BearVault BV500 Journey Bear Canister

Once you get used to the technique of getting the lid of it is fairly easy. Like that you can see your food inside and it is highly water resistant. Can also be used as a seat or step stool. Not the products fault, but hate having to haul out a 2.2 lbs empty container. It is also painful if packed improperly in your portage pack. As far as bear barrels go, it is my favorite.

I got a BV500 this year (2021) because of the new regs in the BWCA regarding food storage. I ended up using it (along with Ursacks and a blue barrel) on a 20 day trip to Wabakimi. I liked the feeling of safety and ease of use it provided, but it is not without its faults. When I first got it, I thought I might use it to store loose dog food, but after buying I realized the lid did not secure tightly enough to keep odors or tiny bits of food in, or water out. There is no rubber gasket like on a blue barrel. Bears may not be able to break into it, but they may well smell what’s inside unless you use some scent-proof bags. I was also disappointed to find water getting inside a couple of times. I once set it in the woods at night and it fell on its side. The next morning there was about 1/4 inch of water in the bottom. I had to empty everything and wipe it all down to dry. You do have to be careful selecting a place to store it at night in that you have to make sure if a bear messes with it it will not roll into the water. Not only might it drift away, but with the lid not tight water would enter and there is a possibility it could fully or partially sink if there was not enough buoyant items inside.


So it does provide great security against bears and is easy to open and close, but it’s not without its shortcomings. The weight-to-liter of food protected is not great, and the ability for smells and crumbs to get out or water it is not ideal.

I've used the large BearVault twice in BWCA. It has enough volume to carry food (mostly freeze dried meals) for one person for about a week. It is convenient to have a container that holds all of your food in one spot for fireside organization as well as throwing in a pack and heading out for a day trip. It is also good for keeping campsite critters out of your food. As for bears...I was told it will slow a bear down but not keep it out indefinitely. I beleive that would be true. Like other reviewers noted, this barrel does let water in. During a rainstorm I had water get inside while it was standing upright with the lid tightened down. Another drawback is the bulkiness. It's a barrel that takes up the same amount of room however much is stored inside.