This has probably been covered, but I can't find it. I am heading into the BWCA in October with four other guys for four nights and am trying to figure out the best way to pack our food. We are probably going to skip bear bags and just go for a clean campsite with durable odor proof storage. The two options I've come up with the Bear Vault 500 (or equivalent) and a 60L blue barrel. What I need to know is, how many of each would we likely need to hold ~60 meals (4 each breakfast lunch and dinner x 5 guys)?

A few years ago I outfitted a couple boy scout crews for an August trip with a 60L barrel each. One crew was 6 and the other 7 people. Can't help you with the bear vaults. I could see you needing maybe a 60 and a 30 depending on your menu, given higher calorie needs for an October trip.

The 60L barrel should be plenty big I would think. For reference, the bear vault is about 11 liters. Get a one gallon ice cream pail (about 4L) and see how much food will fit. A lot will depend upon your choice of meals. I eat fish every day and need only about 1/2 liter of space per day for my food.

I can get 8 days worth of food in a BearVault on a solo, but it requires a good bit of attention to detail and uses all available space. That doesn't mean you can - it depends on the kind and amount of food (dehydrated and calorie dense), as well as the packaging (think Ziploc bags). Bulk is the enemy, along with dead air space in the packaging.

Depending on what you're taking, you might get it in a 30L, but 60 should be enough; if not, add another of some sort.

BearVaults are more "bear resistant" than "blue barrels".

You might want to check out 5 gallon pails with screw on Gamma seal lids. They work great for our groups that size and are cheap. For me the pails were being thrown away so cost of the lid was about $7.00.

One 60L Blue Barrel is plenty.

Recently got back from tripping, 3 people, 7 nights, (so 21 meals), we fit it all in one barrel, including our cookset, pocket rocket stove and 3 fuel canisters, and had room to spare, and we also took too much food.

You'll only have 16 meals to account for, you should be fine.

Over the years I've purchased 4 BV500's and certainly don't regret it. Usually 4 guys for 4 nights and I have plenty of room for food in 3 and one a little more food + soaps, toothpaste, wet wipes, etc. So nice to close the lids at night and not worry that a food bag is going to be pillaged by wildlife. 2 of the BV's fit into an internal frame hiking pack well with room for other gear. These also seem to make keeping camp a bit more organized because I can see what i'm hunting for through the clear polycarbonate and don't have to dig as much.

As soon as I can fit all food into 3, the 4th then becomes the trash receptacle for the trip.

I love my Bear Vault. Being clear really helps to find things like Bumstead said. I would get multiple smaller ones vs. one large one. It's easier to organize and find things and the space won't go to waste when one gets empty. It's a great place to store delicate stuff like a stove or fishing reels.

BTW - different colored stuff sacks is the way to go!

4 big eaters, 6-7 days in a 60 litre has always fit for us. No clue on bear vault. I vaccume seal and/or ziplock from big cans and alot of air is removed as opposed to many package meals for 2 or 4. Kanoes used to poke a pin hole near the top of each bag and mash the aie out and seal with a bit of tape just prior to trip. It condenses the volume quite a bit.
It helps to load the barrel in order of use of planned menu to save alot of digging.

BV500 user here. 4 days worth of food (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, toiletries) for 2 guys is what I can get away with.

Does anyone take fresh food or just pre-packaged/freeze dried? Our plan is to eat steaks the first and brats or similar the second. Pasta for last couple of nights. I imagine fresh will take up more space.

We did exactly that last month, steaks the first night, (filet mignons, so there was no left over bones or fat) and smoked (not uncooked) bratz the second night on a 7 day trip.

Froze them both together and put in a soft sided cooler before we entered, the steaks were still slightly frozen the first night, the bratz was fully thawed the second night, and almost at outside temperature, but we figured since it was smoked we'd be OK. It couldn't have been at outside temperature for long. We're all still alive.

Summer sausage or dried Italian sausage that doesn't need refrigeration is great for lunches, along with some crackers and aged cheddar cheese, which will keep fine for 3-4 days with no refrigeration. Rest of the meals were mostly Mountain House or similar.

That is not odor proof storage, you need opsaks. Barrels and ziploc bags do NOTHING for odor. Neither do waterproof dry bags.

How does the opsack keep all odors in? I have read elsewhere that it was just a glorified ziplock.

The Opsak is made from plastic designed to keep the odor in better. That's not a very specific answer but I'm not a chemical engineer. But there's a reason why they are much more expensive than a ziplock.

In October you can take fresh food and not worry about keeping it cool. More worry about things freezing at night. Took a ham one year in October - ham and eggs, ham and Mac and cheese, grilled cheese and ham,....

I don't like the blue barrels because they don't let you distribute the significant food load among packs. They're also not actually bear proof, but that's not a big deal in the BWCA.

I primarily rely on bear vaults. For two people for a week, I use a pair of BV500s for the meals, and I put snacks and toiletries in a BV450. For three guys for ten days I would have needed four BV500s and a BV450, but I didn't want to buy another two BV500s so we got a pair of ursacks and loaded the first few days' food in those - nice since they collapse when they're empty, but of course not as tough.

Anyway, to your question, if you're talking freeze-dried, one BV500 or one Ursack Major will hold enough food for one person for about six days in my experience, maybe seven if you're careful. Four days, five guys would be four BV500s or Ursack Majors when I pack. Fresh food generally takes a little more space.

SinglePortage: "How does the opsack keep all odors in? I have read elsewhere that it was just a glorified ziplock."

Absolutely not, ive used them for years. Odors DO NOT get out. Try some gorp in 4 or 5 ziploc bags inside of each other, you can still smell it several feet away. Opsaks definitely work.

em8260: "

SinglePortage: "How does the opsack keep all odors in? I have read elsewhere that it was just a glorified ziplock."

Absolutely not, ive used them for years. Odors DO NOT get out. Try some gorp in 4 or 5 ziploc bags inside of each other, you can still smell it several feet away. Opsaks definitely work."

They work until they fail. After only five or six days of using opsacks inside two ursacks, both opsacks had failed. The seal on one separated from the bag, and the other one got a couple tiny holes presumably from food packages inside rubbing. Another two I just used to keep gear dry also failed within two weeks of use, again with the seals at the top separating from the bags. The only one I've had last a long time is the one I got from Midwest as a promotion, in a size that fits my phone. It's in good shape after a couple years of use. Otherwise I'm not impressed.

All of the aloksaks that I've purchased over the years have torn right at the zipper, making them very hard to open. Some have torn after just a few open/close cycles. The only one that's survived intact is the larger sized bag, but that's because I haven't used it a whole lot. I think the bags themselves work well, but the area around the ziploc is a definite weakness.

Over the years, we've gotten better and dealing with them. We've also gotten better at always carrying a couple of spares. Back when Ursack was a small company, I discussed this with the owner and he said something along the lines of they don't break if you are careful with them. I think they could be better but are worth the hassle for the scent blocking.

I have not had the above bad experiences, nor do I believe the majority of opsak users have either. until someone can show me a product that keeps odors in, I'll continue using the only product that i know that does just that, the opsak. The best products in the world will have some failures, as long as they're not the rule.

I just bought a 30L blue barrel and put it in my old hiking pack. It has an internal frame so the barrel sits flat to my back and is easy to carry. The plan is to stash the barrel and if we have anything that doesn't fit in the barrel, or has strong smells like sausage or other meats, then we can hang a small bag with that food. Since it is a smaller and lighter bag, it should be east to hang at the proper height, NOT in the same tree everyone else uses.