Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Ursack

Can anyone inform me of any law, rule, regulation or anything else in writing, rather than some anecdote, that makes it illegal to use an Ursack on the Mt. Whitney trail this year?

Link. Bear canisters suck IMO. However, that's the price of admission we pay to enjoy Whitney.

The regs for the Inyo National Forest side say "container" (in contrast to the NPS which say "canister"). However, you might consider that the weight of the lightest weight approved canister (the Bare Boxer current spec is 1.6#) is now only 8 oz. heavier than the Ursack with the liner option. You can also use a canister to protect fragile gear (spare sunglasses, camera gear, electronics, etc.). I have the original heavier (1.86#) version of the Bare Boxer, and it fits in a day pack. It's just click it and forget it. I still have a Garcia, useful just in case there isn't a handy bear box when car camping, but it is yesteryear technology so I don't lug it on a trail. The Garcia is still the best stool, though.

Inyo NF used to specifically state which containers are allowed, but their website no longer does so. Call them to be sure, it's best to get it straight from the source.

Here is the official statement from Sequoia/Kings Canyon

http://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getfile&PageID=251535

I have seen occasional statements by one of the SEKI back country rangers on another forum, and he clearly states that the Ursack is not currently allowed in SEKI, and he tells why, too (bears get reward on regular basis, even if they don't tear it completely open).

Glad to see that they have the Bare Boxer on the list, I called before I bought mine and the ranger I spoke to was not sure but she did go out of her way to look at the Bare Boxer website and ask another ranger and he said it was acceptable.

Hi Yesteryear? Garcia: heavy, small, worthless, hard to tie on the pack and has worked since it was put on the market , why would you buy one of those things?

You could buy any of the others that have had recalls and bans and create endless debate about how well they could work after adding more bears to the next to be dead list. Do the testing on the product before it goes on the market.Please! Thank You Doug

I can't find anything related to a recall or ban for the Bare Boxer. I think there were problems with some earlier versions of the BearVault.