Yosemite National Park · National Park Service
Is the BearVault BV500 Journey legal in Yosemite National Park?
Legal
Yes. The BearVault BV500 Journey is on the NPS "Allowed Food Storage Containers" list for Yosemite, so it meets the park's wilderness food-storage rule.
Yosemite requires food to be stored in an allowed canister or a food locker throughout the backcountry. Hanging your food is not a legal alternative. The BV500 appears on the list NPS publishes, and it also carries IGBC certification (cert. 5340 on IGBC's 2026-07-31 list), but in Yosemite only the park's own list counts.
Heads-up before you rely on this
- Source page dated 2018-05-15. The official page we rely on shows a date of 2018-05-15. Land managers may have changed the rule since then, so treat this page as a starting point and re-check the source.
- Official SIBBG list page was unreachable. The Sierra Interagency Black Bear Group site was down for maintenance on 2026-10-26. We used the NPS-hosted copies of the list (Yosemite page and the Sequoia & Kings Canyon PDF).
- Container list last updated 2015. NPS says the Yosemite allowed-container list (last updated 2015) is still valid as of July 2026. New models released since then are not on it.
Verify with the land manager before you go. This pair carries open questions, listed above, and rules change.
What to know
Two caveats we want you to see. First, NPS says the list was last updated in 2015 and is still valid as of July 2026, and one of the NPS pages we cite is dated 2018-05-15. Newer canisters are not on it, and that is why some popular models fail here. Second, the official Sierra Interagency Black Bear Group page (sierrawild.gov) was down when we checked, so we read the NPS-hosted copies of the same list.
One data wrinkle: BearVault's own BV500 page cites IGBC number 5339, while IGBC's July 2026 list shows 5339 for the BV450 and 5340 for the BV500. We use the IGBC list. It does not change the Yosemite answer, because Yosemite checks its own list, not the IGBC number.
The rule in Yosemite National Park
- Requirement
- Food must be stored in an allowed canister or food locker park-wide in the backcountry; hanging is not a legal alternative.
- Accepted
- NPS 'Allowed Food Storage Containers' list (same content as the SIBBG list; list last updated 2015, NPS says still valid as of July 2026)
- Dates
- Year-round per page (needs verification of any seasonal exemptions)
- Source updated
- bearcanisters.htm updated 2018-05-15; containers.htm updated 2026-07-10
- Checked
- 2026-10-26 · verified
- Our notes
- Official SIBBG list page (sierrawild.gov) was down for maintenance on 2026-10-26; list taken from the NPS-hosted copies.
About the BearVault BV500 Journey
- Volume
- 11.5 L (700 cu in)
- Weight
- 2 lb 9 oz (1.16 kg)
- Material
- Rugged polycarbonate and other resins
- IGBC certified
- Yes (cert. 5340)
- On Yosemite / SEKI list
- Yes
- On Olympic list
- Yes
- Spec source
- manufacturer page fetched directly
Specs come from the sources named in "Spec source" and many are incomplete. See every area where the BearVault BV500 Journey is accepted or not →
What else works in Yosemite National Park
| Canister | Verdict | Weight | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|
| BearVault BV450 Jaunt | Legal | 2 lb 1 oz | 7.2 L |
| UDAP No-Fed-Bear | Legal | 2.4 lb | 8.2 (derived from cu in) L |
| BearVault BV250 | Legal | n/a | n/a |
| BearVault BV300 | Legal | n/a | n/a |
| BearVault BV350 | Legal | n/a | n/a |
| BearVault BV400 | Legal | n/a | n/a |
The BearVault BV500 Journey under nearby rules
- Mokelumne Wilderness Bear canisters currently not required (same Stanislaus page). No canister rule
- Sequoia NF Canister strongly recommended, not required. No canister rule
- Mount Rainier National Park Hang or use food-storage poles; canister highly recommended in sub-alpine areas, not required. No canister rule
- Carson-Iceberg Wilderness Bear canisters currently not required (same Stanislaus page). No canister rule
- Olympic National Park Approved Food Storage Container (ARFC) required in all park wilderness areas; only containers on Olympic's lis… Legal
- Inyo NF - Kearsarge Pass Canister required for food/refuse in this order area (one of eight designated areas). Legal
Quick answers
Is the BearVault BV500 Journey legal in Yosemite National Park?
Yes. The BearVault BV500 Journey is on the NPS "Allowed Food Storage Containers" list for Yosemite, so it meets the park's wilderness food-storage rule. Yosemite requires food to be stored in an allowed canister or a food locker throughout the backcountry. Hanging your food is not a legal alternative. The BV500 appears on the list NPS publishes, and it also carries IGBC certification (cert. 5340 on IGBC's 2026-07-31 list), but in Yosemite only the park's own list counts.
What does Yosemite National Park require for food storage?
Food must be stored in an allowed canister or food locker park-wide in the backcountry; hanging is not a legal alternative. Accepted standard: NPS 'Allowed Food Storage Containers' list (same content as the SIBBG list; list last updated 2015, NPS says still valid as of July 2026).
How current is this answer?
We checked Yosemite National Park's official source on 2026-10-26. Source page dated 2018-05-15. Official SIBBG list page was unreachable. Container list last updated 2015. Rules change, so confirm with the land manager before you go.
Can I hang my food instead of carrying a canister in Yosemite?
No. The NPS rule we checked says food must be stored in an allowed canister or a food locker in the backcountry, and hanging is not a legal alternative.
Sources and date checked
Checked . We link the official pages so you can read the rule yourself.