Outdoors & Fitness · Head-to-head
BearVault BV475 Trek vs Ursack AllMitey
Which should you buy? Our verdict on both, pulled from our full The Best Bear Canisters: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) comparison.
The BV475 Trek is the container that is accepted in the most places and annoys owners the least, which is the combination that actually keeps food stored properly night after night. The AllMitey is the better carry by a wide margin and adds rodent protection, but only if the unit you are visiting accepts certified soft-sided bags.
BearVault BV475 Trek
Buy itThe wide-mouth, see-through canister that covers the most trips and the most trailheads without a tool or a fight.
- Carries IGBC grizzly certification (listed as #5423), the baseline standard most western land managers point to
- Wide mouth and translucent walls mean you can see and reach your food, which owners consistently rate as the single biggest usability win
- Opens with two thumb tabs, no coin, screwdriver, or cold-finger fumbling required
- About 9.3 liters at roughly 2 lb 4 oz, a strong usable-volume-per-pound ratio for a hard-sided container
- Polycarbonate scratches and hazes over seasons, and a few owners report tab wear after heavy use
- At 10.5 inches tall it is awkward in short or narrow frameless packs
- The advertised 5 to 6 days assumes efficient repackaging; expect fewer days with bulky bars and freeze-dried pouches
Ursack AllMitey
Buy itUnder ten ounces of Kevlar-reinforced fabric that stops bears and rodents, if the place you are going accepts it.
- Weighs well under a pound, roughly a quarter of what a comparable hard canister weighs
- IGBC certified against bears, and the Kevlar layer also resists mice, chipmunks, and marmots, which are the animals that actually ruin most food bags
- Packs flat when empty and conforms to the shape of your pack instead of dictating it
- About 10.65 litres of capacity, more than most mid-size hard canisters
- Not accepted in many of the highest-traffic destinations, which specify hard-sided containers by name; you must check the land manager's list before you leave
- A bear can still crush and pulp the contents even when the bag holds, so fragile food comes out as crumbs
- Requires correct tying to a tree, which is a skill and a failure point that a canister does not have
Side by side
| BearVault BV475 Trek | Ursack AllMitey | |
|---|---|---|
| Our verdict | Buy | Buy |
| Best for | Most backpackers most of the time: solo trips up to about five days, or a pair over a long weekend, anywhere hard-sided containers are required. | Weight-conscious hikers on trails and in states that explicitly allow certified soft-sided bags, and anyone who wants rodent protection as well as bear protection. |
| Price tier | $$ · mid-range | $$$ · premium |
The bottom line
Our overall pick is the BearVault BV475 Trek - The wide-mouth, see-through canister that covers the most trips and the most trailheads without a tool or a fight. Choose the Ursack AllMitey instead if weight-conscious hikers on trails and in states that explicitly allow certified soft-sided bags, and anyone who wants rodent protection as well as bear protection.
Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Bear Canisters: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).