Looking for some bear barrels, any one have an extra one or two for sale?

If you have access to facebook marketplace, just go on the search engine and type in "blue barrel" and you will find some. I bought 4 of them for $5 each. I had to drive 2 hours. But it was worth it. He had 2 pallets full of them.

It appears from your profile that you're in Arizona (??)

Here is an example posted 3 weeks ago in Scottsdale AZ. They are $25 each. I've seen them for $10 or $20 quite a bit.



I also saw a guy posting a few in Laveen for $10 each.



Blue Barrels Scottsdale

if you hunt around a bit, you'll probably find something closer to Tucson.

The ones I bought, had a slight chemical smell to them. I think they actually stored some sort of spice in them. The inside had a slight yellowish green tint and a slight odor. I read that you could just fill them with rain water and let them sit, and the odor will dissipate. So i washed them out good, and just filled them with the hose, and let them sit outside for a week or two. That worked. They are odor and stain free. I dont think it was a stain. I think it was a little residue from whatever they were storing in them.

I then had to buy a harness to carry them. I got mine from Granite Gear, but Cooks Custom Sewing (CCS) makes a great one too. I like ours.

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I did pretty much the same thing analyzer did. The barrels I bought are not bear proof though so I call it my food barrel, not a bear barrel. They are bear resistant at best. Bears can get into them with a little effort so I rely on proper hanging. I try hard to keep the barrel and harness scent free but, again, proper hanging is the primary defense against bears.

I think the OP is looking for "bear barrels" not "blue barrels". There is a big difference.

Usually referred to as bear canisters I think.

Northwoodsman: "I think the OP is looking for "bear barrels" not "blue barrels". There is a big difference."

Perhaps you could take the time to educate me on the difference. What is a bear barrel, vs a blue barrel?

I would classify canisters that have been tested and passed the standards like a Bear Vault® and the Bear Canister by Garcia as "bear barrels". I think it's obvious what "blue barrels" are. I'm not an expert on the subject but I think that it's a good idea to try to differentiate the difference due to newcomers that may be reading these posts for years to come and not provide misleading information if at all possible. As billconner stated perhaps "bear canisters" would be a better term. Analyzer - I apologize if I offended you, that certainly was not my intent.

I had a recent post from another site on my mind when I commented earlier. It's a woodworking form and someone new to the subject asked a question about what features to look for in a circular saw for cutting sheet "goods" (plywood, MDF, etc.). About 8 responses in someone misread the original post and started talking about how stupid it is to use a circular saw to cut sheet "rock". The next 30 posts were people arguing about the best tools to use to cut sheetrock.

"The next 30 posts were people arguing about the best tools to use to cut sheetrock."

That kind of thing never happens here. :)

bear canister







blue barrel

Just a couple of things I discovered in the pre-pre-planning stage of returning to the Noatak river in Alaska someday...(5-6 people, four weeks on the water, no resupply options)
During our first trip there in 1980, bear containers (my choice of description) weren't required. They now are for the Noatak National preserve portion.
I found this link to a list of certified products. http://igbconline.org/certified-products-list/ The preserve has a loan program, if willing to take a chance on availability etc. (link on their site)
It's very likely that for the steel drums, rather than contracting for special construction, someone went through the effort and expense of submitting commercial products for certification, then resale. I can't see any difference in material specs or construction to the two examples here;
https://www.thecarycompany.com/5-gallons-steel-drum-26w05g
https://www.bestcontainers.com/oh8-1r.html
When our trip actually has a start date set, I'll be considering the options at that time., but a "regular" bolt-ring steel bbl is looking pretty good so far!

Just my thoughts, Best of luck, Bryan

BryanB: "but a "regular" bolt-ring steel bbl is looking pretty good so far!
Just my thoughts, Best of luck, Bryan"

I've used them in Alaska--you don't want to do any portaging with them. They were cheap, awkward, heavy and effective. For big trips up there, everyone uses bear electric fences now.

Mreid,

That electric bear fence looks nice. Can you tell me the brand?

I used a UDAP portable electric fence for an Alaska trip. The nice features of this fence were the weight (5.5 lbs) and the large area that could be fenced (45ft X 45 ft). This allowed us to keep the tent, canoes, and food all within the electrified perimeter.

The downside is that set-up was time consuming as there are three individual wires to run with many clip attachments.

We had zero issues with bears during the trip, but have no idea if any actually visited our camp while we were gone or while we were sleeping.

I don't know the brand, if there was any. I made a lot of them with parts, wire, charger, poles. Mine were lots lighter (and smaller).

I would not count on any effective bear barrels being available at The National Park office in Kotzebue. Despite calling ahead and "reserving" one in 2019 all they had available for loan were strange green boxes - that were an absolute joke as far as being bear-proof and they were filthy. They did make nice chairs. You might have better success in Bettles.

Northwoodsman: "Analyzer - I apologize if I offended you, that certainly was not my intent.

"

None taken. It was a legitimate question. Always trying to learn.

I've been primarily a base camper for 47 years. I've only had maybe 3 portage/loop type trips. So it presents a different challenge.

Frankly, base camping, we've brought a cooler in, and hung that in a tree. I've read enough to know that tree hanging isn't necessarily bear proof. Enough so that last year when we went, we put a couple ratchet straps on the lid, and then ratchet strapped the cooler to a tree. We then put pots and pans on the cooler, so we would hear if a bear tried to get in. I don't know that there is a perfect solution.

In those 47 years, we've had one bear in camp. We had the food in a duluth pack up a tree. The pack was too heavy for my wife to handle by herself. I was going out early to fish by myself, and dropped the pack for her, before I headed out. I think the Bear was probably watching me drop it because he was hauling it off within 15 minutes of me leaving. The wife watched him drag it up a hill. I don't want a repeat of that experience. But i'm not sure what I would have done differently.

Now we're looping, and using freeze dried Mountain house type meals. In that sealed blue barrel, in sealed freeze dried packages, I doubt there is much for a bear to smell. We just keep the barrel with us, or strapped to a tree. Yeah, a bear cannister might be more bear proof.

Bear canisters are FAR more bear proof. However they are much smaller than a blue barrel. You'd need a couple canisters to get to the volume of a barrel. Which...is good or bad. With the barrel you need its own harness from CCS or somewhere else and it's its own pack which is fine, they carry real nice that way. With the canisters they'd fit inside packs with other stuff so...you'd just probably add another standard pack instead of the barrel harness. And you might have other gear mixed in there or even have the canisters spread between packs to distribute weight?

Yes, bear resistance type barrel. I have some Garcia ones , but need to source a few more as the group has doubled for the next few trips/years to come...so searching now.

Great tips, I just found blue barrels locally here in the Charlotte, NC area for $20. I am upgrading from 30L to 60L this year and saved some $.

We use the bear barrel for our hiking trips in heavy bear areas but the blue barrels are great for our BWCA trips and hold so much more.

Hello, are you still in need of bear barrels? I have a Garcia Manufacturing Backpacker's Cache bear barrel for sale. I used the barrel once last year on a camping trip in Colorado. I will sell it for $40.00 + Shipping. Here are a few pictures of the barrel.

Namaycush: "Hello, are you still in need of bear barrels? I have a Garcia Manufacturing Backpacker's Cache bear barrel for sale. I used the barrel once last year on a camping trip in Colorado. I will sell it for $40.00 + Shipping. Here are a few pictures of the barrel.
"

If he's not interested, I am.

Thank you! I purchased this one. Looking for 2 more!