The Bear Canister Challenge

[FeetFirst]

My son made this pack for hauling a full size canister. It's under 20oz dry, and actually carries really well with a 30lbs+ load. The top sack is maybe 35 liter, so it's for an ultralight type approach. We have only used it once so far.

I like how I can get food out without halfway unpacking my gear, and how pack fabric is not what hits the ground first when setting it down, or when scrambling/downclimbing.

Actually, I am so in favor of bear cans that I usually just bring one regardless of whether it's required. All my packs have to hold one horizontally. Vertical carry is imo not great.

Image 5-21-17 at 17.36 by jan nikolajsen, on Flickr

Awesome pack! I really like this setup. Any issues with a dense load being so low? My current pack feels best when a heavy can is positioned higher up, about level with my shoulders.

[nunatak]

I carried it for 7-8hrs on day one with 6 days of food (3 ppl/2 days) on 50/50 off trail terrain. It was no problem. That said, on most packs I've owned I carry the can near the bottom, perhaps just with some padding below to save the pack fabric.