New Bear can on indiegogo

[John Harper]

I wonder how the end caps are attached? I don't see any locking method. The weight savings seems incredible. My Ursack is the only thing close to this in weight savings. Even my BB Contender is on the heavy side.

John

[maverick]

I wonder how the end caps are attached?

If you go to the website and click on the second photo with the lid John, you will see the threads inside.

[longri]

Yes, they are threaded.

But how do you get them off? Just with friction? That could be frustrating.

It will be interesting to watch this. It's weird that they aren't pricing in any profit.

[longri]

Yes, they are threaded.

But how do you get them off? Just with friction? That could be frustrating.

It will be interesting to watch this. It's weird that they aren't pricing in any profit.

[HunnyBear]

Hi everyone! I'm Brett, the designer of the Hunny Canister. We just updated our FAQ page with details on the certification process, our product timetable, and a demo video of the incredible strength/weight ratio of the resin we use to manufacture Hunny.

http://www.hunnycanisters.com/faq

We are coming out with a product video soon! It has been a crazy last 48 hours, the IndieGoGo campaign has raised over $1,800 in 48 hours and shows no sign of stopping, and we already have some interest from Backcountry.com and Outside Magazine. There's only 2 of us and we can't keep up on every web forum, so check out our twitter @HunnyCanisters for the most current updates. Thanks everyone for your support!

[rlown]

Hi Brett,

Thank you for adding the timeline for certification!

One little nitpick. I don't think I'd want to cook on the endcaps, given that most sit on their bear can. Any testing on if the endcaps deform when used as a mess kit pan or are sat on over time?

[HunnyBear]

Excellent question- the lids have been a polarizing design feature, some people love them or hate them. Most people appreciate the fact that there's two, but the multifunctional aspect isn't for everyone.

The lids are an aluminum alloy, then coated in a nonstick ceramic layer through a ceramic firing process. It is actually the same material as the JetBoil line of ultralight cookware, and are very heat and pressure-resistant. Sitting on them is no problem, however our field testing this fall will give us a better understanding of how it performs over time.

The taper serves 3 functions:
1- it helps maximize the compressive strength of the resin during a bite by literally keeping the material perpendicular as much as possible to the mouth of a bear;
2- it helps prevent the container from rolling away in a straight line (off a cliff, for example), if it is knocked over; and
3- it reduces the overall dimension of the lid to conserve weight, and allows us to make a lid thick enough to serve a dual purpose as a mess kit.

A lot of ultralight backpackers are requesting just a resin-lids edition, for obvious reasons. However, there is a bigger design issue with the multifunctional lids: some bears on the AT have a behavior where they will wait for a hiker to start preparing food, then scare them away to take food from the empty canister, so having an open bear can while a hiker is cooking is not a good idea. For these reasons, our flagship Hunny Canister is going to be the resin-lidded "Bear Necessities" Canister, and the alloy-lidded canisters will all ship with 2 additional resin lids, with instructions to keep the thing closed if you're going to be cooking.

We have another product in the works, the HunnyPots, which are 2 metal pots that fit over the canister like a Kinder Egg (keep an eye on our IndieGoGo update page/twitter for this release later this month). This eliminates a need for the lidded mess kit and solves the closed canister design function, so we are getting this out as soon as possible.

I think the alloy lids do serve a purpose for a lot of groups, just not every group: larger groups visiting areas with bear lockers can keep their food in the locker and use the mess kit independently, and tourists who enjoy the outdoors one weekend in Yosemite every year for holiday may appreciate it. The Boy Scouts of America, for example, have expressed interest in this. But do they make sense for small groups or solo hikers? Probably not, the Bear Necessities is a better solution.

We recognize that there are different types of outdoorsmen, and that means we need to produce different solutions for each of them!

[rlown]

A good answer.. thanks. Good luck with your certification..

[balance]

Thanks for the information HunnyBear. If this gets approved, you have a real breakthrough in bear cannister technology. Good luck.

[mschnaidt]

Oh wow... OK, I just decided to give it a whirl. If they can pull it off, great, if they stole $28 from me... well, Oh well I guess. $28 (including shipping) for a sub 1-lb bearcan with 710ci capacity? I'm in.

I'm very skeptical at every step here: Can they raise enough to get off the ground? Can they get approval? Does their design actually work? I don't know. But I decided it was worth $28 to find out.

I'm giving this a try also. My BV 500 at 2 lbs 9 Oz rarely gets taken on a trip these days unless I'm forced to. At 13 Oz and $28 the Resin lid version of the Hunny would.