Letter: We’re gonna need a bigger backpack

When I discovered that the Forest Service had decreed that bear canisters are now required to enter the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness, and being the law-abiding citizen that I am, I acquired one. Is anyone at the USFS aware of how large these things are? I could take a bath in it. I could pack enough rice to cross the Himalayas (are there bears there?). If Shamu needs a vacation tank …

You’d imagine a bunch of guys and gals who spend all their time huffing it through the woods would have noticed that the bear canister is a fantasy for a backpacker who has spent years fine-tuning real estate for every last cubic centimeter of pack space.

Justin Patrick

Colorado