High Sierra Topix

The cheap beanie is what I wear on my head on cold nights, and also works as a nice soft place to sit when the can is a seat. Grams be damned; multiple use item.

Good idea, since you carry one. I have a down beanie, so it is possible that my results may be less satisfactory than yours in this particular application.
However, you now have me thinking about what i might currently carry that could serve the same function.

I'm sorry to hear all of this difficulty that some people have with their bear canister inside their backpack. I don't have any problem with my rig. I use a Bearikade Scout, and I wrap it burrito-style with my closed cell foam sleeping pad. A thin strap secures that from unrolling. Then that all slides down vertically into the Zpacks backpack with a tiny bit of room to spare. No surfaces are damaged or rubbed.

I need the blazer (12” tall) to carry 7-9 days of food. There’s no way that I could use the scout (8” tall) for a week long trip. I wish that I could make a scout work, but I’m too set in my ways to change my eating habits in the backcountry now.

That fact that this thread has got this long and a lot of it revolves around fitting a bearcan into a pack, is proof enough that they are a pain in the rear to deal with. The "perfect solution" is not there yet, which is kinda nuts really as there are lightweight space age materials out there and a cylinder is not that complicated a shape...And the prices of Bearikades are testament to the fact that we are willing to pay for the privilege.

So, duct tape...Nope, sorry not for me. As how on earth would one unstick it without having to replace it with new tape every few times??? When re-using duct tape even on a flat surface object I seem to be able to get it to stick back on itself, so on a circumference circle - I think not. Plus if hot the stickiness would be "gluey" and leave residue on the can, to stick to other stuff. Ummmmmm.

Cell foam sleeping pad wrapped around the can...Not really enough room in the Catalyst as it is a tight enough fit even without anything else around it. Even placed vertically it bulges out into the back...er "front" of the pack, more than enough. The bigger the "bulge" the harder it is to utilize that nice pocket on the outside as it gets so tight I can't even pull my maps out easily.

Beanie over the top...Yes that would work, but would have to be a pretty strong material if was not to wear down a possible hole in it over a long trip. For sure I would not use a thin down filled beanie. My small (very tough) "paktowel" just folded into a strip about 4" wide then draped over the top to cushion the pressure points does do the job, but can slip off to some degree over time on the trail so needs checking if a lot of bouncing around going on.

With my old Garcia can I had none of these problems and it was such an easy fit in any pack I tried...but 3 pounds! Ugggghhh.

I'm crossing fingers for a better can in the future ~ Michaelzim

I've used the beanie method for about 15 years. Same polyester beanie and has zero holes in it.