When you find yourself camping, backpacking or hiking in bear country, it helps to, at the very least, have a good idea of what and what not to do around bears. But sometimes you will need some actual protection, which is where something like bear repellent spray comes in handy. Bear spray is much like pepper spray that is bought for self defense, the difference being that it is formulated for a bear's senses, and not a humans. If you get doused with bear repellent spray, however, you definitely will still feel the effects.
Bear Repellent Spray
The basic features that you should understand when buying bear repellent spray.- Distance - Some bear sprays will go farther than others. Bear spray shoots quite far, a lot farther than normal pepper spray, but still, you will have to wait until the bear is relatively close, and so you will likely want a spray that shoots as far as possible.
- Spray Time - The bigger your canister of bear repellent is, the more you will be able to spray. Remember that you might not hit the bear right away, and it might take more than a little spray to dissuade it, so the more you have at your disposal, the better.
Best Bear Repellent Spray
The selection of bear repellent spray is slim, but here are a few good choices.- Counter Assault Bear Repellent (230 grams) - With this size of repellent you will be able to reach a distance of anywhere from 12 to 30 feet, and you will have roughly 7 seconds of spray to work with.
- Counter Assault Bear Repellent (290 grams) - This slightly larger can of spray is also slightly more powerful, going anywhere from 12 to 32 feet in front of you, and will also spray for slightly longer, at about 9.2 seconds.
Bear Repellent Accessories
One of the most critical aspects, when using bear repellent spray, is that you have quick, easy access to the can. Bear repellent spray that is in your backpack is not going to do you any good when a bear is charging at you. Even bear spray that it takes a few seconds to access is probably too far away when the time to use it comes.There are a couple of different ways to solve this problem, but the easiest is by using a bear repellent holster. That particular holster is made by Counter Assault, and is designed to work with both the 230 gram and the 290 gram sizes. It attaches to your belt and the bear spray is held in place by a single strap that is secured with velcro, so that you have easy access to the bear repellent when you need it.
