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Reviews > Cook Gear > Bear Resistant Containers > BearVault BV200 > Andy Mytys > Initial ReportBearVault BV200 Black Bear Resistant Food CanisterInitial Report
Product Information:
Product Description: The BearVault BV200 is a clear, polycarbonate, cylindrical canister with a screw-on lid. The container is designed to withstand severe impacts and attacks by sharp appliances, including the teeth and claws of bears. The intent of this product is to keep food and other scented items inaccessible to bears.
Test Unit Description: My BearVault BV200 Black Bear Resistant Food Canister came in a 9 x 9 x 13 inch (23 x 23 x 33 cm) cardboard box. The sides of the box were printed with close-up pictures of the BearVault, a listing of key product features, a brief history of the BearVault's evolution, including certification by the Sierra Interagency Black Bear Group (SIBBG), operating instructions, and some information as to why bear-resistant food storage canisters are mandated in certain wilderness areas. There's also a photo of Yosemite Valley on the box, highlighting a view of Bridalveil Fall and the Cathedral Rocks from the far side of the Merced River.
The BearVault itself is pretty simple in design. It is a cylinder made of transparent polycarbonate, with a screw-on lid for tools-free access to the space inside. Basically, it looks like a really BIG Nalgene container. There are two sets of seven protruding dimples on the outside of the canister, which are meant to be used as guides to keep tie-down straps in place. These dimples are located near the top and bottom of the canister. There are also two sets of vertical ridges on the front and back of the canister, near the bottom. These ridges are meant to be used as leverage points for boots, allowing the user to keep the canister from turning while trying to open it. I plan on also using them to guide a strap perpendicular to any straps affixed between the dimpled areas, in order to lessen the chance of the BearVault slipping out to the side while lashed to my pack. The BearVault is designed to be opened without the use of any tools. The lid screws onto the canister, and holds tight and secure via friction. There are actually two security mechanisms in place. The first is the presence of two protruding lips, one on the canister and one on the lid. Two pairs of these lips are present on either side of the lid. These lips come into contact with each other when the lid is almost fully tight. Additional force needs to be applied while turning the lid in order to get the lips on the lid to slide over the lips on the canister. Once the lid has been turned beyond the protruding lips, it can then be tightened like any other screw-on lid - using force. To open the canister, a suitable amount of force must be applied to the lid to free the lid from its screw-on lock, and then another round of techniques must be applied to bypass the secondary "lip" barrier. Once the lips have been bypassed, the lid still must be turned a full two turns in order to open the canister. The lid and canister lips can be seen in the image, below. The BearVault web address is molded into the top of the lid, in addition to the warning, "close lid fully before using as chair." The lid also contains the instructions, "close tightly" and "snap quickly past tab." The "tab", presumably, refers to the protruding lips I've described. Initial Impressions:
One negative aspect that I've come across already is that the BearVault's security is entirely dependant on strength. My 9-year old nephew can't bypass the "lip" mechanism in order to properly close the BearVault. Also, if I fully close the lid, neither my wife nor my nephew can begin to open it. So, my initial testing shows that, in some cases, the individual who closed the BearVault might be the only one in the party strong enough to open it, and some users may not even possess the minimum strength needed to properly close the BV200 in the first place. Another thing that I don't like is that the lip on the lid is difficult to see. Because of this, a canister that's stubborn to open needs to be examined - is the problem that the lid is screwed on extremely tight, or that the lip mechanism is being stubborn? I've already taken a drop of white paint and marked the top of the lid, just above where the lips are located. This will allow me to quickly determine where the lips on the lid are positioned in relative to the lips on the canister, which are relatively easy to see. In terms of volume, I can already see that the BV200 is going to be an efficient container to pack. The opening of the BearVault is less than one inch (< 25 mm) narrower than the canister itself. In the image at the top of this page, I am holding an open BearVault with my hand - the opening is facing the camera. Wow! Product website feedback: The BearVault website was very informative, as far as the product features were concerned. I did find two subjects of interest that are not addressed - retail price, and warranty. The website also makes a note of the BearVault having a "larger 7 day capacity." Larger than what? Is there a smaller model available? Finally, the BearVault website is out of date, as it currently highlights the BV100 model, which is no longer sold. There is no mention of the newer, BV200 model that this test series focuses on. Test Plan: BackpackGearTest.org is not qualified nor in a position to test any anti-bear containers with actual bears. That is a task reserved for trained and experienced wildlife experts. However, there are many characteristics, from a usage and durability standpoint, that we can test. With this in mind, my test plan for the BearVault BV200 is as follows:
The BearVault's transparent, rounded polycarbonate construction may allow bath water to be effectively heated via solar radiation. I plan to look into this possibility as well. Personal Biographical Information:
Backpacking Background: I live in Michigan and have been hiking seriously for 15 years, although I've camped since I was 6 years old. I consider myself a lightweight hiker. I carry the lightest gear I can get my hands on which will provide a comfortable wilderness experience and adequately support the goals of my trip. Unless my goals are time/distance oriented, my pace is always slow. I rarely exceed 1.5 miles (2.4 km)/hour. I rest frequently, hike long days, and enjoy whatever nature throws my way. Read more reviews of BearVault gear Read more gear reviews by Andrew Mytys Reviews > Cook Gear > Bear Resistant Containers > BearVault BV200 > Andy Mytys > Initial Report | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The box that I received was for the older, BearVault BV100 model. This model is no longer available, and has since been replaced by the BV200 described here. The manufacturer was interested in getting the newer model out for testing quickly, and details, such as what box the product shipped to testers in and the presence of instructions and other product documentation, were overlooked.
The first thing that I did upon removing the BearVault from the box was to remove its lid and then secure it tightly a few times. Initially, the "lip" protrusions were difficult to bypass. However, the process became easier with practice as I "learned" how to best apply pressure in order to get one lip to move past the other. Basically, I hold the canister between my knees, with the "lips" positioned next to the inside of each knee, and turn the lid open or closed. At times, I can easily turn the lid "through" the lips with hardly a bump. Conversely, if I hold the canister with the lips facing me, the lips become a much more difficult obstacle to bypass.