Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Aug 1 trip, first timer

Hi all, doing main trail Aug 1 staying over one night. Do i need one of those bear proof cans on the trail and if yes where do I buy them?

You WILL need a bear cannister and you can either rent one at the ranger station in Lone Pine or buy one from the Whitney Portal Store among other places.

I think I remember The Portal Store being the cheapest place to get the Garcia Machine version last year.

WillHike

Yes, you do need a bear cannister. You can rent them from the Portal store. They have plenty on-hand.

Thanks for feed back, still one more question. Are there different sizes? it's made to fit in your backpack? Do you need more than one for a two day trip? At night what do you do with it, throw it on the ground, keep it in your tent, put it in your friends tent?

Portal Store rented them last year for $2 each (easily the best deal). Unless it has changed from last year, there is one size, it will fit in your backpack, and has sufficient space for a two-day food supply (actually, for three or four, depending on how much you bring). While sleeping overnight, *never* keep it in or near your tent. I put mine on the ground next to a large tree and buried it under a bunch of rocks I'm gussing at least 50 feet away from our tent (and the campground). Although bears can't get into these containers, they are not smell proof, and you don't want a bear nosing around in your tent at night looking for it.

CaT

Thanks CaT been hiking for years and never had to use a can, thank's all for info. Still think I'll put it in my friend' tent, LOL

So in other words, you're just pullin' our leg.

CaT