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Reviews > Cook Gear > Bear Resistant Containers > BearVault BV200 > Laurie Shuster > Field Report
This is the second report in a series of three reviews on the BearVault. Here I talk about my experiences with the product over the past 6 weeks. Please see my initial report for my observations about the product before using it, a more detailed description of the BearVault and information about its packaging and documentation. Reviewer Information Laurie Shuster shustelm@yahoo.com Olympia, WA Age: 35, Female Height: 5 feet 5 inches (1.7 m) Weight: 125 pounds (57 kg) Backpacking Experience I’ve been a dayhiker since the mid-1980's and a backpacker since 1992. I usually get out for one dayhike a week, try for a short backpack every month, take two or three 4-day backpacks per year and do some occasional car camping. I would not call myself a lightweight backpacker, but I am happy to say that my pack weight is gradually coming down. My goal is to have a manageable pack weight without sacrificing safety or a whole lot of comfort. Product Description The BearVault is a transparent polycarbonate bear canister with a black, hard-plastic screw-on lid that provides tool-free access to the canister.
Observations From the Field Weather
Conditions and Test Locations
Our second trip was a two day backpack to Mt. St. Helens. The weather was clear and dry except for a two hour afternoon thundershower. Wind speed was limited to a light breeze and elevation was around 5,000 ft. (1,524 m). Product Performance Observations I have thoroughly enjoyed using the BearVault! The lid is easy to open and close, it's kept my food safe and dry, and the clear plastic housing allows me to locate items quickly. Canister Body The clear plastic canister body is the feature I appreciate most on the BearVault. I don't need to open the canister to see what's inside, and it's easy to pinpoint the exact location of an item before I take the top off. I simply rotate the can and look thorough the sides, giving it a bit of a shake to uncover items in the center. This is very handy when eating in the rain! I do still wonder if the sight of food through the clear sides will attract animals to the canister and encourage them to investigate the BearVault. I haven't seen wildlife of any size interact with the canister yet, so that question remains unanswered for now. The large opening on the BearVault is very convenient. It's easy to fit wide items, like tortillas for example, into the canister without damage. (Side note: Tortillas fit perfectly on the bottom of the BearVault and hold up extremely well.) The BearVault has two raised sets of parallel plastic lines at its base to aid with foot traction when opening or closing the can. So far I have not felt a great need to plant my feet on the ridges. I've opened the can with my feet positioned on the traction lines and with my feet on the smooth areas of the can with equal success. It is nice to know those grip lines are there as insurance in case I ever do need additional traction. Lid The new and improved BearVault lid has worked pretty well for me so far. The threads seem to line up easily when I'm twisting the lid on, and they operate smoothly whether I am taking the lid on or off. I have noticed that sometimes I do need to put in a bit of extra effort into moving the tabs on the lid past the tabs on the canister. This effort is minimal, much less than is involved in opening a new jar of jelly, and just requires a brief extra push until the tabs pass each other. I tend to have more difficulty with the lid when I am overly tired or too hungry to concentrate on much of anything. Sometimes I forget which direction to turn the lid until I recite the old memory aid "righty tighty - lefty loosey". Printing directional arrows on the lid would be a welcome addition for these brain dead episodes. Rain does not seem to affect the operation of the lid. I haven't had any problems holding onto the lid when it's wet and the threads still work smoothly in the rain. So far it's been waterproof as well. The BearVault has weathered three rain storms and my food has remained perfectly dry. Food Storage Capacity The manufacturers of the BearVault estimate that the canister will hold 7 days worth of food for one person. I filled my BearVault close to capacity with 5 days worth of food (2.5 days of food for two people). Unfortunately I didn't have enough room to store our first aid kit, bug lotion, sunscreen and other toiletries in the canister the first night. In all fairness, I do tend to bring more food than most other backpackers. I am not a nice or happy person when I have low blood sugar, so I bring along extra snacks and good quality food. A few of our meals are freeze dried, but most are repackaged grocery items. On our last trip we needed to store 1 dinner, 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches and snacks in the BearVault. Items included:
I wasn't disappointed with the capacity of the BearVault. Since I know I tend to bring more food than the average person, I didn't really expect the manufacturer's estimate to apply to me. The BearVault does hold an ample amount of stuff and works well for two people on a weekend trip. Packing the Canister. I've thought of three ways of packing the BearVault.
Using the BearVault in Camp Securing the BearVault in camp is simple. Place all food, trash and toiletries (sun screen, lip balm, toothpaste, aspirin, etc) into the canister, screw the lid on tightly so the tabs on the lid pass the tabs on the canister, and place the BearVault in a stable spot at least 100 yards from camp. I normally look for a rock outcropping or large tree to offer some protection from weather and support in case of an animal encounter. I noticed that I've been much more conscientious about securing my food and toiletries since I've been using the BearVault. I quickly put scented items in the canister as I set up camp and immediately screw the lid back on whenever I take things out, even if I planned on taking something else out in a few minutes. Because the lid operates so smoothly, I don't need to find any tools to operate it and I don't need to hang the canister from a tree, storing my food responsibly feels almost effortless. The BearVault has been a very handy item to have in camp. In addition to using it to store food, I've used the BearVault as a seat, a table and a step stool. The lid provides a fairly wide, stable, clean place to stack dishes, leave a water bottle, etc. While the BearVault is not as comfortable as my couch, it was wonderful to have an alternative to sitting on an uneven rock or sappy stump. Durability The BearVault is holding up well under normal use. The only animal it's encountered that I am aware of is my one year old cat who loves to curl up inside the canister. He's left three or four very light scratches on the lid with his sharp kitten claws. I'll be looking forward to several more trips with the BearVault! Read more reviews of BearVault gear Read more gear reviews by Laurie Shuster Reviews > Cook Gear > Bear Resistant Containers > BearVault BV200 > Laurie Shuster > Field Report | |||||||||||||||||||
