BearVault  BV ONE Adjustable Bear Canister

Took this out for my first backpack. I love being able to collapse it when packing up. Per their instructions you are supposed to store it fully extended. I did notice some scraped lines from spinning it from large to small over and over on just this first 3 day trip. So much easier to open than the black lids. Do hope they sell spare divider lids for the inside or you are screwed if it is broken or lost.

We haven't tried it out in the field yet, but we already love this one more than our previous BV475. It is nearly the same size, but less weight. The fact that it compresses is awesome and we love the silicone divider to help sort food from trash or anything else we want to sort. The easy open buttons are still tricky enough that I trust it around bears, but WAYYYYYY easier on human fingers. I felt like with the other BV models, my fingers always hurt opening it and being cold always made it 10 times worse. The easy buttons really are easy and we super appreciate it. It is definitely easier for two people to open, but also pretty easy for one person once you get the hang of it. Great upgrade!

Careful with this one. It's not approved for use in some National Parks in CA - maybe others. Check with rangers or park in advance. That said, interesting design, packs better than my 500, but offers less storage than 450. If that little silicone divider gets damaged - you are in for a world of hurt - putting to clamshells full of stuff together not going to go too well. I feel this can is probably not ready for prime time, and kind of regret purchasing it due to usability, and lack of approval in a lot of the parks I frequent.

This worked out great for a few recent backpacking trips. I never used a bear canister previously due to the bulk and weight. After substracting the weight of my Ursack, it added 1.25 lbs to my load. However, it packed better. I was able to keep the flat disc close to the small of my back, and that improved the weight distribution in my pack so well that my pack did not feel heavier at all. It was really nice to have the flexibility of the canister, and worked well as a stool. I did have some trouble opening/closing at first, but discovered my hands were dry and slippery. Licking my fingers solved the problem immediately. Not something I would normally do, but out in the woods, who cares.

Tested canister at home. Worked great, really liked the idea. BUT unfortunately on first trip it was a failure. Backpack trip was cold (low 40’s, but very windy). With cold hands and a full canister it became hard to open. Took two to open, one to hold canister, the other to push buttons and turn. Neither person could open alone. Even with two it was hard to open. Back home with warm hands both of us could open it by ourselves easily. A great canister for home use, but not in the backcountry. Returned. Too bad.

Not allowed for use in Yosemite (had to rent one there). Works great otherwise

Perfect for small backpacks! I used this while hiking in the Sierras, and without it, I wouldn't have been able to fit all my gear for a 2-day, 1-night trip into a 32L pack. It compresses down small in my backpack during the day, and expands at night to fit all my food and scented items.

Wow this is awesome ! Pricey for sure but I hike different number of nights in areas where bear cans are required . The adjustability of this is great and you can make it smaller as the hike goes on. Lock could not be easier to use. Worth the $$

Can I rate this 10 stars? This is my first bear canister and I bought it because the free ones you can borrow from the USFS are super heavy and really big. This was absolutely perfect for one overnight for one person plus one dog. I love how easy it is to open with two pushbuttons located on opposite sides. I love the blue tint - I can see inside but the color is pleasing plus hides the dirt that got on the bottom from being plopped on the ground. I love, love, love that nothing rattled around when I was hiking because the height adjusts - and it’s not just two choices of height. You get the max height and the min height and every option in between because you spin down the top until you are lightly compressing what is inside. Voila! Exactly the right (smallest) possible size with no wasted empty volume inside it and the compression means nothing is moving. So good! It fit perfectly in my backpack. I have been camping (and bikepacking) with the same nylon bear bag since 1996 and you know what’s great about a bear canister? Not having that tedious hunt for exactly the right tree and then the endless throwing of the little sandbag to hang it. Also, when my pup wanted (read: demanded, expected) a treat when she peed for me on our midnight walk, it was super easy to get it out of the bear canister. It would have been 10 minutes of shenanigans with the bear bag. This was pricey but I think it will last me forever. Such a great purchase! 😊

I really wanted this to be the new game changer for my backcountry experiences where you need bear canisters. The pros: 1. Love the ability to compact it down as your food supply is consumed, great concept 2. I liked the idea of the divider, and it worked well for my first trip (short 3-day backcountry stint) but feel it may need to be more durable for repeat use. (Someone else also mentioned this in comments as well.) 3. Could open and close with relative ease, but took some getting used to. Practice before you go out:) The cons: 1. This is minor but someone else mentioned as well that their branding wears off right away. I’m fine with this, and maybe even prefer things unbranded, but from a longevity perspective just an FYI 2. This is the big reason for the 3 star (debated on two…) it is not waterproof. It rained the whole night mid way through my trip. I didn’t think anything of it, until the next morning when I went to make breakfast and there were a couple of inches of water in all my food supplies!! Perhaps a rookie mistake that I placed it on the ground wrong side up so it let water in, but what happens if animals try to explore it and it gets flipped by them too? Thank goodness some of my food was sealed, but I would have been in a bad situation had I not been leaving the following day…or further out in backcountry. For this reason, I will be returning the product.