I'm using a bear canister for the first time - trip to Olympic NP (Washington State) in August.

Can you stuff non-food, non-smelly stuff into your bear canister during the day to save on space, or does that defeat the purpose of the bear canister because then you've rubbed the smell of the food into components of your clothes, tent, sleep gear, etc, that will then be out and fully attracting bears at night?

Just kind of trying to get my head around the new "space" equation in a pack with a bear canister, that your pack doesn't get roomier as you go since I'm guessing you CAN'T put non-smelly's into the bear canister.

I tend to bring a bag of oranges and/or apples along for the first several days of a trip, which would steer me towards the largest bear canister - the BearVault 500 - for even a five night trip, but that would mean I'll have a huge canister for the whole trip.

A little more context - I tend to cold soak, not bring a stove, and am planning to bring my premix cold soak along from home. That, and trailmixy stuff - dried fruits and nuts - and tuna pouches (2/day) and crackers is what I usually eat and so far am planning on eating on this trip.

Also sorting out how to position bear canister. I have a GraniteGear Crown3 Large pack, and the BV500 will only go in it upright, so packing around it. Is there another option to position the canister? I've always put the food, ie, the heavy stuff, bottom of the pack. Does anyone strap the BC on top outside their pack? That seems to me like it would put the bulk of the weight up high, so less balance and more effort?

As I'm getting up to speed on this new practice, general observations, experiences, insights welcome! Thank you.