I took a bear can last year. Why I am not taking one this year.

Securing my food may have been the topic I researched the most before getting on trail. I’ve come across black bears while solo backpacking, and although they ran off as soon as I yelled, their size and speed were enough to scare the *** out of me. In the months before getting on trail, I vacillated between taking my bear can and my bear bag. In fact, I didn’t make the decision until the night before I left.

Why I took a Bear Vault 450 last year.

• Hurricane damage: I was worried about the damage Hurricane Helene might have done to the trees. (spoiler: a lot) Would there be good trees to do a hang? I wasn’t sure.
• Cold weather: With a March 17 start date, I anticipated very cold evenings. I struggle to maintain body heat when I finish for the day. (I usually throw on every layer I own when I get to camp.) I knew I would not want to spend 20-30 minutes finding a good limb to do a proper PCT hang.
• Intact food: Unlike a bear bag, a bear can’s hard shell keeps food from being pulverized. It’s also super easy to find what you want without digging around a deep bag for 3 minutes.
• Peace of mind: A bear can is rodent proof and bear resistant. No mice crawling into a bag to shred my protein bars. It was a delight to walk away from camp, stash it next to a tree, and forget about it.

Why I am not taking a bear can this year.

• Resupply and space: I prefer to resupply every 5-6 days, so I carry more food than someone who resupplies often. The space in a bear can is finite and unforgiving. I never once ate a backpacker meal on trail because the packaging took up too much room to even consider it. I quietly envied my fellow hikers who pulled a backpacker meal from their bear bags every few days.
• More calories, more problems: By week 3, my caloric needs had soared and I was mowing through food like it was my job. (Is this what it’s like to be a teenage boy?) The bear can had always served me well on weeklong trips, but long distance hiking is a whole ‘nother kettle of fish. I simply could not fit all that food into my bear can. I constantly had “spillover snacks” stashed in a grocery store bag, and there was no good way to secure it.
• Weight: My bear can weighs 2.16 lbs, which in long distance backpacking is the equivalent of a baby elephant. It was JUST. SO. HEAVY.  At the start of my LASH, I had a lot of winter gear, and with a full pack, I was probably carrying 34-35 lbs. As the saying goes, ounces are pounds and pounds are pain. I am trying to jettison as much weight as possible for LASH #2, so the bear can is staying at home.

What I am taking this year?

I will take a 14L Adotec UL bear bag on this year’s LASH. (Using a Garage Grown Gear gift card took the edge off of spending more $$$.) Like the Ursack, the Adotec is a heavily reinforced bear bag that can be tied to a tree instead of being hung. Weighing just 6.5 ounces, it saves well over 1 lb of weight from the bear can. The Adotec is made of Dyneema, so it doesn’t absorb water or get heavier after a night of rain. Its shape makes it easy to fit in my pack, I can fit more food, and unlike the bear can, it takes up less space as I eat through my rations.

But the bears?! What about the bears?!

At the end of the day, nothing is bear proof. As noted by park rangers, the difference between a smart bear and a dumb human is negligible. If a bear really wants my food, it will probably maul my bag while trying to get it. The chances of this happening, however, are fairly slim. I will take advantage of every bear box/cable along the trail and only tie my Adotec bag to a tree when necessary. If my food gets squished, it will be a huge bummer but not the end of the world. The nice thing about hiking the AT is that there is usually a town within a day or two of hiking. I will arrive to that town ready to consume everything in sight, and that’s alright.

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