High Sierra Topix

It looks like my choice will be between a Garcia Machine Co. Bear can or
the Bear Vault 400. The sizes are just about the same, 615 cu. in. or 700 cu.in. I.E. one meal I guess. Well any reason for one over the other, the price is the same, weight is close enough, locks and size being the only real difference.
Thanks

I prefer the Garcia Machine. Because it is paid for. If I have my coin, I always have money to call home with.

The recent purchasers of the Bear Vault like the clear package so they can see where stuff is in it. It is supposed to be a little bigger and slightly lighter than the Garcia Machine. The manufacturer has had to make changes to the lid a couple times because it can be hard to unscrew (getting it past the catch/push it in thing). Whether or not folks had the lid on properly, bears have accessed it a few times too. Bear Vault won't admit they have a design that isn't that user friendly (that push it in and quickly turn thing again) although I hear it is easier to use now. It had issues too when grit got into the threads, you know, the stuff all around you when in its proper environment. If it was so fine earlier why did they change it? Many people still like it though. If I get another one, I'll save up for the pricey aluminum alloy one, although I heard the zip whats-there-names that fasten to the catches are prone to wear.

Although it's not on your list, I can't praise the Bearikade highly enough. It's definitely the Mercedes (Rolls?) of bear canisters at nearly $300 for the expedition size, but it's (a) light and (b) bomb-proof. A bear swiped one out of our campsite on the first night of a JMT trip three years ago, and we could hear her stomping on it and evidently jumping out of trees onto it for literally hours. No damage -- not even a scratch. The insides were a little shaken up (I think it was probably chocolate pudding that we found evenly distributed over everything else ), but essentially no damage. <http://www.wild-ideas.net/index2.html>

I have never used a bear can. Never had bears get my food either.

I like the Bear Vault. If I were to buy another, I'd get the smaller, solo version.

I have the Bear Vault weekender and have had no problems with it, so far, in terms of opening and closing. I have used one of the earlier versions with the push-and-twist lid and it was a bit difficult to open unless you slipped a knife blade between the lid catch and the one on the body. The blade serves as a ramp and the two catches slip easily past one another on opposite sides of the blade. Carefully done, the knife won't do any damage. Insofar as keeping bears out of my food I can't rate either of the Bear Vaults since neither has been challenged. I have crammed a skimpy six days worth of food into the weekender but stuff is so compressed the thing feels as dense as a cannonball and I lost two pounds on the trip.

I've only used the vault but so far it has given me no problems. I also like the fact that it is clear. The wife was a little bent out of shape when she first saw it though. She looked at it and said "you paid $70 for a sparkletts jug?"
Gary C.

I started off with the Garcia, but got the Bearikade Expedition (2) for long trips. It was a lot lighter, so I used it regularly. We also have the Bearikade Weekender for short trips.

Bear vault 250 fits nicely in my pack. Once you get the trick to the lid down, you never have a problem (even with freezing fingers). We used 3 small ones for 4 people for 4 days and had too much food. Ended up with lots of leftovers. We will take 4 small ones for 6 people for 5 days in June. Plus they make a great stool and/or table.

I have the Bear Keg, I know, I know, not in the "in crowd". I got it because I could get a really good deal on it. The biggest feature of the Bear Keg is that it is bright yellow, so everyone can see it for miles around. The size is rather large, but that also makes it heavier than others. The shape of the keg is not a true cylinder like other cannisters. The middle of the keg is about an inch larger than the top and bottom. So it tapers out, in the middle. I found this to be rather annoying when trying to pack in my pack. It would leave a lot of dead space in my pack that I would have to get creative with.