Ok, looks like I'm going to have to come in from the woods, and learn about these plastic bottles that the bears in Cali like to try and suck on....

With some upcoming plans for this summer on the SHR, I could use some feedback on what a reasonable amount of days each of these two Bear Vaults can realistically hold. Most of my food is reasonably dense, bars, powders, dried dinners, tortillas, etc. I'll repackage as necessary as well. If I can get away with the smaller jug between re-supplies, that would be great. If not, oh well, I'll deal with the big one and sell it later.

I think my main question is can I get 6 days out of a little one? I would also keep the first days food out, as it would be eaten that day at lunch, then dinner (which means I could go a week). And to follow, can I get 10 days out of the large can? These estimates would then be factored into my resupply location, and to how many days I could take to get there as well.

Thanks everyone.... now, I'm off to float the Bruneau River Canyon in the Owyhee Desert! The melt is on and the water is up, got to go!!!! I'll check back after Monday!

I think it would be reasonable to get 5 days from the smaller one, if your food is packed densely.

I have a Garcia Id sell to you, only been on one overnighted, still in it's box. Bigger than the smaller BV though.

Dug

Hi Steve,

I can't get six days into the small Bearvault, more like four. I'm sure there are others who do better, but I'm pretty good at repackaging and consolidating. I can do a week with a Bearikade Weekender.

Cheers,

Rick

Edited by halfturbo on 04/07/2011 16:18:47 MDT.

I don't know about the small one, but i've fit food for a 9 day trip in both the large bearvault and the Bearikade Weekender. Technically, 7.5 days of food in the can (no dinner for last day). The first full day doesn't need to go in the can because you will consume it. It takes some careful selection of the items and careful packing, but it can be done.

Was primarily bars of various kinds, peanut butter, some crackers, and trail mix (put in one big bag and then dish out to smaller bag for daily allowance - saves space) for breakfast and lunch with dehydrated dinners, that had been repackaged.

Each bear canister product has a specified number of cubic inches of internal capacity. With just a little bit of effort and careful food selection, I can get one day's food into each 100 cubic inches. Just picture a flat box that is 10 inches by 10 inches by 1 inch. As soon as you try to use Mountain House packages or something, you will be way over that. I think I managed to get eight day's worth of food into a Garcia one time, but it wasn't pretty.

--B.G.--

If you are starting at Roads end you don't need a canister until, I believe Dusy Basin. We didn't carry a canister until leaving SEKI where we had the canisters cached for the resupply. In the areas where canisters are needed you have two resupply points, Reds and TM which should keep your carry light. So... I would plan a single canister and hang any extra food in the that doesn't fit.

Edited by gg-man on 04/07/2011 15:07:04 MDT.

Personally I really really hate bear cans I cursed the extra weight all the way up the trail and down. What make you mad is we all knew all the bears were in downtown mammoth dumpster diving.

But if you need one buy his Garcia bear can it easier to open just a nickle to open it. The bear vault is like a giant kid proof bottle for medicine . It very hard to push in the tab on that big of lid. When it get below freezing the plastic on the lid get really hard you need a rock to to push in the side of the lid to get past the tab. I had to stop my brothers from breaking it open with about 50 pound rock because it was loaned to us.

If it was not on loan to us I would have cut off the child/bear proof tab so it would twist off easily. I was really glad we also had 2 rented garcia's from the forestry dept. Besides being a easy to open bear can they make a great camp seat.

Or cut the tabs off the bear vault it only for show for the ranger and to keep rodents out.
Terry

I haven't had any trouble with Bear Vaults, either the old 250 or the newer 450.

The only trouble that I saw was when one guy spilled his olive oil on the inside, which migrated to the outside. Then, trying to grip the darned thing to turn the lid was a challenge.

There's no problem with a Garcia until you run out of nickels.

For a short trip, I prefer a small Bear Boxer.

--B.G.--

The bare boxer looks pretty cool a light weight garcia type bear canister.
I have always wondered why a simple DIY bear canister could be a Piece of heavy gauge 6" of 8" diameter PVC black pipe 12 " long with one end threaded for a threaded screw on cap,The other end a glued on cap. It would be light weight I don't think a bear could unthread it because it would just roll around.
Terry

Edited by socal-nomad on 04/08/2011 00:23:05 MDT.

The bare boxer looks pretty cool a light weight garcia type bear canister.
I have always wondered why a simple DIY bear canister could be a Piece of heavy gauge 6" of 8" diameter PVC black pipe 12 " long with one end threaded for a threaded screw on cap,The other end a glued on cap. It would be light weight I don't think a bear could unthread it because it would just roll around.
Terry

Terry, The 6" will be too small. I believe 7"-7.25" is near the minimum that a bear cannot put into his mouth and crunch, or, carry off. Any type of outside corner turns into a point where a bear can bite...with literally tons of pressure. So a cap turns into an easy open for a bear. Possibly an inside sleeve... This is why the awkward size of the &*%$# things.

I believe the Bear Boxer is close to the minimum size at 7.4". A Bear Vault is 8.5". The BV solo *just* fits into a GG Miniposa. I have gotten 7 days of food in one. But this was all high density food: chocolate bars, rice, angel hair spighetti, quick barley, jerkey, dried beef, cocoa, oatmeal, olive oil, pepperoni, salami, some spices, parafied butter, dried hotdog chips, lentils, some dehydrated sauce, some hard candy(I am diabetic,) some bisquik, and a few protein bars. I carried the first day's supper in a ziplock.

My brothers live and work around and hike the eastern sierras and they never see bears in the wild except in the urban area. They have had a 3 bear cubs jump out of dumpster at job site with the mom bear in a tree above them the 3 cubs went up the same tree and stayed there for 2 days. They were spraying a house deck and after two days a big black bear nearly took off one of my brothers face when he went to spray the underside of the deck where the bear was living.

I have hiked the western and the eastern sierras and have never ran in to a bear out in the wild except in nearby urban areas and drive in camp grounds.I use to like going backpacking in the sierras and have seen most of it but since the bear canister laws were made.
So I will stick to my desert hiking.

I wish we could use Ursacks they were legal the only reason I think their are not legal is the environmentalist don't want food bag ropes thrown over branches of trees.
Terry

"I wish we could use Ursacks they were legal the only reason I think their are not legal is the environmentalist don't want food bag ropes thrown over branches of trees."

Hi Terry,

That's not the way an Ursack is used. They're meant to be directly tied off to a heavy, preferably immovable object using the built-in cord, not tree hung. A bear that can snag a hung bag will do so whether the bag is silnylon or kevlar--and that bag is gone regardless of what happens to the contents.

Determined bears can and have worked their way into Ursacks, which is the main reason they're not approved. I don't know whether an Ursack with the metal liner has been defeated or not, and there are unresolved legal battles over their status.

Cheers,

Rick

Just a quick video (which does not belong to me) for anyone who has ever struggled with a BearVault:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyEbLfL_lSU&NR=1

BearVaults are extremely easy to open this way, even in the cold.

Justin

"My brothers live and work around and hike the eastern sierras and they never see bears in the wild except in the urban area.
I have hiked the western and the eastern sierras and have never ran in to a bear out in the wild except in nearby urban areas and drive in camp grounds"

Terry,

I'm here to tell you there are, indeed, bears in the eastern Sierra. They are strung out all along the JMT, down in Kern Canyon, along Bubbs Creek, and lately even in the Upper Kern Basin, where I jumped a sow and 2 cubs last September. There is a reason why canisters are required in some, but not all, of the abovementioned areas.

That is a really great video, and a good technique for opening bear vault

There have been times I've really struggled with that

I suppose you could use any thin item like a knife or a spoon

Minority here, but I don't mind carrying a canister. While I've never had any issues with bears, I've experienced an unrelenting marmot on one trip and had problems with mice on another. It's not fun to have to sit and defend your food for hours, let alone find out something made a meal out of it.

I use a Bearikade Weekender and can get a weeks worth of food in it.

@ Chris: Ditto. Bears or not, its just better. Easier to get in and out of than hanging (forget to put the toothpaste in? Bring er down!) Good luck finding your bear bag at night, I had a bright yellow one up in a tree that we stood six feet from and couldnt see. And the peace of mind knowing my food is safe? Imagine you're four days into the backcountry when your bag gets taken down.. you're four days from help with no food. To me, there are other ways to save weight that are less risky.

+1 to what Christopher said. I used to HATE bear canisters as well until seeing first hand a couple of times how ineffective hanging you food in the Sierras can be! I have owned the Bearikade for years and now get a great nights sleep knowing my food and first aid supplies will be intact in the morning! I have been out twice with hikers that have lost food that they couldn't fit in a Garcia and tried to hang it. As far as no bears in the Sierras...I have to push the BS button on that! I have bear claw marks on my Bearicade and several viewings over the years from Yosemite down to Vidette Meadows that will attest to the bears being out there. The original models of the Bear Vault were broken into by bears turning them on their sides and bouncing on them until the lid popped off. I had a bear in Vidette Meadows try that technique on mine. It was kind of funny watching this large cinnamon colored bear trying to bounce on my Bearikade. We had to chase it off as it started to work its way downhill a bit.

Steve, there is no such thing as Cali..................

and I too have NO problems carrying a cannister. I have 3 different cannisters that are all different sizes for different trips. I even use my Ursack where they are allowed. Remember, a fed bear will be a dead bear