Bear Canisters

A hiker packs his bear canister in the Olympic high country.

Approved Bear Canisters
How to Pack a Bear Canister

Please do your part to protect yourself, park wildlife and other visitors by properly securing your food.

In many areas, a bear canister is the only good way of securing food.

Bear canisters are required in some areas of the park's wilderness backcountry.

Many people, after using a bear canister for the first time, never go back to hanging food because of the convenience and other benefits of using bear canisters.

 

List of Approved Bear Canisters

These canisters have been approved by the Sierra Interagency Black Bear Group based on testing and success or failure in the field. Last updated May 12, 2009. See below for information regarding Ursacks. Approved Canisters Full approval is given to any container that has passed visual inspection, an impact test, a zoo test and has been successful during three months of field-trials in the summer. Backpacker Model 812 (Garcia) www.backpackerscache.com BearVault 110b, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450, 500 www.bearvault.com (see below for conditionally approved BearVaults) Bearikade Weekender MKII (1766 and higher) and Expedition MKII (1766 and higher) www.wild-ideas.net The Bear Keg (Counter Assault) www.counterassault.com The Bare Boxer Contender www.bareboxer.com The Lighter1 http://lighter1.com/ Purple Mountain Engineering Tahoe (This canister is no longer in production or available for purchase) Approved Panniers DeCarteret Aluminum Stock Panniers Berner Bear Box 303/343-1998 Bear Aware Panniers www.bear-aware.com Conditionally Approved Canisters Conditional approval is given to any container that has passed visual inspection, an impact test and a zoo test. Conditionally approved containers are approved for use. Bare Boxer 202 www.bareboxer.com Conditionally Approved Panniers Bear Country Camping Models SFO and HFO www.bearcountrycontainers.com Steel salvage drums with a security lid may be used until panniers are purchased. Dozier Equipment Company [Model K-1035, 8 gallon open head] www.dozierequip.com Lab Safety Supply Company (Model 9M-9117, 8 gallon open head) www.labsafety.com Either type of approval may be revoked due to unexpected problems in the field that lead to either failures, injuries, or resource damage. Not Permitted: Ursacks Ursacks have not been approved for use in Olympic National Park as a bear canister replacement even though some models were approved July 31st, 2014 for Grizzly Bears by the IGBC. They do make a great addition to standard food hanging practices.> td>