When the REI Co-op Traverse bear canister hit the cabinets this yr, it modified the sport for anybody who camps or backpacks in bear nation. Conventional bear-resistant meals canisters come in numerous sizes, requiring a number of cans for journeys of varied distances or forcing you to hold a bigger measurement than you want for a complete journey.
The distinctive modular design of the brand new REI Co-op Traverse bear canister affords two sizes in a single product. Use the smaller 6.75-liter configuration for shorter journeys or mix two sections for the complete 11.25-liter measurement—appropriate for multiday journeys. As your meals provide decreases, nest one part of the canister into the opposite to release pack house.
The canister is product of sturdy, bear-tested polycarbonate that’s translucent, so prospects can simply see their meals. And its vivid orange shade makes it simpler to identify even at midnight. (Bears scent meals lengthy earlier than they see it.)
“We targeted on making this new canister design as intuitive and as straightforward because it presumably could possibly be,” says Nate Bullock, a senior product designer at REI.
Bear examined, human permitted
REI Co-op designers thought out—and examined—each characteristic of the can to make sure that bears stayed out whereas backpackers may simply get in.
“We did two totally different sorts of analysis methodologies for the bear canister,” explains Bryan Jackler, REI product researcher. One check concerned folks. The opposite one concerned bears.
Preliminary testing with folks centered on ease of use and performance of the modular system. The workforce used prototypes that they created with a 3D printer. “The canister was the primary giant product we ever printed on a 1-to-1 scale,” explains Devin Paschke, supervisor of engineering and product improvement for REI and the mind behind the bear canister.
The workforce despatched these prototypes into the sector with testers—although not in bear territory—and used the suggestions to make enhancements. After a number of 3D-printed prototypes and extra testing, they created a sturdy polycarbonate canister prepared for the largest problem but: dwell grizzly bears.
Spherical No. 1
Early one morning in September 2023, Paschke, Bullock and Dave Gardner, REI senior check engineer, drove to the Washington State College Bear Heart in Pullman to get their product licensed. The Bear Heart and its resident grizzly bears repeatedly check objects like coolers, dumpsters and rubbish cans for bearproofing effectiveness.
To be licensed bear-resistant by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC), a product should stand up to no less than one hour of energetic bear interplay with out the animals gaining entry. Rolling or dragging the canister doesn’t depend as energetic time, says Gardner. Biting, clawing, throwing and different maneuvers, nevertheless, do.
The grizzlies have been launched right into a pen space with a canister crammed with temptations like donuts, honey, kibble and Twinkies. “They took the canister onto the exhausting filth, the grassy floor and the concrete and simply beat it up, throwing it in opposition to logs, the partitions, no matter,” says Paschke. “Some used brute muscle. Some used what the Bear Heart calls ‘chest compressions,’ and a few have been biters, utilizing their enamel.”
One bear submerged the canister in a trough of water. That brought about honey to seep out, Bullock says, however seemingly additionally added weight to create an excellent larger influence when thrown.
One other bear took the canister into its den, a roughly 10×10 cinderblock room. She stood on hind legs and threw it into the wall so exhausting it bounced off and hit one other.
“It didn’t break. It didn’t crack,” says Gardner. “That was a extremely cool factor to see. Simply a type of issues the place you notice how highly effective these animals are.”
In the course of the first check in 2023, nevertheless, one practically 400-pound grizzly named Kio punctured the higher corners of the lid.
The canister failed. The bears gained.
No holes could possibly be bigger than one-quarter inch, says Gardner. Persistent bears can flip small holes into larger ones, in order that model failed to satisfy IGBC requirements, he says.
Again to the drafting board
After analyzing the injury from that check, the co-op workforce refined the design. The bears had been in a position to get an excellent deal with on the lid with their enamel, Gardner says. So, the workforce targeted on modifying the lid in addition to the thickness of the fabric.
Again within the lab in Seattle, they even created a steel probe to imitate the dimensions and form of a bear tooth to measure the drive to puncture the can.
In addition they adjusted the can’s shade from inexperienced to vivid orange after noticing how a lot the canister blended into the grass through the first bear checks, Bullock says.
In June 2024, the co-op workforce returned with a stronger prototype for a second trial run. Due to the modular design, each the smaller configuration and the bigger measurement needed to be individually examined.
This time, the canister gained.
Even Kio, the bear who bit into the canister the primary time round, couldn’t defeat this model.
“I bear in mind watching the clock with seconds ticking by,” says Bullock, as a wave of aid poured over him. “I used to be considering, ‘Hallelujah!”
Extra suggestions
That wasn’t the top of testing, although.
The product testing workforce despatched the bear-approved canister out with professional backpackers on day and in a single day journeys. After practically 30 trials, the backpackers evaluated it in a variety of temperatures and climates.
“Individuals actually liked how the can was modular,” says Jackler. “This can be a little little bit of a sport changer, one thing that they hadn’t seen earlier than.” Some folks felt the canister was barely heavy however although the modularity was value that additional little bit of weight, he provides.
Testers preferred the high-visibility shade. “That orange actually stands out,” says Jackler.
How the two-in-one modular design works
The 2-in-one bear canister consists of three important items that work collectively in a modular design for various meals storage wants. The threaded lid screws onto the center piece when utilizing the canister in its giant measurement. Or screw it onto the underside piece when utilizing the canister in its smaller configuration. Within the smaller measurement, the center piece stacks seamlessly exterior of the underside part. The system nests neatly—and conveniently—collectively.
The user-friendly design incorporates two steel push buttons which can be straightforward to function with out instruments. To open the canister, press down on button No. 1 and twist the lid till it stops. Then press the tab marked No. 2 and proceed unscrewing the lid to open. (Make sure to watch the video for recommendations on open it.)
The objective was to make it as snug and straightforward to make use of as doable for a variety of customers, together with folks with smaller palms or these sporting gloves, says Bullock, who guided the usability and aesthetic design points of the canister. “We deliberately included clear directions and visible cues on each the product itself and the stow sack, realizing that the canister’s distinctive modular design can be unfamiliar to many customers,” says Bullock.
The included carry bag options printed directions to open, shut and convert the canister between sizes. The carry bag’s measurement could be adjusted too. It’s reflective for visibility below a flashlight or headlamp. Lash loops make it straightforward to connect on the skin of a backpack, to the webbing on a raft or through carabiner and strap in a kayak.
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