BearVault BV400

We did a recent hike in the Adirondack High Peaks on 8/20/08, in the Colden Lake area. We had planned a four day hike to help prepare for a week long hike in the Grand Canyon.

On the first night a bear easily opened both our canisters ruining our trip. He was able to bite the side of the lid over the safety tab that the cover turns past to secure the lid. The rest is history.

We called BearVault and they were less than helpful and hung up the phone when we told them what we thought of their product. We had a false sense of security which ended up ruining our trip. There are postings in the Colden Dam area boards but not at the upper works trailhead where we initiated our hike.

Beware of this product.

I bought this bear can, because it is lighter weight than the Garcia, which was the standard in bear cans until a couple of years ago, and because it is a tad bigger than the Garcia. It is very simple, and very strong. I like the wide opening, because it makes it much easier to get items out and put them in. I also really like the tooless opening, so I don't need to keep a few coins or a tool to open it. The fact that it's clear, also is really useful for finding items you need to take out. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants a lightweight, durable bear can for a decent price.