Overview

What this tool is, and who it is for

In bear country, food storage is not optional and the rules vary enough that you cannot assume yesterday's trip rules apply. This planner takes a trip location and returns the bear-resistant storage configuration required there, distinguishing between jurisdictions where canisters are mandatory, where they are recommended, where a properly hung bag is still legal, and where no storage rule applies at all. It also cross-checks the configuration against your trip length and group size, so you know whether the smallest IGBC-approved canister is large enough or whether you need to rent or share a larger one.

Inputs

Change any value to recalculate instantly.

Jurisdiction

Select the land manager that governs the area you will camp in.

Nights

nights

People

people

Reference food volume

9.6 L

Standard planning figure at 1.2 litres of food per person per day.

Results

Computed from the method described below.

Storage rule

Rigid canister required (IGBC approved)

Sierra Nevada interagency food storage order, current compendium

Carry a rigid canister or an IGBC-approved alternative.

Canister fit for this trip

Too small for this trip7.2 L · 1,050 g · Too small for this trip
Comfortable11.4 L · 1,240 g · Comfortable
Too small for this trip8.8 L · 1,180 g · Too small for this trip
Too small for this trip8.5 L · 1,010 g · Too small for this trip
Tight11.0 L · 1,140 g · Tight
Tight10.5 L · 460 g · Tight

—Pick a canister with at least 9.6 L of usable volume.
—First-time users should budget 20 minutes of practice fitting food into a canister at home before the trip.
—Clean and air-dry the canister after use. Storing it dirty and warm is the single biggest reason they start to smell.

What you get

A bear-resistant storage configuration with the regulation cited and a check on whether your pack-out volume fits in your chosen canister.

•Identifies the bear-resistant storage rule by jurisdiction
•Recommends specific IGBC-approved canisters for the trip length and group
•Cross-checks food volume against canister capacity
•Includes hanging-bag rules for jurisdictions that permit them
•Cites the regulation behind each recommendation

Honest limits

Regulations change seasonally. The planner's rule set is current at the time of publication but should be checked against the relevant land manager's most recent compendium before each trip.
Food volume is estimated; your actual need may differ by plus or minus 30 percent depending on trip length, group composition and food choices.
The planner does not model the Ursack-versus-canister debate. In jurisdictions where both are legal, the recommendation is conservative: the canister is the lowest-risk option.

How to use

Step-by-step user guide

How to operate the calculator in your browser, what to enter, and what to do with the result.

01
Select the jurisdiction or land-management agency. The list covers the Sierra Nevada (Inyo, Sequoia, Yosemite, Sierra, Stanislaus, Tahoe, Eldorado, Lassen, Plumas), Adirondack High Peaks, Greater Yellowstone, Glacier, Olympic and several others.
02
Set the trip duration in nights and the group size in people.
03
Read the storage rule: canister required, canister or equivalent, hanging permitted, or no requirement.
04
Read the recommended canister model and its volume. The planner flags when your estimated food volume exceeds the canister.
05
If the trip involves a food hang rather than a canister, the result includes the minimum bag weight and hang height required by the jurisdiction.

The method

What the calculator actually does with the numbers you enter

01
Jurisdictional rules are drawn from the published superintendent's orders, compendiums and interagency policies of the relevant land managers, updated each season.
02
IGBC canister approvals are taken from the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee's published approval list, cross-checked against manufacturer specifications.
03
Food volume is estimated at 1.2 litres per person per day for backpacking meals, the working figure used in most food-planning literature.
04
Where hanging is permitted, minimum bag weight and hang height follow the specific jurisdiction's published standards, not a generic national rule.

References

Published sources behind the formulas

[1]
Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee approved products list
IGBC · 2026
[2]
Sierra Nevada interagency food storage order
US Forest Service / NPS · 2026
[3]
Adirondack High Peaks bear-resistant canister requirement
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation · 2025

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Short, sourced answers to the questions readers send us most often about this calculator.

Are Ursacks a canister?

Ursacks are on the IGBC-approved list in some jurisdictions and not in others. In the Sierra Nevada in 2026, an Ursack Major with the aluminium liner is permitted; in Yosemite specifically, only rigid canisters are accepted. The planner applies the rule of the jurisdiction you select.

Can I rent a canister?

Yes, from most Sierra Nevada ranger stations and from a small number of outdoor retailers near the trailhead. The planner returns the canister model name and capacity so you can call ahead and reserve.

What about trips that cross jurisdictions?

The strictest rule on the trip wins. The planner does not currently model multi-jurisdiction trips; if your trip crosses from one land manager to another, pick the stricter of the two and apply it throughout.

Why is the Sierra so strict?

Decades of food-conditioning incidents, particularly involving black bears that learned to associate packs and bags with food, drove the interagency shift to rigid canisters in the 2000s. The rule is now permanent in most of the Sierra and is being adopted selectively in other ranges.