The bear canister that turned into a bowling ball on the PCT

So last summer on the Pacific Crest Trail near Snoqualmie Pass, I watched my buddy Tom try to toss his bear canister down a rocky slope to save time, thinking it would bounce harmlessly. Instead, it hit a boulder at exactly the wrong angle, ricocheted off a tree, and nailed him square in the shin. He limped for 6 miles with a dented canister and a bruise that looked like a purple grapefruit. We both laughed so hard we almost missed the trail marker for the campsite, but now I refuse to let anyone in my group throw or slide their canister, no matter how tired they are. Has anyone else had a gear item turn into a weapon on trail, or is my buddy just uniquely cursed?

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anthony_jackson20d ago

Wait, did he actually think a hard plastic cylinder full of food was gonna bounce like a dodgeball? I read somewhere that bear canisters are basically meant to survive a grizzly smacking them around, so they're about as forgiving as a brick on terrain like that. Honestly, your buddy's lucky it didn't crack his kneecap or something, I've seen YouTube fails where those things just launch straight back at people. That bruise sounds gnarly though, and I bet the dent made it a pain to open for the rest of the trip. Maybe he should just stick to hanging food next time, at least that way the only thing getting hit is a tree branch.