[pct-l] Bear Vault

[mark at verber.com (Mark Verber)]

> I've noticed that the Garcia Bear Canister weighs quite a bit 
> more than the Bear Vault.  Does anyone know if the Bear Vault 
> is National Park approved?

I don't think there is a universal national park approval system.  There is
http://www.sierrawildbear.net/ which covers the sierras.  They have fully
approved the Garcia and Wild Ideas' Bearicade
http://wild-ideas.net/products.html.  The BearVault is conditionally
approved.  All containers which make it through the zoo test are
"conditional" for the first year of field service.  If they make it through
the year without incidents, then the "conditionally" goes away.  Any
previously approved canister can have it's approval pulled if it repeatedly
falls in the field.

There is also an interagency committee specifically about grizzly
resistantant containers  (notice they don't call it grizzly proof :-) used
in the grizzly eco systems:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/wildlife/igbc/resistantcontainer.pdf

--Mark