As of 7/1/05, Ursack is back! Just ordered two-these wonderful people have been deprived of their right livelihood by the Iraq War II, and have been unable to produce since 9/04!
Ursack has now come up with a substitute for the better-than-Kevlar fabric that was unavailable since that time. I just ordered two. I'd rather eat barbed wire than carry a !!%*!!#@!! bear cannister,and No, I don't work for Ursack. ursack.com....$55.

Yes, the Ursack is back (sort of), with a new fabric. This new Ursack TKO 2.0 uses a high tech Vectran fabric which, as their site says “has approximately the same tensile and break strength as the Spectra TKO.”

Also their FAQ section states:
The Ursack TKO 2.0 (Vectran) is brand new and has no track record.
The original (green with ripstop) TKO had an excellent record against bears.

Since they say themselves that the new Ursack TKO 2.0 has no track record, it would be interesting to keep an eye on it and find out if it works as well as purported. I’m willing to get one and try it.

I ordered one of the new Ursack TKO 2.0 bags and they sent me an email requesting feedback.

"Because Ursack TKO 2.0 is made of a new fabric, WE NEED TO HEAR FROM
YOU. The technical specifications and our zoo testing tell us that it
will work, but there is no substitute for real world experience. Please
let us know how Ursack works for you."

So, Ursack is interested in getting real world statistics. I will of course update them as warranted.

It's obviously been a few years. Any more Ursack experiences out there?

I've been using mine since 2006 in So. Calif, but bears aren't much of a problem here. Mine has never been put to the test. Love to hear about people with actual bear vs. Ursack experience.

I have not seen a ursack failure... but I have second hand knowledge of three failures of the previous model (I don't recall if they were V27 or S29 material). In each case the ursack was bear resistant but ultimately failed. In one case the hiker attempted to defend the bag and the bear carried it away until the person stop following. Then the bear sat down and worked on the sack until he got to the goodies. The next day the hiker found the mess several hundred feet from his campsite. In the second case a pair of sacks were breached in the same night. The owners didn't understand that the sacks were bear resistant, not bear proof.... so they didn't attempt to chase off the bears. After an unknown period of time the sacks where breached.

I know of no real world encounters with the new sack. I will say that the new sack seems easier to use... the previous version was very hard to close completely which likely lead to some user errors.

Given the history of the ursack and the "one size fit" canister testing folks... I expect the ursack might periodically end up on the "conditionally approved list" (this has happened twice so far) but not survive for more than a year to get on the approved canister" list. So if you are looking for something that's approved... look elsewhere. If you are looking for something that will slow down a bear outside controlled areas, it's a reasonable option.

--Mark

Edited by verber on 07/14/2009 18:35:42 MDT.

Thanks Mark. That's along the lines of what I was thinking.

HJ

thought this was a new thread, man would i like to burn by bear canister... any new info about approval?

this is from their site

"June 3, 2009
It appears that settlement with federal officials is unlikely. Ursack's case is scheduled to be argued in a motion for summary judgment on July 31, 2009. It is impossible to predict when the court will render a decision or what that decision will be.

March 5, 2009
There has been some movement in Ursack's lawsuit against federal officials. The parties and their lawyers met in San Francisco on February 27, 2009. Some progress was made, but at this time there is no determination if Ursack will be approved for use in Yosemite National Park, Sequoia and King's Canyon National Parks, or Inyo National Forest in 2009. All parties are continuing to work toward a prompt resolution. Updates will be posted here as appropriate."

i sure hope it gets its approval, the weight savings compared to my BV450, I would save 14oz... and thats with the alum. liner

I own one myself and think it is an excellent alternative where bear encounters are possible but unlikely. But when I positively, absolutely need protection for my food there is no substitute for a real canister.

There have been cases where bears have been unable to obtain a food reward from Ursacks but left their contents a crushed, saliva soaked mess. The company refuses to acknowledge these incidents as "failures". Sorry but any encounter that leaves my food unpalatable is a failure in my book.

Edited by mtntrailrunner on 07/19/2009 21:51:11 MDT.

I recently inspected my Ursack 2 weeks after coming back from a weekend trip, and noticed that the fabric edges of the opening are completly frayed, possibly from mice. Not sure if this happened at home or on the trail. I'm not sure if the bag's integrity is compromised by this.