How many bear canisters for five 2 nights?

[balzaccom]

Only if you've never touched it with anything that has any food odor on it at all...!

[gregw822]

Only if you've never touched it with anything that has any food odor on it at all...!

Well, that's true of just about anything you don't want a bear to tear up.

All I can say is that I've never bothered to protect freeze dried vacuum packed stuff, and I've never had a problem. On the other hand, I've only seen bears a few times in Sierra wilderness, and even then it was the ass end heading out of sight in a hurry. I know many others have had very different experiences. In general I avoid places where there are bear boxes, because that's where there are bears.

[SPeacock]

I thought, depending upon where you are going, that each had to have their own bear can, even if you are planning on using the big bear boxes.

Wife and I, in a Bearikade, got 9 days for two of us. You have to pack for the amount of calories you are expending and wish to replenish. Figure 400-600 Kcal per hour, up hill, at altitude with a big pack.

We took a lot of very dense carbohydrates, rice, pasta, pita bread, and cooked our meals. Cost us a bit extra in weight of fuel and larger stove, but we ate better than with freeze dried that only have around 300 Kcal a serving or so.

[rlown]

I thought, depending upon where you are going, that each had to have their own bear can, even if you are planning on using the big bear boxes.

Just checked my permit info for Inyo. It doesn't say everyone has to have one; All it says is all food, garbage and toiletries must fit into whatever bear can(s) you are carrying for capacity.

Even Yose's bear page at http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/bearcans.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; seems to confirm this. Those in my group each has a can, because, well, They're pretty comfortable to sit on around the stove or at camp in the evening. Slap my sleeping beanie over the top and it's a pretty nice sit.

[h_lankford]

some sources quote huge Calorie consumption, thus fewer days per BearVault.

Many of us find that high altitude suppresses appetite. I can go for a week or two eating just 1500 Cal per day and not feel hungry. Yes, because of the workload, you burn off some fat in the meanwhile. Younger, leaner, faster people might not be able to skimp on Calories so easily. If you are a low-Calorie person, you can obviously get more days per BearVault. One way to think of this planning is this: have you ever brought food back? If so, lighten up next time.

[Wandering Daisy]

With 3 teenagers, you will have mutiny with 1,500 calories per day! When I took my teens (and they were girls) on a long trip, they cleaned out all the trail food the first few days. Teens are ALWAYS hungry - be sure to have LOTS of munchies. And I would not even consider less than 2,000 calories per day per person. 2,500 calories per day for young people is normal (and that goes for myself even though I am over 60!). I would let the teens have their own bear cannister full of trail food. My teens were not that keen on breakfast, but boy could they consume trail bars and gorp.

[RoguePhotonic]

In 2009 when I was doing a 300 mile hike I ate only 1500 calories a day. Big mistake!!! Not having proper food energy will effect you greatly on the trail! You will be climbing switch backs after a good nights rest and yet have no energy at all while your wide awake and it's a horrible feeling. Tons of munchies is a good idea not only for calorie sake but for general morale.

[SPeacock]

I'll be darn. It does say just to have enough canisters to go around - whatever that is.

Bears are very food savvy. If they had something good that was in a freeze dry container, I'm betting they will figure out that the next one left out in the open is yummy too.

You get fined on the east side (Whitney Portal) if you leave brown shopping bags of clean clothes, empty clean ice chests, empty soda cans, candy/cracker wrappers, cigarettes, etc. in view in a vehicle. They have some pretty desperate critters over there.

For many it is the first time they have cleaned the car out since they left Chicago.

[rlown]

guyd, the other way to look at this is as a learning experience. There are 5 of you; rent two cans, and let the teens plan their menu (with guidance of course), with your stuff already in one can. Account for garbage, toiletries, etc. If you fill up 2 cans during prepack (size again your choice), you just rent another and one of them get's to carry it.

[guyd]

Thanks all of you.

That backpacking will be my first real backpacking experience (we do only car camping or day hikes), and will be in the middle of a two week vacations. I'll rent 75% of the backpacking gear from LowerGear and have it shipped in an hotel. Since we will fly from Canada I'll (probably) not be able to prepare any food home and go through Customs, so we will have to buy in a store the day before and repackage in the hotel room.

I will plan our menu ahead of time, but I will have rented the canister before that. We will probably stick with no cooking - only boiling water!