[pct-l] Bear Cans

[CHUCK CHELIN]

Good afternoon, Albert,

I usually hike with a rather small Go-Lite Breeze pack; one which is
insufficiently wide at the bottom for a crosswise bear ‘can.  Early tests
indicated that crosswise was the best way to carry it.  As a result, for my
first trip through the SIBBG-control area I changed to a larger, wider Glen
Van Peski GVP-4 pack during resupply at Mojave.


I like the pack well enough, and the ‘can fit and rode well across the
bottom, but overall it was much too large and seemed to hang like a
half-empty sack most of the time.  Worse, with the hard can in the bottom
against the pack’s fabric, every time I bumped the bottom or butt-scooted
off a boulder, the fabric would get cut.  I remember spending quite a bit of
time at VVR ,with the GVP-4 inside-out, applying Gorilla Tape to numerous
cuts.



I subsequently experimented with the ‘can standing upright inside the Breeze
with soft stuff padding the bottom, and with the sleeping bag poked around
it.



Steel-Eye

Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT – 1965

http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye

http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09


On Thu, Jan 13, 2011 at 10:54 AM, <albert at survivalcrafters.com> wrote:

>
>
> Good timing. I'm down to the final days of deciding between the Circuit and
> the Catalyst and was just going to check on the bear-can fits. The ad on
> the
> ULA site for the Catalyst says that it's "bear canister friendly" and it
> doesn't say that on the Circuit (which I realize doesn't mean much because
> it's just and ad) but I was glad to see your post. Can you post a link to
> steeleye's site and tell me which canister it is that fits horizontally in
> the Circuit?
>
> Also, any pro/con opinions you have about these packs would be appreciated.
> From all the research I've done it seems to come down to them being equal
> quality backpacks with the Catalyst having a little more weight with a lot
> more room. Reviews say some people tend to fill up the Catalyst with stuff
> they don't need just because they have that space available to fill. That's
> why I'm 97% decided on the Circuit but still lingering on that 3% of me
> saying "Just get the biggest one and don't use the extra space if you don't
> need it.", but I don't want to carry the extra weight of the pack itself
> just to have room available I may not need. Yeah, I'm a little stressed
> over
> this decision. (sigh)
>
> Thanks,
> Albert
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net [mailto:pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net]
> On Behalf Of Scott Williams
> Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2011 11:15 PM
> To: CHUCK CHELIN
> Cc: pct-l at backcountry.net
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Bear Cans
>
> Good info on your site Steel-Eye.  The old black bear can in the picture is
> what I still use, and it fits inside of the ULA Circuit, horizontally.  Fit
> just perfectly above all the rest of my stuff.
>
> Shroomer
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