Bear Safety
3 guides tagged Bear Safety
Explainer
Bear Bag vs Bear Canister: Which Should You Carry?
A hard canister weighs 2 lb 1 oz to 2 lb 9 oz and is required in Yosemite, SEKI, the Adirondack High Peaks, and much of the JMT. A Kevlar Ursack weighs about 7.6 oz and is accepted in most of the rest of the country. A PCT-hang bag weighs 2 oz and works where trees and skill allow. The permit decides first; the weight math decides second.
Read the guide →~12 min read
Buyer's Guide
The Best Bear Spray (2026)
Three EPA-registered sprays at the 2.0 percent capsaicinoid maximum, ranked on the only specs that matter: listed range, seconds of spray, and ounces on your hip. The Counter Assault 10.2 oz (44 ft, 10 seconds) is our pick for grizzly country; the SABRE Frontiersman MAX 7.9 oz (up to 40 ft, 6 to 7 seconds) is the lighter can at $40.
Read the guide →~11 min read
Buyer's Guide
The Best Bear Canisters (2026)
BearVault's three sizes (440, 565, and 700 cubic inches listed) cover every trip from an overnight to a week, and the choice is arithmetic: about 110 cubic inches of repacked food per day. Sizing table, approval map, and the bear-spray rules by park.
Read the guide →~13 min read
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