Just my 2 cents - get the canister that will hold all of your food. I dont think there is a enough weight difference between the small canisters and the big ones to be worth the hassle of dealing with any food that doesn't fit. I have a Bearvault which is a few years old and no longer approved for certain areas - I'm planning to get the big Bearikade to replace it. Expensive, I know, but worth it since I have never heard of any failure, ever, anywhere, with a Bearikade, and they hold more food per ounce of canister than any other. Having lost food to a bear after a textbook- perfect hang, and having camped where I didn't really want to just to have a good hanging tree, and having my stuff sack chewed into by squirrels and such, I now carry a canister even in areas whre I don't absolutely have to, becuase it just makes life so much simpler. And I have a nice campstool to boot.