Well I packed my BearVault 500 to the brim, and I still have food I need to pack.

So, how many days food did you get in there?

18

i didnt think it was possible for someone to eat less than me on trips.

Oh, I misunderstood. I NEED to pack for 18 days. I probably got 2/3 of what I need in that can. Most of the packaged and dehydrated stuff. I'm hopin' for some fish too, of course. But heck, if I have to pack stuff out of the can, doesn't do a lot of good a scent proof can. Anyone got a cheaper idea than another $80 can or hangin' packs?

Bear vault on one side of camp, extra food in a small pack stashed away from camp, back in the woods. Eat the loose food first.

Kinda defeats the purpose, it seems. I'll have to repack to get the smelly cheese in the can, I reckon. I was expecting a lil' bigger can. Looks bigger in the picture.

how to hide scents i line my garcia with the large one, keep garbage in the medium. i notice an xl version too. they really work as advertised.

Check around your area to see if anyone has one you could borrow. Maybe a Scout troop or a backpacking group? See if any friends, coworkers know of anyone that backpacks or canoe camps as they may ahve one.
If you have an REI close by see if they have any to rent.

What about securing an empty kitty litter bucket to use for the additional food? They're the only things I use. They are water and rodent proof, and also make a great table or chair while in camp. I stash them off the beaten path behind my camp. They haven't failed me yet.
P.S.: Get the kind that has a solid (one-piece) top lid.

If that bag really hides food scent, then wouldn't the drug smugglers be buying these bags up to smuggle drugs in. I'm just sayin'. Not trying to start anything.

Some one would probably lend you a vault if you asked.
OR do the outfitters have them available to rent.

JB

quote jb in the wild: "If that bag really hides food scent, then wouldn't the drug smugglers be buying these bags up to smuggle drugs in. I'm just sayin'. Not trying to start anything."

i guess yould have to ask a drug smuggler.

Have you ever considered a (an) Ursack. I can easily fit ten days of food in mine. Advantage over a can is that it takes up less space as you use your supplies.

quote OBX2Kayak: "Have you ever considered a (an) Ursack. I can easily fit ten days of food in mine. Advantage over a can is that it takes up less space as you use your supplies."

but you can fill in the barrel with other things as it empties. granted, a barrel is heavier to begin with but you can downsize pack volume as the trip progresses.

Have they been tested? Cause they sound like an affordable alternative if they work.

JB

quote jb in the wild: "Have they been tested? Cause they sound like an affordable alternative if they work.


JB"

assuming youre referring to the ursack....affordable? they are the same price as bear barrels/kegs. they are even more expensive if you buy the crush proof liner.... also, no national park has approved them, unlike the garcia backpackers cache, bear vault, and counter assault bear keg. for sure its a lighter option, thats a given. more affordable? no.

In the bear vault, I repackage everything into those thin bags you get from the grocery store produce section, and then I don't tie the bags real tight. This way, I can really stuff the bear vault full and push absolutely out all the air as I pack it. I also make sure ~3/4 of my foods are the type that will "flow" to conform to the bear vault walls without wasting space or leaving empty gaps - rice, bisquick, granola, gorp, etc. do this well. That style of packing may or may not help you get more into the bear vault.

But 18 days is pushing it. You might bring the bear vault, plus, a small bag that you hang. Or, you might buy a food safe plastic bucket from Lowe's - they are about $5. You could put some food into the bucket that critters might not like - like dried rice or dried noodles or some such thing, and, just keep the good stuff in the bear vault.

quote kanoes: "

quote jb in the wild: "Have they been tested? Cause they sound like an affordable alternative if they work.



JB"

assuming youre referring to the ursack....affordable? they are the same price as bear barrels/kegs. they are even more expensive if you buy the crush proof liner.... also, no national park has approved them, unlike the garcia backpackers cache, bear vault, and counter assault bear keg. for sure its a lighter option, thats a given. more affordable? no."

No I was referring to the LOKSAC / OPSAK I didn't see a price?
Never mind I see it pretty cheap if they work.
Like that you can pour boiling water into them.

JB

I pack in a 5 gal bucket with a lid easy to carry, no smell and easy to hang

quote Beaverjack: "Oh, I misunderstood. I NEED to pack for 18 days. I probably got 2/3 of what I need in that can. Most of the packaged and dehydrated stuff. I'm hopin' for some fish too, of course. But heck, if I have to pack stuff out of the can, doesn't do a lot of good a scent proof can. Anyone got a cheaper idea than another $80 can or hangin' packs?"

You could buy a BV450 (2/3 the size of then 500) for about $60.00 and ebay or sell it here after your trip if you don't want to keep it...

How well do the Vittles Vaults fit in a pack? I saw them a the store, but they were big ones. The Vault 15 is 12x12x9", and I think it might work turned on its side.

A five gallon pail with a gamaseal lid for me works just as good as a bearvault. They both are watertight and airtight. A bear can get into both of them given time. Find a pail and put a gamma seal lid on for $7.00 as to $79.00 for a bear vault.

You did really well to get 12 days in there. I've got a Backpackers Cache you can borrow, if you want. Otherwise I'd just pack less essential items - drink mixes, etc. - in a bag, stash out of camp, and hope for the best. Yu could do that with a Vittles Vault, although it's probably bigger than you need for the rest. But you could put other stuff in it too.

quote Beaverjack: "How well do the Vittles Vaults fit in a pack? I saw them a the store, but they were big ones. The Vault 15 is 12x12x9", and I think it might work turned on its side."

I suppose it depends on what pack you are using. I've used the smaller Vittles Vault and it fit nicely on its side in either my CCS #2 or Pioneer.

If your route north takes you through Springfield, IL, stop in and I'll loan you a Garcia barrel. I'm also happy to put southern trippers up for a night when making the long haul north.

quote jb in the wild: "

quote kanoes: "

quote jb in the wild: "Have they been tested? Cause they sound like an affordable alternative if they work.



JB"

assuming youre referring to the ursack....affordable? they are the same price as bear barrels/kegs. they are even more expensive if you buy the crush proof liner.... also, no national park has approved them, unlike the garcia backpackers cache, bear vault, and counter assault bear keg. for sure its a lighter option, thats a given. more affordable? no."

No I was referring to the LOKSAC / OPSAK I didn't see a price?
Never mind I see it pretty cheap if they work.
Like that you can pour boiling water into them.

JB"

misunderstanding on my part, sorry mark.

Agree that the Ursack is not cheaper. The approval business is complicated. I suggest reading their site and watching the video of their tests. I'm happy trusting my food to them. With 10-day trips and 4 people per trip and eating well, we spread our food out among a few Ursacks and then feel that even if we lost one, that we would still have some food. We've never had a problem but also don't think that ours have been found by any bears. If there is any additional risk, then the weight savings makes it worth it to me.

I would definitely consider using an Ursack as a place to have additional food when you have more than your barrel holds. Then you have a good amount of food in the barrel and your extra food is also protected.

I do sometimes think of having one barrel to have a different safeguard on some food.

Someone on this board once mentioned that they use old Metamucil type plastic jars to store items on BWCW trips. If you add a rubber band around the neck, the jar becomes pretty water tight (good enough for rain/dew anyway). They hold about a quarts worth of stuff and weigh 3 oz. Two or three of these or something like them might handle the extra storage need (obviously not bear proof)

I've decided to use a vinyl dry bag for remaining stuff. I'll just hang it.

I just keep my foot in a dry bag and haul it forty or so yards from my tent. I've spent about two years in the bush and have never had a bear in my camp.

quote missmolly: "I just keep my foot in a dry bag and haul it forty or so yards from my tent. I've spent about two years in the bush and have never had a bear in my camp."

I once shared a tent with a guy who I wished had hauled his feet 40 yards from camp!

quote Savage Voyageur: "A five gallon pail with a gamaseal lid for me works just as good as a bearvault. They both are watertight and airtight. A bear can get into both of them given time. Find a pail and put a gamma seal lid on for $7.00 as to $79.00 for a bear vault. "

I don't think the two choices even come close to comparing. The five gallon bucket is easily busted open with a quick wack of the bears paw. The Bear vault is tested for a minimum of a substantial time it would take a bear to get into. Hence why the Bear Vault and Garcia Container are "approved" containers in places where such devices are required. I've left mine out where I've hoped a bear would mess with one so I could see first hand how well it does. But haven't had it happen yet. I know there is one bear on record that figured out the Bear Vault, but it still took time and it was one specific bear.

SNIP

quote nctry: I know there is one bear on record that figured out the Bear Vault, but it still took time and it was one specific bear."

The infamous Adirondacks Marcy Dam Bear.

Marcy Dam Bear and Bear Vault

quote Beaverjack: "How well do the Vittles Vaults fit in a pack? I saw them a the store, but they were big ones. The Vault 15 is 12x12x9", and I think it might work turned on its side."

I've got the VV 15 and it fits right into my wife's Pink LL Bean backpack............quite the color, if you see it on a portage, or across the lake, you will know it's me. Anyway, I love the vittle vault. It's not a bear vault but it's damn close and rides nice in large regular backpack. I also use a compression sack, lined with a plastice bag, inside the vault to store and compress garbage.

quote Savage Voyageur: "A five gallon pail with a gamaseal lid for me works just as good as a bearvault. They both are watertight and airtight. A bear can get into both of them given time. Find a pail and put a gamma seal lid on for $7.00 as to $79.00 for a bear vault. "

I tell you what those Bear Vaults are not airtight or waterproof. The thing I worry about the most is that the bears will knock the thing in the water and it will sink. lol

If your bear vault is filled with sealed food then it won't sink. Freeze dried food is way lighter than water and will keep the barrel floating. I bet there are few foods that are actually heavier than water. Maybe a barrel full of dried beans would sink.

It might, however, float away.

quote cinna: "

quote Beaverjack: "How well do the Vittles Vaults fit in a pack? I saw them a the store, but they were big ones. The Vault 15 is 12x12x9", and I think it might work turned on its side."

I've got the VV 15 and it fits right into my wife's Pink LL Bean backpack............quite the color, if you see it on a portage, or across the lake, you will know it's me. Anyway, I love the vittle vault. It's not a bear vault but it's damn close and rides nice in large regular backpack. I also use a compression sack, lined with a plastice bag, inside the vault to store and compress garbage. "

It will fit, but nothing else will. The cannister shape definitely helps make the most of available pack room. Back in my old days of aerial surveying, we had big 10" airtight film cans that would be perfect for this. Of course, the 9" format is obsolete now with the digital age, but a few companies still fly those cameras. If someone can locate some empty 500' roll cans, they'd be worth gold here. We used to throw them away. Heavy duty black plastic with a pull off lid. Kodak still sells the film.
Might be worth checking for Aerial Surveyors in your area. If you find some cans, please let me know.
Aerial Film

quote OldFingers57: "Check around your area to see if anyone has one you could borrow. Maybe a Scout troop or a backpacking group? See if any friends, coworkers know of anyone that backpacks or canoe camps as they may ahve one.
If you have an REI close by see if they have any to rent. "

quote Beaverjack: "Kinda defeats the purpose, it seems. I'll have to repack to get the smelly cheese in the can, I reckon. I was expecting a lil' bigger can. Looks bigger in the picture."

The one time I used a Garcia can, I found it was a lot bigger on the outside (took up a lot more space in the pack than I thought) and a lot smaller on the inside (didn't fit as much food as it looked like it could hold) than my expectations based on the size I saw in Backpacker magazine.

This thread is 4 years old - I think his trip must be complete by now.
Though nice to see a post from Kanoes.

Yes. I started to read the replies until I saw Jan posted something, then I saw the date. It was nice to be reminded of him, I hope he found his love for paddling again.

I miss kanoes posts, and I miss Beaverjack's too. As soon as I saw the OP I knew it was old.

thanks to the "Guest paddler" for reviving this thread that reminds us of our friends.