hobo bear canister!!!

C

carspidey

Joined
Mar 12, 2010
Messages
722
I've seen hobo stoves and hobo other different things...

but what about a hobo bear canister???

I've looked around in the internet but i haven't seen any of this sort...

I have an old container of protein powder and I was thinking of adding some silicone to the lid so when i screw it on it would be air tight...

I know bear canisters are thick and weigh a couple pounds, but this container is very light and it would keep the smell inside because of the silicone...

Are there any regulations to follow when going to a place where there might be bears regarding this canisters?

What do you guys use when you go outdoors?
 
My Hobo Bear Canister is a .357 Magnum with 124 grain Federal Self Defense Jacketed Hollowpoints. I live in one of the most dangerous bear/lion/wolf areas in the country and don't bother with a 'bear canister'. IMO 99.99% of the time it's not needed and when it is needed a protein canister isn't going to make a difference anyway. I don't care who says what, black bears climb trees. I've seen it with my own eyes, they might as well be Matt Segal on a 5.10b rock face. Another idea cooked up by the outdoor gear companies to get you to drop 30 dollars on another piece of unnecessary equipment. But that's just my opinion.
 
30 lb propane tank. Empty of course, unless you want to see the bears doing the Zippo trick in the woods :D
 
i agree with the gun thing... i know it would not do a thing, but it's just a precaution with the smell... i've heard they can smell food from long distances... again... just a precaution... i know they would tear my protein can in seconds...

And the reason why i'd like to use the protein can is because i already have it and I would not spend those 30 to 50 dollars for a bear canister...

Now, are there places where they require you to have a bear canister?

that 30lb propane tank... was that a joke? or you use it or have seen someone use it??? :)
 
That idea won't keep a bear out of your food. For that you will need a real bear canister.

The other problem is that to hike in some areas you are now REQUIRED to have a bear cannister, in some of these areas they will even fine you for hanging food in a bag etc.

All these regulations only recognize a certified bear cannister homemade options are not accepted.
 
carspidey said:
that 30lb propane tank... was that a joke? or you use it or have seen someone use it??? :)
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Sorry Carspidey, I was joking, being irreverent. But a 30 lb propane tank would be pretty bear proof, if you could just find a way to load your food into it. I just chuckle every time in think about a bear dancing around under a food can hung from a tree.

This is a good thread and you have a good point. If you can block the aroma of food, will the bear ignore it? I would say yes.
 
carspidey said:
Are there any regulations to follow when going to a place where there might be bears regarding this canisters?
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Yep, to avoid fines (or loosing your food to the critters) containers must be on the "approved" list for many California locations, probably in parts of other states also. I think the list varies by location. Google "bear resistant containers".
 
carspidey said:
Now, are there places where they require you to have a bear canister?
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Yes. And if they require a canister, it will have to be an approved real canister. I'm sure real canisters dampen the smell a little bit, but their main purpose is to keep the bear from getting at the food. The purpose of keeping the bear from getting the food has less to do with keeping bears hungry than it does with keeping bears from associating people with food.
 
say what you want about carrying a .357 and im not saying you shouldn't or that it's not a very viable defense option against a bear. But a .357 doesn't make a bear get bored rolling around my 3lb piece of plastic and walk off. Ive backpacked with bear canisters for a while and they work- no doubt about it.
 
I don't have any trees within 15 miles of where I hike to hang a bear canister from. 357 may not be ideal but it's reliable and is sure as hell alot better than a swiss army knife if Mama Bear brings Baby Bear around camp sniffing for food. If I can't kill a bear with 6 rounds of .357 it probably deserves to take me anyway.
 
The problem with "blocking the aroma" is that the bear's sense of smell is the best of any animal.

You may think there's no smell. The bear may beg to differ.
 
PayetteRucker said:
I don't have any trees within 15 miles of where I hike to hang a bear canister from.
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I think you're missing the point of a bear canister - they are basically indestructible plastic drums that are (almost) impossible for a bear to open. They don't have to be hung from trees, and people often leave them on the ground.

In heavily hiked areas, bears have learned that they can't get to the food in the canisters, and if they see one sitting on the ground they will often walk right past without even investigating them.
 
Somebody told me that bears can smell food right through the can. So I asked the ranger. He said, "No, bears associate the shape of the can with food. We had a bear break into a gas station in West Yellowstone, and it ate 3 cans of oil and a filter."
 
tiguy7 said:
Somebody told me that bears can smell food right through the can. So I asked the ranger. He said, "No, bears associate the shape of the can with food. We had a bear break into a gas station in West Yellowstone, and it ate 3 cans of oil and a filter."
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Priceless. Bears are very innovative, they always seem to find a way. Which is why my .357 rests on my chest, my food stays in my pack and my pack stays right next to me in my tent. Never had issues that way.
 
PayetteRucker said:
I don't have any trees within 15 miles of where I hike to hang a bear canister from. 357 may not be ideal but it's reliable and is sure as hell alot better than a swiss army knife if Mama Bear brings Baby Bear around camp sniffing for food. If I can't kill a bear with 6 rounds of .357 it probably deserves to take me anyway.
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You don't hang a bear resistant canister. The bears will not be deterred by hanging food bags in the areas where the canisters are required, actually the bears may not be deterred by food in a car or locked in the trunk.

With all the extensive "off the beaten path" multiple 10,000 ft peak climbs it's curious not to know that.
 
PayetteRucker - if you were to sleep with your food in some areas of Yosemite, I can guarantee that you would have a bear encounter of the closest kind. And even in the SEKI back country I have had bears knock over my canister at night. They associate people with food. I would guess that you are normally in areas where bears have not yet learned to associate people with food.

Bear canisters must be on the approved model list. If they catch you with a non-approved canister you will receive a fine. I get stopped in the back country of Sequoia/Kings Canyon fairly regularly by the rangers, and they always ask to see two things - the permit and the canister.

Here is the approved list for SEKI:

http://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvis...d Food Storage Containers for Use in 2010.pdf

And for Yosemite:

http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/containers.htm

If you are in an area that requires an approved canister, hanging of food is prohibited.
 
PayetteRucker said:
Priceless. Bears are very innovative, they always seem to find a way. Which is why my .357 rests on my chest, my food stays in my pack and my pack stays right next to me in my tent. Never had issues that way.
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This is not a safe way to operate. Please, re-consider your tactics here. This is an unsafe and unreasonable way to operate in bear country. If you acknowledge this, but enjoy your own personal style of safety measures, it would be advisable to attach a disclaimer to your statement to deter any relatively "green" outdoorsmen from adopting this method. Someone could be hurt or killed if they took your statement to be advice.
 
Ramm9 said:
You don't hang a bear resistant canister. The bears will not be deterred by hanging food bags in the areas where the canisters are required, actually the bears may not be deterred by food in a car or locked in the trunk.

With all the extensive "off the beaten path" multiple 10,000 ft peak climbs it's curious not to know that.
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They sell bear bags EVERYWHERE around here and they're all used with a lanyard for throwing around a tree branch so as to hang the bag at least ten feet off the ground and ten feet away from the trunk. This is supposed to keep a bear out of my food? Ya, right. The last year I've spent in Idaho backcountry I've NEVER had an issue with it. The only time I came remotely close was when we had a pack of coyotes run through our 30+ person camp on the Snake River in Hell's Canyon. Bears, at least around here, are skittish in general-the slightest sound or smell of humans will send them packing. We have millions of square miles of public land, and although we have lots of wildlife, they don't have much experience with human interaction, as they have room to exist away from human society. Whereas a Wisconsin whitetail will sit and stare at you ten yards away, if an Idaho whitetail were to smell you upwind of them they'd be long gone by the time you ever see them. I'd like to see a bear that can't get into a 3 pound plastic bin get into a metal soup can that's burried in a pack. I know they can do it, I'm just saying, I don't care what anyone says, they aren't failsafes.
 
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