I had a can of bears last year. Why won’t I take one this year.

Insuring my food may have been the topic I researched the most before hitting the trail. I encountered black bears while backpacking alone, and although they ran away as soon as I screamed, their size and speed were enough to scare me. In the months before I hit the trail, I vacillated between carrying my bear can and my bear bag. In fact, I didn’t make the decision until the night before we left.

Why I picked up a Bear Vault 450 last year.

• Hurricane Damage: I was concerned about the damage Hurricane Helene might have caused to the trees. (spoiler: a lot) Would there be good trees to hang on? I wasn’t sure.
• Cold weather: With a start date of March 17, I anticipated very cold nights. I struggle to maintain body heat when I finish the day. (I usually put on whatever layers I have when I get to camp.) I knew I wouldn’t want to spend 20-30 minutes looking for a good limb to do a proper PCT suspension.
• Intact foods: Unlike a bear bag, the hard shell of a bear can prevents food from pulverizing. It’s also very easy to find what you’re looking for without having to search through a deep bag for 3 minutes.
• Peace of mind: A bear can is rodent proof and bear resistant. There will be no mice crawling into a bag to crush my protein bars. It was a pleasure to get away from the camp, hide it next to a tree and forget about it.

Why I won’t carry a can of bears this year.

• Resupply and space: I prefer to restock every 5 or 6 days, so I carry more food than someone who restocks frequently. Space in a bear can is finite and unforgiving. I’ve never had a backpacking meal on the trail because the packaging took up too much space to even consider. I silently envied my fellow hikers who pulled a backpacking meal out of their bear bags every few days.
• More calories, more problems: By week 3, my calorie needs had skyrocketed and I was cutting out food like it was my job. (Is this what it’s like to be a teenager?) The bear can has always served me well on week-long trips, but long-distance hikes are another matter. I just couldn’t fit all that food in my bear can. I constantly had “leftover snacks” hidden in a grocery bag and there was no good way to secure them.
• Weight: My bear can weigh 2.16 pounds, which on long distance trips is the equivalent of a baby elephant. It was ALONE. SO. HEAVY. At the beginning of my LASH, I had a lot of winter gear and with a full backpack I was probably carrying around 34-35 pounds. As the saying goes, ounces are pounds and pounds are pain. I’m trying to get rid of as much weight as possible for LASH #2, so the bear can stay home.

What am I taking this year?

I will take a Bear bag 14L Adotec UL at this year’s LASH. (Using a Garage Grown Gear gift card took away the advantage of spending more $$$.) Like the Ursack, the Adotec is a heavily reinforced bear bag that can be tied to a tree instead of hanging. Weighing only 6.5 ounces, it saves over 1 pound of bear can weight. The Adotec is made from Dyneema, so it doesn’t absorb water or get heavier after a night of rain. Its shape makes it easy to put in my backpack, I can fit more food and, unlike the bear can, it takes up less space when I eat my rations.

But the bears?! What about bears?

At the end of the day, nothing is bearable. proof. As the park rangers pointed out, the difference between a smart bear and a dumb human is negligible. If a bear really wants my food, it will probably destroy my bag while trying to get it. However, the chances of this happening are quite 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 crushed, it will be a big 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’ll arrive in that town ready to consume everything in sight, and that’s fine.

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