Hi all!
I completely understand the need to pack 'em in the places requiring them (most of the good places in Cali)... not complaining whatsoever... just wondering:

What low volume UL pack is going to handle a solo canister? My large volume pack for week+ trips is great... but at 3600 cubes... a bit overkill for quickies. As far as finding an UL weekend pack for those small volume overnighter+ outings... I am stumped. Grace Solo Cuben tarp and NeoAir short and WM Summerlite, Caldera keg beer can stove...
If only a bear canister could ride up top of a GG Murmur...
Z packs... closed.
MLD Revelation... gone for now... besides, I know Dan will nab one from the gear swap before I ever do ;)
Any suggestions?
The other California canister thread prompted me to ask, as I have been looking for an UL weekender.

bearboxer.com this is our weekend canister

small enough for about any pack

divr6347

I assume you're using the small bearvault? Are you looking to use a larger canister and carry it horizontally?

I'm not positive, but wasn't the Revelation about 2900ci? If you were looking at the murmur, why don't you look at the Miniposa at 2800ci and the strap to allow the cannister to ride up top. I have the Gorilla, which is the Miniposa with an aluminum stay and heavier fabric. On short trips I don't need to use the strap, my BV 350solo fits inside horizontally inside the extenstion collar, and my gear is similar to yours(Nunatak Specialist, short Neo Air, ponchotarp, alky stove, etc).

The BV solo fits horizontally in the top of the Mariposa Plus. I would guess that I could also get the slightly larger Bearikade Weekender in (I say in because attempts to strap the BV on rather than inside the extension have resulted in chasing the bear canister down the trail).

I have not tried to put the food inside the pack and the empty canister on the top - but it may work better without weight in the canister.

I have a Bare Boxer Contender ;)

Guess I am being a gram weenie... the miniposa is nice... but I was thinking along the lines of what would work, say sub 10 ounces... I guess that is what some of this gear will do to you ;)...

A common solution for smaller UL packs and bear canisters is to pack the food in regular stuffsacks and carry it inside your pack during the day just like in non-bear country.

The EMPTY bear canister can then ride on the top/outside of the pack while hiking. Comes off fast for a stool too! Store food in the canister for camp at night.

Almost any UL pack with a top strap works- some folks add a velcro strip to the top strap and matching velcro to the canister for a bit more security- can also use some over-the-top bungee in an X pattern too if your UL pack has enough lash points.

Hmmm.. Carrying a bear canister (either the small or large bearvault) by way of the top strap on my Jam 2 doesn't work. Even when empty it slides out. I'd imagine it also wouldn't work on my ULA Catalyst.

If the packs are pretty empty, this strategy might have some success. But my packs are rarely that empty.

Thanks Ron! sounds like the best solution... just have to find the right pack now... seems to be that the packs offering a top Y-strap, or similar, are 14+ ounce packs. Prophet looks mighty fine at 13.9

Jack, suppose the canister had an 1/8" Thinlight wrapped around it... should give the strap some grip. Though I can see how all this could be difficult with an extended/loaded collar...

I can stuff a full size bear canister inside my Jam 2 and still carry all my gear no problem. It IS a tight fit, but it works. This is for the 3100 ci version.

I haven't tried this yet, but one solution I considered is to put the canister in a stuff sack that has ladder webbing loops up the side (I've seen these around, though not sure who makes them - maybe check Campmor). Then when placing the stuff sack and canister on top of a roll-top pack, the top strap could be fed through one of the loops, to stabilize the whole thing -

As already mentioned above, the Bareboxer fits just about any weekend pack. It fits very conveniently into a Jam2.

Hi Alexander,
I see you are also considering a ZPack as one of your choices. At 3200ci it is big enough for my summer hiking needs. I used the Blast 3200 this summer to carry my gear for a 1 week hike into the Minarets area. I carried 26 lbs for the week (incl food and water) and carried the bear vault in the lower third of the pack utilizing my sleep pad as padding between my back and the vault. The pack was not full as my gear did not extend into the collar area. Nice to know i can carry more if the need arises.

On day hikes out of base camp the pack functioned equally well with the smaller loads. It is easily compressed with the bungee cords and remains well balanced and comfortable.

ZPack used as a day pack

Pack fully loaded with Bear Vault

Pack fully loaded

Side view

A ZPack is worth the wait if you are not in a hurry. It is a versatile pack, accommodating a variety of load sizes you order a ZPack, delivery is fast (Joe expects to be back in December).

Happy hunting for your new pack
LV

Edited by eastbayhiker on 11/07/2009 11:47:57 MST.

Wow Linda, the canister seems to pack very well despite it being rolled inside your sleeping pad. Which pad are you using?

Thanks Linda! Very nice of you to post the pics! I do like the Blast packs, and I am sure that I will pick one up come December ;) I have patience... I'll just have to pick up a Murmur and a Prophet and a Gorilla while I wait for Joe to open shop. Kidding... I think.

Edited by goldenmeanie on 11/07/2009 12:48:52 MST.

Hi Jeff,
I'm using the NeoAir (20x66) which I fold flat to fit at the back of the pack. My mummy bag (in a stuff sack) is at the bottom with the Bear Vault on top of it. Everything else is placed around or on top of the vault. I tried lining the pack with the sleep pad folded like a cylinder but it was a struggle to get the Bear Vault into the middle (too tight). My current method gives me more flexibility with placement of items.

Alexander, Glad I could help :)

LV

I can pack either one of the bearvaults in my jam2 without any problem. I pack my UL-20 quilt on bottom sideways and the bearvault and tarptent side by side with a Ridgerest in the front as the "Frame" All remaining stuff is placed on top. Not sure how the size of the jam2 compares with your pack but my combination works real well for me