If there is one downside to the BearVault it’s that bears have figured out how to get into it in the past. Most notoriously, a bear named Yellow-Yellow in the Adirondacks cracked the code and started targeting those canisters specifically. While BearVault made some changes to the mechanism in response to this, the opening mechanism is still fundamentally the same concept.
Grubcan is a newer bear canister that takes a different approach to toolless entry. There are three orange rings running around the middle section of the lid. To open and close the bear canister, the three tabs on the orange rings must be perfectly aligned with the arrow at the top of the lid and a faint notch on the canister body. To lock the canister, you simply spin the orange rings to different positions.
While I am impressed with how difficult this would be for a bear to figure out, it’s worth noting that it’s a bit tricky for people, too. The rings really must be perfectly lined up to both open and close the canister, and the lid lifted at the correct angle. In the privacy of my home with plenty of time and space to figure it out, I got there in the end. If I was cold and hungry in the field, I could see myself getting a little frustrated. But the potential for added security against bears (this design was created after numerous discussions with bear biologists) is real, so if you enjoy brain teaser puzzles this should go to the top of your list.
But that’s only part of what makes the Grubcan special. The other factor is its weight to strength ratio—fitting, since the founders have 20 years of experience making bulletproof panels for airplanes. It weighs the same as the smallest BearVault, but holds 1.6 liters more in capacity. Holly Jaleski, co-owner of the Grubcan, told me that not only did their Carbon 6.6 model pass the IGBC standard test, but that it also survived an unintended 15-minute encounter with Sam, a 1,000-pound Alaskan grizzly. (Sam is typically not used for testing at the IGBC center unless specifically requested.) Further, it is the first bear canister to pass the much newer Wildlife Management Institute (WMI) black bear test. This new program hopes to better understand what (if any) systematic differences there are in the ways that black bears and grizzly bears attempt to access food inside of bear canisters.
The Ursack Major is all I use when I head into the backcountry, unless I’m headed to a national park with strict requirements about what is and is not allowed. The reason for that is simple: The smallest size weighs less than half a pound and I can fit five days of food for myself inside. Another perk is that the longer I hike, the less space it takes up in my pack.
While the other bear canisters on this list are made of unbelievably tough polycarbonates or carbon fiber blends, the Ursack Major is made from a material akin to Dyneema that is unbelievably tough. It’s tough enough to withstand the grizzlies at the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center during the IGBC test.
While the Ursack does not require any tools to open, there is a learning curve to using it properly. While the knots used to properly secure it are not especially co*plicated (Ursack reco*mends the double overhand knot), you do need to remember what you are doing when you are out in the field, with no internet reception to jog your memory. I’ve seen plenty of people simply tie their bag like a birthday present around a tree branch and call it good; that’s not going to cut it. If the hassle of dealing with an Ursack isn’t worth a pound of weight savings to you, then go with another option on this list.
The Counter Assault Bear Keg, like the Garcia Backpacker’s Cache, is a classic design that has withstood the test of time and is accepted everywhere. Despite needing a tool to open (a simple quarter will do), it is one of the easiest bear canisters to operate on this list. The bright yellow makes it easy to spot in a variety of different terrains. It’s also quite affordable.
The catch is that it’s bloody heavy, the heaviest bear canister for its volume on this list. If you don’t mind a bit of extra weight, that might not be a limiting factor for you, but lightweight or ultralight backpackers will be happier with the BearVault in just about every environment except the old stomping grounds of Yellow-Yellow in the northeastern forests of the United States.
Something people always say when they are trying to encourage you to carry a hard-sided bear canister is that you can use it as a seat. I’m 5-foot-5 with short legs and even I can’t use most of these things as seats. The exception to this is the Frontiersman Insider Bear Safe. This one really is tall enough to use as a seat. It’s even better if you can position it close to a rock wall or a tree to lean against.
Part of this is because of the design of the bear canister. Whereas bear canisters are typically short and squat, the Frontiersman Insider Bear Safe is long, tapering at the bottom. The idea is to improve the weight distribution inside your backpack. Rather than having a heavy bear canister on the left-hand bottom pulling against your left shoulder unco*fortably, you place the Insider Bear Safe in the center of your pack and then distribute other items around it by weight. This helps to keep the heaviest weight (the bear can and your food) in the middle center of your pack, which is ideal for weight distribution. Entry-level backpackers who are working on getting their gear to fit co*fortably in their pack will benefit from this out-of-the-box design, but most experienced backpackers will have a strategy in place already for distributing the weight when they are carrying a bear canister.
Before you purchase a bear canister, check that it is approved for use in your land agency of choice. (If you spend a lot of time in the backcountry of California, check twice.) There are often very good reasons why only select bear canisters are approved in particular regions, and you can and will be fined for using a canister that isn’t approved. That is, if the bears don’t get your food first.
A bear canister that you don’t use properly isn’t worth purchasing. The ease of use between some of the heaviest bear canisters I looked at and their lightweight counterparts was often significant. Know yourself: If you aren’t up for learning and tying knots, don’t purchase an option that requires it. If you know that at the end of the day your motivation for fiddling with co*plicated closures is limited to non-existent, go with something that closes easily. While bears have in the past and will in the future break into properly secured bear canisters, the majority of incidents involve an open or improperly secured canister.
While there is a lot of hand-wringing among backpackers over the weight of bear canisters, this is one area where I’m going to encourage you to take less stock of it. Approval and correct use are the most important factors in your choice. Once those are squared away, then you can filter by weight and packed size.
Almost all of the best bear canisters are made from plastic, which degrades and weakens over time. Per Randy Gravatt, container testing coordinator at the IGBC, it’s best to replace bear canisters every five to seven years to ensure it’s truly capable of withstanding the raw power of a bear intent on breaking into it.
Yes, bears can smell through bear canisters. If you want to make your food stash a bit harder for bears to locate, you can use an Opsack. This water-tight, odor-proof plastic bag can supplement your bear canister, but it should not replace it.
It is not necessary to bury your bear canister. While it does sometimes happen that a bear will roll a bear canister a long distance off while attempting to open it up, this is not the norm. Typically bears attempting to break into a bear canister will do it in the vicinity of where they found it.
Best practice is to place your bear canister 100 yards downwind from your tent. If available, placing your bear canister inside a thicket of trees can help prevent it from being rolled away too easily.
If you are unsure of what size bear canister you need, there are a few options. The first is to check manufacturers reco*mendations, as these will give you a sense of what other people are co*monly able to do with it. If you can, purchase your bear canister well in advance of your trip and experiment with packing your food inside. Then, if it turns out to be too small, you’ll have enough time to return it. When in doubt, try to size up, as it’s important that all your food, trash, and scented items go into your bear canister that first night.
Scented toilet paper should go into your bear canister, but unscented toilet paper can be in your tent with you.
Since 1898, OL has been a leading authority in testing and reviewing hunting gear, fishing tackle, guns and shooting equipment, and much more. We have more than a century-long history of evaluating products, and we’re now bringing that expertise to online reviews. Our editors are experienced outdoorsmen and women, and most importantly, we’re trained journalists. We prioritize field testing and objective data when reviewing products. We conduct interviews with gear manufacturers and engineers as well as outdoor experts so that our readers have an understanding of how and why a product works—or doesn’t.
Advertising does not influence our gear reviews and it never will. While we always focus our coverage on standout products—because we want our readers to be aware of the latest and greatest gear—we also cover the flaws and quirks of any given product.
If you spend time in bear country, having a plan to protect your food—and by extension, yourself—from bears is a must. While the bear hang was once considered an essential skill for backcountry travel, there is increasing awareness that this is a less effective strategy than land managers had hoped (the exception to this are the bear pole hangs set up by the park agencies for visitors).
Both black bears and grizzly bears (although not polar bears) can climb trees. Successful bear hangs need to be high enough off the ground and far enough out from the trunk that a bear can’t jump over to it. Not only are there plenty of places that don’t have trees with limbs high/close enough, long enough, or strong enough to make this work, there are even bear habitats that barely have trees at all. Trying to make a bear hang work in these environments is asking for a bear to break into your food. It’s worth the investment (and the weight) to have a great bear canister. Here are our top picks:
The post The Best Bear Canisters of 2023 appeared first on Outdoor Life.
Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made.
[/html]