Review: Bear Vault BV450

Testing a bear canister proves challenging, as to fully appreciate the worth of your product, you have to encounter a bear. I wasn’t willing to go that far, but from a user’s perspective, the BV450 seems to have everything you could ask for. First of all, it took me several minutes to open it with instructions, so that speaks to the security of the canister’s closure system—or maybe to my stupidity and lack of upper-body strength. The canister is see-through, which I liked because I knew where things were without digging around much. It weighs two pounds empty and carries food for about four days. BearVault also makes a 500 model, which is designed for a week’s worth of victuals. For those of you traveling in bear country this summer, if you haven’t used a canister before, this one is worth a look. $80; bearvault.com.