Showerthought: A bear can in the Sierra changed my whole food plan

I was on the John Muir Trail near Tuolumne Meadows last fall and my bear can was so full I had to sit on it to close it. A ranger saw me and said to pack my food in ziplocks first, then press the air out before putting it in the can. Now I can fit almost two more days of food in the same can. What's your best trick for fitting more food in a bear can?

3 comments

3 Comments

tylermartin16d ago

Repack all my food into freezer bags and roll them like burritos. Gets rid of all the dead air the manufacturers leave in there.

irisjenkins21d ago

My first trip in the Adirondacks, I had a Garcia can so overstuffed I had to use a rock to jam the lid down. I was eating peanut butter with a spoon for two days just to make space. Now I repack everything from boxes into bags and smash it flat. A bag of instant mashed potatoes goes from a fluffy pillow to a sad, thin pancake that takes up no room at all.

hannah_west21d ago

Yeah, the ziplock trick is a total game changer. I take it a step further and use a vacuum sealer for anything that won't get crushed, like pasta or oatmeal. It turns a bulky bag into a flat brick. Just remember to label them with a sharpie because everything looks the same once it's sealed.