[pct-l] Attention: 2008 thru-hikers - PCT Perpetual Bear Canister Loan Program

[enyapjr at comcast.net]

Attention: 2008 thru-hikers - regarding the second season of the PCT Perpetual Bear Canister Loan Program...
There are still a 'few' bear canisters available to borrow from both the 'permanent' inventory and the "one-on-one" loan system...

2008 PCT thrus - are you on a tight budget or have limited finances, or are you coming from overseas or from an area of the US and won't have ANY use for a bear canister after your PCT thru-hike?
You may be able to borrow a bear canister for your PCT thru-hike for 'free' (except return shipping)...
In 2007, 13 bear canisters were available for loan ('free' except for return shipping) to nobo PCT thrus...  This 'program' started somewhat by accident - I had posted to pct-l offering my bear canister for free to a cash-impaired 2007 PCT thru...  I received many replies in very short order - so what to do?...  Plan B: I asked numerous vendors to donate bear canisters and many did so - also received some private donations...

For 2008 a few more bear canisters were added to the 'permanent' inventory...  There will also be a "one-on-one" loan system in which someone can loan their bear canister to a thru without donating it to the permanent inventory - the lender would ship it when/where the thru requested, the thru borrowing it would return ship the bear canister directly to the lender...

This program is currently NOT done entirely on a 'first come - first served basis', but rather on a show of 'some' need, however small...  
For those that can easily afford to purchase a bear canister, BearVault now has an excellent purchase program (formerly a rental program) - a BV400 for $65 including shipping to Kennedy Meadows or Tuolumne Meadows or Echo Lake (that's the lowest price on the internet when shipping is included, plus they send it to you right on the PCT) - see <http://www.bearvault.com/bearvault_pct.php> for full info...  (BTW, I have no affiliation nor vested interest with BearVault - other than they were, indeed, very generous contributors to the loan program in '07!)

If you think you might qualify for a 'free' bear canister loan for your 2008 PCT thru-hike, please contact me off-list via email (there are still a 'few' canisters available) - and please briefly explain your reason or need, however small, to borrow a bear canister for your PCT thru-hike...  I'll be glad to answer any of your questions regarding the loan program...  Thank you.

Happy trails!!!
Jim Payne

"Now I see the secret of making the best person: it is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth."
- Walt Whitman, Song of the Open Road