bear cans

i get what theyre used for. but ive never used one.... is there any benefit to say, putting your food suspended by cord up in a tree?

im saying this because i use a mesh bag to hold all my food in..., it seems simple enough to find a y branch in a tree thats high enough and far enough from camp to tie a long peice of paracord to it and suspend it up in a tree...

There are several ways to keep bears from getting at your food. Hanging is one and is also the lightest weight way. Other alternatives are bear-resistant food bags such as the Ursak and bear canisters.

In several parts of the western U.S., bear canisters are required by the managing agency and you can be subject to a stiff fine and banishment from the trail if you don't have one.

Bears are quick learners and many have figured out how to get hung food down from where it is hung. That is why bear canisters are required; the local bears have figured out how to get hung food.

I note that you are in Minnesota. I am not aware of any part of Minnesota that requires bear canisters so you should be all right if you carefully hang your food. Google the PCT hang for the best way to protect your food.

What Pika said.

Also, because I have run into people confused by this - you do not tie the bear can to anything, nor do you leave straps, ropes, or carry case (the Garcia model has an optional case you can use to strap the can to your pack) on the can when it is being used to store food. This only gives the bear something to grab and use to drag away the can, leaving you with no food whatsoever and giving the bear plenty of time to figure out how to drop the can on a rock to get in.

The can is round and fat so it can't easily be manipulated by a bear - if they could get their mouth around it, they could break the plastic. A couple of bears have figured out how to bite the tabs off the Bear Vault lid. Once bears figure out our food is really great stuff, they go to great lengths to get it, so really, whatever measure you take in regions where bears are habituated is just "bear resistant" - given time the bears will figure out how to get in.

I'd say that hanging your food is the best option for most people in most cases; cans are heavier and harder to pack. Bear cans (like cooking stoves) are required in some areas, so it's good to have one. I'll use one instead of a bag hanging setup when I camp up in Alaska just for the extra peace of mind. They also protect your food if you're camping up above the treeline, whereas most bags will not.

I use a canister only where required. Otherwise I use an Ursack. I don't hang my food because I can't throw!