Bear canister field guide
Is your bear canister legal here?
Pick a park or forest and your canister. You get a dated answer from the official rule, with a link to the source and a note where we are unsure.
Is my canister legal here?
Example shown. Change either box.
Not legal
BearVault BV ONE Adjustable in Yosemite National Park: does not meet the rule.
Not on the Yosemite/SEKI list as reproduced by NPS. IGBC certification alone is NOT accepted here. BearVault confirms the BV ONE is not approved for these parks; BV425/BV475 are absent from the list.
Area rule Food must be stored in an allowed canister or food locker park-wide in the backcountry; hanging is not a legal alternative.
Read the full answerChecked 2026-10-26. Always verify with the land manager before you go.
Questions people ask first
- Yosemite National ParkBearVault BV500 JourneyLegal: is it legal?
- Yosemite National ParkBearVault BV ONE AdjustableNot legal: is it legal?
- Sequoia & Kings Canyon NPs - Rae Lakes LoopBearVault BV500 JourneyLegal: is it legal?
- Rocky Mountain National ParkBearVault BV500 JourneyLikely legal: is it legal?
- Olympic National ParkGrub Can Wave 6.6 LNot legal: is it legal?
More canisters that fail where you would expect them to pass →
Six answers, never a bare yes
Where a rule is clear, we say LEGAL or NOT LEGAL. Where it is not, we say LIKELY LEGAL or VERIFY, and why.
- Legal
- Likely legal
- Allowed, not required
- No canister rule
- Not legal
- Verify first
Browse by state
Ending soon
Quick answers
Is IGBC certification enough to be legal everywhere?
No. Some areas follow the IGBC certification, but others name their own list. For example, Yosemite and Sequoia & Kings Canyon use a shorter list, and Olympic has its own. A certified canister can be refused if it is not on the area's list.
Where do these rules come from?
Each rule is read from the land manager's own page and linked on its area page. We checked them on 2026-10-26. See how we verify for the status vocabulary.
What if my area is not here?
We cover 58 areas now. 6 more are in our data but not yet verified, so they have no page. For any other area, ask the land manager.
Does a LEGAL verdict guarantee a ranger will accept it?
No. It means the canister meets the written rule we found on the date shown. Rangers and orders have the final word, so confirm with the land manager.
Open data: the same 64 areas and 45 models are free to download as CSV or JSON.