Pack designed to carry a bear canister

For external frame, there is the the luxurylite stack pack  which has been around for about 20 years.  Didn’t do it for me, but there were several people who seemed to like it back in the day.  Of course there is the nunatak bearears pack. Several of McHale’s packs were designed for bear cans.

I found that when the bear can is carried vertically, more packs work, but as you said, many of the light /ultralight packs do deform with a bear can.

I almost wept when my SMD Starlight died. It weighed 24 oz. and easily carried the big Bearvault horizontally with plenty of room to spare and was comfortable. Haven’t found a replacement for that situation yet>

While it might not be what you have in mind jscott, big fan of the Nunatek Bears Ears here. Love how the weight of a canister is centered just below the pack.

I carried my Bearikade Blazer vertically inside my ULA Circuit pack with 7 days food last year on my NPT thruhike. I removed the internal suspension hoop frpm the pack the day I got it. I just feel more comfortable without any frames or hoopla.  A big Rucksack if ya will. I was in the upper 20s lbs maybe very low 30s starting out with food and water in that picture at the trailhead. I dont remember exactly,  though maybe i mention it in my video or have it memoed down somewhere.  Anyway, the cannister fit perfect in there and then I packed under and around and on top of it.. all my gear and clothes fit with plenty of room to spare if needed. 68L is a LOT of pack to fill. Its rated at 35 lbs max and i have pushed that same pack to its limits in winter with full load out including spikes and snowshoes and true 4 season tent. It is comfortable pack. VERY comfortable.  To eaches own and comfort is something each individual has to find and identify for themselves, fortunately.  I never felt the cannister bulging on the my back after 1 full pack load. My first time ever packing and carrying a bear can, so my test pack i didn’t quite pack it right. Re-packed all my gear and I was set. Throughout the entire hike, it was a non issue, not even a thought that i was carrying a bear can with 7 days food in it. In fact,  multiple other hikers I chatted with could not believe how minimal my loaded pack was for 7 days out there.. including ALL my food!  Maybe not Ultralight pack? Define Ultralight? ULA? Lol. Cut your weight elsewhere and it doesn’t really matter much..  to me at lesst.

Again, after my ramble.. I personally prefer framless packs.. for reasons including comfort and at the end of the day, my pack is empty and I stuff it into my bivy head end behind my pillow.

I started this thread and then remembered, wait there’s the Bears Ears, which looks like a well designed pack for carrying a canister. I myself used a Luxury Lite frame without the stack packs. Instead I jsut strapped on an old frameless Mariposa. The LL carries a canister like a dream on the bottom ledge (inside the pack, horizontally) somewhat like the Bears Ears.

I’m the opposite of Dirt Bag in that I like more frame for load transfer. He’s lucky in that a frameless is comfortable for him. I wish that worked for me.

I wonder if the Bears Ears framed packs will go back into production.

A few weeks ago I met a couple on trail that were wearing Seek Outside Divide packs, but with custom pack bags to accommodate a bear canister that was strapped externally to the frame. Similar to the Bears Ears concept, but with the ability to swap the position of the bear canister from the top or bottom of the frame. Or, I suppose, use the original pack bag. The husband had the canister up top and his wife had it strapped to the bottom. Looked good to me.

UL packs prove that, except for a bear canister, one doesn’t need all that much space to carry essentials, especially those that are designed to carry some items (tent, rain jacket etc.) in pockets outside.

Most larger UL packs are designed to carry a canister vertically. I wonder if a wider pack at the bottom designed to carry a canister horizontally on the inside of the pack, that may then taper towards the top…or again, an external frame pack built with lightweight materials, that could accommodate a horizontal canister without raising weight of the pack into unacceptable levels is accomplishable?  Or more importantly, is there a market for this? Probably not.

It may well be that most other hikers don’t find carrying a bear canister upright to be an issue. I find it creates issues with packing and carry.

Again, the Bears Ears solves all of this by simply carrying the canister outside. Then, all of the principles of an UL pack can adhere to the design of actual pack. Except, the pack still has to accommodate the weight of the canister and food in its support system.

I’m glad this topic has come up again because I also fall into the camp of needing a pack that can carry a bear canister.  I have been using a GG Mariposa for a while and a BV450 fits but I also keep the bulk down with other gear.  This means that it’s harder when trying to pack gear for colder weather – bulkier clothing, etc.  I’m not so concerned about ultralight and long distances as I am about finding the right pack size with a reasonable weight that can comfortably carry what I need without playing backpack tetris.  Is there a current list of maybe 5 packs in the 55L+ range that would give us some options?

The Osprey Exos58 fits the BV500 horizontally, no problem. Mine weighs 40oz. without the brain and carries weight very comfortably.

But I agree, the new wave of UL packs seem to have a narrower width and not really considering canisters (other than Bears Ears). But I think as bears and people together on trail become more of a problem pack companies will design with the canister more in mind.

Some of Dan McHale’s packs are designed for bear canisters. Straps under the top lid to secure a canister.

Below are pictures of my McHale Little Big Pack (LBP)

My McHale Bump is a small pack as you can see below using the 64 oz. Gatorade bottles as a reference. There is a BV500 inside the pack vertically. I could strap it to the bottom of the top lid and carry it horizontally like the pack above.

My 1971 Kelty D4 pack weighs 3.6 lb., has an indestructible frame (I bought it new and have been using it for 53 years), and a newer wrap-around belt for carrying comfort.

It carries a BV500 perfectly!

Here it is with the top drawn closed. As you can see, I could add more stuff to the pack, and the top has plenty of room to close and hold it secure.

I don’t keep up with the state of the market backpacks. My LBP is going on 14 years and the Bump is 12. Dan can custom make a pack for you and will last decades. He has a lot of experience with integrating bear canisters into his designs.

Given their longevity, they are inexpensive from a “dollar cost average.”

I have a zPacks Arc Blast from four or five years ago. My 275 cu in BareBoxer fits in it fine horizontally.

Zpacks Arc Haul 70L  will fit a BV500 horizontally.

I sold my Kakwa 55 because of bear can issues. A BV500 will fit inside, but only vertically, and only at a particular height. Basically it required fussing about to get it just right, without any weight shifting. Packing a pack should not be that difficult. I find carry a big bear can to be much easier and much more comfortable  when it is horizontal.

I now intentionally look for packs that can accommodate a bear can horizontally, preferably at different heights in the pack. I don’t want to have only one option for carrying a bear can. Much like adjustable straps or adjustable waist belts let you dial in your pack’s fit, having multiple options for bear can carrying, lets you dial in weight distribution to optimize pack comfort. These features are much more important to me than having a UL pack.

“…lets you dial in weight distribution to optimize pack comfort.”

One of the advantages of the old external frame packs is that they could create a very small gap between the pack and one’s back. Bear canisters are hard and round, and there’s the rub, so to speak. Luxurylite has a perfect frame for carrying a canister and not have it impact one’s back. It also transfers load off the shoulders to hips almost luxuriously, because the hip belt is so beefy and padded.

I don’t like carrying a canister up top because of balance issues. Or maybe having the canister down low and horizontal is just what I’m used to. to that end, the Nuntak design seems really good to me. As long as the straps hold the canister solidly and the design doesn’t introduce any bounce or shifting of position.

still, the pictures of the old Kelty reminds me again of how great those packs were. I didn’t use a canister when I carried a Kelty. Good to see that I could have, and even up top, the way the whole thing’s set up, I imagine that balance wouldn’t been an issue.

After a few trips with a BV500 in a ULA Catalyst I grabbed a Bears Ears Hybrid.  Thoughts:

1. Carries better than the Catalyst.  I don’t remember the canister bouncing around but I did have to fuss a bit attaching it because it was the hybrid model. Overall very happy with the pack.

2. Used it a few times without a canister and it worked great.  On one trip had it on for ~24 hours straight and although I was happy to take it off, it felt ok.  No canister on that trip but the pack was heavier than typical.

Dan made a pack for me in 2005 that carries a bearikade weekender horizontally.  So, a testament to longevity of a McHale pack.  And with the horizontal carry there is no deformation to manage for a comfortable carry.

Dan’s under the lid strap system effectively manages a deformation free carry for smaller volume packs.

My Granite Gear Blaze 60 is very comfortable with a bear canister (Bearikade Weekender). It goes vertically on top of sleeping bag and clothes, and everything else goes around or on top of it. The pack is heavier than the ultralights, but the weight distribution on my body is great; I don’t really think about my pack that much while hiking. At least not until I have to carry 10 days of food or 6 liters of water!

I missed this thread due to general lack of paying attention to BPL because….Life. Anyhow FWIW. When the bear killed that poor guy on Hazel Creek in the Smokies in 2020 I decided OK. Bear cans are the future no 2 ways about it. About that time or a little before Nunatak came out with their external bearcan pack and that was all I could find that specifically addressed the issue and I was tired of fiddling with ad-hoc strap arrangements so……. ( FFAF! The first F is a common vulgarity ;)  So I got the Nunatak. Never looked back. The whole pack is just great. Shoulder straps, Waist belt, Bear-can holder. pockets, material. I love it all. Couple of simple things I hadn’t considered. Want to get into the pack for something without completely un-packing especially the can? No problem. Want to get to some food ?without un-packing? Also no problem. It’s basically like having 2 pack compartments individually externally accessible.  I also like having the can riding low in the small of my back. Also the arrangement makes more sense even for things you don’t really necessarily consider but still do 10 times a day on the trail like taking the pack on and off. Carried over Raid pass a couple years ago headed south and even crossing that kind of Talus you forget about the pack.

Let me know when something better comes along!

Mark: the luxurylite stack pack …  Didn’t do it for me, but there were several people who seemed to like it back in the day.

jscott: The [LuxuryLite] carries a canister like a dream on the bottom ledge (inside the pack, horizontally) somewhat like the Bears Ears.

What don’t you guys like about the LuxuryLite Stackpack? The (few) reports that I see tend to be positive (like jscott’s), but then you’re asking for alternatives which suggests that you want something different?

The pros seem to be light weight, versatile, ventilated, transfers weight to hips well. Is that correct?

What are the cons?

I love the bare frame of the LxuryLite stack pack, but not the canisters. I have a slightly uneven gait and the canisters moved around too much. so I strapped on a minimalist frameless pack bag to the LL frame. Perfect! this very old model Mariposa bag holds a bear canister horizontally inside. I put the canister on the bottom of the bag, where it rests on the ‘ledge’ of the frame. One could also carry the canister outside of a bag, with the bag on top.

the LL frame is brilliant for transferring weight to the hips, due to its frame and padded hip belt. and indeed, the frame IS light.

OK, good.

So what improvement(s) were you seeking with this thread? Is LL the perfect solution for carrying a bear canister, or are there imperfections that you hope to resolve? (Or maybe just features that would be nice to have?)

Also, have you tried the chest pack? I like having a large pocket that is easy to reach without taking off my pack, but most chest packs are hot in warm weather. LL’s is ventilated.

I couldn’t get along with the chest pack. It blocked the view of my feet.

From what I’ve read the Bears Ears pack carries a canister comfortably. From pictures I thought a canister might not fit all that securely but everyone says that one does.

I can see that as a possible issue. Cool. Thanks.