[pct-l] Testing of Bear Cannisters / URSACK

[Matt Thyer]

Thanks Gary,

I'll take a look at the Garcia Bear as well, hadn't heard of that one until
you mentioned it.  I'd point out that REI says it weighs 2 lbs. 12 oz. and
it's made of ABS which will break if enough pressure is applied.  The hinges
probably aren't going to be the failure point that a bear is able to
exploit, per their marketing, but it's not fool proof either.  

Has anyone had a bear encounter with this device?  Interested to see how it
held up.

MT

-----Original Message-----
From: pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net [mailto:pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net]
On Behalf Of Gary Schenk
Sent: Wednesday, April 28, 2010 1:40 PM
To: pct-l at backcountry.net
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Testing of Bear Cannisters / URSACK

On 4/28/2010 11:15 AM, Matt Thyer wrote:
> I've also been finding
> plenty of documentation which indicates that bear countermeasures are 
> little more than "paper seatbelts" -- if the bear has been habituated 
> or is motivated all of these are little more than a wet paper seatbelt.
>

Not true at all, Matt. The Garcia, for instance, is bombproof.

One example: my girlfriend and I went into the Sierra from Onion Valley a
few years ago, during the height of the reign of terror of the bears at Rae,
Charlotte and East Lakes. A friend with us didn't believe in canisters,
thought they were too heavy, etc. He counter-balanced his bag in a tree. It
was perfect, completely a textbook job of hanging food.

Well, the next morning the bag was gone, as was his four day supply of food.
We saw the bear tracks go right by our Garcia. The bear didn't even bother
to tip it over, he walked right by it. There were no mothballs or odor proof
bags in the canister, just food packed in baggies.

The Garcia is more than a wet paper seatbelt. It works. And it saves the
lives of bears.

I hope everyone who travels into California's national parks this year will
carry a bear canister of some sort. Yes, it will add weight to your pack,
but it will keep bears wild and alive.

I don't want to carry a bear can, have tried my best to rationalize not
carrying a bear can, but faced reality a while back.

Gary