Bear canister in the Sierras

imported
#1

What are your thoughts on carrying a bear canister through the Sierras? Do many thru-hikers do without one? Is it necessary? Thanks.

Josh

#2

I hiked the JMT in '06 and carried a Bear can. It was required in order to obtain a permit. During my hike, I passed a ranger, who actually asked if I had a bear can. I said yes, it’s inside my pack. For what it’s worth, he didn’t ask to see it. Anyway, aside from the 3 xtra lbs, there was some comfort in knowing that my food was safe from the bears.

Jay

#3

In order you asked

  • Just Do It
  • Perhaps, but not smart.
  • Yes, per Johnny Law and common sense

They’re only a couple of pounds for only a few hundred miles. Pick it up at KM, send it home from Bridgeport / Sonora Pass (Miles ~700 to ~1020).

Token Civilian

#4

I hiked in 2008 and I would recommend you carry one. The rules have changed slightly this past year, making it actually required that you carry a can several areas where before there was leniency if you weren’t sleeping certain places. They no longer cut breaks to thru-hikers who don’t have one, and there’re plenty of rangers to check (although almost exclusively in the Yosemite section). The bears have gotten worse every year for quite some time, and while they are not much of an issue during thru-hiker season, it is still something to worry about.

Lump feels it’s dead weight, but I could tell you a few people who beer encounters this year that would disagree. Sleeping with your food is a fair option for most of the trail, but it really comes down to the stretch near Yosemite. Here is where the problem bears are, the ones that are habituated to human presence and who suffer from poor food storage. I encountered two different rangers who asked if I had a bear can, one of whom actually made me take off my pack and show it to him, and then produce my thru-hiker permit. They ARE checking, and while you may get through Yosemite without running into a ranger who checks by luck, the odds say you’ll probably be checked, at least in Yosemite.

Lump seems quite angry at California, too, but I think this is a fine regulation. An extra 2.5 pounds in the Sierra to save a bear’s life? That’s a fine trade by me and most people.

Joker

#5

Whoops, that’ll teach me to proof read. Although I do have a funny story involving a bear can filled with beer and ice…

Joker

#6

If you are willing to eat the same dinner every day you can pack your food in the canister without packaging. We poured dehydrated brown rice, black beans and salsa into a very light grocery bag, fit PopTarts and bars standing around the edge, topped off by tortillas that are the same diameter as the can. Food for two for eight days. We didn’t eat like kings but we got to VVR. The filled can was shipped at 16-17# with a label and sealed with duct tape (later used) to KM.

We have hiked Lyell Canyon seeing bear scat on the trail every 50’. The scat had grocery bags, Power Bar wrappers, Backcountry Pantry bags mixed in. That made me carry a can more than any rules.

Have a good hike!

Marcia