Just did my first trip with a bear canister. My wife and I are from MA but went out to Sequoia NP for a 5 day/4 night trip.

They're required out there, so we bought one canister ahead of time so we could figure out how to get enough food in it, and succeeded in keeping our stuff small enough to fit enough food for both of us for the entire trip, plus our garbage and toiletries. It was a close fit, but it worked.

I have to say, I didn't mind it nearly as much as I thought I would. We got to our first campsite pretty late in the day and it was a luxury to not have to find a suitable place for a bear bag and deal with setting it up. It's also much easier to access the canister if you need to get something out or put something in that you forgot about. Even better, you don't have to worry about rodents either.

The peace of mind and convenience is worth the 3 lbs in my opinion, and I'll be taking the canister with me from now on. It's pretty amazing what you can fit in those things if you put the effort in, and like I said, to me it's worth the weight.