One of the big problems that hikers are having in the Sierras is with the bears. The National Park Service and the US Forest Service are making requirements in more areas of the backcountry that your food be stored in a bear box or that you have a Bear Resistant Container. Hanging your food will not do anymore. Some areas even require that you have a bear resistant container with you to store your food, and some of the backcountry wilderness permits require that you take a bear resistant container with you in the backcountry.

One of the pioneers in the development of bear resistant containers is Garcia Machine, makers of the Backpackers' Cache. These units have been tried and tested at Denali, Glacier Bay and Yosemite National Parks.

Model 812 is their newest and lightest model yet. It measures 8.8" in dia. X 12" long, and weights 2.7 lbs. It holds 6 person-days of food. That means if you are headed for the backcountry for 6 days, and there are 2 in your group, you will each need a bear container.

Garcia Machine states:

"Keeping your precious food supply from wild animals is crucial for an enjoyable and safe outdoor experience. Allowing bears access to human food can lead to dangerous, conditioned behavior. It is tragic that every year nuisance bears that become a threat to humans must be destroyed. Documented studies have shown that the use of the Bear Cache has drastically reduced the seriousness and frequency of camper/bear incidents. Backpackers do not lose their food, bears are not rewarded and lose interest in raiding camps."

So what is the cost of these food containers? Well you can rent them at some of the Ranger Stations for $5 a day per container. You can buy them from Garcia Machine for $75 + tax and $5 for shipping, or you can buy them from your local retail store that carries them, cost $75 + tax.

They also make an optional carrying case, with webbing straps and buckles that will allow the container to be fastened to a backpack, pack animal or hand carried. Cost $18 +tax.