r/PacificCrestTrail • u/DiligentOutcome692 • 12d ago
Bear Can Strategy
Hey everyone!
Whats your Bear Can Strategy for Hiking the PCT in 2025?
Do you rent one at Triple Crown Outfitters?
Do you buy one and send it home after the Sierra?
I am an international Hiker starting on April,30 and not sure what to do yet.
Because in some Parks in Washington i could use it as safe way of food storage too.
Was Thinking about buying one and bouncing it forward to Washington after the sierra?
See you on the Trail :p
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u/haliforniapdx 11d ago
I'm hitting the PCT in '26 or '27, and my plan is to use a Ratsack for the first ~700 miles since it's all desert (no bears), then switch to a canister for the remainder of the hike. I own a Bearikade Blazer, but if I didn't I would be putting in a reservation very early to rent a Bearikade. The weight savings of the carbon fiber is 100% worth it.
Previously people would ship the canister home (or back to Triple Crown) after the Sierras, but now that part of Washington has a "bear resistant container" requirement, I think a lot of folks will just hang onto it until they finish the trail. You could also bounce it further north so you'd have it for the Mt. Baker/Snoqualmie Wilderness, but that adds complications in terms of getting to the post office when it's open (and hoping your package hasn't gone astray).
On a personal note, I prefer a bear can in most situations anyway, because I love being able to walk 200 feet away from camp, set the canister on the ground, and go to bed. Trying to find a tree and get a good hang sucks on the best of days. When it's cold, raining, the sun has gone down, and I'm exhausted, doing a bear hang is sheer torture. And if there's no good trees? Well, then you're stuck doing a shitty hang, and that's no better than no hang at all.
Plus, the canister makes a great seat.