Bearikade “Scout” approved for JMT?

It must be. why not?

this is my favorite sized Bearikade. I can do five days with this.  It’s super light and small enough to easily pack.

But for the JMT? where folks typically pack food for seven days at a time or more between re-supply? that requires a Weekender at minimum.

Hmmm… on second thought, it’s possible that rangers would assume that you must be hanging toothpaste and coffee, ibuprofen and other smelly foods until space opens in your Scout to stash that all there.

I’ll admit to having done something like this once or twice.

Chuck,

Not sure of all the land agencies along the entire JMT, but I would suspect Yosemite is the strictest. Even though they only list two Bearikade models (weekender and expedition) on the approved list they have never asked for that level of detail while picking up a permit or in the field in my experience.

Well, you made me curious so I called and spoke to a ranger who said Scouts are not permitted. The reason? Because smaller canisters can be carried off by a bear in its mouth. She said that’s the same reason you can carry a BV450 and BV500 in the park but not a BV425.

whoopsie… forgot to add that my response above was relative to Yosemite only.

My Scout is barely 1/8” shorter than my BV450. I don’t understand what that ranger is saying.

And Bearikade canisters are larger diameter.

“Scout can be carried away in a bear’s mouth”?????B.S. I’ve used a Scout over more than a hundred nights all through Sierra but mostly in Yosemite/ Ansel Adams wilderness. And no, a bear can’t get its mouth around a Scout. I check in with rangers for a permit before my hikes. they’ve never questioned a Scout.

I carried a BV425 in Yosemite without incident, so I get it. I think it’s an absurd rule as well, but technically that is the rule. That said, when we picked up our permits in Yosemite, the rangers only asked if we had food and smelly items in a bear canister – they didn’t ask what brand or model – and they didn’t verify a thing.

So, would you likely have any issues carrying a Scout instead of a Weekender on the JMT? Seems very doubtful. Are you able and willing to pay the penalty if you do get caught and suffer enforcement of the rule? Only you would know that answer.

I don’t think my Bearikade has a model name on it anywhere, and short of taking a tape measure out – it would be hard to prove it was model X or model Y – plus Bearikade makes custom models to any height you want.   I’d take it and if asked just use the generic name “Bearikade” and act oblivious of any model name.

It probably depends on what ranger you talk to whether it’s allowed or not.

Not a good answer from that ranger. They have approved  the much smaller Bare Boxer Contender 7.4″ diameter x 8″ height, versus Scout’s 9″ diameter with same height.  I have a feeling that Bearikade folks never bothered to get other models approved.  In any case, I too, have never had an issue carrying the Scout in Yosemite.

Not a good answer from that ranger. They have approved the much smaller Bare Boxer Contender 7.4″ diameter x 8″ height, versus Scout’s 9″ diameter with same height. I have a feeling that Bearikade folks never bothered to get other models approved.

Exactly what I was thinking.

I just borrowed a friend’s Scout for a Kearsarge to Whitney (and back) hike that starts in 2 days. My friend said that he was told the Scout was “Not technically approved, but acceptable”. He’s been checked along the JMT 3 times, and each time the rangers told him that it was fine. In reading on forums, that seems to be the experience of those who’ve been checked on the trail, and nobody has posted yet that I’ve found about having any trouble while on the trail with the Scout.

I’d prefer to have something more definitive, as it seems that I could encounter a ranger who is maybe having a bad day and won’t consider it “acceptable”, but my other choice is my BV500, which is significantly heavier. For now, I’m going with the Scout.

“For now, I’m going with the Scout.”

I’m sure it will pass muster with rangers. And during this time of lay-offs, who knows if you’ll run into one on the trail. The few times that’s happened to me, I’ve merely tapped the hard shell of my canister in the pack to prove it was there. The Rangers were satisfied.

Hey, let us know how you liked the Scout on your trip. The Scout and my old no longer made Rab Demand three ply anorak are the only pieces of equipment for which I’m a legitimate fan boy. Of course you may think otherwise!

The officially approved bear canisters in Yosemite and SEKI are canisters approved by the Sierra Interagency Black Bear Group.  SIBBG dissolved in 2008 after being sued by Ursack (Ursack lost the case).  That means all canisters introduced after about 2007 are not officially approved for use in Yosemite and SEKI even if their design and materials are the same as other approved models made by the same manufacturer, or if they were approved by the IGBC.  That explains why the BV450 and BV500 are approved, but the BV475 is not.

Having said that, I use a BV475 in SEKI. Rangers have only asked if we are using bear canisters, not which model, and they have never asked to see them. That doesn’t mean they can’t or won’t ask, but what they care about is if you are using a hard sided bear resistant canister. If they ask to see mine, it looks just like two models that are approved, and it falls between them in size.

Use the model you want. You’ll be fine. Just don’t ask if something not on their list is OK. That would only draw their attention to something they would otherwise not even notice. I would guess that most rangers are unaware of the history and will default to the list their park uses.

I don’t know why Yosemite and SEKI stubbornly refuse to update their long out of date lists.  Note that Shenandoah also uses the old SIBBG list. Most other parks simply say to use something approved by IGBC.

Yosemite and SEKI also lag behind pretty much every other park when it comes to bear spray, prohibiting its use. Other parks not only allow bear spray but encourage you to carry it. I think the Yosemite/SEKI approach is “we are the trained professionals, you peasants don’t know how to use it,” along with their belief that black bears do not attack people. I do most of my hiking in the Smokies, and I know of seven verified predatory bear attacks in the Smokies, two of them fatal (both were hiking alone; other people present were able to help drive off the bears in the other cases). These were real predatory attacks, when the bear went after the people, not their food.

“Hey, let us know how you liked the Scout on your trip.”

Worked great. I got 5 days of food in it with only repackaging two Mountain House meals, the rest were in original packaging.

I wrapped a 1/8” ccf mat around the canister and strapped it to the top of my pack so that it was clear to any ranger that I was carrying a bear canister but would not have been identifiable as a “Scout” unless he asked me to take it down to look at it. But I didn’t encounter a ranger on the trip.

Even if I had, I doubt a ranger would have given me any trouble over it.

I’ve never had to show my bear can to a ranger. I’ve asked yes/no do I have one when picking up a permit and have tapped on my pack to indicate when asked on trail.  I personally wouldn’t worry about the scout. If that’s the bear can I have that’s what I’ll use.