Counter Assault Bear Deterrent

To be honest, I have not used this on a bear, or anything else yet. And I hope I'm never forced to. But I did a lot of research and Counter Assault is one of the "Big Three" brands of bear spray that hits all the major design elements of volume, concentration, and distance that experts seem to agree will give you a decent chance of avoiding harm to you or the bear. The one thing you have to realize with any of these products is that weather plays a big factor in their effectiveness. You want the wind at your back when you spray or ideally, no wind. If the wind is in your face, you can expect to spray yourself. Rain will also limit the range and effectiveness severely. Unfortunately, an aggressive bear may not cooperate. Fortunately, a predatory bear may choose to stalk you from downwind which will carry the spray right into the bear. But, as the experts advise, the best approach is to make noise, travel in a group, and be aware of your surroundings. Put away the headphones and iPhone and stay focused on the world around you. Have the bear spray where you can bring it into play in a couple of seconds and know how to use it. I carry mine in a holster attached to the right shoulder strap of my pack.As an aside, this stuff will work on any mammal. So coyotes, mountain lions, wolves, moose, and lynx / bobcats can all be encouraged to seek alternative food sources with bear spray. Likewise, the two legged variety of coyotes can be discouraged from interacting with you if it comes down to that.Be safe out there and enjoy nature.

We purchased two of these for a recent 2-week family camping trip Glacier, Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. We carried them with us while hiking, and otherwise kept them with us in our camp. Fortunately, we didn't have to use them, but they did give us peace of mind. And, it was comforting to see that this was the same brand the park rangers were carrying. I would highly recommend this version with the holsters, which make them easy to carry and have a velcro strap that protects the trigger from accidental deployment.

Must start this by saying that I do not believe these devices are a substitute for bad judgement in understanding, keeping clear of and respecting wildlife and their natural habitat. I'm also a firm believer in a backup plan for unavoidable encounters. I Bought a pair of these just in case my son or I had a wildlife encounter that went sideways during our recent cross country motorcycle trip. We had plenty of encounters but were able to maintain a safe distance avoiding a confrontation as I would hate to have to use this on any animal. That said, my 4 star rating is based purely on ease of carrying/deploying. A fifth star would be granted if I actually fired the device. We were each able to carry these with relatively easy access either open or concealed on person or on bike while riding our bikes. We kept these in coolest possible places as temperatures exceeded 90 degrees. The safety mechanism, white tab above ringlet is an easy to remove trigger block which can be removed with thumb just before firing allowing for one handed operation. Don't cut the included tie-wrap as it serves as a lanyard for the safety clip so you can easily re-install without losing it... very handy if your riding.

This is for the safety not only for myself but if I can help someone else in the moment...thank you for having it here for anyone to buy God Bless, this does relieve any anxiety of bears...

Does not come with a holster. It came in a plastic bag. Not in original packaging. I think they removed the holster from the original packaging and sold it separately. I'm sure the spray is fine, and I carried it in big jacket pockets throughout Yellowstone, but I really expected it to come with the holster so it could be carried on the hip as it should be.

Thought the unit came with a holster. Did not notice that further down the page it DEFAULTS to "no holster" Really irritated me. It should be listed separately. Now I have to figure out how to make a holster or carry it down the trail neither of which is ideal.

I haven't actually had to use this (thank goodness!), but I keep it in my house in case of intruders. I take it when I go camping, even when I'm not in bear country, and on all car trips.

The best on the market bar none. This spray and a sidearm backup and I tent camp in bear country.