best of what is available on the market

By asha stoddard Ranked #1039 - Cookware May 8, 2009

I used it for my hike on the JMT leaving out of Yosemite where the bears are infamous, as well as other parts of the PCT up in Tahoe. I woke up several morning with bear prints and other curious animal scat scattered around my bin, but my food was safe every time.
While it is heavy, especially for those ultra light hikers, it is not really any heavier than bins of comparable size (and actually packs a little more internal volume due to its shape). It can be tricky and frustrating to open at times, but ultimately is the quickest to get into (once you get the hang of it) because you don't have to scrounge around the bottom of your bag in search of something like a coin or tool to open it with, as with some bins.
The best feature is that it is see through so you can quickly and easily access the food you are looking for without pulling everything out of the bin every time!
I have the older model which only had one safety tab and the company replaced the lid with the newer double tab for free.
overall, bear bins suck to carry...thus this is the best of the worst.

View Details: Bear Vault BV500 Bear Resistant Food Canister

Helpful Votes: 1 Yes