BearVault BV450 vs BearVault BV500

Good size but when it’s 20 degrees out pushing those plastic tabs to open it when your fingers are half frozen makes for a tricky task. I’ll opt the key canister next time.

I am not weak, just a female with smaller hands and this top was extremely frustrating for me to open. I could do it, but I would rather carry a small tool than fight with this top every time I need food. The top is big and I could not twist with one hand and push the buttons with the other because my fingers were not long enough to get a good grip. I would recommend this with reservations

Sort of like a peel bottle. That's the main concept of how you open it and then you've got this durable body on it and then you know we've loaded ours...

Sort of like a peel bottle. That's the main concept of how you open it and then you've got this durable body on it and then you know we've loaded ours...

(I believe the original ones were heavier than they are now.) I would also like to see them make one that's maybe 2/3 to 1/2 smaller for true soloists who are only going to do a 2-3 night trip on a long weekend. I like to do take off on the weekends and the BV450 is much more room than I need for storing items for what really turns out to be only 2-full days. But other than that, it's a worthwhile investment if you're going to be backpacking!

Definitely robust and sturdy, but after using this once on a 3 night backpacking trip in the Flattops Wilderness, the extra weight is something I probably won't take again unless I'm in a location where such a device is required by governing authorities.

We've never had this problem with the larger size of the same brand. But both my husband and I struggled with it on this one. Maybe it will get easier with time? Or warmer weather?

I Disagree I Was able to fit pretty much this weekend in here. plus add about a quarter left of space. So I guess Adele depends on how much you eat an...

Didn't encounter any bears, but it seems to be pretty strong. Practice opening it before heading out, especially if you're in colder climates where it could be tougher to open.

I have now used this bear canister a couple times in bear country and have to say its pretty durable. I haven't had any bear encounters, but I would hope it would do its job. The canister itself is pretty easy to open with the bump stops even when it was cold and above 12000 ft on Whitney.

Sure, the tabs are somewhat hard to push with frozen hands but any easier and crafty animals could get to it. Besides use in bear country, it will come in real handy to keep other critters out of my food. Price-to-value, this is probably the best REI purchase I have made.

Fits plenty of food. Rated 4 instead of 5 only because of the steep price. I think the company (not REI) could easily sell this for 40-50$ and still make a profit.