Re: [pct-l] Jeff Eckert's bear can

[Jeff Eckert <jeeter@cari.net>]

Daphne Dionisio wrote:

> To Jeff Eckert:
> You wrote that you choose not to use the bear can you made.  What made
> you decide not to use it?  Did it weigh too much?  How much did it weigh?

I made my can before had I a need, more like a hobby project, just fooling
around.  It had a finished weight under 3.5 pounds, and I never felt the need
to carry that much for practice.  I think I can understand why the "official"
cannisters are so expensive, supply and demand vs. time and engineering, but at
the time I built mine, I wasn't staying in any heavy bear country, and took
other measures to protect my food.  I think if I were to go "in bears way", I
would probably use the Garcia cannister and suffer the extra ounces over the
aluminum. Partly because I'm a piker at heart, and partly because I prefer the
design.

I end up hiking where smaller mammals are usually the problem.  To deter them,
I have considered new, one gallon paint cans.  Again, I chose not to use them,
but have instead employed airtight plastic containers of several different
types.  I've used an old pickle container, tupperware knockoffs, and large
peanut butter containers.  (Leftovers from the peanut butter cookies.)  It has
been *my* experience (and all standard disclaimer apply), that animals wanting
my food are attracted first by smell, and then by sight.  In rodent country, I
always use airtight containers.  (I use the guide, if it's water tight it's
close enough to air tight.)  I then locate the container (which I've usually
spraypainted in dull, neutral camoflage type patterns) away from my camp.  I
can usually find a pretty good pile of rocks...those sofa sized pieces of
granite...which have cannister sized cracks between them.  I'll take one of my
walking sticks, and nudge the container deeper into the crevice than I can
reach with my arm..

I've not had a loss yet.  I would like to think that it is because there is
nothing about the pile of rocks that would indicate that there were goodies
around. Again, I'd like to emphasize that I don't promote this method as bear
theft prevention.

Jeff E

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