Bear Canisters: Design, Use Cases, and Reviews

Just bought a BV500. I really wanted a Bearikade but the price is just outrageous, especially given the lack of certification for certain areas.

I have used Bearikades for a long time, after using the old original Garcia for decades. I’ll never go to another type; they’re so light and so sturdy and effective, plus the volume is great. I’m not worried about “approved models” and such, and haven’t had any issues using them no matter the land jurisdiction and supposed rules. The price is high, but over my lifetime of using it extensively in bear country, totally worth the peace of mind. I don’t think of it as a “necessary evil” at all, just as I don’t think of my backpack as an evil, even though it’s a chore to put it on some days. Nor do I think of bears as evil. They’re part of the environment we love.

One issue not covered here is condensation with clear bear canister models. You cannot leave those in full sun, and even in hot weather, your food can cause condensation in those, which creates a mess. Soggy tortillas are nasty.

I just looked at the Yosemite NP page and they list the Bearikade Weekender and Epedition as legal food containers in the park. I’d prefer to get the Blazer, so am wondering if that one isn’t allowed, which doesn’t make sense to me. Also wondering if I have this correct; are they really allowing some Bearikades to be used?

+1 for Bearikade.

I am an infrequent user of bear cans, preferring my Ursak where possible.

that said, my experience with Bearikades is outstanding for the reasons outlined in the article.

Wild Ideas has a very generous rental program. I suppose over time my rental fees will add up to the purchase price but we’re not there yet.

Oh geeze I’ve used a Bearikade Scout or Weekender  forever inside Yosemite and all through the Sierra.  It’s  never occurred to me that they may not  be approved. A number of times I’ve shown the canister to a ranger. Never had a  comment.

And yes I won’t use anything else. I’m lucky that I bought the Weekender very early and it was cheaper than now. I actually called the maker and had to convince him to sell me one. At that time he was just going to rent them. It’s likely that I was the first person to buy one.

Tamara – if you want to go by the letter of the law, you certainly can but they will change the policy on the website whenever, without notice. The Bearikades weren’t even included in the list a few years ago, but I used one anyway, showed it when I picked up my permit, and they didn’t even look at the make or model. They just want you to use one and use it correctly! They want you not to feed any bears. In your place I would get the Bearikade I wanted and use it. It is extremely unlikely the rangers out there are carrying a list of approved models. More likely they will simply tap your pack to see if it’s in there, or maybe make you take it out and they’d give it a once over to be sure it’s not a Folger’s coffee can or some contrived object that can’t keep a bear out.

I’ve also used my Bearikades in Denali, many many times. The make isn’t on their list at all, but they don’t care. If you ask them the policy, they’ll give you the official policy, because that’s how it’s done. They can’t tell you to do whatever you want. It doesn’t have to make sense. But again – they want you not to feed any bears which does make sense.

It’s sort of like asking a traffic cop; is it illegal to go 5mph over the speed limit? yes it is. It always is. It’s illegal and you could be fined. They have bigger fish to fry however, in real life and you’re highly unlikely to get a ticket for it – at least where I live. I’ve gone 30 years here and never even been pulled over, ever. I don’t deal meth, so yeah, it’s illegal to go 5mph over but…

The Bearikade Weekender and Expedition both appear on the approved list from IBGC, but the authors of this article did not put a check mark in the IBGC column for these products.  Is this a typo or oversight, or is something else going on?

“Is this a typo or oversight, or is something else going on?”

This sounds like typical conspiracy thinking. Was that your intent Gary or is something else going on?

So tired of this type of comment. I hear it from every quarter in every circumstance. We’re all running around suspicious of each other. It’s toxic.

I’m pretty sure that I would know if there was a conspiracy here. Let’s all assume positive intent please.

I will ask the editorial side of BPL and see if I can get a clarification.

I am sorry, the Bearikade products are on the SIBBG list, not the IBCG list (the lists that are clickable in the article), but not checked on the BPL table in the SIBBG column.  The Ursaks are on the IBCG list and not the SIBBG list.

AK Granola, by “something else going on” I meant that maybe the products had been approved since the article was written, BPL has information that the approval has been revoked, or some other explanation outside of a simple typo.  I do not suspect any nefarious intent from BPL I love them and completely respect their integrity.  I apologize if my wording cast any suspicions on anyone.   The Bearikade products are popular because of their light weight and some commenting are surprised that they have no approvals.  Just wanted to point out that there’s an inconsistency at this time, the source of which I do not know.

Ok, then I’m going to bite the bullet and get one. Now for sizing…. PCT. I need up to 7 days, which is in between the Weekender (6 days) and the Blazer (9 days). Are these sized for large man appetites? I’m a smallish gal who eats a lot. What are your experiences?

It’s hard to answer that. How much do you want to optimize? Do you enjoy playing bear can Tetris? Or are you willing to play Tetris in order to carry a more compact can? How many calories/day do you want to carry?

If you are doing the whole PCT I’m guessing you will become a calorie machine and the bigger one might be nice? Also then you can resupply easily with whatever you find at small town grocery store…

I have enjoyed the optimization problem in the past but I haven’t hiked longer than a couple weeks ever.

Tamara, good call on the Bearikade. Big fan! I have both the Blazer (slightly different custom size before this model was available) and a Weekender, and I use each one depending on the type of trip, duration, and if my wife is joining me or not. The smaller option is certainly doable for 7 days of food if you are careful, but I like the peace of mind and versatility the Blazer provides. Plus I like to go with bulky freeze dried meals more often than not, store my cookpot, stove and other items in there so nothing gets crushed and things stay organized.  Scented items can really add up so don’t forget some extra volume depending on your kit especially after resupply. With that said, the rice and bean tortilla crowd will probably steer you towards the Weekender.

Consider reviewing GearSkeptic’s video on calories and volume. It might work for you and help to maximize your calorie to volume goals.  My 2 cents.

I have a custom Bearikade that is 1″ shorter than the weekender (sized to fit horizontally in a pack I no longer use) that I can get 6 days in without too much trouble and 8 days if I focus on maxing calories/volume (I have done this once). I am a 185 lbs male and my daily food intake on week long hikes weighs 20-24 oz per day. I do not store my cookpot, stove, etc. in there – only food and smelly stuff like toothpaste, etc. Re-packaging any freeze dried backpacking meals into ziploc bags is required. Also, many small snack packaging seems to have a lot of air in the bags, so I will puncture the packaging to allow the air out. I imagine a thru-hiker diet might be heavier and offer less chance to optimize the mix of food for volume efficiency based on what is available for resupply.

Thanks everyone, especially David, as that’s exactly what I was looking for and I should have specified that. I’m an experienced hiker, finishing up PCT CA because I hiked SOBO in ‘21, year of the Dixie fire and the closing of CA. I make my own meals and they’re as high cal/oz as I can make them while also being nutritious and edible on a long term basis. 20-24 oz/day but w starvation fear apparently because i always overpack. I’ll flip a coin on the size. I have the Durston 40L pack and either will fit, just annoyingly so. Thanks again

I am sorry, the Bearikade products are on the SIBBG list, not the IBCG list (the lists that are clickable in the article), but not checked on the BPL table in the SIBBG column.  The Ursaks are on the IBCG list and not the SIBBG list.

AK Granola, by “something else going on” I meant that maybe the products had been approved since the article was written, BPL has information that the approval has been revoked, or some other explanation outside of a simple typo.  I do not suspect any nefarious intent from BPL I love them and completely respect their integrity.  I apologize if my wording cast any suspicions on anyone.   The Bearikade products are popular because of their light weight and some commenting are surprised that they have no approvals.  Just wanted to point out that there’s an inconsistency at this time, the source of which I do not know.

Thanks for bringing this up to us – it looks like it was an oversight that wasn’t caught in our review process. We’ve updated the article for the two sizes that are SIBBG certified. Cheers!

I think it’s pretty easy to get ~seven days of food with the weekender. Especially if one carries the first days lunch and dinner on your body.

with my ancient Mariposa I could lay the Weekender sideways on the bottom of the pack. Not so, with the Blazer.

Nice review of options for bear canisters. I’m enough of a rule-follower, and just chintzy enough, that a Bearikade has never made it to the top of my list. I’ve got two canisters: a Counter Assault Bear Keg, and a BV450. The Bear Keg has been there, done that too many times to count, and has never let me down. I love the yellow color—note to all: a bright color (and at least a bit of reflective tape) is of immense help when trying to locate a canister in the before-coffee fog and/or in the dark. But it’s big and heavy. And yes, requires a tool. I recommend a 1983 Philadelphia-minted U. S. quarter dollar. The BV450 was purchased to have a smaller (and lighter, though still not inconsequential when it comes to mass) canister for shorter trips. And yes, for the curious, I’ve adorned mine with tape, of two sorts: reflective and orange duct tape.

A query to the interested here who might know: One of the potential drawbacks of the Ursacks is that while they generally prevent access, they don’t necessarily prevent (a) crushing of contents—though the aluminum sheet helps, and (b) being carried away. I cannot help but imagine, were I to use an Ursack, going to its place of repose some morning and finding nothing but scuffle-marks on the ground and maybe a track or two indicating direction of travel of the miscreant mammal that absconded with the bag. So, the question: Is this a real concern?—that is, has it been validated by experience? Is tying it to a tree or some such an adequate preventive measure?

Finally, though I know this is a preaching-to-the-choir statement: Please, folks, do what can reasonably be done to avoid opportunities for bears to learn to associate humans with food. Not all unpleasant encounters with our ursine kin can be prevented, but we can do our best to limit them.

I have personally had chipmunks eat thru the plastic on a garcia canister.  They did not get to our food only because we woke up and chased them away.  In the adirondacks you are discouraged from using a bearvault (BV) as bears have become proficient at opening them.  They keep a display at the adk of those opened by black bears.

Not sure if it’s elsewhere on the forum, but REI just introduced the Traverse Modular Bear Canister – https://www.rei.com/product/246158/rei-co-op-traverse-modular-bear-canister. This looks interesting for folks that do different sized trips, but being new it probably isn’t approved for Yosemite or Sequoia/Kings Canyon.  With Doge moves I don’t think this long overdue reconciliation of the approved Bear can approvals will happen anytime soon.

I wandered past one of these modular canisters at the local REI a couple weeks ago so I took a fast look. I picked it up for a moment and it felt a little heavier than a BV, which makes sense due to the more/thicker plastic. I just watched the video for it and the middle section can nest over the lower section which means you could make it a bit smaller during a trip.

I took a close look at the REI Traverse. Very cool design, but very heavy. It weighs a full 16+ ounces more than the slightly larger BearVault 500. Too heavy for me, but to be fair, about the same as the Saber and the Counter Assault Bear Keg. Seemed easy to open and is clear enough to see contents as easily as with the BearVault series.