High Sierra Topix

Thank you for this!

As a 40-year-old-noob trying to get good gear, this helps me make my short and long term decisions for canisters. Short term is for me and long term is for the family.

Thanks again.

Bearikade will make custom 9" diameter canisters from 9" to 18" tall.

My Expedition is a cylinder of inside usable space of 8.875 x 14".

That is about 867 cu in. Because of its regular shape and wide opening, you will probably get as much into that space as you could. Especially if you repackage all the pre-packaged things into zip lock bags, plan on bulk storage of grains, high density food and flat bread, crush all the big stuff (Ramen ends up nearly powdered), make layers tamping each down with a water filled bottle.

Two of us packed 9 days of a 11 day trip into one. First day's meals were carried outside the can, last day out was short and we had 'breakfast' at 2PM.

We didn't carry many prepared meals (e.g. Mountainhouse) because just not enough calories in them. If huffing and puffing up a grade all day long you will need around 400-600 Kcal an hour of hiking to be replaced with food. Don't know if you can carry that much, so plan on loosing some weight.

I was a bit skeptical about ordering the BV-450. It looked like the perfect fit for me $$$. But I must admit, I was a little uneasy when she bent down to tie the laces of my shoes ...Oh, sorry, I meant uneasy by all of the reports of difficulty opening the lid.

This is just my 2 cents, no offense to anybody. Opening the lid is very, very easy.

This is just my humble opinion. Good luck with whatever product you buy.

-Russ

Under "normal conditions" yes the lid is easy to open. The problem I had was when it got below freezing at night. Seemed like the lid contracted at a different rate than the main cannister, basically locking the lid. To open it, I had to burry the cannister in snow (to contract it) and let the sun shine on the lid (to expand it). Then it opened- it took half an hour. I have also had the lid "air lock" when I transported it over large elevation variations. Once it took three guys at the outdoor store in Mammoth to get the lid off (I had the cannister really stuffed full). I had come up over Tioga Pass than dropped to Mammoth. These problems may have been fixed now. These experiences were several years ago.

Vaca Russ wrote:I was a bit skeptical about ordering the BV-450. It looked like the perfect fit for me $$$. But I must admit, I was a little uneasy when she bent down to tie the laces of my shoes ...Oh, sorry, I meant uneasy by all of the reports of difficulty opening the lid.

This is just my 2 cents, no offense to anybody. Opening the lid is very, very easy.

This is just my humble opinion. Good luck with whatever product you buy.

this was a really old thread...

But, it is true, the BV lids are easy to open. At home, at room temperature. I wore out the original lid of mine within a year because on freezing cold mornings I impatiently resorted to grabbing a hunk of granite to force the lid to open. Pretty soon the lid, after my repeated pushing while it was that cold and brittle, would spin right off without catching the way it should.

Fortunately the BV dude replaced it for free, with an updated lid.

Most of the time now I am using the Bare Boxer instead. Lighter, smaller, and just the right size for 2-3 nights. And the lid doesn't get stuck in freezing temps.

I guess to be fair, sometimes the screws in the garcia stick as well.. pliers and on a quarter seem to work, but kind of a bent quarter afterwards.. I'll stick with my bearikade.

I have a Bearikade Scout and a Bearikade Weekender. I don't do long trips; so the Weekender doesn't get much use. I put 5 days food into the Scout for my last trip - it fit fine. I can easily fit a week's food in the Weekender.

It's not just the weight that makes carrying the canister difficult, it's the bulk of it. A big bulky canister is hard to deal with no matter how lightweight it is.

The Bearikade Scout is:

Height: 8 in (20.3 cm)
Diameter: 9 in (22.9 cm)
Capacity: 500 cu in (8.2 L)
Weight: 1 lb 12 oz (0.79 kg) - 1.75 lbs

Wandering Daisy,

Thanks for your recent TR of Desolation Wilderness. The snow conditions are impressive. Last night Mark Finan gave a snow report. He showed a satellite view of today versus July 1 and the melt is definitely happening. Not to get off topic...

Daisy / AlmostThere,

Yesterday I read your posts, went home, tossed my BV-450 in the freezer and took my dogs for a walk. Chilling the vault definitely adds a degree of difficulty to the opening. I don't know if it is because of a difference in the coefficient of themal expansivity between two dissimilar materials or if the lower temperature just causes the flexible plastic to become more rigid. It is probably a combination of the two.

In any event I was able to open this glorified giant plastic medicine bottle. If I did hike into the wilderness and all of my food became stuck in this jar, it would be uncomfortable but not life threatening. I have a spare source (about 10 - 15 pounds) of life supporting energy carried near my stomach and waist.

Thanks for such a great thread.

-Russ

KathyW wrote: It's not just the weight that makes carrying the canister difficult, it's the bulk of it. A big bulky canister is hard to deal with no matter how lightweight it is.

it's kind of a matter of scale. I do big trips, almost exclusively, and I am pretty tall, carry a 95 liter or 105 liter pack. In my packs, the Expedition fits just fine, and once I even carried the Expedition PLUS a BV500 Bearvault, although that got a little top heavy.

I'll be out in October again with the Expedition, one resupply on a late season JMT hike with a few off trail adventures. It'll barely hold the food I need for the southern stretch beyond VVR, and I am considering to bring my two Weekenders instead.