PDA

View Full Version : Best Bear Canister???



Not Sunshine
12-04-2012, 09:32
A friend and I are planning a thru-hike of the John Muir Trail July 2013 and I'm looking into getting a [required] bear canister.

Being from the East, I've NEVER hiked in any remote location like the southern JMT, nor anywhere in GRIZZLY country.....

I've read information on the Ursack, BearVault BV450, and other's.

I think the Ursack is obviously amazingly light weight - but would be most concerned about the smell of food being transmitted through the fabric and into my pack - making my pack a smelly and tempting item for bears. I keep my pack in my tent with me.

The BV450 - clear blue base, black lid. I HAVE one. It seems crazy heavy (2lbs empty) but I've heard it's been banned in many bear locations because the bears can open it!

Please - if anyone has a better suggestion, I'm all ears!
Any updates on canisters that are banned along the JMT would be welcomed, too.
Best bang for your buck/weight is appreciated!

Thanks!

Cookerhiker
12-04-2012, 10:39
Unless the Park Service and Forest Service have changed their policies recently, the Ursack is not acceptable for the JMT.

I have a BearVault and used it on last year's section hike of the JMT. I didn't like the weight but I found it better than the ones rented by the Park Service in that it was roomier. As far as I know, BearVault's are acceptable in the Sierra. It was the Adirondacks where one bear - recently killed - learned how to open them.

For more info, use the WB Search feature on the JMT and PCT forums.

Cro-Mag
12-04-2012, 11:24
I own a Garcia canister. I like the size and shape and it fits well in my pack. The opening to the canister is not my favorite. It is narrow and bags tend to snag on the rim of the opening. Other than that, no complaints, but a bear has never had its paws on it haha

I own an Osprey Atmos 65 by the way.

Snowleopard
12-04-2012, 11:40
I don't think the Ursack is a legal canister in the Sierra, but Bearvault is. BV is still not legal in parts of the Adirondacks (Yellow-yellow's cubs know how to open it). The lightest canister is the Bearikade, but it is very expensive.

JohnF
12-04-2012, 11:43
Head over to the John Muir Trail group at Yahoo. Tons of really useful, current information monitored by very experienced, respectful and friendly people.

colorado_rob
12-04-2012, 11:43
The Berikade is the lightest, I believe. We used one on the JMT a few years ago. Well, my wife did. I carried a heavier Bear Vault. In the immortal words of Ferris Bueller, with respect to the Berikade: "they are so sweet... I highly recommend them, if you have the means". IE: they are expensive. but: you can choose the exact volume you want. Here's the link:

http://www.wild-ideas.net/

max patch
12-04-2012, 11:46
Someone had what I thot was a great idea a while back. Instead of strapping on a bear vault to your pack, someone should invent a pack where the entire "bag" is a bear vault. Not the lightest way to go but it would be so convenient.

CarlZ993
12-04-2012, 11:59
Ursack isn't legal as CookerHiker stated. The BearVault had been compromised by a bear in NY. I think that bear had since been killed. I know of no other area where Black Bears have compromised that canister.

I hike a lot in areas where canisters are required or strongly recommended. I own the following bear canisters/Ursacks:
- Garcia Machine: 42.3 oz; the original; narrow opening will 'bite' your hands sometimes when you load & unload it; need a coin or washer to open it.
- Bear Vault: 38.2 oz; the 'old' model w/ the narrow lid; biggest volume canister; screw-top lid
- Bear Vault Solo: 32.4 oz; 'new' lid; about 3 days worth of food or so will fit in it; not suitable for the JMT & the long resupplies
- Bearicade: 29.2 oz; VERY EXPENSIVE but can be rented; made of aluminum on the end and a composite material used in sailing masts for the body; require coin or washer to open.
- Ursack: 4 oz; original made with Kevlar or some other 'bullet resistant' material
- Ursack Hybrid: 6.3 oz; newer one; unsure if it is the latest model; different material (military was buying up all the Kevlar-type material and they went with a different fabric).

If I were to do the JMT again, I'd pick from either the full-size BearVault or the Bearicade. Probably go w/ the Bearicade.

Note: When meeting NOBO PCT hikers this past summer on my Tahoe to Yosemite hike, many of them complained that they couldn't put all their food into their bear canisters on the longest resupply. They had to hang some food as well as canister it. If they did it again, some said that they would use the smallest bear canister (i.e. Bear Vault Solo) to be 'legal' and hang the rest of their food. This is a risky. The CA park bears are very smart and persistent in getting hiker food that is hung in the trees. Assuming you're hiking SOBO on the JMT (most do), you have a very long resupply from Muir Trail Ranch to Whitney Portal - ~115 miles or so (depending on which mileage guide you use). It is possible to bail out over Bishop Pass or Kersarge Pass and hitch to a town for resupply. I'd just deal w/ the long resupply if it were my decision.

Berserker
12-04-2012, 12:27
The Berikade is the lightest, I believe. We used one on the JMT a few years ago. Well, my wife did. I carried a heavier Bear Vault. In the immortal words of Ferris Bueller, with respect to the Berikade: "they are so sweet... I highly recommend them, if you have the means". IE: they are expensive. but: you can choose the exact volume you want. Here's the link:

http://www.wild-ideas.net/
+1...I went to the Sierras in 2007 and bought a Bearikade for that trip. It's a great canister that's fairly light, and makes a nice chair. I actually use it some here locally when I'm feeling lazy, and it'll get used again in the Sierras as I have a future trip planned there.

Wild Ideas didn't have the custom sizes available when I ordered mine years ago, and I would have loved to have gotten one about an inch taller (I have the standard Weekender that's 10.5" tall). If you decide to go the Bearikade route I would recommend making a tube out of something, determining the tallest canister that you can fit in your pack with all your other stuff, and ordering that size.

wcgornto
12-04-2012, 12:46
+1...I went to the Sierras in 2007 and bought a Bearikade for that trip. It's a great canister that's fairly light, and makes a nice chair. I actually use it some here locally when I'm feeling lazy, and it'll get used again in the Sierras as I have a future trip planned there.

Wild Ideas didn't have the custom sizes available when I ordered mine years ago, and I would have loved to have gotten one about an inch taller (I have the standard Weekender that's 10.5" tall). If you decide to go the Bearikade route I would recommend making a tube out of something, determining the tallest canister that you can fit in your pack with all your other stuff, and ordering that size.


I have a Bearikade that is in between the Weekender and Expedition. It will fit horizontally in my pack. They don't advertise it on their website, but this was not exactly a custom order, as they had some of this size in stock. You just have to ask by phone or email. The price was also in between the Weekender and Expedition.

For those who don't want to pay the proce for a Bearikade, they will rent you one for a JMT thru hike for considerably less.

Feral Bill
12-04-2012, 12:56
No griz in CA, except in zoos and on their flag.

colorado_rob
12-04-2012, 13:32
Note: When meeting NOBO PCT hikers this past summer on my Tahoe to Yosemite hike, many of them complained that they couldn't put all their food into their bear canisters on the longest resupply. They had to hang some food as well as canister it. If they did it again, some said that they would use the smallest bear canister (i.e. Bear Vault Solo) to be 'legal' and hang the rest of their food. This is a risky. The CA park bears are very smart and persistent in getting hiker food that is hung in the trees. Assuming you're hiking SOBO on the JMT (most do), you have a very long resupply from Muir Trail Ranch to Whitney Portal - ~115 miles or so (depending on which mileage guide you use). It was tight, but my wife and I managed 9 full days with 700 cubic inch bear canisters on the JMT. No need to put the first day's food in the canister, plus we used one well-hidden (from Rangers) double-OPsak to hold another full day's worth, so basically we got by. By the way, on our 2nd JMT trip, we got lazy one night and left some food in our packs, in old OP sacks, hung from a tree, not nearly high enough, long story short: A bear ripped my wife's pack to shreds and made off with an OP sack worth of drink mix and coffee. Yikes! My point: use very strict Bear discipline on the JMT!

Rasty
12-04-2012, 17:26
No griz in CA, except in zoos and on their flag.

Wow - I didn't know that. For some reason I was convinced that Yosemite had Grizzlies but looked it up and you are 100% correct. I'm from the east so what do I know. The only place out west I have ever hiked is in Idaho for a couple of day hikes. Are the black bears in Yosemite much more aggressive?

Dogwood
12-04-2012, 17:51
Unless the Park Service and Forest Service have changed their policies recently, the Ursack is not acceptable for the JMT.

Ditto. That includes the original as well as hybrid w/ inner metal lining models.

As far as I know, BearVault's are acceptable in the Sierra.

Ditto. You should check up on that with the Backcountry Office though.

It seems crazy heavy (2lbs empty)

They all seem crazy heavy to me too but with smart hungry foraging bears and not so smart humans engaging in not so smart behavior problems arise.

As Feral Bill said Grizzly bears are no longer found in CA. Humans exterminated them there when the last one was shot in 1922. There are only 5 or 6 states where they still exist usually in National Parks or in isolated pockets. Yes, Rasty that may surprise some but given the once hostorical range of Grizzly bear populations(they once existed east of the Mississsippi and in some of the southern states) and human centric thinking that places human desires as the basis for all things considered it's not surprising at all.

ColoradoRob and Carl gave you a good run down on the bear canister specs of what's legally acceptable on the JMT. I have a Bear Vault Solo BV 450 that I can cram 6 days of trail food into so exactly how much you can fit in it depends on things like volume of your food, avg daily calories desired, reducing unnecessary packaging, etc. In bear country or in areas experiencing negative bear/human interactions, like in the Sierras, where a canister is legally required, what food I can't jam into my canister I'll store in a odorless WP OPsack, which usually just amounts to that day's food.

Last time I checked, which was a while ago, the Garcia Machine and Bear Vault models were rented out by the NP service at both the northern and southern termini of the JMT. You can pick up or drop off your rented canister at either terminus. It's relatively cheap too, like $5 or $10 for the duration of a JMT thru-hike. Last time I checked, the park service didn't have an abundance of the lighter wt Bear Vaults though so check up on that by getting the most up to date canister info by calling the Backcountry Offices and possibly reserve the specific sized one you want, if you choose to rent one. This service could come into play if one of the members of your hiking party rents one and you bring the one you already own.

Malto
12-04-2012, 18:36
The only other canister not mentioned above is the bare boxer. It is the smallest and lightest and would be the choice of those faking compliance by having a canister but not holding all their food in it.

Without going into a lot of detail.... Do yourself a favor and learn where canister are required and where they aren't. Also, you can avoid space issues with smart resupplies. No need carrying all your food up from the valley. If you resupply smartly you can be both legal and not carry multiple canisters.

Dogwood
12-04-2012, 20:04
I might have bought a Bare Boxer 101 in addition to a Bear Vault BV 450 if they had been available when I decided to purchase the Bear Vault. But there are tradeoffs. You do get a lighter and less volumous approved canister in the Bare Boxer(about 26 oz and 275 cubic inches compared to about 33 oz and 450 cubic inches with the BV 450) but a BIG issue for most JMTers is that the Bare Boxer simply isn't going to hold many days food! Even with someone like myself, doing bigger than avg mile days with a willingness to resupply more often(which can entail lengthy treks off the JMT)and does quite a bit of repackaging of food to save wt and selecting foods that are high in cals but lower in volume, I still can't get more than 4 days food in a Bare Boxer. And, that's me. I don't think most JMTers are going to go to the extent that I do to reduce trail food wt and volume of it. I'll save the Bare Boxer for shorter trips like 3 or 4 days or where the resupply logistics make it sensible to use one and ditching the few ozs in the process.

You don't want to fake compliance. Rangers are stationed on the JMT AND they DO check to make sure you have an approved way to safeguard your food from bears. They will notice you have a JMT thru-hiker permit and be well aware that you have been made aware of the need to carry your food in an approved canister. When you sign for your JMT thru-hiker permit a ranger will carefully verbally read over the rules and you will have to acknowledge awareness and compliance of the rules. If they catch you with a JMT thru-hiker permit and not abiding by the rules you stand a good chance of being fined and/or being escorted from the JMT. DO nOT be an ahole to the rangers and they will probably not be an ahole to you.

colorado_rob
12-04-2012, 20:16
You don't want to fake compliance. Rangers are stationed on the JMT AND they DO check + 1 on the "don't fake compliance", but for a different reason: There are Bears along the JMT, and they are, er, Smarter than the Average Bears (see my earlier post). That being said, two JMTs, we've seen rangers a few times, but have never been checked for canisters (we carry ours inside our packs, so there is no way the Rangers knew we had them). But as DW said, be nice to them, as they are certainly nice to us. Bear canisters are required the full length of the JMT.

275 cubic inches? That's 3-4 days of food, tops. And the 500 cubic inch Berikade is only 28 oz, twice the volume for only 2 additional ounces. I'd personally go for about 700 cubes for the JMT, given the long distance between resupply for the southern half. A 700 cube Berikade is right at 32 ounces even.

colorado_rob
12-04-2012, 20:19
Are the black bears in Yosemite much more aggressive? To you, no. To your food, YES. Sorry, I keep harping on Bears along the JMT; we sure did have an exciting 2am "adventure" with one a couple months ago. I'd post a pic of my wife's shredded pack if I knew how to on here.

Dogwood
12-04-2012, 20:32
Absolutely right Colorado Rob. Well made points. Ah smarter den dah avverage bear hey Boo Boo.

I have always kept my canister inside my pack which is why I may have been checked more often.

CarlZ993
12-04-2012, 23:54
Years back, I did a longish hike along the JMT w/ my wife going SOBO. We resupplied early & as often as we could: Tuolumne Meadows (day 2), Reds Meadow (day 5), and Vermillion Valley Resort (day 8; should have resupplied later @ Muir Trail Ranch). We used one Garcia Machine canister for the first two resupplies. We picked up our additional bear canister @ Vermillion. We still couldn't get all our food in both canisters. The first night out of Vermillion, we lost all our food that wasn't in a canister (mostly bulky dehydrated fruit that I was really looking forward to on the trail).

California Park bears are really smart and determined to get your food. I had a Ranger tell me that he observed a 'perfect counter-balance' hang in a tree. A bear tried to get the food but couldn't reach it. So, the bear chewed on the branch for about an hour. The branch gave way. The bear got the food and ran away. This was when the canisters were 'highly recommended' but not required.

leaftye
12-05-2012, 06:09
Bearikade is the best if the most volume for the weight is your definition. It seals pretty well too. Mine is air tight.


Someone had what I thot was a great idea a while back. Instead of strapping on a bear vault to your pack, someone should invent a pack where the entire "bag" is a bear vault. Not the lightest way to go but it would be so convenient.

Attaching straps to it would give a bear a good way to drag it around. If it pulled a strap out, it might result in pulling apart the canister.

Berserker
12-05-2012, 12:34
They don't advertise it on their website, but this was not exactly a custom order, as they had some of this size in stock.
Actually they do now. They call them custom Bearikades, and they can be ordered in any height from 8" up to 18" in 1/8" increments. They didn't offer this as an option when I ordered mine in 2006 or maybe it was '07...can't remember...all I know is I took it to the Sierras in August of '07.

fredmugs
12-18-2012, 07:40
I bought a BV 500 for my JMT this summer. I saw several people carry their canister on the tops if their packs. I never saw or heard any bears but one morning my canisters was about 30 yards from where I stashed it. I also got ranger checked almost every day.

Snowleopard
12-18-2012, 11:14
I have the Bare Boxer 101; it's good for weekend trips for one without heroic packing efforts. Bareboxer had a larger approved canister, but it's not on their website now.

Here's how to pack 18 lbs of food into a canister. The only thing that may have changed since that is opsacks and other odor proof bags are now available and should probably be used:
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:r8OcTIIv2JcJ:www.pcta.org/planning/before_trip/health/canistercare.doc+&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjyFLsy26SrxRmqHbYIIUmhCnL6mOrF8E_tAIL5 umq9pAXTr2yCOJXU059hIY3Adtl7aY2Yy1wnx0VKoe0fMq6kfI cQrcqw6pDviAabHIqmpq_YnYXyfGKLV3pcJsgMgCCIq9dJ&sig=AHIEtbRMfXv-Njsz-cYqZWgTs7OfcqhOMg

i_Hike
01-23-2013, 19:57
Does anyone know the exact type of bear canisters that are rented at ranger stations? Want to go into REI and see how much food it will store, and if I need to get a larger one of my own. Thanks

Caveman of Ohio
01-23-2013, 20:06
They rent the Garcia bear canister at the ranger stations.

i_Hike
01-23-2013, 23:35
Thanks Caveman.

Also, can someone please explain how the Bearikade Expedition sells for nearly $300.00 ? 4x more than a Bearvault 500? Does it cook your food for you? Maybe carry your pack for you?

Probably will end up getting the BV 500, hopefully on ebay, though even paying $70.00 for that seems excessive for piece of plastic. (these things are just plastic right?)

wcgornto
01-24-2013, 09:18
Thanks Caveman.

Also, can someone please explain how the Bearikade Expedition sells for nearly $300.00 ? 4x more than a Bearvault 500? Does it cook your food for you? Maybe carry your pack for you?

Probably will end up getting the BV 500, hopefully on ebay, though even paying $70.00 for that seems excessive for piece of plastic. (these things are just plastic right?)


1) It's a cylinder, not tapered at the end, thus more volume.
2) It has a much larger opening than most of the others, thus much easier to use.
3) It weighs considerably less than the others. The lighter the gear, the lighter your wallet.
4) It doubles as a camp stool for sitting.

You can rent a Bearicade from their website. No need to pay full price for one time use.

i_Hike
02-02-2013, 18:30
Finally came face to face with some bear canisters at REI today. Specifically the BV500 and the black Garcia canister.
Hadnt realized how big, bulky, and heavy these things actually are until handling them.

Do most people fit these inside their packs? I have an Osprey Atmos 50 that I am planning on hiking with, but now I'll be very surprised if I can fit either one of these things without it taking up 80% of the pack space.

As my Osprey pack is pretty worn down from A.T. hike a few years back, I am now considering getting new/bigger pack that might be able to house one of these massive canisters. Anyone particularly like there pack, "space wise"?
I love the Osprey line for comfort, but load capacity is certainly limited due to suspension system.

Coffee
02-04-2013, 11:33
After much research, I ordered a custom Bearikade from Wild Ideas. 12 inches and 750 cubic feet. This should be sufficient to hold eight days of food for the section between MTR and Whitney Portal. I decided on the custom length based on the maximum size that can fit into my ULA Catalyst either vertically or horizontally. Planned resupplies are Tuolumne and MTR. I'm tossing around the idea of another resupply at Red's but $35 is a lot to spend for just a few days worth of food until I get to MTR. I plan to carry very little from the Valley up to Tuolumne.

Coffee
02-04-2013, 11:34
After much research, I ordered a custom Bearikade from Wild Ideas. 12 inches and 750 cubic feet.

Whoops, meant 750 cubic inches ... lol :)

CarlZ993
02-04-2013, 11:48
Finally came face to face with some bear canisters at REI today. Specifically the BV500 and the black Garcia canister.
Hadnt realized how big, bulky, and heavy these things actually are until handling them.

Do most people fit these inside their packs? I have an Osprey Atmos 50 that I am planning on hiking with, but now I'll be very surprised if I can fit either one of these things without it taking up 80% of the pack space.

As my Osprey pack is pretty worn down from A.T. hike a few years back, I am now considering getting new/bigger pack that might be able to house one of these massive canisters. Anyone particularly like there pack, "space wise"?
I love the Osprey line for comfort, but load capacity is certainly limited due to suspension system.
I used an Osprey Exos 58 with the Bearikade canister this past summer in the Sierras. It takes up a lot of room inside the pack. But, I don't trust the security of strapping it on the exterior of the pack.

leaftye
02-04-2013, 12:49
Carry an empty canister outside the pack with food inside the pack.

leaftye
02-04-2013, 12:51
Your bear canister doesn't need to be big enough to fit all your food when you leave your resupply. It needs to be big enough to fit what's left at the end of that hiking day.

ndwoods
02-11-2013, 21:30
Black bears won't be aggressive to you, but they are food savvy for sure. I like the Bearikade myself.....

SouthMark
02-11-2013, 21:57
Someone had what I thot was a great idea a while back. Instead of strapping on a bear vault to your pack, someone should invent a pack where the entire "bag" is a bear vault. Not the lightest way to go but it would be so convenient.

Someone on BPL made a pack that was designed to hold a canister outside in much the same position and way that sleeping bags were attached to frame backs way back when. Joe at ZPacks custom made a pack for someone doing the JMT with the pack designed around an external canister mounted horizontally. I have some pics he sent me if anyone is interested.

staehpj1
02-21-2013, 12:35
1)You can rent a Bearicade from their website. No need to pay full price for one time use.
The rental is $6 per day for the Expedition size. So over $100 for most JMT hikers. That seems excessively expensive to me. $100+ for one trip just for the canister seems crazy expensive. The sale price $300 for the Expedition seems high too but at least you have it for life.

I have no doubt that it is a wonderful canister, and I love to save the weight, but I will only buy one if I wind up getting a good deal on a used one. I understand that some folks buy one and then sell it after the trip so that might be possible.

i_Hike
02-25-2013, 19:26
Hiking the JMT with girlfriend. Do you think having BV 450 (her pack) and a rented Garcia Canister (my pack) will provide enough food storage for the both of us on the longest stretch, About 8 days?

Coffee
02-25-2013, 19:36
The rental is $6 per day for the Expedition size. So over $100 for most JMT hikers. That seems excessively expensive to me. $100+ for one trip just for the canister seems crazy expensive. The sale price $300 for the Expedition seems high too but at least you have it for life.

I have no doubt that it is a wonderful canister, and I love to save the weight, but I will only buy one if I wind up getting a good deal on a used one. I understand that some folks buy one and then sell it after the trip so that might be possible.

wild Ideas offers a 45% discount for rentals for AT, JMT and PCT thru hikers:
http://www.wild-ideas.net/rental-faqs/

R1ma
03-02-2013, 18:13
I rented a bearikade for a PCT section @ Lake Tahoe (Desolation also required canisters). Solo, 3 day hike, so I chose the smallest one.

Fit and finish on them are great. Very strong too. The body is composite and the ends are, IIRC, billet AL, which is why they cost a bit. If they were molded plastic like the Bear Boxer, etc, I'd agree on the cost.

Sly
03-02-2013, 18:23
Bear Vaults (http://bearvault.com/) are the best bang for the buck.


20097

poncho
03-16-2013, 23:46
wild ideas---- carbon fiber--lightest and most expensive but can be rented at reasonable price and they make a great seat
poncho

DaFireMedic
03-18-2013, 15:07
Bear Vaults (http://bearvault.com/) are the best bang for the buck.


20097

I agree with this. I would like to have gotten Bearikades, they are indeed nice, but I needed two for my my sons and I. I could not afford one bearikade, much less two. I picked up 2 Bearvault 500's on sale at REI for about $65 each. Raised my base pack weight from 12 to 13 lbs over the Bearikade, but I saved more than $350 for the 2 cannisters. If you can afford the Bearikade, get it. They are great. But if not, and you don't care to rent one, the Bearvault does the job just fine with about a pound of weight penalty.

staehpj1
03-19-2013, 07:23
I agree with this. I would like to have gotten Bearikades, they are indeed nice, but I needed two for my my sons and I. I could not afford one bearikade, much less two. I picked up 2 Bearvault 500's on sale at REI for about $65 each. Raised my base pack weight from 12 to 13 lbs over the Bearikade, but I saved more than $350 for the 2 cannisters. If you can afford the Bearikade, get it. They are great. But if not, and you don't care to rent one, the Bearvault does the job just fine with about a pound of weight penalty.
When you compare similar size to similar size the difference is not a pound. The numbers are:
* Bearicade Weekender - 650 cubic inches, 31 ounces, $249
* Bearvault BV500 - 700 cubic inches, 41 ounces, $79.95
or for the smaller size:
* Bearicade Scout- 500 cubic inches, 28 ounces, $219
* Bearvault BV450 - 440 cubic inches, 33 ounces, $66.95

Personally I find the weight savings of the Bearicade models to not really justify the price, for me at least. For the large size $169 extra to save 10 ounces might almost start to look tempting, but $152 extra to save 5 ounces seems very dubious to me. Those would be some of the most expensive ounces saved on my list if I went that route. If I use the Bear Vault models I can buy both for way less than one Bearicade of any size and use the one best suited to the hike I am doing. The flexibility of having both is nice because when you can use the smaller one you can probably same additional weight by taking a smaller lighter pack. In my case on trips where the BV 450 is enough I am likely to be using a 10 ounce lighter pack as well for a weight savings of 22 ounces over the BV500. It is even 12 ounce lighter than if I had the Bearicade Weekender. Obviously I'd save weight with the Scout, but how many folks are willing to splurge for a Scout and a Weekender. Having all three Bearicades would be ideal but $762 would probably be hard to justify for most of us.

I figure that I can fairly easily get to a base weight of 11-12 pounds (depending on how much clothing I take) with the BV450 even if carrying a few luxury items. At that point I am really not willing to spring for another $152 to save 5 ounces.

On the other hand if you need a really big canister the Bearicade Expedition is in a class by itself as far as I know. I sure as heck would want to use it on shorter trips or ones with frequent resupply options though. I guess if you are doing one big trip where you need that capacity renting or buying and reselling one makes sense. I really don't see it for the smaller sizes though unless you will only need a canister once.

staehpj1
03-19-2013, 07:27
I sure as heck would want to use it on shorter trips or ones with frequent resupply options though.
That should have read:
I sure as heck would not want to use it on shorter trips or ones with frequent resupply options though.

Berserker
03-19-2013, 08:54
One thing I'm curious about is using bear cans as a seat. The only bear can I own or have ever used is a Bearikade, and it makes a fantastic "chair". Can one use the other bear cans like Bear Vaults and Garcias for a seat? I'm just wondering because it still may not justify the total cost of a Bearikade, but if the other ones don't make good seats there's another plug for the Bearikade if that "devil on your shoulder" is trying to talk you into one :).

leaftye
03-19-2013, 08:59
They make descent seats. Better than the Bearikade? I don't know. On trail crew I had to beg my Bearikade seat back a few times. :)

DaFireMedic
03-19-2013, 11:06
When you compare similar size to similar size the difference is not a pound. The numbers are:
* Bearicade Weekender - 650 cubic inches, 31 ounces, $249
* Bearvault BV500 - 700 cubic inches, 41 ounces, $79.95
or for the smaller size:
* Bearicade Scout- 500 cubic inches, 28 ounces, $219
* Bearvault BV450 - 440 cubic inches, 33 ounces, $66.95

Personally I find the weight savings of the Bearicade models to not really justify the price, for me at least. .

Great points, and the final quote above sums it up for me as well.



Regarding using them as seats, I've seen the Bearikades, the Bearvaults, and the Garcias all used as seats. I don't think that there is much of a difference in that regard, but the shape of the Garcia may not give quite as wide a perch as the others. The Bearikade and the Garcia are similar as seats.

staehpj1
03-19-2013, 11:46
but the shape of the Garcia may not give quite as wide a perch as the others.

True, but I have used the Garcia as a seat and it still worked quite well.

BTW: Sometimes I find it more convenient to sit on the ground and use the canister as a table.

fredmugs
03-21-2013, 10:25
My BV 500 is easily used as a seat. It's easily as big around as a dinner plate.

Berserker
03-21-2013, 12:59
Well, I guess that answers my seat question. Sounds like they all work fine as seats. It's just kinda funny because I never hear talk of the BV or Garcia being used as seats whereas that's almost always mentioned when discussing the Bearikade. Maybe it's just because one is spending so much money on the Bearikade that it helps "justify" the purchase.

i_Hike
03-26-2013, 08:52
I just picked up a BV 500 for my JMT hike. As I am hiking with my girlfriend, I am also going to get a BV 450 and see if we can get 8 days of food in there between the two of us. Gonna be tight but I think it is possible with careful packing/repackaging.

Anyways, I am finishing my hike June 21st, and will be reselling both BV 500 & BV 450 once finished, as I think this will be cheaper/better than renting. Will offer them up to people on here (JMT Forum) before I go to general Selling Forum or eBay. Probably will be 40-50% off ($40)+ shipping, depending on condition of canisters and how many bears get their paws on them. For anyone starting their hike after mid July, let me know if you're interested.

BTW, this thing is not as scary as I first thought. Seems to get smaller every time I look at it. Fits in my ULA Circuit no problem. Need to test out different pack positions, but not dreading carrying this as much I once was.

mxracer33x
04-30-2013, 16:39
Those of you that have ordered a custom Bearikade, what was the wait time to get it? Ive been putting this off as Im still waiting on enough stuff and I figured this was one of my 'can buy near last minute if I have to' items.

Coffee
04-30-2013, 17:40
Those of you that have ordered a custom Bearikade, what was the wait time to get it? Ive been putting this off as Im still waiting on enough stuff and I figured this was one of my 'can buy near last minute if I have to' items.

If I recall correctly, it took a bit over three weeks from the time I ordered until I received the canister.