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Does anyone have a suggestion or a lesson, either good or bad, regarding which bags/packs/bear packs that you've used while on a trek? I see lots of pictures with, what I would call "Bear Bag Kegs" however, have not been able to find one for sale, are these homemade or does anyone know where one could be purchased? Any suggestions or reccomendations would be fantastic.
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 1 user thanked Hammond for this useful post.
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I have used a few types of bags, but I'm with Hammond, I use this dry bag for the added benefit of being water-proof: https://www.rei.com/product/883361/sea-to-summit-big-river-dry-bag-65-liters. Just be sure to keep your "food dry bag" reserved for that use on all future trips. You wouldn't want to repurpose it for your clothing bag and have a bear thinking you smell like Jack Link's! I do own the the Garcia container in Hammond's other link, but I don't use it since I try to fit all of my gear and food in one pack for single-portaging. The container is too bulky for that purpose. But if you are portaging a separate gear or food pack, then that wouldn't be too much of an issue. They are definitely durable. I bet a bear could swat that cannister all around the woods with a minimal chance of breaking it open.
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I just use the heavy pack liners, folded over with a little care. At the time, Kondos #3s bought used from outfitter, and I dumped in white caps in October. Half hour or so to shore. First day. Everything in packs was dry.
I've upgraded two (of usual 3) packs and they are nicer but not a make or break deal. Hang one whole pack with food - pulleys and rope.
I do like my CCS deluxe food pack with their stuff sacks made for the pack. Makes keeping it organized very easy.
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We like to use BearVault BV500 Food Containers. They are nice to have when you are in burned out areas with few trees or lots of little critters that might make there way onto a hung pack and chew through. It allows you to have late night snacks around the campfire without having to worry about hanging them up in the dark. We just make sure to scope out a place to set them while there is still enough light. You have to place them in a spot where they won't roll away too far (or into the water  ) if critters do find them and bang them around. We put reflective tape on ours to make them a little more visible. The BearVaults also double as really nice stools when sitting around the fire, especially nice when the logs are rotten or not in a good spot. They must be closed all the way or you will wreck the screw down cap. I am not sure how well the other brands of bear canisters work for this. They are a bit clunkier to carry but we have found them worth it. 
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Our canoe packs are 80 liter rucksacks, some of which are cheapies that we bought in a supermarket. As soon as we arrive in the U.S. or Canada, we head for the nearest Home Depot or Lowes and buy a pack of heavy duty (3mil) 42 gallon contractor clean-up bags. We use these to line our rucksacks and when folded over carefully or tied off, they keep the contents dry in rain - even when there's standing water in the canoe. We carry a number of reserve bags just in case.
At night, all food goes inside a liner and the liner in a rucksack, which is then hung high and well away from the trunk. Fortunately, BWCA, Quetico and Algonquin all have lots of white pines whose long outstanding limbs make great bear trees. Further north, the white pines are missing but fortunately the bears and the little critters are not so used to being around humans.
If you are going where there aren't proper bear trees, well that would seem to be a good argument for buying a barrel. The barrel has another plus too - there are campsites where people have fed chipmunks and these little acrobats go up any tree, out on any limb and down any rope. So far (knock on wood) they haven't nibbled through our contractor bags.
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1 user thanked Chris Hoepker for this useful post.
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