Frontiersman Bear-Proof 11.86L Food Storage Container - Resistant to Animal Intrusion

Ryan: This definitely does it's job and you can fit a lot. I just wish there was a way to keep the lid on without unscrewing everything. We were car camping so this spent most of the time open in the back seat so keeping track of the lid was a pain. It would be nice if the lid hinged on some way then screwed down.

United States on Sep 03, 2023

Jussara: The media could not be loaded.  I bought this item because I am going camping soon and after I read some nice reviews about this item I decided to buy it. It seems like it will do what it's supposed to do.

Canada on Jun 20, 2023

MiGook: So, this is a clever bear can that fits inside my backpack (zpac arc haul) and leaves room for most of my other gear.
The lid is very secure, but takes some time to open (I use dimes and pennies as my tool to open)
The tapered design means less space in the lower half of the can, but actually makes it much easier to pack in the backpack. You can also just cram tons of food. I did a ten day carry with this thing.
It also makes a great stool to sit on!
Cons: It is a bear can, meaning added weight and bulky. It is a pain to carry, but if I am going though an area that requires a bear can, and I need a lot of food, this is a great design.

United States on Sep 10, 2021

Michael SweeneyMichael Sweeney: The media could not be loaded.  The barrel.
This barrel served its purpose as a means of protection for us to prevent various smells from food and aromas from deodorants, anti-septics, and other items. This product kept my mind as ease during overnights in the woods during a multi-day hike along Lake Superior.

Pros:
•keeps smells inside.
•bright orange
•holds a fair bit of food

Cons:
•Takes up majority of a 65L hiking bag.
•The item adds a significant amount of weight to the hiking bag
•a screwdriver, or another item is needed to unscrew the lid. (Do Not Lose the screwdriver or multi-tool needed to access your food or else you’re screwed)
•there are o-rings on the screws which help with loss prevention for the screws.
•the item is very bulky

Overall:
I like the concept of this product, but I was dissatisfied with the execution.
A more light weight product, and much easier access inside would add to its use-ability.

Canada on Jul 25, 2021

Kendalls: I've done an extensive amount of backpacking and have owned and used many different bear cans. This is easily the second worse designed of all of them (the honor of worst design goes to the BearVault canisters). It's pretty clear that little to no design effort went into this thing. A few things of note:

- There are 3 bolts holding on the lid. They need to be unscrewed all the way to take the lid off and screwed all the way on to fasten the lid. This takes FOREVER. Quarter turns (like the Garcia Bear Cans) would've been a much better option here.
- The bolts have a captive washer on them. That means that you can't just set the lid on it to use it as a chair. You have to bolt the lid on all the way, or do what I did and remove the captive washers. I then almost immediately lost them.
- The bear can is very tall and barely fits in my 55 liter backpack. I had to have someone else in my group carry the stove and cook kit. With other bear cans, this wasn't an issue.
- The tapered design doesn't really help with pulling the bear can out of a pack. Unless you've come up with some ingenious packing measures that I've never seen, as soon as you pull the bear can out, all of...

United States on Sep 28, 2020

Patrick Sheaffer: For some reason this isn't highlighted in the marketing materials,, although backpackers should be amongst those most sensitive to the dangers of plastics to human and environmental health. My research suggests that Frontiersman's bear keg is the only one of its type made from this relatively benign material. It's competition and the market leader is made from polycarbonate, composed primarily of BPA, phosgene, Chlorine, and Benzene. Food safety should be a consideration when making a food storage container. That the slim, ergonomic design sits more comfortably in the pack than others is the cherry on top!

Canada on Aug 20, 2020

Amazon Customer: Took this on a recent backcountry camping trip in Killarney Provincial Park and it was perfect! Truly takes about 10 minutes to open but hopefully that also makes it harder for the bears. Very roomy inside, perfect for 2 people for 3 days of meals and snacks. You just have to be a bit strategic about how you load it so you don't end up needing something on the very bottom. We left it in the bush overnight for 2 nights and it was completely untouched by any wildlife. Not sure if we just got lucky no bears found it or if that speaks to its smell-sealing abilities, but we are happy with it so far.

Canada on Jul 19, 2020

Tim: I selected this product over others based on the fact that it is the only bear safe I could find that was advertised to be water proof and air tight. I tried two of them, and neither was as advertised. Water just pours right in and out. I don't know if it is a design problem or a manufacturing problem., but the Sabrered customer service folks stopped replying to my emails when I asked them to verify that some of these actually do seal up. This leads me to think that they have a serious problem and aren't willing to own up to it, and it also makes me suspicious of the positive reviews that praise this thing for being water tight. Perhaps I got unlucky, but I don't really see how the thing is supposed to seal. There isn't a large enough surface for the o ring to seat against.

Given that this bear safe seems NOT to be waterproof and is much harder and slower to open than competitive products (a limitation I was willing to accept if the product was indeed waterproof), I can't recommend it.

Canada on Oct 19, 2018

Dean A. Bauer: I bought this product for an upcoming backpacking trip in Olympic National Park. Well, the backpacking portion of the trip got cancelled so, I never actually got to use the product and ended up returning it. That being said, it's a great design and seemed to be built very solidly. There are no lips or edges for a bear to get hold of. I only gave it 4 stars because I never actually used it. Some cons about it are that it's heavy. I think it weighs in at around 3 pounds, which (in backpacking terms) is a ton. It's also very big and would take up a lot of space in a backpack. However, you would be able to store a lot of food and other items in it so, it's not like it would just be wasted space in your pack. You also need to carry some kind of screwdriver to open and close it. While that design is good for keeping bears out, it makes it a little inconvenient for you to get in. It also means that you have to carry an extra tool (more weight) to open and close it. overall though, I like the product and wish I had gotten a chance to use it out on the trail.

United States on Sep 27, 2018

BeckBeck: (Key points: USE A NICKEL! SEEMS BIG BUT IS PERFECT-FITS 60L! LIGHTER THAN MANY BEAR KEGS! SO COMFORTABLE ON BACK!WOW!) After reading the comments I am a little shocked! Hi, I’m the wife. I have the 60L REI Flash pack (which I love and got it on clearance for $100) just got back from our 22 mile heavy duty NC hike and rented an awfully heavy bear keg-my husband said the shape was making it uncomfortable for him plus the weight-no good! This Orange piece of awesome is incredibly light compared to that keg we used. After about just 3 minutes of jimmying this in my pack, (will take seconds now that I know how I like it) I found a good spot for it-almost touching the bottom-with my (cylinder) sleeping bag and sleeping pad a little under it and going up each side towards the front of my pack. At first I thought it was a bit tight...then it was just fine with the room to spare for my extra clothes and everything else needed on top or in the outer compartments. VERY COMFORTABLE in the pack! Don’t even feel it! I truly believe I found the EASIEST way to open/close this thing. USE A NICKEL! It fits perfectly and stays in the grove so you just spin it! You’ll be surprised how easy it...

United States on Aug 17, 2018