: hanging or Ursacks are OK. As for fitting the can in your pack, I used an Elemental Horizons Kalais with about 2300 cubic inches in the main compartment. It will hold a BV 500 and my gear but it is a squeeze. That's why I decided on the BV 450 and Ursack: my pack was overfilled for only a few days after MTR.

thank you for the response. i will look into the ursack.

" Bear cans are not required on the JMT between MTR and the Rae Lakes but you do need some protection on that stretch: hanging or Ursacks are OK."

Charles gives a lot of good information in his post, but the above quote is incorrect.

Going south on the JMT, Bear Canisters are required from Pichot Pass to Forester Pass.
Pinchot Pass is about 15 miles north of Rae Lakes.

Here is a link to a page that has a link to the Bear Canister Map:
http://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/canister-areas.htm

Also you should be aware that Sequoia/Kings does not allow the use of Ursacks as described by the manufacturer anywhere.

SEKI only allows three methods of food storage:
1) Steal locker boxes where available (locations shown on map)
2) Hanging food via approved 'counter balance' method.
3) Approved Bear Canister models.
Note that it is allowed to use an Ursack in the counter balance method, but not as the manufacturer recommends. However, you need appropriate trees/branches in order to do the counter balance. If you camp where there are no trees (or no appropriate trees) or steel lockers you will need to have a bear canister to be legal even if you are not in the 'required bear canister area' of SEKI.

Hope this helps.

I used a BV500 on the JMT last year and have used it for trips up to 9 days of food. The BV500 works pretty good for the JMT. You may need to hang a days worth of food on the first night after MTR. I was able to get 7 days in my BV but it was tight. I plan to use my BV500 again this July on a 15 day JMT hike. For me, I think it is easier to just take the larger BV and not worry about hanging food or tying up a ursack every night.

I also have a Crown VC 60 and it fits a BV500 easily with plenty of room. My only complaint is that it does not carry will over 30 lbs. You should treat this pack as a frameless pack. The "frame" does not really help in terms of load transfer to the hips at higher weights. If you incorporate your sleep system (foam pad) into the frame it is much more comfortable and can easily handle larger loads for short periods of time. I really only use this pack as my load hauler when I'm hiking with my wife but I think that it is a good choice for the JMT if you expect your load to be over 30 lbs or a day or two.

Here is a link to a more comprehensive listing of SEKI food storage requirements:

http://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/bear_bc.htm

Billy

Also, consider how much volume each day's worth of your food takes up.

A few backpackers can keep one day in less than 100 cubic inches. Others take well over 200 cubic inches. I try to shoot for 100, but I end up a little north of there.

–B.G.–

well, i think i might go with the bv500. i don't want to short myself on space for food. also, i dont want to buy both a ursack and a bear vault. good to know it fits in the crown vc60. this will be my first UL bag even though its a little over two lbs. i'm hoping i'm making a good choice with this bag.

It really depends on your food. How much, how many cal/oz, how did you repackage, etc.

Lean heavy on the peanut butter, olive oil, trail mix, reeses cups and you can get 4000 cal in 85 in3.

"Charles gives a lot of good information in his post, but the above quote is incorrect."

Thanks for the correction. In my original post, I didn't mean to imply that canisters were not needed at Rae Lakes; they are because of several intelligent and innovative bears in years past.

I was under the impression that bear cans were needed from Woods Creek south. Now I know.

As for the Ursack, I have always assumed its use to be the same as hanging in that the sack is hung from a tree. So, if hanging was OK then so was the Ursack: I should have asked! Good to know the exact wording of the regulation. So counterbalance hanging is OK but the PCT hang isn't? Doesn't make much sense but rules are rules, I guess.

I too have a Crown VC 60. A BV450 fits well on it's side or upright. My buddy had a BV500 and it would only fit upright. So the simple answer is "yes, it will fit", but whether it AND all the rest of you gear fits depends on your other gear.

i'm still figuring out my base weight and how much room i'll have left. so, when i have that settled, it will hopefully make the decision a little easier.

on a side note…john, do you like the crown, i have it coming in the mail but wondering if i should go with the ula circuit instead. what's your size, how does it fit? guess i have a year to decide with rei.

Smitten, totally smitten. I suggest you keep your total weight below 27 lbs. Down around 20-24 it works beautifully (for me). I first bought a Blaze AC 60 and loved it so much I bought the Crown. Use the Blaze with loads below 35, the Crown below 25. I'm real happy. Hope you find it similarly lovely.

I have a 22 in. Torso and a 36 in waist.
The Blaze is a size "Reg" with a size "L" belt.
The Crown is a size "L" with size "M" belt.

The medium belt on the Crown works great (although I was worried about it at first) most likely because the pack weight is low.

I figured I'd reply to a semi-old thread rather than create a new one, since this one is almost exactly what I need to ask.

I'm going to be doing a high Sierra trip, about 5 full days. I have a BearVault BV450. Will this be enough for a for a typical amount of food (I weigh 190#, 6' tall) for this trip. It's not going to be an overly strenuous hike, I'll just say similar to the HST or 5 days worth of JMT.

If 5 days of food will fit, will I need to carefully repackage everything or will it fit without much hassle? I guess it really only needs to be 4 days worth of food technically, since I won't need to pack the first day's food in the bear can. Again, food will be typical – freeze dryed/dehydrated meals, bars, candy, trail mix, etc.

Thanks..

I regularly use a BV450 for 5 day/4 night trips. It does take a bit of practice and somewhat careful choices of food, but very doable. A couple of things that I've learned are:

Like you said, Day 1's food does not need to be in the can since it will be eaten before it needs to be protected from the bears at night. With that said, don't leave your pack unattended with food out of the bear canister (e.g. drop your pack to bag a peak).

Day 5, exit day, doesn't include a dinner or "lunch." Just breakfast and a few snacks, since I'll absolutely be stopping for some wonderfully greasy grub on the drive home.

Commercially freeze dried foods are actually a bit bulky, especially their packaging, compared to basic dehydrated fare (e.g. instant rice, beans, mashed potatoes). Thus, I try to skip them when possible. If I do take them be sure that I'm skipping anything like MH's "Pro-Pak" since their hard brick shape doesn't pack nice in the canister. I'll repackage the regular MH type meals in Ziploc freezer bags to control proportion and reduce packaging bulk.

Similar to above, trail mixes and nuts are chosen over bars because they can be "worked" into the nooks and crannies of the canister.

Don't go overboard on drink mixes. 5 days of those single Crystal Light packages can take a bit of space. I try to limit 2 per day.

Remember that your sunblock, toothpaste, and soap should also be stowed in the canister at night.

Thanks Alex – that's just the information I was looking for.

The BV500 should fit with plenty of room for your other stuff. My son used a 45l Osprey pack on the JMT and had room for the BV500 and his other gear, although he strapped his small tent to the outside. Like others have said, unless you are going at a fast pace, I'd take the BV500.

Just for grins, I put the BV500 into my Flash 30 clone a few days ago and it easily went in upright, and I think I could have done an overnighter in 35 degree weather with it if I put my quilt in a compression sack and attached it to the outside.