View Full Version : Bear container
hildebrand1944
03-07-2018, 13:48
I have a certified bear container. It will hold all of my food for 6 days and fits in my backpack. My question is... Do I still need to HANG the container or can it sit inside the tent or shelter? Or leave it on the picnic table?
:-?
TheMidlifeHiker
03-07-2018, 13:53
No, you don’t hang it. Leave it a fair distance from your tent. The idea is that the bear can bat it around but won’t be able to get into it.
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TheMidlifeHiker
03-07-2018, 13:54
No, you don’t hang it. Leave it a fair distance from your tent. The idea is that the bear can bat it around but won’t be able to get into it.
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My comment assumes it’s a bear can.
Sarcasm the elf
03-07-2018, 13:56
Do not hang the container. They are shaped so that bears cannot get enough of a grip on them to bite the can open. Any foreign material such as a rope or a duffle bag can provide the bear with something else to get a grip on and either destroy or carry off the container.
In terms of storage, place it on the ground a fair distance from the camp area and make sure to put it in a place where it won't accidently roll away if it gets knocked around by an animal during the night:
You can attempt to wedge it into a space (between rocks, stumps, etc...) if there is a risk of a bear rolling it away off a cliff or into a river.
I swear I've read somewhere that rangers in Yosemite tell folks to keep the can next to your tent so if a bear does come, you can run it off. I've always kept mine a short distance away from my campsite however.
hildebrand1944
03-07-2018, 14:03
Thank you for the comments. I had to hunt around to find the box it came in. It is a Bear Vault Model BV-500. Now that I am reading the directions closer... It says keep 100 yards from camp in the shade - never in tent.
"The Bear-muda Triangle". :D http://www.wideopenspaces.com/9-ways-help-make-campsite-bear-proof/
TheMidlifeHiker
03-07-2018, 15:16
Thank you for the comments. I had to hunt around to find the box it came in. It is a Bear Vault Model BV-500. Now that I am reading the directions closer... It says keep 100 yards from camp in the shade - never in tent.
I’ve got the same one and I love it. Makes a good seat! My only complaint is that they’re tough to open on cold mornings... but I guess that’s the point!
I also have a BV-500 and I agree with everything Sarcasm the elf, JPritch and Midlifehiker have said.
A lot of people don't want to carry bear canisters because they add weight to your pack but once you factor in the weight of a food bag, rope and carabiner, the weight penalty is not that bad. And a definite plus is that your food doesn't get crushed by everything else in your pack.
I love my BV-500 and it works great!
My food bag, rope, and carabiner combined weigh less than 4 ounces as I recall, vs about 2.5 pounds for a Bear Vault 500. You can argue back and forth on whether the merits of a bear canister adequately balance out the drawbacks, but I really don't think you can avoid acknowledging a very significant weight difference.
evyck da fleet
03-07-2018, 16:19
I swear I've read somewhere that rangers in Yosemite tell folks to keep the can next to your tent so if a bear does come, you can run it off. I've always kept mine a short distance away from my campsite however.[/QUOTE]
Not next to tent but close enough, say 50 yards (my words), so that you can chase a bear off. They recommended I put my pot and metal spork on top of the bear can so the noise would wake me if a bear tried to get at the food.
So how many people carry the can (BV500 or equal) on the AT? I have a BV500 that i used in Alaska and also have Ursack S29. Each have advantages. I'm still on the fence on which to bring on the AT.
ADK Walker
03-07-2018, 17:04
I’ve got the same one and I love it. Makes a good seat! My only complaint is that they’re tough to open on cold mornings... but I guess that’s the point!
I use an expired plastic gift card (like a credit card) to open mine. Slot the card between the two tabs and twist the top. Works very well especially when it's cold out.
saltysack
03-07-2018, 17:50
So how many people carry the can (BV500 or equal) on the AT? I have a BV500 that i used in Alaska and also have Ursack S29. Each have advantages. I'm still on the fence on which to bring on the AT.
Neither Is needed on AT....a simple properly hung bag is fine....
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TheMidlifeHiker
03-07-2018, 19:53
So how many people carry the can (BV500 or equal) on the AT? I have a BV500 that i used in Alaska and also have Ursack S29. Each have advantages. I'm still on the fence on which to bring on the AT.
From what I’ve read, no one carries bear cans on the AT. They’re only required on one tiny part and only if you sleep there. Most just skip staying there. And I forget exactly where... Blood Mtn maybe.
TheMidlifeHiker
03-07-2018, 19:54
I use an expired plastic gift card (like a credit card) to open mine. Slot the card between the two tabs and twist the top. Works very well especially when it's cold out.
Good idea! Next time I’m out west, I’ll give that a whirl.
ADK Walker
03-07-2018, 20:06
The card trick is not my own original idea but I love using it.
It’s funny that the AT generates so much bear can talk when Yellowstone National Park and Glacier National Park don’t require them. In grizz country. Go figure.
Wayne
PS: Glacier does require bear resistant containers (Ursack acceptable) in a remote area where food hanging hardware is not provided.
Hildebrand1944 and suzzz. What trail are you guys talking about hiking?
Durunner
03-07-2018, 22:23
Another suggestion if you are putting it far away, put a strip of reflective tape on it. In case you need to find it in the dark.
Sarcasm the elf
03-08-2018, 01:32
So how many people carry the can (BV500 or equal) on the AT? I have a BV500 that i used in Alaska and also have Ursack S29. Each have advantages. I'm still on the fence on which to bring on the AT.
Very few people carry one on the A.T. I love my BV500, but it's a rare sight on the trail.
I carry mine because I find it incredibly convenient and I've also lost a bit of faith in bear bags as an option for the A.T. specifically, after watching people use absolutely awful bear hangs on this trail year arter year. Sometimes I think people are intentionally trying to get the bears to associate unattended colorful bags with a free meal.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nYzmdbplAMk/VhAmHqGtK-I/AAAAAAAAAiU/ZZ6wknqSP4M/s1600/Crappy%2BBear%2BBags%2B2015%2BFinal.jpg
I plan on carrying a bear canister when I hike the AT, but I'm going to call it a mouse canister so people think it's a good idea.
Durunner
03-08-2018, 12:09
Haha, love those bear bags photos. When section hiking in the fall, a shelter had a bear warning. Thru hiker was the only one sleeping in the shelter. He decides to hang his food, but it was so low people could almost reach it. I was glad I was hammock hanging across the trail. My food was nice and high. I try to hang properly, but sometimes it is just too difficult to do so. Once that trip, I actually hung it off the hammock. I couldn't find a single branch good height and I couldn't find a rock or even good stick and it was already dark.
So how many people carry the can (BV500 or equal) on the AT? I have a BV500 that i used in Alaska and also have Ursack S29. Each have advantages. I'm still on the fence on which to bring on the AT.
I carry a bear can, usually the smaller BV450. No, it's not absolutely necessary and yes, it's heavy (about a day's worth of food), but I like all the advantages it gives the user. Sooner or later, bear cans will be required in a lot more places.
rubyvermonter
03-09-2018, 13:13
Yosemite does not recommend that you keep the bear canister near you. There should be a triangle of your tent, your cooking area and the bear canister each about 100 feet (or more) apart.
Yosemite does not recommend that you keep the bear canister near you. There should be a triangle of your tent, your cooking area and the bear canister each about 100 feet (or more) apart.
100 feet or yards might work west of the Mississippi. East of the Mississippi you’re lucky if you can see 10 feet through the growth.
... Saved by the delete key.
Wayne
Night Train
03-09-2018, 21:22
Secure it however you deem necessary, This year will be my first experience using a canister, thought I would try one out to see for myself all the fuss.
Heliotrope
03-11-2018, 08:18
Very few people carry one on the A.T. I love my BV500, but it's a rare sight on the trail.
I carry mine because I find it incredibly convenient and I've also lost a bit of faith in bear bags as an option for the A.T. specifically, after watching people use absolutely awful bear hangs on this trail year arter year. Sometimes I think people are intentionally trying to get the bears to associate unattended colorful bags with a free meal.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nYzmdbplAMk/VhAmHqGtK-I/AAAAAAAAAiU/ZZ6wknqSP4M/s1600/Crappy%2BBear%2BBags%2B2015%2BFinal.jpg
You might consider making that into a calendar [emoji3]
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hildebrand1944
03-11-2018, 09:49
2016 at Thunder Hill Shelter, my hiking partner hung a bag in a tree about 50 yards from the shelter. There were 2 other bags in the tree. About 3 in the morning, a bear climbed the tree and took off with one bag. He then came back and tried to get a second bag but we heard him and scared him away. Sometimes, good trees are not available. That year we saw a lot of bears south of Buena Vista VA. You just never know when one will come around. Better safe than go hungry for 2 or 3 days.
saltysack
03-11-2018, 12:22
2016 at Thunder Hill Shelter, my hiking partner hung a bag in a tree about 50 yards from the shelter. There were 2 other bags in the tree. About 3 in the morning, a bear climbed the tree and took off with one bag. He then came back and tried to get a second bag but we heard him and scared him away. Sometimes, good trees are not available. That year we saw a lot of bears south of Buena Vista VA. You just never know when one will come around. Better safe than go hungry for 2 or 3 days.
Good example of why I’d rather just sleep with it...
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Yosemite does not recommend that you keep the bear canister near you. There should be a triangle of your tent, your cooking area and the bear canister each about 100 feet (or more) apart.
Yellowstone. K.I.S.S.
https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/upload/bctrip-planner_2015.pdf
Wayne
grubbster
03-11-2018, 12:52
This container is a little different. https://www.rei.com/product/135835/frontiersman-insider-bear-safe
Sandy of PA
03-11-2018, 19:57
I have carried a bearcan on the AT for over 2000 miles of hikes. I put away from my tent but still within view, nothing has ever messed with it. Thunder Hill shelter got closed in 2016 because of the bear, it then went to the next campsite and kept them chasing it away all night. I stealth camped 2 miles farther away no problem.
devoidapop
03-11-2018, 20:19
Yosemite does not recommend that you keep the bear canister near you. There should be a triangle of your tent, your cooking area and the bear canister each about 100 feet (or more) apart.
100 feet or yards might work west of the Mississippi. East of the Mississippi you’re lucky if you can see 10 feet through the growth.
... Saved by the delete key.
Wayne
Stumbling through the fog looking for your food is the worst.
This container is a little different. https://www.rei.com/product/135835/frontiersman-insider-bear-safe
interesting concept that one..... seems a bit too big though for my consideration.....