Bear spray and bear bag

imported
#1

Is bear spray a good idea? What do most use for a bear bag? Opinions please.

On Foot

#2

Bear spray is unnecessary on the AT, but you may want to carry it for aggressive dogs. Most trustworthy brand is Counter Assault, you can order it on the internet or at many outfitters. If you go to the Western states you definitely will want to carry bear spray if you’re in grizz country.

Any stuff sack will do for a food bag. Ursack does nothing, as the bears will stomp your food to powder if they get ahold of it even if they can’t rip it apart and slobber all over it.

U-BOLT

#3

just spent the past few days out on the AT. fantastic beautiful weather. i did realize that i don’t want to be worrying about my food EVERY night during my thruhike. a few nights of restless sleep is no big deal. i’m used to that. but waking up unsure if i will have food the next day for several months might be a problem. we were ok out there, but we also had a wolf-dog w/ us to wake us up and start to scare the bear away. then our trusty whistle did the rest to keep the bag up in the air.

what about that bear canister that got the backpacker award? anybody use that? or have other tricks to promise restful nights?

greenie

#4

I don’t think that bear spray is necessary on the AT. If it makes you feel more confortable however then bring it. If you end up spraying it for some reason be aware that bears are attracted to the smell. I have seen film of them rolling around in it. For black bears a whistle or even banging on a pot seems to work well.

I heard a story of a guide out west talking about the difference between black and grizzlie bear poop is that black bear poop is very dark and full of berry seeds and grizzlie bear poop is full of plastic whistles and smells like pepper. Your best defense is common sense.

Big B

#5

Black bears are not a problem on the AT except in a very few sparce locations. Many hikers sleep with their food hanging in the shelter or keep it in their tent with no problem. So I’d not worry about black bears on the AT. In most places, you’ll be lucky and count yourself lucky if you even catch a glimpse of one. Generally they will run away from you at the sight or scent of you.

Have seen hiker reports that the most worthless item they carried on the AT was Pepper Spray or Bear Spray. You will probably never have need to use it, but if you do, it must be immediately in your hand, not stuffed away in your pack. A dog attack or bear attack is immediate, you must respond the same way—in an immediate fashion.

I’d not worry about bear bags, hanging bear bags, or bear spray on the AT at all. In fact, hanging bear bags away from you may be an invitation for them to try to get the food from them----as they would never come close to a human due to their fear of them.

But if bear spray, hanging bear bags, etc. makes you feel more confortable—then do it. Whatever puts you and your mind at ease.

Grizz country, watch out. All the above plus some are a must. Just hope you never come eyeball to eyeball with a hungry Grizz.

See you out there. :cheers

Maintain

#6

yeah… i’m not worried about spray. (w/ dogs- grab a big stick and yelling NO firmly works) but keeping food in your tent or in the shelter?? is that really safe? i’ve always hung bear bags, even though they seem an invitation (they can climb trees) but at least they aren’t coming to get it in my tent, where i would wake up, freak out, and have them attack. hmmm. what are other people’s experiences on the AT?

greenie

#7

I’ve been keeping food in my tent for 17 years on the AT. No problems from bears or any other critters.

wolf

#8

I recently bought an Ursack for an extended trip in the North Cascades…I like it a lot. I like it for the fact that I don’t have to worry about other (smaller) critters getting into it and feasting on my provisions. It’s pricey, but it provided me with some peace of mind, which is worth something.

Margaret

#9

ditto Wolf; except where bear bag cables or bear boxes were provided, I kept my food in my pack in my tent, under my feet.

margie

#10

that’s absolutely amazing. I always thought that was a major NO in backpacking. no matter where you were. what about in NJ? bear country? i’m not sure if i have that much trust in bears being scared. let’s just hope this was a good enough berry season for them to keep them from looking in my tent next spring. we’ll see.

greenie

#11

Them bears can smell bettern a bloodhound and if you have food in your tent they’ll RIP OPEN you tent with their CLAWS and BITE and EAT the first thing they smell and that’s YOU YOU YOU YOU YOU!!!

:eek: :frowning: :eek:

Bear Scared

#12

The following is based on 17 years experience in the Southern Sierra - mainly Sequoia / Kings Canyon; nearly all of it solo. There appear to be 2 types of Sierra Black Bears - backcountry bears and campground bears. All bets are off for campground bears - I’m constantly amazed by their intelligence and creativity once they have gotten used to humans. Backcountry bears will avoid you - unless you make the temptation overwhelming. I try to stealth camp and use a Slickrock tent (perfect for 1, need to really like your partner if used for 2) and keep my food (mostly freeze dried / Raman)in the tent in ziplock bags in stuff sacks in the closed-up pack then boots, socks, t-shirt etc, on top of the pack. OK - you have to be able to tolerate your own “fragrance” - and coverup strength improves remarkably as a function of sweaty days on the trail. No scientific data whatsoever to support this - but started using this after the second time an ingenious bear robbed my very properly hung food storage bag.

Booger