We felt like it was too heavy and that it was more thn we wanted to spend, but ended up getting one last year with our REI rebate.

We got the Bear Vault 500. It works great for 1-2 people. We carried seven days worth of food for two in last fall. We make all of our own food for the trail so it may be the determining the amount of supplies you can carry in it.

Even though it is supposed to be tough enough to prevent most bears from getting in to it, I still tied it up and hoisted it up into a tree 50 yards or so from camp. Never had a bear try to get it. They do work well for containing food odors. When I take the lid off I can smell my jerky, but I can't smell a thing with the lid on. I realize a bear has a better sense of smell, and may still smell the food, but at least it seems to reduce that possibility to some degree.

It also makes my wife feel a bit more secure, because she has a phobia about bears. Not bad enough not to backpack, but enough to get a food vault.

The bear vault also makes a great stool with the lid screwed down tight. So if you carry a chair of some sort you can eliminate that.

We too invest in quality camping gear versus paying for one time use hotel stays. Waking up to the sounds of nature is way better than the vacuum of the cleaning lady down the hall.