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[pct-l] Bear Canister

There is a new, lighter bear canister on the market. It's called the Bear
Can.

For the uninitiated, a bear canister is a cylinder about nine inches in
diameter that holds 40 cups of food safe from marauding bears. Originally
tested in Dinaldi National Park, the first commercially available bear
canister was glued together from plastic sheet and pipe and weighed a
whopping four pounds. Still, it was the only way to keep food from areas is
some areas. The time honored method of counterbalancing simply did not
work.

Garcia Machinery in Visalia, CA invested in the hardware necessary to make
the first molded plastic canister. It weighed slightly less than four
pounds. A later Garcia model was composed of two welded pieces that dropped
the weight down to two pounds, nine ounces.

The new bear can, from PLP in Oceanside,  CA. Is not plastic. It is
hardened aluminum and has several advantages and disadvantages over the
latest Garcia model.

Primary among its advantages its weight.  At two pounds, three ounces, it
is a solid nine ounces lighter than the Garcia model. It was obviously
designed by someone who has used a bear canister. Both ends open fully for
packing. The Garcia only has a single seven inch diameter opening.

The main disadvantage is cost. Typically it costs about $100, $20 to $30
more than the Garcia. Another disadvantage is that the bear can will dent.
I once had an old style plastic canister roll down a steep cliff. No
damage. The bear can would certainly bend in that scenario.

The plastic cans are black while the aluminum can is silver. Neither color
is any good. Bears have a tendency to roll around the can, sometimes to
where they are invisible. I paint my cans a hot pink. Maybe next model.


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