About me
My wife and I are avid canoeists, and spend much of our vacation time traveling in bear country. We like to go deep into the forest and away from civilization whenever possible. Most of our travel has been by canoe, and occasionally by portages less than a mile. If the kids took kayaks, then we became their “mother ship”. If they took canoes, then we shared our inventory.
We raised our family this way, and they ate a lot on these adventures. Nearly every trip brought the same challenges…How to safely store quantities of food in a bear’s home pantry? More times than not, we wound up hanging our food between trees like an outlaw fresh out of luck. But this strictly limited our choice of campsites. I went on a quest for a better way.
My answer came in a scaled down version of the 55 gallon steel drum that many large outfitters use in Alaska to protect their food stocks. For us, size did matter, so the 55 wouldn’t do. I wanted something that would still provide the large mouth of the steel drums, so finding food and organizing food would be a very minor challenge. It had to be airtight and watertight, since we spend most of our time at or on the water. It had to be amazingly durable, since we often travel over rugged ground and around rivers. It had to be bear resistant, or it wouldn’t be worth the investment. It had to be relatively inexpensive, yet hold enough food for a family of 6 to eat comfortably for a week or two. And it had to be small enough to fit in a canoe and carry over short portages. 10 gallons was the right size. And now that I had it, the challenge was getting it tested and approved. Since this little baby was up to the challenge…The Original, one and only BEAR STOP IGBC Approved 10 Gallon Steel Drum was born, and we haven’t looked back.
After years of personal enjoyment, I've decided to share my prize with fellow outdoors enthusiasts. So I've launched this small upstart business to serve the community I love. Stay safe! Practice no trace! And be a good steward of our wild outdoors!
To view a copy of the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee’s 2010 report on bear resistant containers, check out this PDF! IGBC Certified Bear-Resistant Equipment and Electric Fences ...
Posted 08/2010
My wife and I are avid canoeists, and spend much of our vacation time traveling in bear country. We like to go deep into the forest and away from civilization whenever possible. Most of our travel has been by canoe, and occasionally by portages less than a mile. If the kids took kayaks, then we became their “mother ship”. If they took canoes, then we shared our inventory.
We raised our family this way, and they ate a lot on these adventures. Nearly every trip brought the same challenges…How to safely store quantities of food in a bear’s home pantry? More times than not, we wound up hanging our food between trees like an outlaw fresh out of luck. But this strictly limited our choice of campsites. I went on a quest for a better way.
My answer came in a scaled down version of the 55 gallon steel drum that many large outfitters use in Alaska to protect their food stocks. For us, size did matter, so the 55 wouldn’t do. I wanted something that would still provide the large mouth of the steel drums, so finding food and organizing food would be a very minor challenge. It had to be airtight and watertight, since we spend most of our time at or on the water. It had to be amazingly durable, since we often travel over rugged ground and around rivers. It had to be bear resistant, or it wouldn’t be worth the investment. It had to be relatively inexpensive, yet hold enough food for a family of 6 to eat comfortably for a week or two. And it had to be small enough to fit in a canoe and carry over short portages. 10 gallons was the right size. And now that I had it, the challenge was getting it tested and approved. Since this little baby was up to the challenge…The Original, one and only BEAR STOP IGBC Approved 10 Gallon Steel Drum was born, and we haven’t looked back.
After years of personal enjoyment, I've decided to share my prize with fellow outdoors enthusiasts. So I've launched this small upstart business to serve the community I love. Stay safe! Practice no trace! And be a good steward of our wild outdoors!
To view a copy of the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee’s 2010 report on bear resistant containers, check out this PDF! IGBC Certified Bear-Resistant Equipment and Electric Fences ...
Posted 08/2010