Does anyone have any experience or thoughts on using a titanium pot and lid with a custom clasp to secure shut, specifically the snow peak 1400 series as a bear can?

I hike in Canada and we get black and brown bears in the areas I hike. Normally I tie my food up high in a tree at night but I was wondering if I was really doing enough to protect my food from nosy bears. I have encountered the odd black bear on my hikes but never been bothered by them. So any ideas, comments suggestion?

Also Ace, I called earlier and I already have another question. I want to buy 4- 36” #3 and 1- 72” #3 zippers and add a couple of pull tabs and end pieces to my order but I couldn’t find it on the web site. Are you stocking these accessories or do I have to hunt them down myself? I need 12 additional zipper pulls and 10 end pieces for the #3 zippers. Thanks a lot.

Bear canisters are all large enough that they’re awkward and the bear can’t carry it off, and they lack any kind of seam or purchase point for a bear’s claws.  I doubt a bear used to stealing food would be thwarted by even a clamped cook pot unless it was a bear canister first and a pot 2nd, not the other way around.

When you are regulated to the point that you have to camp in an area where bears are habituated to stealing or attempting to steal food, canisters, food lockers, or similar are your best bet.  I use the Bearikade in canister-required areas and think it works great (http://www.wild-ideas.net - no affiliation).  In non-regulated areas I use an ursack (http://www.ursack.com/ursack-catalog.htm - no affiliation).

RE zipper: I don’t currently stock the #3 tooth zipper sliders, and the #3 coil sliders won’t work with the tooth zipper chain.  I will add those along with continuous tooth chain on the next zipper order, but that may be a while. 

AYCE

Oh well I can dream… about a lightweight bear can that is. The zipper pieces I need, do you think regular sewing shops stock #3 zipper parts? Hold off on ordering for me until I check out our local sewing shops. Oh well I am off to real life stories I guess. Thanks for all of your help.

Not that I’m recommending this for bears but after looking at http://www.ursack.com/ and doing some googling about the fabric used I found it’s the same thing used in car air bags.

So the last time I was at the junk yards I cut a few out of exploded steering wheels to sew into a bag. I was more interested in something raccoons couldn’t get into then bear. ..  However I wouldn’t recommend it as it’s not approved by Feds.

Joe F

Huh- learn something new every day.  Great info Joe- there’s a trip to the junkyard in my future too.

AYCE

Wow, thats a great idea Joe.  Thanks for the info, I know just where I can get that. Most of the time I rely heavily on being able to string up my gear and my largest enemy is rodents big and small.  The funny thing is I have been around bears, coyotes, moose during rutting season and few other exotic animals before and never had a problem.

The animals that seem to have it out for me are the raccoons. I have had the rabies prophylaxis three times in my life because of strange raccoon bites/scratches. It would have been simpler to have maintained immunity. On my last trip to the cottage I was bullied by a gang of raccoons. Three came out of the forest staring me down and two more were sneaking up along the cottage on either side of me. I threw in my hand and went inside and they trashed my locked supply shed. Damn raccoons.;)

Thanks again for the tip.

When at the junkyard look for the biggest pieces you can find and bring a cheap box cutter with extra blades. The fabric is a Kevlar blend and cutting it can be a real PITA.

Also if your going to make it mouse proof buy some Kevlar thread and do something like a French seams.

Lastly the fabric is anything but light compared to what were used to.

Joe F

Good luck

I’m a very regular hiker in Yosemite, where the federal regulations realistically do reflect what the local bear population are capable of.  Bear cannisters, specifically Garcia cannisters, are required throughout Yosemite.  The bears have become so habituated to the presence of humans and their food, that they seek out people to see if they can pull a Yogi bear on you.  I agree with this policy wholeheartedly, despite the fact that Garcia cannisters weigh in at a hefty 44 oz.  I’ve seen bear on 3 different occasions, once while camping at Upper Pines campground with my kids.  Bears are SMART.  Yosemite is working on its 3rd generation of bear vaults because they’ve figured out the other 2!  We locked our camping vault (I checked it before bed), and they still found a way in at the campground!!!  If carrying a Garcia cannister keeps bears from seeking out humans and their food, I’m all for it.

As an aside, think about it from the bear’s standpoint:  the calorie differential alone between foraging for berries, grubs, fish, etc. vs. yummy, calorie-rich human food makes it practically impossible for them not to seek out us and our food.

need2boat - 20 July 2007 08:34 PM

...the fabric used I found it’s the same thing used in car air bags…I was more interested in something raccoons couldn’t get into then bear.
Joe F

Any luck with this? Raccoons are pretty determined here, and the trees are low.

I left the bag I made by the trash cans a few nights with some cheese in it. You could tell something had been pulling at the seams but it didn’t get into the food. I would consider doing something like a rolled or french seam in the future because I think the seams would be the weak spot.

JFF