[pct-l] Bear Canisters (again)

[Steel-Eye]

Good afternoon, Aussie Dave,



First, I won't recommend hiking only in dry weather.  I live on the "wet 
side" in the Pacific Northwest and find a way .. although often damp .. to 
hike year-round.

One cup of water seems like quite a lot to be just condensation.  I don't 
use the BV 'can but maybe rain just goes right through the lid joint.  Is it 
really meant to be waterproof?  Mine is a Garcia, which is not water-tight, 
so I use one of the "odor-proof" Ziploc bags inside.  I didn't encounter any 
rain while using the Garcia, but I did ford one creek in water that was up 
past the waist belt on my pack, and with the 'can in the bottom of the pack 
it got mostly dunked as well.  A little water got past the lid and into the 
'can, but none got into the Ziploc.  That seems like a satisfactory 
arrangement and I would do so again.

Steel-Eye


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "david booth" <dbooth at cyberone.com.au>
To: "PCT-L" <pct-l at backcountry.net>
Sent: Sunday, November 25, 2007 1:45 PM
Subject: [pct-l] Bear Canisters (again)


> On the JMT this year my wife and I carried two Bear Vaults (red
> label), the BV400 and the BV350.
> We used Maryjanes Farm meals (purchased in bulk and repacked in
> griplock bags).
>
> Our main problem with the canisters was condensation. The first 7
> days on the trail had rain (also lightning and and hail) each day.
> Leaving the warm canister out in the rain or cold nights caused up to
> one cup of condensation in the canister.
> It was inconvenient but I thought of people who advocated packing
> powders and rice etc loose in the canister. They could have a big
> mushy problem.  I had so much water in the canister at one stage that
> I thought the lid was leaking in the rain or the moisture was
> diffusing through the plastic. Once the rainy weather stopped the
> condensation problem went away.
>
> What is the solution?  Is it the trapped moisture in the screw thread
> of the lid when you close the lid in damp weather? Could it be that
> if you have loose dry contents that  any powder acts as a moisture
> absorber?
> Please don't suggest we only hike in perfect weather!
>
> By the way, I saw some northbound hikers carrying canisters and a
> large external food bag to hold the overflow food. I guess they used
> the Switchback method of using a small canister (for the chocolates)
> and sleeping on the overflow food.
> The external bag was for feeding the bears and the chocolates for
> emergency food to eat after the bears have taken the other bag.
>
> Aussie Dave
> Canberra Australia
>
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