Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Bear canisters

I was just doing some research and it appears that the available bear canisters are for 6+ days and very heavy.

Can anyone recommend a canister for 1 person doing a 3 day/2 night Main Trail Whitney hike? I would like it to be as small/light as possible. Also, if a canister is recommended...can it be rented near the trailhead or in Reno, Vegas, or LA?

Are there and alternatives to the bear canisters?

Thanks.

Audiograce made mention of new lighter bear canisters.

See http://www.whitneyportalstore.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=001792

Hi The best can on the market is the one made of Kevlar ,very light and large size. They cost more than the other cans , but they can be rented at some of the parks on the west side try -Yosemite Kings Cyn. Sequioa or try the company Bearicade maybe someone on the board will have a contact number. We rent the standard Garica cans at the trail head they weigh 3 pounds hard to tie on the pack, best placed inside the pack. A canister is required on the trail. Last year we had about eight bears in the canyon without canisters on the trail some of those bears would be at Trail camp and Outpost all the time. We sell the Garcia cans for $49.75 at the store, and very seldom run out of rentals what we do is open a new can a rent that.Thanks Doug

The Bearicade can be rented (they mail it to you, and you mail it back) or purchased from Wild Ideas:

http://www.wild-ideas.net/index2.html

telephone 805-693-0550

Pricey but light.

Kain, 6 days' food in a Garcia? Either you're a light eater or you pack your can with a mallet!

I agree with those above that the Bearikade Weekender is prob going to be the lightest Sierra approved canister you will find. It will definately hold food for one for 3-5 days. Personally I like my Bearvault, its not as light, but its a hell of a lot cheaper and its easier to find food burried in it.
Eric J Lee
PS Jeffery I've fit 9 days of food into a Bearvault which is only a little larger than a Garcia. It's all in what food you chooose and how you package it(homemade foods pack better).

Yes, I guess my problem is that I tend to go heavy on the freeze-dried meals-in-a-bag and noodles! Not the most space-efficient foods.

Jeff,

One way to gain more room in your bear can is to take the freeze dried meals out of their pouch and repackage them in a zip lock bag, squeezing out the excees air. Take one empty foil pouch with you to rehydrate the meal in the zip lock bag, inside the foil pouch to retain heat. You can reuse the pouch many times and this method will also reduce your trash bag.

I haven't noticed any issues with spoilage or taste since adopting this method. I also easily get 6 freeze dried meals, 12 instant oatmeal, 12 hot chocolate, 6 lipton instant cup of soup and enough gorp and snacks to last six days.

I've had good luck renting the Bearikade ...
But I also recently purchased a <a href="http://www.bearvault.com/" window = new> BEAR VAULT. </a> It worked very well for me this past summer and w/ some VERY careful packing, held 5+ days of food for 2!
...tg...