Tips for Opening Your BearVault

You shouldn’t have to feel like you’re trying to break into a top-security holding facility in some underground Area 51 bunker when opening your BearVault. Safes take a lot of work, or privileged information, to open. ATMs are tricky, I hear. Opening your bear-proof food storage container? That shouldn’t be on the same level! 

But is it? Let’s break it down and figure out how to make getting your snacks as easy as pie… which is an idiotic analogy because making a pie is a pain in the neck.

A grizzly bear tries to get into bear canister in the snow
For bears, opening a BearVault is very difficult!

Are BearVaults Hard to Open?

BearVaults are incredibly difficult to open… for bears! Their sturdy body and lid can withstand the teeth and claws of full-grown grizzlies. But that doesn’t mean it has to be hard for you. 

On the one hand, it’s important to note that opening your BearVault is *simple* because it doesn’t require any tools. There are no screws to fumble around with in your winter gloves. Hard plastic push tabs make locking the lid as simple as screwing it on until you hear two clicks. But it’s fair to acknowledge that the rigidity of those plastic tabs can sometimes make it difficult for people to get in, too.

There are several tips and tricks you can use to ease this inconvenience. We’ll get into those in a bit, but why is it so easy to open one day and hard the next?  

Why is opening a bear canister more difficult when it’s cold?

The plastics that BearVaults are made from are very stable material and hold up to extreme temperatures. That’s how you can backpack in frigidly cold weather and still not worry about cracking your BearVault in a drop. BUT… if you’ve gone to open your Vault for breakfast after a cold mountaintop night, you may have found that it was trickier to get into than usual. 

You probably figure it’s because cold makes the plastic more rigid. This does factor in to some extent, but your BearVault is made of material that doesn’t really change a great deal from a drop in air temperature. Testing in our lab, with canisters extremely frozen down to 0° F  (-17° C), showed that the plastic only became about 20% harder to push in. The bigger issue is the loss of dexterity and strength in your fingers. Warming up your hands before opening your BearVault will help you have the grip and strength needed to get the cold lid off.

Video Instructions for Opening a BearVault

How to Open a Stuck BearVault

A three panel diagram showing how to open a BearVault canister

When closing your BearVault, you don’t have to crank it on tight to make it bear-proof. Just screw it on (clockwise) until you hear two clicks!

With that in mind, one thing that can make the lid seem stuck is twisting in the wrong direction when trying to open it. Double-check that you’re twisting counterclockwise.

Closing the canister too tightly or turning the lid the wrong way can bottom out the threads, making it difficult to turn in the correct direction. Once you double check the direction that the lid needs to turn, get a firm grip by grasping the canister between your legs or get a friend to hold the body while you turn the lid. 

Overstuffing is another cause of jammed lids. Pressure against the inside of the lid, especially from solid items like cutlery, makes it difficult to unscrew. You can prevent this issue by using a canister large enough that you don’t have to stuff it! But if it’s too late for that, tap the canister against a firm surface or shake it firmly. Hopefully, this will rearrange the contents and settle them enough to relieve the pressure. 

Lids that have objects jammed on the inside normally move back and forth slightly while lids that are overtightened do not move at all. 

Tips to Make Opening Your BearVault Easier

So, when it comes time to get into that BearVault, and you can see your breath, what can you do to make it easier? Here are some tried and true tips to get to your oatmeal packets quicker.

1. Use Other Tools

Even though these canisters are designed not to require extra tools, extra tools can still come in handy. Here are a few things that can make your life easier at camp. 

  • Credit Card
  • Bear Can Key
  • Tent Stake
  • Other Rigid Objects like sticks and rocks

Slipping a credit card under the rim of the lid as you approach the nubs makes it easier to slide past. Just place the card at the stopper as you twist the lid counterclockwise. It will act as a ramp for the nub, guiding it around the stopper. For details, check out the video above.

2. Warm Up

Warm hands do a better job of pushing down the tabs when opening your Vault. Go ahead and boil some water and fill your plastic water bottle to hold. Then, when you get into your stash and have access to coffee, it’ll be ready! If you’re doing without a warm breakfast, the classic blow-warm-air-into-cupped-hands can help. So can putting your hands on your torso inside a coat.

3. Break It In

Straight out of the box, the BearVault’s black nubs are very rigid. Over time and through repeated use, they become more pliable. You can accelerate that breaking-in process before your first trip in a couple of different ways. 

After removing the lid, use some pliers to grab the tip of the nubs and gently squeeze them as you wiggle back and forth, simulating the depressing motion. You can also use the corner of a table to press down and massage them back and forth in a similar manner. This will break them in just enough to make it easier to use finger strength to get them past the stoppers. 

Don’t go overboard, of course. The goal, after all, isn’t to make it EASY to get into your BearVault… just easiER. Never file down the nubs or alter the locking mechanism.

Tools for Opening Your BearVault

Although the BearVault is built not to need a tool for opening, using some things you have on hand can be a handy way to simplify the process. 

Getting the tabs pushed in enough is the toughest part of opening the Vault. You can do a couple of different things to make it easier. 

  1. You can offer something for the nub to slide on, like the credit card referenced above or this handy Bear Can key. 
  2. You can give yourself extra pushing power by using something hard to get those tabs down farther. Tent stakes, a closed pocket knife, or other blunt object can work wonders when your fingers are cold. 

Bear Can Key Demo

What WON’T Help

These might seem nonsensical to you, but bad ideas for opening a BearVault need to be called out… you know, for comical relief!

  • DON’T keep your BearVault in your sleeping bag to keep it from getting cold. The way temperature impacts the opening process the most is with your fingers. Keep the BearVault 70 paces away from you tent, where it belongs! Just warm your hands up.
  • DON’T try using the blade of your pocket knife to help slide the nubs past the stopper. It’s way too easy to slip and end up with a gash in your hand instead of an open canister! Close the knife and use it to push on the tabs instead.
  • DON’T just leave it unlatched. It may be tempting not to click it shut, but doing that poses a lot of risk for very little reward. If you don’t hear two clicks, your BearVault is not considered locked and may be easily accessed by a bear or other curious critter. 

It’s far better to bring along an extra tool or use one of the breaking-in tips than run unnecessary risks associated with a canister that isn’t used properly. So latch it properly and keep it away from your tent.

A person chips a BearVault with an axe
Don't open it this way!

Why Your BearVault Must Stay Locked when Unattended

The whole reason you have your BearVault is to protect your stash of trail sustenance. The last thing you want is for Smoky to make off with your freeze dried chili and granola bars so you have to cut your trip short! With the goal of keeping your food (and other scented items) safe, you have to observe these rules.

  1. Keep ALL attractants in your BearVault. That includes things like sunscreen, chapstick, toothpaste, etc… If it goes on your skin or in your mouth, it’s interesting to a bear’s extra sensitive nose. Include these items in your planing to make sure you buy a vault large enough to keep these in there too.
  2. Always screw the lid on through TWO clicks. Double clicking ensures the lid is on tight and won’t be able to be removed by wildlife of any kind. 
  3. Always keep your BearVault away from your tent when not in use. When you finish your meal for the night, resist the temptation to leave it by the campfire. Just screw that lid on and take a quick walk to drop it off 70ish paces away. You don’t want to attract a bear to your tent.

Bears can become conditioned to associate human presence with easy food, which is a big reason many parks and trails are moving towards requiring bear-proof containers. Having YOUR food responsibly stored is how you contribute to a safer outdoors. 

But that doesn’t mean you can zone out and ignore your surroundings, as attractive as that may sound as you slog through the week in an attempt to reach the coveted weekend adventure! 

Stay bear aware when in camp and on the trail. Watch for signs of wildlife activity. Make noise as you hike. Get an idea of how to decode bear behavior and be prepared for an encounter before you leave your car behind and head into the wilderness. And when it’s time to set up camp, use whatever safe method you’ve figured out and open your BearVault so you can chow down. 

BearVault Logo