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Bear Encounters Bear Vault
A video of a black bear trying to open a BearVault container.
Designed by Backpackers, Tested by Bears
Bearvault : Bear Proof Containers, Keep your food safe and keep the wildlife healthy.The concept for the BearVault was born during a 2002 Sierra backpacking trip, when Jamie Hogan hiked with friends from the San Diego Hiking Club. Camped around a mountain lake, the group was lamenting the problems they had with bear canisters. Everybody agreed the available canisters were too heavy, held too little and had too small an opening. Several hikers had external frame packs, and attaching the slippery, tapered canisters of the time to those packs was a problem. With these things in mind, Jamie set out to create a better canister.
With so many concerns, the design had to be radically different. Their canister used a unique a child resistant screw-on cap and a flexible, yet tough body that would bend, but not break under tremendous pressure. Since its founding, the BearVault has continued to receive subtle improvements to its designs, and has been tested against many, many bears. All models of their bear containers since 2004 are both Grizzly Bear and Black Bear approved, and have stood up to many hours of assault from each type of bear. The BearVault is the perfect solution for carrying food when hiking and camping anywhere bears roam.
At OutlandUSA.com, we love BearVault for their simplicity, and functionality. Its hard to find a bear cannister thats lighter, tougher, or better for carrying food. Give BearVault a try.
Questions & Tips
- Q: Is my BearVault waterproof?
No. BearVault products are water resistant, but they are not designed to be submerged. We recommend putting a dry sack either inside or over your BearVault if you are using it for kayaking, canoeing, rafting, or other water-based trips.
- Q: Can I add a rubber gasket to make it waterproof?
It is possible to do this, but we dont recommend it, because it can make it very difficult to open. Keep in mind that waterproof also means airtight. This sounds like a good thing until you consider that out in nature air pressure can change drastically with temperature and weather, causing a differential with the air pressure inside the canister. What this means is that a totally sealed lid could end up stuck in place by pressure. The better solution is to simply use a dry bag if waterproofing is important for your trip.
If you do choose to try an o-ring, there is a channel just inside the rim that could take one. If you use glue, be sure it is a water-based adhesive (not a solvent-based adhesive, which will damage and compromise the strength of the plastic). O-ring sizes that can work:
6.5″ ID #055 or #165 This may be a bit hard to put inside the lid as you need to stretch it 5% to get over the ridge inside the lid
6.75″ ID #166 or #261 This will be easier to put inside the lid as you need to stretch it only 2% to get over the ridge inside the lid
- Q: Is my BearVault scent-proof?
No. BearVault products reduce scent transmission, but in the nose of a bear, almost nothing is scent-proof. Bears have the best sense of smell of any animals on earth – that is seven times greater than that of a bloodhound. Now for some fun math – bloodhounds have a sense of smell that is 300 times greater than that of a human. That leaves bears with a sense of smell that is 2100 times greater than that of humans. It puts our little human noses into perspective!
- Q: Is it okay to put stickers or reflective tape on a BearVault?
Lots of people do this! The only word of caution is that some adhesives can damage the plastic. If possible, try to ensure stickers are using water-based adhesives (not solvent-based adhesives, which can damage and compromise the strength of the plastic).
- Q: Can I paint my BearVault with specialty plastic paint?
This is not a good idea, and it will void your warranty. Most products that bind to plastics do so by chemically fusing to the plastic, damaging the structural integrity of the plastic.
BearVault Warranty Information
For non-warranty exchanges and returns, please see our policy here.
If you believe you have a warranty claim, please reach out to us directly here.
BearVault Limited Lifetime Warranty
BearVault offers a lifetime warranty for its products, manufactured in 2017 or after, against manufacturing defects in materials and workmanship. We will repair or replace, at our discretion, BearVault products that are unusable due to a manufacturing defect, at no cost to the owner.
While BearVault products are designed to be bear and critter resistant, they are not infinitely bear-proof. To better understand how our products withstand animal interactions, we will replace any BearVault products that have been compromised by damage caused by wildlife, at no cost to the owner.
This warranty is subject to the following definitions, conditions and limitations:
This warranty is conditional on the user having followed our product guidelines for care and use at all times.
Products are not warrantied against regular wear and tear, accidental or deliberate damage, or negligence.
Products are not warrantied against damage caused by ultraviolet exposure, chemicals (including DEET), dirt,
excessively warm or cold temperatures, or hazardous conditions.
This warranty applies to original, authentic, unaltered BearVault
products that were purchased from an authorized BearVault dealer in the USA or Canada, in new condition.
Definitions
Lifetime means the lifetime of the product under normal use conditions.
Defect means an inherent problem that has a substantive effect on the use and operation of the product.
Wildlife means wild animals, in their wild and natural habitat.
Compromised means broken or substantially weakened.
If you have a concern that does not appear to be covered by our standard warranty, please contact us with the details, as some warranty
coverage may be extended to you, at our discretion. Replacement lids are available here for customers whose lids have been lost or worn out.
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