9 Best Bear Bags & Canisters for Camping & Hiking

Imagine a bag that’s very nearly as effective in deterring grizzly bears and black bears as a hard-sided canister. That, folks, is precisely what the awesome Ursack Major offers.

This bag is the ideal solution for campers and backpackers who want to avoid the bulk and weight of a canister but don’t want to compromise on security. Like all bags, the UM is far more portable than any canister. And despite weighing a fairly hefty 8.8 oz., it’s still around four or five times lighter than most canisters.

What we love most about the UM is its versatility. While you could use it in a traditional bear hang, it’s so tough that Ursack recommends simply tying it to a tree trunk. And if you’re in tree-free terrain, you can simply stash it under a rock at least 200 ft from camp – any ursine that finds it might crush the contents, but their chances of eating them are minimal.

There’s no getting around the fact that this is a very pricey bag and much heavier than other stuff sacks. As such, it might be overkill if you’re proficient in creating tree hangs, know you’ll be able to find a suitable tree en route and won’t be in an area where IGBC certification is required. If none of the above apply, however, it’s the best bear bag in the business.

If you’re looking for a tree-hang bag for long-term backpacking camping trips in iffy weather, the Sea to Summit eVAC is a safe bet.

Like most bags not made by Ursack, the eVAC isn’t certified bear-resistant. It is, however, fully waterproof, tough for the weight, and has a trick up its sleeve.

The eVAC is air-permeable, which sounds nutty given that its core function is to keep its contents dry. However, this feature allows air to be pushed out yet prevents water from entering, which means you get a far tighter, space-saving bundle to store in your backpack.

Is this worth the added cost? This comes down to how you plan on using it. If you’re on a thru-hike and pack space is at a premium, the answer is a resounding ‘yes’. If you’re car camping or heading for a shorter backpacking trip, you might want to save some $ and opt for a cheaper, more basic stuff sack like the Liberty Mountain (below).

Liberty Mountain Stuff Sacks are a frequent sight on popular thru-hikes, and there’s a good reason behind their popularity. They’re cheap, functional, durable, and the ideal food bag for tree branch hangs.

How much food do you need to carry? Whatever the answer, these tidy little sacks have you covered as they’re available in 4 sizes, ranging from S to XL.

In size medium, these bags weigh just 3.2 ounces, so they’re a great option for backpacking and thru-hiking. They aren’t waterproof, but the 210-denier coated oxford fabric should keep the contents dry as long as you don’t get hit by a heavy downpour.

LM sacks are available in several colors, allowing you to keep your kit organized by color coding. Their cord-lock and drawstring closure makes them easier to use than roll-tops, while the burly grab handle lets you attach them to any hanging system with ease.

If you plan on hanging your food out of the reach of marauding bears and need to keep weight to an absolute minimum, look no further than the Skog Å Kust LiteSåk 2.0.

The LiteSåk 2.0 is available in sizes ranging from 1.5 liters to 40 liters. It weighs just 1 oz. in the 1.5-liter size, 2.5 oz. in the 10-liter size, and 4.23 oz. in the 40-liter size. This makes it the lightest bag on our list by a sizeable margin, and a shoo-in for ounce counters.

Despite its light weight, this is a highly practical bag. The 2.0’s 70-denier rip-stop fabric is three times higher than the previous version (and most ultralight competitors), while its silicone coating gives it an IPX-6 waterproof rating. This means it’s one of the toughest and most waterproof UL sacks in the business.

Each bag size has a space-saving roll-top closure and comes with two burly D-rings and an integrated carabiner that make it easy to attach to your backpack and/or haul when using a tree hang.

Like the winner of our review, the Ursack Major, the appropriately named Ursack AllMitey offers a happy medium between the security of a canister and the portability of a bag.

Made with bulletproof Kevlar materials, the AllMitey is even more reliable than the Ursack Major when it comes to thwarting the intentions of hungry bears and other critters. Like the UM, it’s also IGBC-certified, so can be used in parks and wilderness areas that require you to use bear-resistant products.

At 9.5 oz., the AllMitey is the heaviest bag on our list. This potential drawback, however, is mitigated by its ability to hold up to 5 days’ worth of food – roughly the same amount as a canister weighing between 35 and 45 oz.

The second major drawback is the price, which is around the same as you might expect to pay for a mid-range backpack. Then again, how many backpacks out there will keep your food supply safe from insistent and smart bears?

Over the years, we’ve tried several different canisters on hikes in bear country and none of them have come close to matching the BV500 for user-friendliness and reliability.

The BV500 is made from tough, transparent polycarbonate material, and has an 11.5-liter capacity. Despite this, it weighs just 2 lbs. and 9 oz., giving it the best weight-to-volume ratio of all the canisters on our list. While it’s as bulky as any canister, its built-in carry straps make it easy to lash to the exterior of your pack, so you won’t need to buy a separate carry case.

While the weight and capacities are the biggies, there are a few other attributes that make the BV500 our go-to canister.

For starters, it has a contoured exterior with ridges that make it easier to handle especially with wet or sweaty hands. The top opening also measures 8.7” in diameter, so it’s easy to get stuff (food and hands) in and out. That wide diameter also makes it pretty comfortable as a makeshift stool!

The CA Food keg is a great option for car camping and shorter backpacking trips.

Weighing 3 lbs. and 10 oz., this is the heaviest food container on our list, but has a few attributes that will make it worth the extra weight for some buyers.

First up, its closure system takes the form of three stainless-steel locks that are very easy for humans to open with a coin multitool, but impossible for even the wiliest of bears.

Secondly, its lemon-yellow, opaque coloring means bears and other hikers won’t be able to see what’s inside your stash, so they’ll be less likely to try and access it.

Thirdly, that ultra-secure closure, combined with its ultra-strong polymer construction has earned it certification from both the IGBC and the SIBBG, so it can be used in all national and state parks.

And the downsides? In addition to its hefty weight, it is a little tricky to open and we would have appreciated the addition of something we could use to attach it to our backpacks.

The Garcia Backpacker’s Cache is a solid alternative to the BV500 if you’re looking for an opaque-colored canister with steel-screw closure.

This canister, which is rented to campers by several national parks, is made with virtually bombproof ABS polymer. This makes it a little on the heavy side for the size (10L) but is worth it for the added peace of mind. Its smooth sides and rounded edges also make it almost impossible for bears to grip onto and easy to slide into a pack.

Like the Counter Assault Keg, the Cache 812 uses stainless-steel locks that are easy for us humans to open with a coin, even in cold weather, but can’t be breached by bears.

If you want an ultra-secure canister without paying too hefty a weight penalty, your search can end here!

The Upad No-fed is the lightest and most compact canister on our list, tipping the scales at just 36 ounces and measuring just 10 inches high by 8 inches wide. It’s also the cheapest, outpricing all other options on our list by the cost of a mid-trail meal or a few pounds of fancy trail mix!

Like all of the containers we’ve reviewed, this one is certified bear-resistant and tough as nails. While not as large as the BV500, and a little fiddlier to open, it’s big enough for 3-4 day backpacking trips and is a little more secure (if it’s trickier for a human to open, it’s also trickier for bears!).