| |
Gear Reviews
Documents
Tools
|
BearVault BV200 Black Bear Resistant Food Canister
Long Term Report
| Reviewed By: | Andrew Mytys |
| Email: | amytys@gmail.com |
| Date Published: | December 5, 2004 |
| Update History: | None |
|
Product Information:
| Manufacturer: |
BearVault (http://www.BearVault.com) |
| Item: |
BearVault BV200 Black Bear Resistant Food Canister |
| Year of manufacture: |
2004 |
| MSRP: |
$79.95 |
| Listed Weight: |
2 lb 6 oz (1077 g) |
| Weight as delivered: |
2 lb 5.7 oz (1069 g) |
| Listed Dimensions: |
8.7 x 12.4 inches (221 x 315 mm) |
| Measured Inner Dimensions: |
8.4 x 11.5 inches (213 x 292 mm) - canister
7.4 x 0.75 inches (188 x 19 mm) - lip for screw-on lid |
| Measured Outer Circumference: |
27.3 inches (693 mm) |
| Measured Diameter of Canister Opening: |
7.5 inches (191 mm) |
| Listed Inner Volume: |
380 fluid ounces (11.24 liters) |
| Measured Inner Volume: |
384 fluid ounces (11.35 liters) |
| Construction: |
Transparent Polycarbonate |
| Warranty: |
One Year |
|
|
The information in this Long Term Report of the BearVault BV200 Black Bear Resistant Food Canister is to be taken in addition to my
Initial and
Field reports.
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.
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.
How Many Days of Food Will the BearVault Hold?:
The amount of food that I need to fulfill my needs for 7-days is dependent on many factors. Because of the variances involved, I find the BearVault's claim of being able to hold seven days worth of food to be a very loose estimate that has very little practical value, outside of outlining a goal to strive for - if one applies one's self to the task of maximizing the BearVault's space, one should be able to fit 7-days worth of food in the canister, if not more. However, the 7-day capacity should not be depended on, especially if the hiker also plans on storing scented non-food items in the canister such as sunscreen and toothpaste. Fitting seven or more days worth of scented supplies into the BearVault, or any other like-sized canister for that matter, requires technique, and can even be looked upon as an art. Hikers that expect to simply drop seven days worth of off the shelf food into the BearVault may find that their needs have exceeded the canister's capacity.
The Benefits of a Little Planning:
Effective and optimal use of the BearVault's space comes down to careful planning in terms of individual meal and snack components, measurement of portions, and packing techniques.
- Meal Planning - The first step to efficient use of the BearVault's space is careful planning of individual meals. This planning must go beyond simply walking into a grocery store, buying items that one would like to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and throwing them into the BearVault. My field-testing showed that this technique can easily result in a practical capacity that's half of what the manufacturer claims.
In addition, the level of meal planning that's necessary to make optimal use of the Bearvault's space requires a careful inspection of the type of food that is selected - choosing ingredients that waste little space in the canister is a good start. Pasta can be on the menu but the bear canister will be able to hold more servings of spaghetti than other types of pasta (e.g. mostaccioli, with its large, hollow core, would be a poor choice of pasta to pack from the standpoint of space efficiency).
Another desirable characteristic when selecting what types of food to pack is compressibility. In this regard, powdered ingredients such as flour and powdered milk are excellent choices.
- Measuring - The quantity of each individual item must also be carefully measured if the goal is maximizing the BearVault's capacity. If a daily intake of 3,000 calories includes a 1/3 cup ration of powdered milk, make sure that 1/3 of a cup is packed... not a "fistful." Measuring will ensure that caloric needs are met and that there's no "extra" food that's robbing the BearVault of space reserved for other ingredients.
- Packing - Packing is an art in itself. One of the first steps towards efficient packing is examining the packaging that food came in at the time of purchase. It would be a waste of space, for example, to place a BOX of six granola bars into the canister - less space is taken by leaving the box at home and simply taking the bars. What about each bar's packaging? Is there air that's trapped within the wrappers? If so, puncturing a needle-sized hole into each package and letting out the air will save even more space. Sometimes, the contents of a package packs much more efficiently if taken outside of its wrapper altogether. For example, small candies like my M&Ms can be loosely dropped into the canister as other, larger items are packed. This way, rather than composing a "layer" themselves, the candies find small gaps in existing layers and fill them. Another example is powdered cocoa. This often comes packaged in single serving envelopes that take precious space in the bear canister. An efficiency can be gained by measuring the actual amount of powder in a serving, then pouring the amount of powder to make the desired number of servings into a single plastic sandwich baggie - for each serving, simply remove the precise amount of powder that is needed.
The order in which items are placed into the bear canister can also make a difference in realizing the most amount of space in the BearVault. If the amount of food needed cannot be crammed into the canister, changing the order in which items are placed into the canister, in addition to what items are placed next to each other, may result in getting all the food to fit inside.
- Other Factors - While a bear canister filled with flour, rice, and oats might hold a very high meal count, that does not mean that this combination is ideal. Preparation time, nutritional content, fuel requirements, and taste must also be factored into food choices. If I resolved to eat oatmeal for every meal on the trail, I might be able to fit two weeks worth of food into the BearVault. Unfortunately, my system rejects the oatmeal based on its consistency and I gag at the sight of it - I need food that contains more texture.
Performance:
- Airtight - Over the course of testing, one of the nicest surprises was that the BearVault didn't leak odors. The Lexan holds odors in, and the lid makes a tight seal, keeping air out. Other popular designs on the market have always bothered me, in that they did not produce an airtight seal. This always translated into a lingering scent of food on my extra clothes, sleeping bag, tent, and pack due to the duration that these items spent next to the bear canister in my pack. Of course, the other bonus of a truly closed system is that animals cannot find the BearVault based on its scent, unless, of course, they are attracted by the scent of Lexan.
- Watertight - The BearVault can be left sitting out in the rain. It is completely waterproof, and does not need to be turned upside down or lined with a plastic bag in order for its contents to remain dry.
- After the first few uses, the curved lips on the canister and lid that initially provided additional resistance while opening and closing no longer provided any opposition. The closure system is effectively a plain, screw-on top. I'm no bear expert - as long as land management agencies continue to approve of the BearVault as an effective means to keep food away from bears, it's good enough for me.
- Easy to pack and unpack - The opening to the canister is almost as wide as the interior of the BearVault itself, and the width of the container is constant throughout its entirety. This makes the job of packing much easier than other, tapered bear canisters that I've had experience with. As the BearVault is transparent, I can quickly find where the food I want to remove is hiding.
- Durability - After six-months of testing, The BearVault still looks good as new.
- Camp Chair - The BearVault makes for a convenient camp chair. In terms of comfort, it beats the stump of a tree. I've also used it as a convenient footstool.
Other Considerations:
- Land Manager Acceptance - The BearVault is a new product on the market and its locking mechanism is unlike any anti-bear container that existed before it. While the Sierra Interagency Black Bear Group (SIBBG) has certified the BearVault, it is only "conditionally" approved at this time (August, 2004). This means that the BearVault has passed a visual inspection, an impact test, and a zoo test with a live, hungry, and curious bear. In order to be fully approved, however, it needs a successful three-month field trial over the summer. Either type of approval may be revoked due to product failures in the field and, in fact, the old BearVault BV100 design is no longer approved by the SIBBG. BearVault stands behind its products though, and now offers customers with the older model BV100 anti-bear canisters free upgrades to current lid technology.
I find myself wondering what the current approval status is of the BV200, particularly as the lid seems to be getting easier and easier to open for me as time goes by. Fortunately, BearVault keeps its customers informed on the latest status of the BearVault products via their website, under the "Product Notices" link. As a customer, I want to be sure I have the latest product news and that the web page is regularly updated. It would be nice if this page included a date and was revised on a monthly basis - if there were no updates, only the date on the product notice would need to be updated.
Closing Thoughts:
The BearVault black bear resistant food canister boasts a relatively large storage capacity all in a package that's both airtight and watertight, and without leaking odors. Not only can it be used to safely store food in bear country, but it can also keep food out of the mouths of other pests, such as mice, raccoons, and foxes. One option I would like to see, however, would be the availability of the BearVault in various sizes. Perhaps a model that could hold ten-days worth of supplies for hikers wanting greater flexibility in their food drops or for those hiking with smaller children. I'd also like to see a smaller, three-day version, which would save around a pound (1/2 kg) of weight for the common "weekend warrior."
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
|
