Bear Canisters Ranked: What 200 Backcountry Nights Taught Us

Mia has packed five different bear canisters across the Sierra, the Wind River Range, the High Peaks, and Olympic. Here's the ranking nobody asked for.

1. Wild Ideas Bearikade Weekender (8.0/10)

The lightest legit canister at 1.9 lbs. Carbon fiber. $300+. We rate it #1 because the weight savings adds up across multi-day trips. Downside: the price is brutal.

2. BV450 Bear Vault (7.5/10)

The everyman canister. $80, 2 lb 1 oz, fits 4 days of food for one person. Bombproof. The "if you're only buying one canister" pick.

3. BV500 Bear Vault (7.0/10)

Same as the 450 with more volume (7 days). Big enough that it forces inefficient packing for short trips. Best for groups of 2 or week-long solo.

4. Garcia Backpacker Cache (5.5/10)

The original NPS-issued canister. Loud opening, screw lid, no see-through. Heavy. Park-rental-only territory.

5. Ursack Major (controversial)

Soft Kevlar food sack with metal cable. Approved in some areas (most of the Sierra now), banned in many. Lighter than any canister at 7.6 oz. Mia uses it where allowed; it's not technically a canister and we're not ranking it head-to-head.

The takeaway

If you backpack < 5 nights/year: BV450, end of conversation. If you backpack > 20 nights/year: pay for the Bearikade once and never think about it again.