Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Bear-Resistant Food Container

I agree that tests should be fair. But I think that the Ursack is far more prone to user error or misuse than a Garcia or a Bearikade, and that this may properly be a factor in designing a testing protocol.

For example, a lot of folks will admit to the fact that tying the knot tight enough to prevent leaving an opening for an inquisitive claw is pretty tough. And many folks don't bother with a liner, whether of the smell-depressing kind or the structure-bolstering kind. So I think it is reasonable to design the test around the specific challenges posed by and vulnerabilities of the product you are testing. IMHO, the Ursack, wonderful as it is (and I do use mine in Desolation Wilderness, among other places, where it is legal), is not similarly situated to the Garcia and Bearikade, and there is a reasonable basis for testing it based on its particular engineering and vulnerabilities.

I didn't list the Bear Vault because it raises an interesting issue (I have one of those too). Word is that it's not just that rogue bear on the East Coast that has figured out to break into it (and then taught all her rogue bear friends), but that at least one bear some where around our parts, near Onion Valley/Kearsarge Pass, that has as well. The Bear Vault is a great product -- wide mouth, see-through, no tool need to open it, reasonably lightweight, well-priced compared to the Bearikade, if hard to open -- but we'll have to see how/whether it maintains its approval. I understand it already was modified a while back, and that may not be enough for some bears.