Recommended Bear Spray Brands

[screaminreel]

What are some of the quality recommended bear spray brands out there?

[TIKKAM65]

Not sure the brand but wholsale in calgary has them at the specialty camping booth. They are 40$ if I remeber right. You have to sign your life away on them, try and buy a harness for one if they have any in stock.

[bigalcal]

MEC

[ÜberFly]

x 2!

MEC

[SilverDoctor]

The one you don't have to use.

[jasonvilly]

I prefer a flamethrower, PIA, to hike with but it will 100% save your life. Plus starting your campfire is a breeze.

[Nachako]

One that has a long expiry date , a safety on the trigger, at lease 1% capsaicin and come with a holder to store outside your pack. There are a lot to choose from in the 225 gr range just keep these things in mind.

[Flyfisher]

Frontiersman is an excellent spray and set up.

[Vagabond]

I like both Marlin and Chiappa,the latter packs more conveniently for fishing.

[SilverDoctor]

I carry the Frontiersman, its 0.857% capsaicin. Don't know if its the best but is readily available.

[FlyFishingEMT]

Has anyone here ever had to use bear spray?

[Nachako]

With all these years spent in BNP I don't think I know anyone that has . But in emptying some expired cans over the years have gotten a whiff of the capsaicin . It is nasty s..t

[Vagabond]

Kinda like a smoke alarm....Better to have it and not need it,then to need it and not have it.

[FlyFishingEMT]

Yeah for sure a good thing to have just wondering out of all the guys on this forum I would think someone may have used it at some point.

[Taco]

I used it on a beer thieving black bear and a couple of pissed off holstein bulls........all of them departed in a helluva hurry and seemed to learn a life lesson or two.

[SilverDoctor]

Ran into bears more than a few times over the years but never had to use it. Had it out with a Black Bear once that was snapping and popping as it approached head down but it turned after I backed away and talked it down. I actually think I carry it more for humans and dogs. than bears. Had much more problems with them than the multitude of bear encounters.

[screaminreel]

Thanks for the replies.

 

Can I take it across the border by vehicle and does it need to be declared?

[bigalcal]

If I could "copy & paste" links to this dam forum I would include a link from US border services that says "Yes"!! I'm getting a bit ticked that I can't copy links!! WTF!

[Fishscape]

I have used it. It works.

 

Was followed and approached by an aggressive black bear in the Yukon. My field assistant and I bounced some rock samples off him, which did not stop him. He continued to approach rapidly as we backed up. First can we sprayed did not go far enough (less than 3 m, no wind). Waited for him to approach to within 2 m, then gave him a cloud. After a second or so, he took off in the brush. No trees about, could have gotten very ugly. Bear was drooling a lot, could have possibly been sick or something. Never had trouble with grizzlies. As long as you give them warning, they usually take off.

[Fishscape]

I should mention, unless you carry it all the time and can grab it in a hurry, it don't matter what brand you got.

[albertatrout]

I don't think brand matters all that much, the most important thing is if it makes you feel comfortable in the bush and is available if you need it. I have had dozens of close bear encounters and haven't used spray yet. Unfortunately for one black bear, i was packing and had a tag in the pocket when he decided to get aggressive (I didn't want that one but it worked out well). He had become habituated to random campers leaving trash everywhere and from what i understand it wasn't his first human encounter by any stretch.

I have also thrown rocks a few times and that worked well (even though the bear aware training generally says it's a bad idea, personal experience says otherwise) and I have had the trigger off the spray ready for use several times. I strongly recommend a holster, makes it safer and more convenient for you to carry the cans, it is ugly when you wipe out or drop your pack and they puncture, holsters help.

[Vagabond]

A good buddy of mine was mauled a bit and roughed up by a black....luckily he escaped virtually without a scratch,and a healthy respect for the power of even a small bear.Suffice to say that I don't care how big you are,or how tough you think you are,a 200lb bear is 5x tougher and stronger.

[Muffin]

Sometimes I like to use my fly rod like a fencing sword and see how many points I can get on the bear. The problem I have found is that the bear apparently doesn't keep a points system, more of a plays for keeps.