Less stress, increased peace of mind 
· More time at camp to relax instead of thinking of ways to store food
· Guaranteed food supply if bears or other animals visit your camp
· No aborted trips because bears ate your food
· No need to search for the right tree or carry ropes and food sacs for counter-balancing and no need to search for or depend on food cables
· Increased safety for you and protection of wild animals from food conditioning

Bear resistant canisters are an easy and effective way to protect your food supply and help prevent bear problems in the backcountry.  However, correct and consistent use of the canisters is also important. Because bears learn about food sources through association it is important to be consistent with canister use and storage. Besides being careful to lock all bear attractants in the canister you should store the canister a safe distance from your camp. However, do not hang them from a tree since ropes or bags attached to the canister will enable a bear to carry it away, possibly out of sight. Bears that have found food at campsites in the past should be allowed to investigate canisters without interference to learn that they cannot get a meal from them. They will naturally be attracted to the food smells coming from the canister or the cooking site nearby. After a few tries they will look for food elsewhere and ignore the canisters and your campsite.

Remember, when you are using a canister ALL scented items - food, toiletries and garbage - must fit inside the canister throughout your entire trip unless you are in attendance or actively preparing your food.  Canisters do not contain all odors and habituated bears may attempt to open them.  However, bears learn quickly that they cannot open the canisters and soon learn to ignore them.

How to do it

• Choose the right foods.
• Measure out every meal.
• Carry the first two meals outside of the canister: lunch and dinner.
• At the trailhead, make sure that ALL food, trash, toiletries and scented items will fit inside the canister the first night.
• Put the canister and your kitchen at least 100 feet from your sleeping area.
• Leave the canister on the ground.  Do not hang the canister from a tree.
• Never leave canisters open and unattended, rather leave them locked unless actively retrieving items or putting them away.
• Likewise, never leave backpacks unattended along the trail while making a pit stop.  If necessary, remove canister from backpack so that bears can investigate the food odors without damaging your pack.
• Remember to check pockets of clothing and backpacks for any forgotten scented items and place them in your canister.
• Include a large re-sealable bag that you can dump cooked food into and lock in the canister if a bear should approach your camp while you are cooking or eating.
• When it is time to eat, take out only the foods that you need for the meal, repack the remaining contents, and relock the canister while cooking and eating.
• While cooking, avoid putting canister near heat and fire and never place camp stoves on top of canisters. The canisters can melt and warped lids will not close properly.

Food Choices

Choose foods that are compact, compressible and high in calories.  This includes rice, tortillas, jerky, flat pastas, dehydrated powders, nuts, dried fruits, peanut butter, candy and nutritional bars. Since you are trying to put as much food in the canister as you can, think about volume while you purchasing food.  For example, instead of bread rolls, buy tortillas.  Instead of macaroni, choose spaghetti.  You get the picture - don’t waste space on bulky food items.  In bear country it is wise to leave strongly-scented items behind.

Plan Your Menu

Carefully count every meal that you will be eating.  By doing this, you will save weight and space.  Put all the food on a table and plan each meal, snack, drink and condiment.  Pre-measure and pre-mix your food. A good reference is the “National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) Cookbook”.

Repackage Your Food

Take food out of its original package.  This allows you to fit more food inside a canister and reduces the amount of garbage you generate. Repackage food from boxes, bottles, jars and cans into re-sealable plastic bags.  These bags are flexible and fit into small spaces.  Force air out of packages.  Poke tiny holes in freeze-dried packages to release the air.  Save instructions for cooking and put inside meal bags.  Write food contents on outside of bags with a permanent marker.

Toiletries

Pack toiletries similarly to foods.  Put toothpaste, soap, sunscreen, bug repellent, etc. into small containers.  Stores sell small, lightweight plastic containers that work well for this.  Don’t take more than you need.

What are the requirements for a canister to be considered bear-resistant?

Canisters must pass specific tests to be approved by most agencies as bear-resistant. The Sierra Interagency Black Bear Committee and Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks use an impact test followed by field tests with bears in zoos for the initial approval. They must also pass the test with wild bears. If bears in the wild are able to obtain any food rewards from the container or carry it away it will be removed from the approved list.