RE: [Philmont]: Bear Cannisters and Philmont

I've owned bear canisters since '97 or '98. Like any equipment there are
conditions where it is very useful/applicable and other conditions where it
is less so. With any equipment you need to understand how best to use it,
because it will have side-effects on how you do other things, too.

Dr. Bob hit upon several points I had. As he mentioned, capacity isn't that
great. You really need to use meals that are dense (i.e. low volume). Some
people take filling canisters to an art form, like some scouts do with
compacting trash. You don't need to go that far, but there are some skills
to be learned. It can be time consuming packing/unpacking a can until you
have eaten enough to free up space so you can just throw the stuff in or
dump it out.

Canisters aren't that light: 2.5 to 3.0 lbs. empty, and for a reasonable
time between resupply its likely each person would need to carry one. I'd
certainly try to avoid carrying more than one per person. Even if you're
not a fanatic about saving weight, that's a lot to haul. Weight of bear
bags (with many times the volume) and rope won't even come close. Although
we always take a good climbing rope anyway, in case it is needed for
something besides bear bagging (be prepared!).

Another issue is the cans are rigid. They take the same volume whether full
or empty. While you can rearrange some stuff and store other things in a
partially empty can, you have a contamination issue for non-smellables. The
size and rigidness reduce your flexibility when packing a pack. I've seen
some medium size external packs that a can wouldn't fit inside. They are
difficult to attach externally because the cans outside surfaces are
intentionally smooth, and straps will soon work their way off. The Bear
Vault has dimples to help in this regard. The Backpackers Cache has an
optional nylon carrying case, but that really pushes up the price.

You've got the issue of bears kicking them around. I've heard of people
drilling a hole in the end and attaching an eye-bolt so they could tie it to
something, but I'd be afraid that would give a leverage point that may make
it vulnerable to being broken open. Plus that ruins its ability to be used
as a seat, which is really a great point, IMO. I guess if you typically
haul a chair you can leave it behind and rationalize "crediting" the chair's
weight to offset some of the can's weight.

Cans are great in places where there aren't any decent trees to hang bags
from: near or above the tree line in the mountains or in deserts where the
trees aren't much more than large shrubs. Bears live in the forests, but
they have been known to follow hikers above the treeline in hopes of getting
their food. The cans are great against marmots and rodents, plus pretty
waterproof, too. You don't have the hassle of hanging the bags or need the
"wait-a-minute" bag. It's trivial to open a can and add a forgotten item,
provided there is space.

Perhaps if Philmont was just starting up, didn't have the bear cables, etc.,
cans might be something to consider. But given how they have a system going
that seems to work pretty well for them, I don't see the need to adopt bear
cans. Still, they can be a useful alternative.

Last I saw, they go for around $80, however some park associations like
Yosemite Association or Sequoia Natural History Association offer them much
cheaper (to encourage their use). If you are a member, you'll usually get a
10-15% discount in addition. Just now checking
http://www.yosemitestore.com/merchant/index.html the "Backpackers Cache 812"
is $65; additional 15% discount for association members and free shipping on
orders over $100.

 -- Jeff

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Jeffrey W. Knoll
Grand Canyon Council
Phoenix, AZ
'02 627-H1 Trek 26
'04 610-D Trek 31

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Received on Wed Jan 5 08:10:08 2005