I note you are in California.
If you ever head for the Sierras you will not be able to bring a DIY box, or hang, in certain areas - you will be restricted to a short list of approved (tested and certified to be bear resistant) canisters.
Hiking in the Tahoe area, the rangers used to loan out Bear Vaults (yes, free) when you get the permit. In Yosemite you can rent a Garcia cheaply, five bucks for a week. In SEKI you can rent the Bearikade. You can also rent the Bearikade and Garcia by mail from the manufacturers.
For very long outings, a Bearikade is the best in terms of ratio of volume to weight of canister. They are also very expensive but once you have it you are set for life for any trip of that duration.
The very best economical deal for the Sierra hiker who only goes 2-3 nights out is the Bare Boxer Contender, for forty bucks, which is also the lightest canister on the market. If you're getting something just to be critter proof that plus a hanging sack for areas where bear cans are not required would be fine - I'd do that on the California coast where the raccoons are the worry, put the food in the can and hang the trash and anything else that didn't fit in the can.
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