Backpackers' Cache - Bear Proof Container

Does what it should. You def need a flat head to open this so carry a swiss army or a multi-tool. I read that some parks will not let you carry bear bags (for raising in trees) or those other bear cans (the clear ones) because bears are smart and can get into them. The Garcia is the recommended brand for a reason. It's a few extra pounds in your pack, but this is the safest way to store food in bear country. Proper food and trash discipline are essential for bear and human safety. Bears won't bother us if we don't leave things for them to eat. And when bears don't associate us with food, we reduce the likelihood of deadly interactions. Cook food away from camp, downwind from your tent site (the farther the better but usually a couple of hundred yards will work). Eat everything you cook. Wash your dishes and dry them there, dump water into a sump (I dig a shallow hole with a backpacker trowel), seal your trash in zip locks, food in ziplocks, and put in your can. Leave your can at least 50 yds. from your camp site, somewhere that is is not likely to roll away if a bear tries to take a crack at it (they will not get into this can, will give up and move on). Also leave your toothpaste, deodorant and any other scented products like chewing gum, sunscreen, and bug spray inside the can overnight. I have seen a bear come into a tent for a pack of gum. This is because they associate humans with food and are unafraid. You can think careless campers before you for this behavior (it is learned, not instinctual). But is easily avoidable with the common sense precautions I have laid out above. But just to be safe, carry bear spray too!

This is my favorite bear canister. Very durable and reliable. It's easy to open for humans but impossible for bears or any other critters. Mine has definitely been handled by some bears in the Adirondacks and preformed flawlessly. Also makes a great seat or table. I recommend putting a little reflector tape on the can to easily find at night. Also, make sure you turn it upside down when putting out at night so that rain stays out. People always make fun of me for carrying this backpacking even when it isn't regulated but not having to hang a bear bag, getting to use it as a seat and it being 100% bear proof is worth the extra weight that I can cut elsewhere.

All of Alaska is bear country, so having this is a good idea around here. It's not very likely that a bear will ever "test" my bear container, and it adds to my pack weight, but I don't care because I have a dry place to sit while cooking. This is a stool that happens to be a bear-container, not the other way around. You'll use it every time you camp if you're using it right. This is a chair. This holds a small mess kit (with stove) for two, with enough room for 2 days of food for 2 people. It fits perfectly in the bottom of an Osprey Atmos 65. It's tall enough to comfortably sit on, and low enough to reach the ground when you're on it. Perfect. The best part is, if you're packing it, it's YOUR chair. Nobody can take it from you; those are the rules when you carry something for miles. My dog also likes to attack it occasionally, which is funny. It's definitely dog proof. It's also worth mentioning that having a bear-container is "hard core", and earns the respect of novice outdoorspeoples. If you also brought a hatchet and wore a vest, I don't think anyone would question your decisions. You'd be like Burt Reynolds in the first half of Deliverance.

Holds a LOT more than what you think. I carried about six standard-size Mountain Houses, several snacks, and my toiletry bag in this canister. I used a piece of electrical tape to secure a penny to the lid, which worked great. This does work great as a stool, as others have described, but also works as a stove stand! I carried a little alcohol stove on my recent hike and sometimes had a hard time finding a flat, level surface to set up the stove and keep the cook pot from teetering. Canister worked great for this! However, don't use the lid end - flip it over and use the non-lid end. The plastic did get warm enough that I couldn't open the lid again until it cooled for about 10-15 minutes and the plastic contracted back. If a hotter stove than an alcohol stove is used, put some foil underneath it, don't use a bigger stove directly on the plastic canister. I gave it only four stars, though. Reasons: - it IS relatively heavy. It's empty weight is almost as much as my tent. If I were hiking where there were plenty of big trees with lots of low limbs to choose from, I may skip this canister and hang my food. However, in some situations (like my hike in Alaska where the trees are scrawny, short spruce and pines that could not support a weighted bag) it worked great. - it's too dark! If you hide it in the bushes a ways off from your camp like you are supposed to, then you better remember where you left it. Also, if a bear bats it around and it rolls off a distance or down a hill, it would be hard to see. I put several pieces of reflective tape on it before I used it. Overall, a good purchase. Get the optional carrying bag, though. I tried to attach some straps to hook it to my backpack and it just slides off when jostled during a hike.

I've seen where people complain about difficulty opening the canister, and I'm not sure where that's coming from, as a fingernail will do the trick. If not, a knife or a spoon handle will work, as well. It's pretty easy. In my research, this is also the best canister compared to the competition. 1. Bears in the Adirondacks have figured out how to open the Bearvaults. 2. It's bigger than a UDAP, but still easily fits in a backpack. 3. Ursacks might keep the food from the bears, but the bears will destroy the food and drool all over it. 4. Counter Assault comes in yellow, which I love (and wish this one was offered in a brighter color), but it's rounded on the ends, which means it won't work as a chair, like this one will. It will hold eight Mountain House meals. That's more a reflection of the Mountain House product rather than this canister, as Mountain House takes up a lot more room than, say, a package of instant potatoes. And you're also supposed to store all products that either go in your mouth or on your skin in a canister, so the bigger the better, especially if this is to hold food for more than one person. The Smokies require all food at shelters to be hung from their bear hangs, so you can store this in your backpack and hang the backpack, but it's required in many other places in lieu of a makeshift bear hang. And it does a great job of protecting your food from the "minibears" (mice, raccoons, etc.). It's heavy, like all bear canisters, but so is your tent and sleeping bag and water and everything else. Just accept this is a part of your backpack and go have fun.

As someone who has had more than their fair share of run-ins with hungry bears on camping trips, I can confidently say that the Backpacker's Cache Bear Proof Container is a game changer. No longer do I have to sleep with one eye open, wondering if Yogi is going to come and steal my snacks in the middle of the night. But let's be real, the real benefit of this container is not just that it's bear-proof - it's that it's human-proof too. I mean, have you ever tried to open one of these things? It's like a puzzle designed to test the limits of your sanity. Sure, it keeps bears out, but it also keeps me out when I forget the combination to unlock it. And let's not even talk about how many times I've accidentally locked myself out of my own snacks. But all jokes aside, the Backpacker's Cache Bear Proof Container really does do its job. It's durable, secure, and can hold a surprising amount of food (assuming you can actually get it open). And let's be honest, the satisfaction of knowing that your snacks are safe from the bears is worth the extra effort. So if you're looking for a way to keep your food secure on your next camping trip, and you don't mind a bit of a challenge, the Backpacker's Cache Bear Proof Container is the way to go. Just don't forget the combination, or you'll be going to bed hungry.

Bought this for a 5 day back country trip in the Bridger Teton National Forest in Wyoming. We had heard there were a lot of bear issues in this area so plan ahead. Well, it's big and holds a fair bit of food, it's only 2.9 lbs but it seems heavier, obviously when loaded with food, gorp, etc. It was a challenge to pack, hard to fit inside of a pack and unless you buy the case for it, rather difficult to strap on outside the pack. I used velcro, put a strip all the way around it and then lashed it with the mating velcro - I was using an old Kelty Tioga II frame pack so it did fit on top (and make the pack top heavy). Plus we never saw, heard or even saw any signs of bears during our 30 + miles of hiking so, does it work? I bet it does, I don't know of any bears carrying around a penny to get it open. Next time I'm just going to hang my food unless the park mandates Bear Vaults - it's so much nicer to pack food in a sack. It does make a great camp stool though, just the right height to make a comfortable stool, not that we needed a stool. I guess if we had encountered bears and still had our food I'd give it a better review. Maybe next time... it did keep the ground squirrels away from our food...

This thing is solid. I am confident that a bear would likely not get my food unless they actually carry it off with them but apparently they get frustrated and give up and move on. I’ve yet to actually see mine on action with a bear so I cannot attest to that yet but if I didn’t know how to open it it would not be easy to get into for sure. It held plenty of MRE’s for both my son and myself on a 3 day trip. It’s a tad on the big side for my liking but it straps nicely where a sleeping bag traditionally goes on many packs. It’ll bump and hit things along the trail but other than some superficial battle scars it won’t be an issue. A hammer could probably break it though. I’d like to have a little more size options like a taller, thinner one maybe but this does the job. I was intimidated before I went on a backpacker with it but once I had used it on the trail I think it’s fine. The hardest part is finding a good spot on your pack that won’t annoy you a little now and then. Nice piece of mind and for sure. Doubles as a good stool to sit on(not where there is imminent bear activity though. I carry a coin in my pocket for opening and closing on the trail, pocketknife works too most of the time but I think it would mess your blade up after a while.