High Sierra Topix

Does that make the fourth lid now for the BV? I hope folks have the correct lid before heading out. I have the Garcia Machine, which was the only game in town for awhile. My trip a month ago, I forgot to put something cushy between my back and the canister and was too lazy later in the day to repack my pack, so I had a sore on my back all week long. Just gotta remember to put a heavy shirt, sweatshirt or fleece article inside the pack, between the Garcia canister and the pack. The thing is never going to wear out and I have a brand new one also that I was going to use for dogfood when Pooch was still alive. A flower pot by the door I guess.

I did an 8 day trip this year with a BV500. I worked great and I had no problems getting a weeks worth of food into it. I could have put 9 days in there easy, had I been willing to give up the "medicine".

Bearikade....

Bearikade

Bearikade

Bearikade

My cousin and I rented the bearikade for an early mid sept. trip to SEKI. Since we avoided popular areas we didn't see any bears and few tracks or piles of poop. I hate the extra weight of the containers but they are nice when above treeline. I've always had more issues with little critters than bears and the containers deal with that problem nicely.

The big issue for me other than weight is the bulk. In my old age I am going to light as I can get. I could not get the bearikade into my Golite infinity horizontally so I had to carry it outside the main bag under the top pocket. It worked OK but the Golite pack just isn't designed for that stress. My guess is that the pack is only good for one more season so I am looking for a replacement that can take the canister internally. I went to REI and the Gregory Z-55 could take a Garcia horizontally at the bottom but it's shape and size is a little different than the Bearikade. The Z-55 is also 1/2 lb heavier than the infinitiy, but certainly more durable.

Mike

Finally replaced my old Garcia. Picked up a new BV450 as well as the BV500. Almost went the Bearikade route. The final decision for me came down to price tag and versatility in having both sizes for the price of one Bearikade. Found a pretty good deal today over at mpgear.com if anyone else is in the market. $65.69 for a BV500 and $53.99 for a BV450 with coupon code MB10628 - and Free shipping on orders over $50.
I don't take as many extended trips as a number of you do, so I'm hopeful the two cans will get me by for a while.

On our last trip, my friends were looking at the BV at an REI in Sacto. I tried to open it, and quickly cut my finger wide open. They decided on the Garcia. I was looking to buy a bearikade, to replace the garcia. Price is big, but it won't cut me opening. Maybe it was me, but i was the third person that tried to open that thing.

That finger throbbed really bad all the way uphill, and complicated casting for a couple days.

The advantange of the garcia is that it's tall enough for me (6', 3") to sit on comfortably around camp. The Bearikade is 2" shorter (Weekender). The expedition is taller, but might not fit in my pack where i like it. guess i need to build a model and try and fit it. To offset the weight of the Garcia, the Weekender is the only choice; weigh/storage wise. Cost would be the only issue.

Russ

I've never actually cut myself opening my BV but I have barked a knuckle a couple of times. I found it's pretty easy to open if I use my pocket knife or a lighter to push on the edge of the lid instead of my fingers.
Gary C.