A bear at the Eagle River trail last summer made me change my whole hiking setup

I was about two miles in, just past the bridge, when I saw a big black bear maybe 50 yards off the trail. It was just eating berries and didn't see me, but my heart was pounding. I had my bear spray, but it was buried at the bottom of my pack under my lunch. Now I always clip the spray right on my belt where I can grab it in one second. Does anyone else have a specific spot they keep theirs, or a different safety habit that worked for you?

2 comments

2 Comments

alex5241d agoMost Upvoted

Clip it to your belt, but practice the draw too. I see people with the safety clip still on when they pull it out. That wastes precious seconds. You need to drill pulling it, flipping the safety off with your thumb, and aiming in one smooth move. Loganburns is right about having a backup, but if you can't use the first one fast, a second can won't help. Do dry runs at home until it's muscle memory.

loganburns2d ago

My buddy had his clipped to his pack strap and a bear still got too close... he fumbled it so bad he almost dropped it. Now he keeps one on his belt and a second one on his chest strap, just in case.