IMO
It would be very handy to know which packs will accommodate a full
sized bearcan in a horizontal position in the body of the pack, not the sleeping bag compartment.
I'm hunting for a new pack now and having a tough time deducing the info. from the various spec. sheets.
Does anyone have a favorite pack that weights under 3-4 pounds that will also carry the can this way, 65 lt +/-.
Full sized-Garcia can or Bearicade, not the half sized "Solo" cans.

Which can? The smaller Bare Boxer will fit in my daypack. The large expedition size Bearikade won't fit horizontally in any backpack.

I think the larger of the ULA backpacks will fit a Garcia or Bearvault in horizontally.

I have taken my Bearikade to the stores to be sure it fits. The Bearikade Weekender is slightly shorter and has a larger circumfrence than the BearVault. What I have found out that many "large" size packs of 3,500+ volume, of various brands work, barely. Unfortunately for me, I fit a "small" size and very few work. The medium Gregory men's Z-50 worked, but was still to long for me. Osprey packs, in general are quite small in top circumfrance and do not work.

The Garcia fits best in most packs but it is heavy for its capacity.

And it is not only whether they fit, it is how they feel, fully loaded, even if they do fit. It may actually carry better if you were to put the food inside your pack in regtangular cubes while on the trail and strap the empty cannister to the top of your pack. Then just put food in the can while in camp.

My temporary solution is to put the bear can vertical in my medium size pack (Mountainsmith Ghost)and stuff tent (Tarptent Moment), or bivy on one side and stuff rain jacket and pants on the other side, sleeping bag in bottom, clothes on top. I have to use the plastic backboard when I do this. It is a chore to fit everything. I have to start out with the gas cannister in the top pocket and solo pot in side pocket.

For longer trips (> 5 days), I have re-designed my external frame Kelty making a special holders on the extension bar for the bear can. I then made own super-light fabric pack. The pack and frame weighs 3.5 pounds. I have plenty of room to get everything inside the pack. Only design flaw so far is that the cannister makes getting into the top of the pack more difficult. If I want to take out a larger item, I have to remove the bear cannister first.

I sure would like to see a light weight pack that is specifically designed to carry a can horizontally.

I know where there is one! A hiker I know made her own pack, from scratch, and the bottom compartment fits a Bearikade Expedition or smaller... or her sleeping bag when she doesn't need a can.

The ULA Catalyst will handle the Bearvault 500 in the horizontal position, so it should handle any of the bear canisters that way.

I am in awe of your experience and judgment but I have to ask: Won't your pack retain the odor of food if you haul it around all day outside of the bear canister? Just curious.

Yes, your pack could smell of food. I generally carry my trail food for the day in the top pocket so it already smells of food. In most cases I take the bear cannister because it is required. I have backpacked many many years in these same areas without a bear cannister. If you are really worried, then obviously, this is not a method you want to use.

By the way, the cannister is not smell proof. Food smells leak out of the cannister when it is in your pack. If you want a smell-proof bear cannister you have to use those smell-proof bags for everything inside the bear cannister.

Good point. And, if one is going to extremes, does our very flesh not smell like, well....meat???

My Six Moon Designs Starlight will hold the Bearicade Weekender horizontally, but at the price of the area where a Platypus like bladder goes. I just relocate the bladder, as the hose is long enough to reach for a sip. This weekend to the Yolla Bolly, I did not need a canister and just placed my water on top of my gear/clothes.

I can fit my Bearikade Weekender in my ULA Circuit horizontally. It will only fit in the top of the pack since the pack is more narrow at the bottom. It is a bit tight, but I prefer it to the vertical position because vertically it pushes the pack against my back and is uncomfortable.

mockturtle- I have a funny story about smelling like meat- I once got caught in dark in Enchanted Gorge (Sierra) and built a fire in the dark then pulled up "grass" and made a bed next to the smouldering fire. I kept smelling food, thought it was my imagination, because by this time I had run out of food. Come morning I found that I had pulled up wild onions for my bed. Just the recipe for a "smoked human" dinner. I guess no bears were nearby!

mockturtle, I think humans smell very different than prey animals, due to ammonia as a human perspiration by product.

I think we're the 'spam' on a bear's menu.
Used only in emergencies.

I have a Gregory Z65 (medium) and a Bearvault 500 fits perfectly inside the main compartment at the bottom - horizontally. It will fit higher if you want to keep your sleeping bag at the bottom, but it is a tight fit. Also, if you keep it at the bottom it is easy to take out through the front access panel. This would be fore the 2009 model. Mine weighs just under 4lbs.

A little Old Spice under the arms helps tremendously. Oh wait...

;-)

I know this topic is old. I pulled my old Granite Gear Nimbus Latitude Ki off the shelf and I was able to fit a Bearakade expedition horizontally in it. The backpack is no longer made, but perhaps other Granite Gear packs can be used for the bigger bear cans.

The ULA Epic peaked my interest as a versatile pack. One of my first thoughts was that it would accomofate a bear can easily.