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Garcia Bear-Resistant Container

$55.99
$74.95^*

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Item # 624081

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Don't feed the bears! This bear-resistant container from Garcia provides 614 cu. in. of storage to hold your backpacking food.

Made from a tough ABS polymer with smooth sides and rounded edges so bears have nothing to grip onto
Stainless-steel locks are easy for humans to open with a coin or screwdriver, but are difficult for bears to open
Includes food-grade plastic bag for wrapping food for storage

Made in USA.

Item 624081

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Garcia Bear-Resistant Container Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews

Garcia Bear-Resistant Container

4.4

(based on 52 reviews)

98%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

Durable (21)
Good capacity (13)
Resilient (11)
Unbreakable (8)
Easy to open (6)

Cons

Heavy (8)
Heavy / bulky (4)

Best Uses

Backcountry camping (25)
Camping (15)
Day trip (6)
Transportation (6)
Backpacking (5)

- Reviewer Profile:
- Avid adventurer (13), Casual/ recreational (11), Casual cook (7), Avid cook (5), Casual adventurer (3)

Reviewed by 52 customers

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Displaying reviews 1-10

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May

2013

5.0

Does the job

By Backcountry fly fisher

from Provo, Utah

About Me Avid Cook

See all my reviews

Pros

Cons

Best Uses

Comments about Garcia Bear-Resistant Container:

I have used this canister for a few years with good results. I appreciated the ease of use and not having to always hang a bear bag. It also keeps out the chipmunks and raccoons(etc).

Comment on this review

Aug

2012

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Fix and forget bear defence

By 7secondsed

from Saint Paul, MN

See all my reviews

Pros

Durable
Easy to clean
Easy to use
Resilient

Cons

Clunky
Heavy

Best Uses

Backpacking

Comments about Garcia Bear-Resistant Container:

I picked a Garcia bear can up when I worked for the Forest Service in Bishop, CA, almost 10 years ago. In the decade since, it still looks as good as new, despite countless long trips, leaky food bottles and rough treatment.

This can is a fix-and-forget device. I absolutely ADORE not having to hang rope to secure food. At the end of the night, you throw everything in together and set it under a rock a distance away. All your food and toiletries in one place, ready to go for the next day's adventure. It also makes a great camp stool while you're getting ready for camp.

I haven't had a bear try to crack it open yet, but I don't know how said bear would accomplish that. The coin slots work well enough, and you can usually improvise with a smooth rock if you can't find your nickel.

The downsides are its bulk, which should be expected, and its volume limitations. When hanging rope, it's easy enough to re-appropriate an extra stuff sack to hang a few more pounds of food. When the can's full, it's full, and it surely doesn't make any sense to tote a can AND gear for a bear hang.

My bear can is 10 years old, and I don't see any reason it won't be around for another 25 years... unless a bear kicks it off a ridge in frustration or something.

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Aug

2012

(0 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

3.0

It held my food and is required

By pmk

from Torrance, CA

About Me Casual Cook

See all my reviews

Pros

Cons

Best Uses

Comments about Garcia Bear-Resistant Container:

Well, I used this for my first backpacking trip in Inyo National Forest on the Golden Trout Lake Trail. It held our food and was easy to open/close.

Service and delivery comments:

Arrived quickly and in great condition.

Comment on this review

May

2012

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Durable and Easy (human) access

By HighAltitude77

from Seattle, WA

About Me Casual Cook

See all my reviews

Pros

Bear Resilient
Convenient
Durable
Easy to clean
Easy to open

Cons

Heavy

Best Uses

Bear Canister

Comments about Garcia Bear-Resistant Container:

I've used various techniques for storing food in bear country. The hanging bag method, while light-weight, is unreliable and no longer an option in many backcountry areas. I have used the BearVault canisters several times in the past, and while I like the idea of being able to see my packed food (translucent blue container), I had a lot of trouble opening and closing it. This made me feel good about bears and other critters not having easy access to my food, but I was frustrated with the process. The Garcia container's system is much easier. I typically use a tool from my Leatherman's to unlock the top. I like how I can leave it out in the open with the to still unlocked, but completely covered (unlike the Bearvault canister where the top has to loosely rest on top). This has proved useful when birds and squirrels are interested in my meals and I don't need to continually lock and unlock the canister for access. Like all bear canisters, this is heavier than a bear-bag, but I've done several solo trips with it and haven't had any issues with overall pack-weight. I've packed it completely inside my pack as well as on the top panel - using the top pocket straps for compression. You could consider getting a sling for it to fit outside your pack (purchase or make one). I prefer to pack my canister weight closer to my back, so I haven't tried this method. Overall, I recommend purchasing this canister if you're looking to buy. I also recommend the investment if you plan on venturing out in the backcountry a couple of times per year, as more and more places are requiring them.

Comment on this review

Apr

2012

(0 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Nice Easy Design, Proven Bear-proof

By ChavezRaviner

from Oceanside, CA

About Me Avid Cook

See all my reviews

Pros

Design
Resilient

Cons

Best Uses

Backpacking

Comments about Garcia Bear-Resistant Container:

I've used this canister in SEKI and Yosemite as a rental over the course of several years and was pleased enough to buy my own. This is what the ranger/permit stations at Lodgepole, Road's End, and Wawona issue as rentals. I think I've gotten a Bearikade at Road's End too.

Compared to its competitors I've used:
- Full 1 lb. (28%) lighter than the Counter Assualt w/ only 14% less capacity
- Bearikade - cool that it's 1 lb. 15 oz. for roughly the same size but the Bearikade is such a true cylinder. The reasonably sharp edges concerned me early and then as I expected put some wear on the inside of my small pack. It also costsand cost 3x + as much for an 11oz savings.

I think all of them are good products but the shape of the Garcia with it's tapered ends and rounded edges lends to easy internal packing and (for me) the case is a BIG plus. Get that big bulky thing out of my pack and put it where the sleeping pad would go! It's a good seat, overpacks (read - crams more than it'll hold with 30-40 lbs of pressure on the lid when closing) well because of the design of the lid. I've had a bear play soccer with one and it suffered damage. I'd try the BearVault if the size and lack of a sack didn't seem like such a limitation but just for it to be clear and opened w/o a coin doesn't outweigh the pros of the Garcia.

Product is sized right, shaped right, designed right, and has the right accessories.

Comment on this review

Mar

2012

(4 of 4 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Garcia Container and Tips for Use

By Backcountry Flyfisher

from Reno

About Me Casual Cook

See all my reviews

Pros

Durable
Large capacity
Resilient

Cons

Requires Coin or Tool

Best Uses

Backpacking

Comments about Garcia Bear-Resistant Container:

Having been backpacking in the Sierra and other "beary" places since long before the introduction of bear-proof food containers, I find the Garcia to be a welcome addition to my pack. In 25 years I've had about a dozen close encounters with bears in the backcountry of the Sierra, mostly in the area in and around Yosemite. Only once did a bear get my food while using a counterbalance system. This was an unusually aggressive bear that came down from the tree (it was gnawing through the branch where the food was hung) several times and false charged while I attempted to scare it away. Once I began to use the Garcia container (before it was even required in the parks) I haven't seen a bear do anything more than give it a couple sniffs and a few bats while inspecting it. Nowadays most bears don't even pay any attention to the container at all. I prefer areas above tree line so the container is great where a counterbalance wouldn't be possible. It's marmot-proof, too!

A few people here have talked about rigging a lanyard to the container to hang it or attach it to a tree. Bad idea! Any bear with teeth can bite through a lanyard, short of a steel cable, pretty quickly. The bear then has a very convenient "handle" to bite onto and carry your food away. I do have my container set up with two strips of reflective tape around it. This makes it alot easier to locate at night, especially if a bear has been batting it around the area.

Yes, the Garcia is heavy from an ultralight perspective. However, going unplanned ultralight from not having any food is a worse option. I'd rather cut weight elsewhere and be assured that I'll be eating during my trip. If your buying a new pack and plan to use one of these be sure to account for the container's size. They fit nicely into the sleeping bag area of many 3 day+ packs but less so in other areas of the pack. You'll need to plan for space for the sleeping bad bag as well. Unused space in the container can be filled with items like tent stakes, cell phone, stove, fishing reel, etc. I avoid putting clothing or tent flies into the container to reduce food odors on these items.

I keep a few spare quarters in my first aid kit (throwback from before cell phone days when change for a payphone near a trailhead might come in handy) which I can use if I lose the coin I keep on hand for opening. However, I usually just use my Swiss Army knife or Leatherman (which you shouldn't be in the backcountry without) for access.

I've heard rumor that bears have been sighted trying to bum spare change at several trailheads in Yosemite. They do learn fast!

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Jan

2012

4.0

Necessary Evil

By BigCat

from Longwood, FL

See all my reviews

Pros

Keeps Bears Out

Cons

Bulky

Best Uses

Backpacking

Comments about Garcia Bear-Resistant Container:

It isn't a gram weenie's dream, but it is no fuss food storage for bear country.

Service and delivery comments:

REI really stepped up to the plate on this one! I had ordered with overnight delivery so that it would arrive (with several other new toys) in time for a trip I had planned for Friday. On the day of delivery, I noticed that half the order had not been updated in UPS system. I called REI and they processed another order and had it shipped to me overnight even though the mistake was made by UPS!

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Sep

2011

5.0

Better than a pick-a-nick basket

By Tubby Shaw

from San Diego, CA

About Me Avid Cook

See all my reviews

Pros

Air Tight

Cons

Bulky

Best Uses

Secure
Storage
Transportation

Comments about Garcia Bear-Resistant Container:

This was my first time using a bear canister (10-day solo in Yosemite). Yogi didn't touch my food. It was a little bulky but held enough food and all my toiletries for the entire adventure.

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Sep

2011

4.0

Great Product

By TheNewAndersons

from Milwaukee, WI

See all my reviews

Pros

Cons

Heavy

Best Uses

Comments about Garcia Bear-Resistant Container:

We have not come across any bears yet despite being in bear country. Recently this prevented raccoons from getting at our food. It worked well as a fake cooler. It kept frozen food cold for the whole weekend. We use a drawstring bag to store it and to make it easier to carry.

Comment on this review

Sep

2011

4.0

Love the canister

By Irish05

from Lincoln, CA

See all my reviews

Pros

Serves as a chair
Simple to open

Cons

Best Uses

Comments about Garcia Bear-Resistant Container:

If your looking for a bear canister, this will fit the bill. It's far better than hanging your food beacuse bears will figure out how to get your food out of the tree. You never wat to be stranded in the back country with no food. I went to Mt. Whitney for 3 days and it held all my food and then some!

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