Bear Spray - Crestones

[gonefishing05]

Thanks all. Ive always used a bear vault when backpacking in CO. So good there.

I wont bother with spray.

Came across a bear trail running from bear lake TH (surprising ?? lol) in RMNP a couple years ago but he was too busy looking for insects while shredding logs to even care about me.

Thanks again.

[Briere]

When camping I do bring bear spray. It's 99% for piece of mind; sleeping alone in a tent it's nice to have when you hear all those random forest noises at night. I have also not hiked with it and seen a bear and 2 cubs in the flatirons this year. They were far enough off trail that they bothered no one though.

[XterraRob]

I carry FNS-40 bear deterrent at all times.

[Veory]

I never carry spray, but always use a bear canister. I've encountered two bears and one mountain lion in the wilderness within a couple hundred feet and in none of those instances did they seem to particularly care about my presence.

[SkaredShtles]

<snip>
We do have brown bears which can be a nuisance but they have never really killed or attacked people. Like, look up the statistics.

Those are black bears. Not brown bears. Colorado has no brown bears.

[catfish hank]

Since I've been carrying a 7.9 oz can of Frontiersman, I've sleep better at night. I camp pre-dominantly solo so the piece of mind is worth carrying the extra weight.

[mtree]

Bear spray. A tent. Darkness. Fear. Panic. What can go wrong?

[catfish hank]

Bear spray. A tent. Darkness. Fear. Panic. What can go wrong?

No fear. No panic. No Tent. a bivy, some darkness and yes bear spray.

[CaptainSuburbia]

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[nyker]

Sort of like asking about wearing a seat belt or helmet on a bike...
Majority of time you don't need it, but that one time you do you'll probably be happy you had it. But having bear spray is only good if it's immediately ready to be deployed, you have the state of mind to use it and use it properly, wind is not in your face, and it works in THAT specific situation with THAT particular bear....

With that said in 33 years recreating in habitat where bears live, of the 20 or so bear sightings I've had while on foot that were within 100 yards, 3 were standoff-ish though eventually lost interest, the other 17 were uneventful, meaning they ran away, climbed a tree or walked off. I'm not counting sightings from a mile away where I don't even know if the bear saw me or knew I were there and not counting sightings while doing photography where I had my car close by. Of the 20 ish within 100 yards, 15 were black bears, 5 were Grizzlies.

[Skimo95]

Sort of like asking about wearing a seat belt or helmet on a bike...
Majority of time you don't need it, but that one time you do you'll probably be happy you had it. But having bear spray is only good if it's immediately ready to be deployed, you have the state of mind to use it and use it properly, wind is not in your face, and it works in THAT specific situation with THAT particular bear....

With that said in 33 years recreating in habitat where bears live, of the 20 or so bear sightings I've had while on foot that were within 100 yards, 3 were standoff-ish though eventually lost interest, the other 17 were uneventful, meaning they ran away, climbed a tree or walked off. I'm not counting sightings from a mile away where I don't even know if the bear saw me or knew I were there and not counting sightings while doing photography where I had my car close by. Of the 20 ish within 100 yards, 15 were black bears, 5 were Grizzlies.

One of the better beta posts from you New Yorker! I would agree that it’s overrated to worry, and personally have a good chuckle when I see somebody with a chest strapped pistol heading into Chicago Basin. That’s coming from somebody who really enjoys using firearms responsibly. 2-3 cats screaming outside your tent, or being knocked upside down with a 120lb dog in a 1P UL tight, will send shivers down your spine though. After all of my BC experiences, I think I’ll still be a weight whore and leave the 9MM behind.

[bdloftin77]

Sort of like asking about wearing a seat belt or helmet on a bike...
Majority of time you don't need it, but that one time you do you'll probably be happy you had it. But having bear spray is only good if it's immediately ready to be deployed, you have the state of mind to use it and use it properly, wind is not in your face, and it works in THAT specific situation with THAT particular bear....

With that said in 33 years recreating in habitat where bears live, of the 20 or so bear sightings I've had while on foot that were within 100 yards, 3 were standoff-ish though eventually lost interest, the other 17 were uneventful, meaning they ran away, climbed a tree or walked off. I'm not counting sightings from a mile away where I don't even know if the bear saw me or knew I were there and not counting sightings while doing photography where I had my car close by. Of the 20 ish within 100 yards, 15 were black bears, 5 were Grizzlies.

What happened during the standoffish encounters? And were those grizzlies?