Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board what larger size bear canister do you want

BearVault is trying to determine whether the demand is out there for a longer canister.

Currently BearVault has a small size, the Solo BV350 , at 440 cubic inches, 8.7" dia X 8.3" long and the BV400 at 700 cubic inches, 8.7" dia X 12.7" long.

If you could have a larger canister, a 15" long canister would be about 825 cubic inches, and a 16" long canister would be about 880 cubic inches and a 17" long canister would be about 940 cubic inches.

Which would you prefer, and would you lash this canister to your backpack so that the canister was held horizontally or vertically?

Thank you.
www.bearvault.com

Jamie, I think I'd go for the 17incher.

I'd do everything I could to put it inside my pack, for weight distribution, but if I HAD to lash it outside, it seems that vertical would be preferrable.

Jamie,

IMHO most who would be using the larger canister here would be JMT hikers or people who looking to minimize weight. In most cases people will be utilizing lighter weight packs which are 60 L or less. Therefore, the canister will have to be strapped to the outside of the pack. There is not enough room to put both gear and a vertically stowed canister.

My advise it to take a look at what Wild Ideas is doing with their bigger canister as to size. They seem to be the only player in this space these days.

there are times when two original size ones placed horizontally in my expedition-size pack is too much storage, and one standard size one placed vertically in my lighter pack is not enough.

So the proposed 17 makes a lot of sense.

As they say "GO BIG OR GO HOME" 17 inch That would probalby be enough for me and my 2 kids, Thanks for asking our opinion, also strapped outside any way i can get it to fit.

The 16" or 17" sizes would suit my needs best. The 15" size is too close to the one I already have to make enough difference.

I would carry it vertically inside my pack.

I think I like the idea of a 900 - 940 cubic inch container and I would probably lash it horizontally on my pack.
Thanks

it is not a size thing, its a weight thing. needs to shed some.

A little O.T. here but I've toyed with the idea of a pack based on an oversize bear canister. It would simply be a strap/padding system that attaches to a 20" or so canister. Dana Designs used to make a similar modular system based on boater's dry sacks.

The weight could be kept close to the body and the canister would function as the frame of the pack. There could be a few external pockets for small stuff and lash points for a tent/sleeping bag. At night, the strap system is detached and the canister functions normally.

Just thinking outside the box.

Looking at my Kelty external frame pack, the frame bars are 15" apart, so a 17" bear can would span them nicely. I would lash/strap it to the frame horizontally.

I have one of the original Garcia canisters and it's not quite wide (tall) enough to lash securely but takes up too much room if stowed inside the pack.

We will look into the possibility of making a 17" long BearVault for next year. We really appreciate your input. Knowing you would lash the canister to the outside of the pack is good input. We will need to consider mold costs and probable sales, so we are not saying we definitely will do it but you have shown me there is at least some need for a larger capacity canister.


Thanks for the input.

Jamie

I would also like to throw in for the 17"er. Generally, I like to pack it vertically, whether it's inside or out. What I'd REALLY like as a feature though is to have a couple incorporated slots for attaching straps to pass through. That way you could just use a couple of small velcro strips (which is what I use for attaching crampons, axe handle etc. to the outside of my pack)and attach it to your daisy chain instead of running straps all the way around the cannister.

Whitrat we won't be adhering anything to the outside of our canisters; they are smooth to not provide a location for a bear's canine teeth to stick and dig into the canister. The bumps on the outside provide a non slip area where you can use lashing straps to attach the canister to the outside of the pack.

A great way to attach your canister to the outside of your pack is to put it in a large compression sack, such as the granite gear ones that I use, and then use webbing to tie it to your pack. The webbing would run underneath the buckles of the compression sack to insure that it doesn't slip off. On a sidenote, last year on a overnight trip of University peak, a friend, or guest of a CLMRG instructor made a smart aleck remark about how my bearvault was worthless and heavy and only good for sitting on since that is how I was using it at the moment that he saw it. Later that night two of the CLMRG instructors came up to me and asked if they could also keep their food in the Bearvault. I was more than happy to store their food safely with my own.

Rafael...

Thanks for the explanation BV and thanks to Rafael for the great suggestion.

Alan, Re "I have one of the original Garcia canisters and it's not quite wide (tall) enough to lash securely but takes up too much room if stowed inside the pack." I bought a Garcia a couple years ago and it fits inside the lowest zippered pocket of my backpack exactly, and I mean exactly! I remember how tickled I was to discover that when I was trying to figure out how to tie it to my pack.

BTW BearVault, maybe you could hook up with a backpack maker to have a backpack that is made for your product? Probably not a feasible idea but I thought I would mention it anyway.

I want a bear canister with a really light food replicator and voice recognition. No Borg nanoprobes, please.

lol

I wouldn't want anything longer than the BV-400 because it wouldn't fit in my pack. Also, I don't plan on putting it outside since that would knock me of balance. One thing I would like to see is an easier system for opening the canister. At home keeping the threads clean is easy. Once on the trail they get dirty quick and then it becomes nearly impossible to open.

Rightstar the year 2006 and later models have very large threads with large clearances that are quite resistant to fouling.
If you have an earlier model, a wipe of the threads with a bandana should keep the lid working smoothly.
If you have a BV200 or earlier and the lid is a bit sticky, you can spray the threads with a bit of silicon which should last the season and make the lid smooth and easy to operate.
Models BV250 and above use a low friction plastic in the lid so there should be no sticking problems.