Best size and quality pepper spray for backpacking

[Monte Masterson]

In Grizzly country the Counter Assault with its larger volume and 40 ft reach is of course going to be better, but for every place else the 4 fl oz Fox Labs One Point Four is plenty enough to handle black bear, dogs, wild hogs, humans or anything with a mucus membrane. Now contains double the amount of Oleoresin Capsicum at 4% (5.3 million SHU) making it the hottest and most blistering pepper spray on the market. Counter Assault is 2% OC by comparison and the 4 fl oz Fox canister carries on a shoulder strap much much better than a big 8.1 fl oz or 10.2 fl oz Counter Assault. It reaches out 17 feet in a cone spray which is adequate for about anything other than Grizzly. Weighs 5.4 oz. https://foxlabs.com/products/44ftm

I bought a baton holder at a law enforcement tactical store and the canister fits in it perfectly. Fast opening velcro for quick access. Adds another 1.1 oz weight. Attaches to a shoulder strap quite easily. Could also be worn on a belt.

 

[Eric Blanche]

Without diving deeper myself, how many “sprays/how long” does 4oz allow you? I wouldn’t bother myself personally if I was not in specific grizzly country so the 17ft comment makes me weary..?

 

Thanks for sharing!!

[Luke Schmidt]

Better than nothing. I carried a similar one at work in CO years ago because we had lot of mountain lions and a few weird neighbors. A full sized bear spray sermed overkill and wouldn’t fit in a jacket pocket. But real bear spray seams a lot better.

[Monte Masterson]

With 4% Oleoresin Capsicum the Fox One Point Four is actually MORE potent than Counter Assault. It’s just a smaller volume and doesn’t shoot out as far, But yes if I was hiking someplace like Glacier NP or Alaska I’d want the Couter Assault for sure.

4 fl oz volume isn’t bad though (most keychain pepper sprays are only 1/2 fl oz). I see cops carrying the 2 fl oz Fox spray. And for mail carriers and meter readers who are mainly concerned about dogs a milder 1% OC is preferred because a canine’s membranes are so very sensitive and the object is not to hurt the dog but simply to deter it.

[Philip Tschersich]

That seems like a decent option for a lot of circumstances.

The real benefit to the larger cans is the volume of propellant giving you more reach and a wider cloud farther away from you, plus more discharges before you run out. Having a ‘hotter’ cloud closer to you with the Fox could lead to some pain if you misjudge the wind.

In over 30 years of solo travel in southwest Alaska, I estimate I have run into between 300 and 400 coastal brown bears in the backcountry. There are days I will see a dozen or more. Across all those encounters I think I have pulled my spray out of the holster maybe 20 times. I probably pulled the safety clip maybe 10 of those times. I have only felt the need to spray on one occasion, specifically at a charging sow with cubs. It was not clear at the time if she actually ran into the cloud as she seemed to stop right at the edge of it. The other time I was charged by a sow with cubs I didn’t even squirt my spray. She stopped about 20 feet away. Any closer I would have let her have it though.

I’m a fan of bear spray.

[David Thomas]

Philip, Thanks for training that bear that humans smell bad – really bad if they get within 20 feet.

I could see value in the smaller unit, akin to a “back-up gun” – if you’ve exhausted your main bear spray, you still have a back-up for the reminder of the encounter / trip.

[AK Granola]

Are meter readers still a thing?

I have a small pepper spray designed for self defense, but I would probably have a hard time firing it, tbh, with that little tiny trigger. I carry a full size bear spray when I’m hiking alone – in bear country or not. Yes, it’s heavy, but I’ve had official training in using it (against bears), have fired a similar canister multiple times (in training and once against dogs), and am confident in using it effectively. Seems to me that with pepper spray as with a gun, your ability and knowledge in how to use it is the most important thing, no matter what weapon you decide to carry.

[Monte Masterson]

“Are meter readers still a thing?”

Yep, that’s how my gas and electric usage is monitored and the ones who come to my house carry pepper spray. I suppose meter readers are obsolete in many areas but obviously not everywhere.

I practiced with an expired 4 fl oz Fox pepper spray awhile back and you are correct that practice is important.

From what I gather bear spray is shown to be the most effective brown bear deterrent by far and less destructive than a handgun. But I somehow imagine the stereotype of the rugged Alaskan individualist with his/her 44 magnum hand cannon.

[David Thomas]

I work at an Alaska utility and most of our electric meters have been remote-read for 10-12 years now.  Gas meters followed some years later.  Our city water is un-metered because the frost depth is so deep, it would be a real bother.  We still lay eyes on each service one a year to look for hazard tree, signs of theft of power, mechanical problems, etc.

Especially on popular tourist trails, I see more handguns than long guns and more handguns than pepper spray.  As you get further from the parking lot and/or off trail, the fraction using pepper spray (or just noise) increases.

[Luke Schmidt]

Yeah plenty of people carry handguns. The problem is a lot of times they have something so big and awkward they don’t carry it often enough to be useful. That defeats the whole purpose which is ALWAYS there.

When I was a teacher I spent summers camping in Wyoming, Montana and Canada. I would put on a bear spray in May and basically keep it on till I went back to work in August.

One thing to remember with any spray is its very unpleasant if you accidentally discharge it. This is easier to do than you might think. Be careful with it. I know a guy here who tapes a bag of ivory soap to his Nalgene. Thats to wash bear spray off if he gets it on himself.

[Philip Tschersich]

Interesting regional differences. Basically no one in Kodiak carries a gun for hiking. Plenty of bear spray though.

[David Thomas]

The Kenai gets a lot more weekend warriors from ANC and for the L48 tourists, this is only time they’ll be able justify buying a .357, .44, .454 or 10mm (with hard cast).  Because some bear is really going to wander into this circus (sarcasm):

And you do some crazy amounts of backcountry miles and vertical feet on your trips, Philip.  5 pounds of handgun is easier to rationalize when you’re 1/2 mile from your truck.

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