Bear testing Coolers

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For the Yukon River 1000 mile canoe race, first run in 2009, we were required to keep all of our food in bear resistant containers because we passed through the Yukon-Charlie National Preserve in AK, wherein such containers are required. The race was expected to take about a week, including required random location stops (where ever we happened to be) for 6 hours each "night", (even though it didn't get dark at that time of year).

With a voyageur crew of 7 paddlers and the first year ridiculous race minimum requirement of 20kg (44 pounds!) of food per person, buying and storing onboard enough Garcia type containers to hold it all was not a viable option. (Race officials wanted 3 weeks of food with each racer). We searched long for a solution, then found Yeti coolers, which were certified by successfully surviving the the 60 minute Grizzly test as seen in the video. We filled a 120 liter Yeti cooler with the required weight of food, but ended up only using about a quarter of it by the time we finished the race in 6 days, and no one went hungry. The next year that minimum food requirement weight was thankfully deleted from the race rules. While we saw many bears along the river while paddling, where we stopped for each night we often saw bear tracks, but never saw a live one while we were on shore.
 
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Yetis are quite pricey plus made off shore, great stuff but there is definitely now a snob appeal surcharge on them. I have a Pelican with the same rating plus US made. A major plus is ice lasts for many days. A minus is they take up a lot of room. I can go 4 to 5 days off a standard ice block.
 
I agree that the Yeti is quite pricey and other equivalents are available now at a more reasonable cost. But in 2009 (actually 2008 for race planning and preparation) there was no real other choice if we wanted to be allowed to race the Y1K by the rules.
 
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