BV475-Trek

I recently used the BV475 on a 5-day backpacking trip, and overall, I am very pleased with its performance. This bear canister is large enough to accommodate my dietary needs, which include aiming for 3000 calories per day, roughly equating to a maximum of 2 lbs of food. When packed properly, the BV475 provided ample space to store all my meals, ensuring I could eat healthily throughout my adventure. Pros: - Spacious: The BV475's capacity is impressive, easily fitting enough food for an extended trip. With careful packing, I had no trouble fitting in all my meals. - Durable: The canister is sturdy and well-constructed, offering reliable protection against bears and other wildlife. - Ease of Use: The lid mechanism is straightforward, making it easy to open and close even in challenging conditions. - Visibility: The transparent design allows for quick identification of contents without needing to open the canister repeatedly. Cons: - Weight: Like most bear canisters, the BV475 adds some weight to your pack. However, the peace of mind it provides is well worth the extra pounds. - Size: While the size is great for longer trips, it might be a bit bulky for shorter outings or if space is a critical concern. Overall, the BV475 is an excellent investment for any serious backpacker. Its capacity and durability make it a reliable companion for ensuring your food stays safe and secure in the wilderness. I highly recommend it for anyone planning extended trips into bear country.

The BV-425 is perfect for shorter backpacking trips. The size can easily store enough food for a weekend backpacking trip. Bear canisters play an important part in managing the wilderness and leaving no trace. I highly recommend. My scale weighed the canister at 27.45 oz or 778 grams. ** Bonus Tip on Opening ** This small size of this bear canister makes it the most difficult Bear Vault to open. When opening you need to both hold the bottom of the canister in place and rotate the lid. The small canister reduces the surface area and gripping area to hold onto while opening. Place the Bear Vault between your legs/knees to hold in place. Then take a plastic card (old credit card or used gift card) and place between the canister stopper and the lid nub. Position the card center with the lid nub. Then rotate the lid in a counterclockwise direction. This does take practice and sometimes the plastic card will fall out. I find holding the plastic card with one hand in position and rotating the lid works best for me. Practice is key. When the Bear Canister gets cold (normally in the mornings) you want to have this technique perfected. The cold temperature makes the lid more rigid and difficult to open. Good luck and happy trails!

Very spacious and good use for bear country! Used this for a 2 night backpacking trip and it held several mountain house meals, ramen, canned goods, and other small scented items. Made sure to put it away from our campsite and nothing got to it. Only if I knew about these during my Yellowstone trip! Couldn’t recommend enough.

Excellent for 2-3 days food max, more if you reduce packaging of freeze dried Mountain House packaging. The great advantage of this bear canister is the see through, both for seeing what needs removal and where to stuff a small item between others to pack as much as possible, I wouldn't consider an opaque canister any longer. Also excellent doubling as a chair in the back country, the manufacturer recommends fully seating the lid when used as a chair however I found it is well made and can support my weight when the lid is 95% closed and unlocked. The locking tabs can be somewhat trying to master but once done it is not terribly difficult to open, however when using the vault simply leave it in the unlocked position and lock it only when needing the bearproof feature. The lid can also double as a plate or a small place to keep items off the ground. I also liked the weight savings of this smaller size and can extend my backpacking time if I place my first days food outside this....and am confident that it doesn't impose a risk to me or the bear, in California the black bears are pretty tame. There are likely many other uses for this at home, I use it to store other backpacking gear such as utensils, nalgene bottles etc.

This is the perfect size canister as it will JUST fit in sideways in most 50-60 L packs, yet carry 5-6 days of food. Love that it’s clear so you can locate your stuff better, and I don’t know why some people complain it’s hard to open. It seemed easy enough to me. It does work alright as a camp stool, although the lid kind of creaked and flexed a little which made me cautious (I’m 205 lbs). Highly recommended though even if a canister is not officially required on your hike. So easy just to pack up at night and set down somewhere away from your camp. I can tell you from experience that most hikers get lazy/tired and stop doing improper hangs after the first night or two on the trail (or there’s a lack of appropriate trees), so I really wish all hikers would just carry one of these.

Thankfully haven't encountered a bear yet but so far it's been great for keeping my food safe from smaller critters that have checked it out overnight. Fits comfortably into a Gregory Jade 53L bag with no issues (tested in a Gregory Stout 70L as well). So far I love it despite the added weight over using a bear hang bag.

Really like the product, just takes a bit to get used to opening it.

This was a perfect alternative for a 60 litre barrel for kayaking. Fit perfectly in the back hatch of a Delta 15s

This is a good option for a couple days of food, however, I find it very hard to open. With cold or wet hands I couldn't open it at all one morning. Not sure if it is just me or ?