Need help regarding bear cannisters on JMT.....

[nawlunz]

this may be a silly question, but what does everyone do for bear cannisters given the length of the JMT....I plan to do the entire route, and will resupply at Vermillion and/or Muir Ranch...but, from that point on, I will take ten days.

Other than the Bearikade expedition, the other cannisters don't seem like they will hold all my food for ten days. And, if I do take the Bearikade expedition, not sure how I will be able to pack it....

Have a 75liter pack, it's large enough, but these cannisters are also bulky.

Do others take a smaller cannister and put what you can in those and hope for the best?

Just curious as to how others protect ten days of food with such limited size cannisters.

HELP!!

[RedneckRye]

I've got a Bear Vault. It holds about 6 days of food for me. On longer trips I triage my food. Smellier stuff, dinners, "more important food" goes in the can, the rest of it is in a stuff sack. Then I transfer bagged food into the can as eat food from the can. When there is food in the bag, my main bear defense is to think good thoughts.
If a bear were to get the bagged food, then it is time to start looking at the map and plan a reroute to an alternate resupply. Maybe out over Kersarge pass and into Independence or over Bishop Pass and down into Bishop. Yeah, those are extra miles which would probably blow the schedule and possibly end the trip before you get to Whitney, but is isn't the end of the trip. It is just a different adventure.
If you get permit and canister checked by a backcountry ranger, there is no need to mention your second stash of food in your pack.

[RedneckRye]

Also, last fall Chomp and I did a 3 week Sierra trip. Longest between resupply was 7 days. I was carrying a 50 Liter pack with a Bear Vault and things fit fine after about the third packing re-organization.

[leaftye]

Just curious as to how others protect ten days of food with such limited size cannisters.

It's not about the # of days of food, it's about the volume of food. It's definitely possible to fit 10 days of food in there if you put together a diet that's dense enough. I put together a powdered meal that allows me to fit about 2 weeks of food into an Ursack. A Bearvault 500 is even bigger. The powdered meals are 3000 calories a day with lots of fat, carbs and a good measure of protein.

[nawlunz]

Also, last fall Chomp and I did a 3 week Sierra trip. Longest between resupply was 7 days. I was carrying a 50 Liter pack with a Bear Vault and things fit fine after about the third packing re-organization.

the JMT last year? Looks to me that between Muir and WHitney, it will be 9-10 days....

[Helmuth.Fishmonger]

Other than the Bearikade expedition, the other cannisters don't seem like they will hold all my food for ten days. And, if I do take the Bearikade expedition, not sure how I will be able to pack it....

works fine - last September heading north from Whitney and Muir Ranch already closed, I had 12 days of food in it.

You can rent it for something like $60

It fits fine in my Gregory 95 Liter Pack - gonna get a little tight in a 75L unless you can strap other bulky stuff on the outside. I'd always put the can inside the pack though. Too heavy anywhere on the outside extremes.

You can also hang food (if done properly) southbound from Muir Ranch up to Pinchot Pass - after that pass bear cans are required, but you can have your excess food already consumed at that pass.

[nawlunz]

It's not about the # of days of food, it's about the volume of food. It's definitely possible to fit 10 days of food in there if you put together a diet that's dense enough. I put together a powdered meal that allows me to fit about 2 weeks of food into an Ursack. A Bearvault 500 is even bigger. The powdered meals are 3000 calories a day with lots of fat, carbs and a good measure of protein.

I'd love to get information on how you did that, or where you purchased the meals....THANKS

[leaftye]

I'll attach a list of foods that I compiled to help create my diet.

My meal plan allowed me to fit in 11 days of food into an Ursack. Each day had 3000 calories of powder that made up the core of my diet, plus extra nuts and gorp for extra calories to bring me up to 4500 calories a day. If you're thin and have ultralight gear, you might be able to get by on just 3000 calories a day, in which case the Ursack would nearly 20 days of food. The BV500 is 50 cubic inches bigger than the Ursack, so I bet it'd be possible to fit 20 days of food in there if you're only doing powder....so the smaller BearVault is probably a better fit. Also consider that a powder-only diet means you can leave all your cooking gear at home.

The density and weight are not why I did a powdered diet though. I went powdered because I HATE taking time off from hiking to prepare a meal, force myself to eat tons of food in one sitting and then have to clean it all up afterwards. The powdered meals can be drank like water while I hike, take a minute or two to prepare, and don't really require cleaning because it gets washed out by the next bottle of powdered drink or water.

[perrito]

What kind of tent are you using? I had a Bearikade Expedition, Tarptent Contrail, Big Agnes IAC, and a 35° down bag and clothing in my Osprey Exos (61 L) and I was very comfy. Keep the bulk down and everything will fit.

[nawlunz]

What kind of tent are you using? I had a Bearikade Expedition, Tarptent Contrail, Big Agnes IAC, and a 35° down bag and clothing in my Osprey Exos (61 L) and I was very comfy. Keep the bulk down and everything will fit.

but, I use it solo...less that two pounds.....

[Moose2001]

Don't forget, a lot of the PCT/JMT has bear boxes available. You can use those for a couple of days to burn down some of the food you're carrying. In reality, there are just short stretches where a cannister is required.

[Jester2000]

Moose2001 is correct. Regulations require bear canisters in Yosemite & Kings Canyon. And there are campsites that have bear boxes. Regulations also only require that the food be in the canister (or in a bear box) WHEN YOU ARE IN CAMP.

This means two things:
If you stay at campsites with bear boxes for the first couple of day, you don't have to worry about any of the food fitting for those days.

Second (and many people don't realize this) even if you don't stay at campsites with bear boxes, you can carry one more day of food than will fit in the canister. Because you'll be eating it all the first day, and will never be storing it in camp.

Good luck & have fun!

[sbhikes]

I was able to get 5+ days of food in the weekender bear can. 10 days ought to work for the larger ones. You have to be ruthless with the packaging and also carry food you can fold, spindle and mutilate.

You can exit over Bishop Pass for a resupply if needed. Parcher's Resort holds packages (you'll have to look them up) and they also have a small store and cafe. It's a nice trip to go through Dusy Basin, so you could add this as a way to break up that 10 day stretch.

[Helmuth.Fishmonger]

Don't forget, a lot of the PCT/JMT has bear boxes available. You can use those for a couple of days to burn down some of the food you're carrying.

the only places that have them are between Woods Creek and Tyndall Creek in the very southern section of Kings Canyon and Northern Sequoia. Unless you are northbound from whitney, you basically have no use for them, plus, what are you gonna do if you for some reason cannot reach such a location? Don't even mention to a ranger that you will use the lockers for overflow (plus, there are only very few who will make it from Whitney Portal to one of the lockers along the trail between Crabtree and Tyndal before they need sleep...

all other lockers you may be thinking of are actually in campgrounds at Tuolumne and Reds.

[The Will]

There are two concerns: Compliance with regulations requiring the use of a bear canister and keeping your food (and yourself) safe from bears.

It would be difficult for a ranger to cite you for being out of compliance if you had a full bear canister and than two or so days of food that could not fit in the canister. I don't know how they could discover this. So the bigger concern would be keeping your food safe from a prowling bear. If you just follow the basic rules--food 100 feet away from your shelter, bear-bag it if you want to--things should be OK. Probability is on your side.

[Rambler]

If you cannot fit it all in an Expedition Bearikade, take your chances with odor proof bags in an Ursack.

http://www.ursack.com/

[nawlunz]

If you cannot fit it all in an Expedition Bearikade, take your chances with odor proof bags in an Ursack.

http://www.ursack.com/

I don't mean to sound stupid, but clearly putting the foot in a bear cannister and away from camp is something I understand..Is the ursack used the same way? Simply put it 100 feet or so away from your camp and hope for the best?

[leaftye]

I personally keep my Ursack away from my campsite. Far enough away so that I shouldn't be disturbed from my sleep due to critters trying to get into the Ursack.

[doodah man]

the only places that have them are between Woods Creek and Tyndall Creek in the very southern section of Kings Canyon and Northern Sequoia. Unless you are northbound from whitney, you basically have no use for them, plus, what are you gonna do if you for some reason cannot reach such a location? Don't even mention to a ranger that you will use the lockers for overflow (plus, there are only very few who will make it from Whitney Portal to one of the lockers along the trail between Crabtree and Tyndal before they need sleep...

all other lockers you may be thinking of are actually in campgrounds at Tuolumne and Reds.

Actually, there are (at least) 9 bear box locations in the first 52 miles heading nobo from Whitney that I noted on my last trip in 2008.
Crabtree Meadows (18.5)
Wallace Creek (22.8)
Tyndall Frog Pond (27.0)
Tyndall Creek (27.4)
Vidette Meadow (38.6)
Bubbs Creek (39.8)
Charlotte Lake (41.6) off tral a bit
Rae Lakes (

[doodah man]

the only places that have them are between Woods Creek and Tyndall Creek in the very southern section of Kings Canyon and Northern Sequoia. Unless you are northbound from whitney, you basically have no use for them, plus, what are you gonna do if you for some reason cannot reach such a location? Don't even mention to a ranger that you will use the lockers for overflow (plus, there are only very few who will make it from Whitney Portal to one of the lockers along the trail between Crabtree and Tyndal before they need sleep...

all other lockers you may be thinking of are actually in campgrounds at Tuolumne and Reds.

Actually, there are (at least) 10 bear box locations in the first 52 miles heading nobo from Whitney that I noted on my last trip in 2008. There
may be more, but these are the one I saw.

Crabtree Meadows (18.5 mi)
Wallace Creek (22.8 mi)
Tyndall Frog Pond (27.0 mi)
Tyndall Creek (27.4 mi)
Vidette Meadow (38.6 mi)
Bubbs Creek (39.8 mi)
Charlotte Lake (41.6 mi) off tral a bit
Rae Lakes (46.8 mi)
Arrowhead Lake (48.4 mi)
Woods Creek (52.6 mi)

(sorry about the double post prior to message completion)