Bear Canister...where does it go?

balzaccom

balzaccom

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The last time I was backpacking in Yosemite I saw a guy with his BearVault strapped on the outside of his pack—and the BearVault was empty! Of course I asked him about it.

He explained that it didn’t really fit well inside his pack, so he just stuffed all his food into a plastic garbage bag in his pack (no problem fitting that!) and then carried the BV on the outside, as if it were a Zrest mattress or something. When he got to camp he put the food into the BearVault, and everybody was happy.

I’m not sure I’d want to travel that way, but I do give the guy credit for thinking outside the box…or the backpack!
 
Interesting. Our packs are big enough (70L and 80L) to fit our bear canisters. I know some people don't like them because of the added weight, but they sure are easy to use with no hanging necessary.
 
I always keep my Bearvault empty on the outside/top of my backpack using a v-strap--so maybe you ran into me! I've never met anyone else who does it, but that's how Zpacks intends you to use it with their Arc Haul. Their v-strap accessory webpage has a photo of it and the straps fit into grooves ringing the Bearvault so there's no slipping.
The only time this method caused problems was in 40+ mph winds when it was acting like a sail and throwing me off balance on a narrow cliff trail, so I just carried it in my arms for 50 meters.
 
yeah I figure that if I'm going to do a trip in bear country, I'll just take a pack big enough to hold the BV500, but if people can work it a different way that's awesome
 
In the trash....... But I don't go to areas that require them....... In Grand Teton you can camp out of the Park easily and not use them....
 
Bob said:
In the trash....... But I don't go to areas that require them....... In Grand Teton you can camp out of the Park easily and not use them....
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Amen, hang it in a tree or use a ursack.
 
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One reason I stay out of cal... Plenty other places to go without that hassle ....where Ursaks are fine
 
Bob said:
One reason I stay out of cal... Plenty other places to go without that hassle ....where Ursaks are fine
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I'm not willing to skip out on Canyonlands just because they require a hard-sided cannister in The Needles...

I use a Ursack just about everywhere I go, but there are still a couple of places I enjoy going to that require hard-sided cannisters....
 
Just in Salt Creek, which you can have as it's the most congested area in that park .... Thankful I have visited that part many years ago....
 
Bob said:
Just in Salt Creek, which you can have as it's the most congested area in that park .... Thankful I have visited that part many years ago....
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I rarely see anyone in upper Salt Creek. The limited campsites available in that area keep the crowds down, so I'm not sure why you would consider that 'congested' ...but I know how you just like to complain about things...
 
IntrepidXJ said:
I rarely see anyone in upper Salt Creek. The limited campsites available in that area keep the crowds down, so I'm not sure why you would consider that 'congested' ...but I know how you just like to complain about things...
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I was gonna say, most of the Island in the Sky trails as well as anything around Elephant Canyon and Chesler Park are far busier than Salt Creek. And regardless of how busy they are, it's an incredible place that's busy for a reason. Worth it to backpack even just once, and not everyone had the benefit of being born 50+ years ago and being able to go there in the 90s, 80s, and earlier when it wasn't so busy.

As for me, when I have to have a bear canister somewhere, I just shove it in my pack. It's a tight fit, but I don't like to have things outside my pack making it more unwieldy. I do try to avoid using it whenever I can, but I can see why some places require them. It's a lot more simple and idiot proof than a bear hang or an ursack.
 
I haven't done a whole lot of backpacking in places with bears and had never used a bear can before this summer on the JMT. I was really not looking forward to it since I've read so many people complaining about bear cans but I really didn't find it to be that bad. Yeah it's a little heavy but I didn't feel like it slowed me down, it fit really well in my hyperlite pack, and I really liked how convenient the bear can was at camp. I'm sure that I will eventually get an ursack because of the weight savings but I don't think there is a single place I wouldn't go because I was required to carry a bear can. Carrying a few extra pounds to see a really cool place is always worth it. The weight of the bear can isn't really any different than backpacking in the desert and being forced to carry a few extra liters of water.
 
IntrepidXJ said:
I rarely see anyone in upper Salt Creek. The limited campsites available in that area keep the crowds down, so I'm not sure why you would consider that 'congested' ...but I know how you just like to complain about things...
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Quite the ....... Aren't we. That's why they limit campsites cause the congestion it was becoming.
 
IntrepidXJ said:
I rarely see anyone in upper Salt Creek. The limited campsites available in that area keep the crowds down, so I'm not sure why you would consider that 'congested' ...but I know how you just like to complain about things...
Click to expand...
Yeah, I had as much solitude on my salt creek trip as almost any other trip I've done in southern UT.
 
Inside pack for a bear canister. Although I'm not a huge fan, I have found them handy in certain instances.

I keep stuff on the outside of a pack to an absolute minimum.
 
I saw a few people while I was at Mt Whitney who had their canister strapped up top but they had their food inside.

Figured I’d try it next time space is low inside my pack.
 
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