12 Best Bear Spray For Self Defense (2023 Updated)

As a registered professional engineer, I believe that Counter Assault Bear Deterrent spray is the best bear spray on the market! The 10. 2 fluid ounce size bottle will spray unto 40 feet and fully discharge in only 8 seconds.

Counter Assault bear can be real life saver when hiking in grizzly bear territory such as Glacier National Park. My wife and I each carry a bottle of Counter Assault bear spray when hiking. I fully recommend this product to others hiking in bear country.

As they say “Don’t leave home without it!” Counter Assault also makes carriers to place the bear spray in when transporting it safely in a vehicle. Bear Spray is one of those items that you must have available, know how to use it, but hope that you will never need to use it.

The bear spray is good for four (4) years after being manufactured. After that the propellent may not be at full pressure after the expiration date. The pepper spray will remain as hot as ever. This product is EPA approved and can be transported into Canada for use when hiking there.

We bought a two-pack of these from from our local REI branch for a 2022 trip to Yellowstone. The safety of this bear spray failed. Can confirm the spray is quite potent – but be wary of that plastic clip as it may not be as snug into place as it needs to be.

The short version of what happened is that as I was removing my bag from our car, the spray went off causing us to scatter. I checked the spray, and the clip was still in place. As I was saying to my family, “I don’t know why this went off, the safety is on” I must have hit the top of it again and a full shot of it released.

The wind caught the cloud and it enveloped my wife and son. Thankfully they recovered after a lot of coughing, burning eyes and noses. Went through a lot of water and wet wipes. And after we aired the car out, we delivered the faulty spray to the nearest ranger station we could find (actually had to drop it off at a nurse station because the ranger wasn’t present).

Hopefully this is a one-off situation. We bought this kind of bear spray in the past without incident. And our other canister from the two-pack did not misfire. But this was a very startling experience for us to say the least.

And because of this, we won’t be buying this brand again if we can help it before our next hike out in bear country.

I have spent a career spanning decades of working in the large MT and WY wildernesses (Bob, Great Bear, Missions, Scapegoat, A-B, and Teton Wildernesses). Bear Spray (BS) was standard issue and always worn on my person when working, as was a radio and knife.

just in case things went awry. Caveat, I’ve never had to fire the BS defensively. I have been subject to the BS and effects. I encountered many bears during my career on trails, bio and range technician, and finally Wilderness Manager and Outfitter Guide permit administrator.

I often worked alone. Albeit and thankfully, I had my border collies, horses and mules during much of the time. Like John I operated on the theory of redundancy in protection. However, I’m not unlearned (to be polite) enough to down rate a product as lacking because I also carried other methods of defense.

That is like saying the kill effectiveness of a pistol is lacking because I might miss a vital spot, i. e. it is not the weapon or spray, but the operator. I always jokingly called bear spray the best sleeping pill I ever had ;-).

Although retired, I still carry bear spray on my daily walks with my bc’s because I consider it the best non-kill way to deal with other threats, e. g. moose, lions, coyotes, wolves, dogs, and people.

I often have conceal carry as a backup, but the BS is my first line of defense. Bottom line – great peace of mind.

I am so happy I tried these bear sprays! First of all, they are made really well! The canisters themselves are very durable, and heavy duty. I am so glad this pack comes with two different sizes too.

The 10. 2 ounce canister sprays up to 40 feet and each spray lasts up to 8 seconds! The 8. 1 ounce canister sprays up to 32 feet and each spray lasts up to 7 seconds! I also love that it comes with the holsters as well.

This makes it so much easier when hiking and camping, having the spray ready to go. I also really like that there is a glow in the dark safety wedge too, so at night, it’s easy to see what you are doing! These also have a 4 year shelf life too, so they last a long time! These are just super handy to have, when hiking/camping/backpacking.

Especially if you are in a place with a lot of bears. All in all, these bear sprays are awesome and I highly recommend them! You won’t need to use them often at all (hopefully) but they are great to have on hand! If you are looking for a high quality, reliable bear spray, give these a shot! You will not regret it.

Pros: Quality, Durable, Easy to use, Effective Cons: None.

I do a lot of hiking in the woods on Florida and black bear and other nasty critters can be encountered. As protection I had usually carried self defense pepper spray but never liked the range of it and questioned the efficacy of it against animals, so when I had the chance to try the Counter Assault bear spray canisters I pulled the trigger.

This bear spray has some serious range, it was a little windy (my first mistake) so the best range I could get was around 30-35 ft. Note I said it was windy, if possible MAKE SURE you know which way the wind carries as I got just a little blow back due to a wind change, and WOW, this stuff is serious.

As I said I got only a little blowback and man the capsaicin they use is HOT! I immediately teared up and it burned pretty bad for about 10 min even with water to try and wash it out. Now I am no bear but I see this stuff as being pretty effective, even worse than any pepper spray I have experienced in testing other products.

This is a great bang for the buck!.

The Bear Canister w/Holster Sealed Blister is possibly the most controlled bear repellent I have ever had. We have purchased similar products in the past as we like to camp a lot, and this one by far is the most functional.

The mist is very fine, so be aware of the wind so you don’t spray it where it can come back onto your face. It will happen. The sprayer is very precise. We did not have an encounter with a bear while having this product so we could not test it’s effectiveness, but considering the scent and ingredients, I know it will work.

I would recommend this product to everyone who likes to go camping. Though bear encounters is not necessarily what we would hope for, it’s something to consider being prepared for. This product is an excellent option!.

I am sure it is effective. I hope I never have to use it.

Have not, and hope I never will , use this product. However, feel it best to have and not need it, then it is to need but not have it.

There if I need it. Not too many bears in these parts. I imagine it’ll work on Bad Guys.

The only product that I absolutely never hope I have to use! I bought this for my son and I for our camping/drift boat trips in Idaho/Montana. We have watched the videos on how to use this should an encounter occur with an aggressive grizzly bear or other animal.

Again I hope we never have to use it and I will be happy if they are never used by the expiration date. I got this two pack because of the price and that they come with the holsters. We will be prepared this summer and for future trips.

The holsters seem good, hole the canisters well, and I won’t have to worry about losing them. I will definitely be buy another set again for my wife and youngest child so the whole family will be prepared.

Better to be prepared that not having them in my opinion. The videos for this spray and itself were created in Montana and in-cooperation with the University of Montana. That right there is good enough for me knowing it was made in Bear country with the aid of the state university to insure its effectiveness.

We bought this dual set for a recent trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park since we were hiking in grizzly country. I love that these come with holsters so that they were easy to access from our chest straps on our camera backpacks.

The safety release and holster are both easy to operate. I appreciated the cost savings from buying a dual pack. I watched Bear Safety videos from the rangers at Yellowstone National Park so that I was fully educated about how to use the bear spray in the event of any bear encounters (which we didn’t have).

Quick shipping, product looks to be good quality. I like the holster for the can looks easy to use. Hopefully I don’t get to use it but I feel better having it. Not my picnic basket Yogi!

Bear canister with holster is one of the smartest purchases that I have gotten. I got this cuz my son rides his bike to and from work. We live in a wooded area that does have wild life. Thankfully when he came across a bear he had this which have him time to get away safely.

Holster is convenient and makes carrying easy. He attaches his to his back pack. The safety clip is smart so that it’s not accidentally sprayed. Spray is far enough to disorient a bear. Glad I got this when I did.

Worked great on a practice trial run. Got super distance in moderate wind conditions. Thankfully never had to use it on the furry friend pictured on the can. But I do know that while working 8+ hours outside in active bear territory I felt great having this on my side in case it was needed.

Not bulky at all, lightweight and easy to access. When you have to focus on the task at hand you don’t always have the ability for situational awareness. If something came up on me, this can would have been better than a whole lot of nothing to reach for.

I got this for my husband who is a long distance runner to have on hand while we are camping. He likes to get up before the sun and run the trails for 2+ hours at a time which makes me an anxious mess.

Thankfully he didn’t encounter any bears or other dangerous critters but knowing he had this on him gave me peace of mind. The holster was handy & held the can in place adequately even with him running.

It wasn’t too bulky or cumbersome and didn’t impact his run at all. I hope he never has to use this but I’m thankful he has it just in case.

I wonder how many civilians actually successfully use pepper spray to thwart attacks every year? Regardless there is something to having piece of mind. And there is the old adage of better to have and not need then need and not have.

At any rate gel has some big advantages over aerosols, namely less blowback and more “pin point accuracy” Its more like a rifle then a shotgun which can be good. You get more range from this spray–about 10 feet– then with aerosols too.

But having received two of these we put one of em through real tests with my partner and there are some problems. Basically this only works if you see your assailant coming, are able to deploy and aim pepper spray ahead of time, and the person does not have anything to block said pepper spray.

We were a little amped up and ambitious form doing a more traditional self defense class and figured we might as well play around with it a little bit. I have been sprayed with pepper spray before and we both have fairly high pain tolerances and heat tolerances do we figured why not.

Do not try this at home. We tried a few different things and here were our take aways: The shape of this does not naturally point when pulling out of bag or purse. When you get it in your hands you can sort of feel correct deployment, but in high stress environment or in our case after workout and with bf running at her being “scary” from random direction when she opened her eyes, she got it out and pointed about 3 times out of 20.

Now she could quickly readjust but not quick enough. Coming out of purse or backpack this thing can snag. Its ideal use is on keychain and coming out when you’re going into a parking lot or shady garage and having it ready to go if you feel danger.

if you try to rush it it can often pop off the connector and remain in your purse. This can be advantageous in some situations but if you were trying to pull it out by the keys it is less than ideal.

Also if you are tough on your keys it would probably break at some point. The gel itself while excellent for more dense areas makes it harder to hit the target. It also makes it much easier for target to block.

We used a file folder and were able to shield most vital parts from getting anything. It was windy, and that also helped dissipate the spray. The best technique seemed to be to spray lower and hope the clothes got some peppery splatter up towards face.

A cloud of spray would have worked better at very close range but been useless at any type of range because of the wind. Still this stuff carried more than we thought it would. Its less like dense foam and more like water coming out.

As far as a keychain pepper gel spray goes, the only knock is the keychain plastic connector and maybe the natural tactile paintability. As an actual product that people will use and count on for self defense it has serious limitations.

Get the practice spray, or two and make sure you really familiarize yourself with the limitations of something like this, and of you in these types of situations. It is better than nothing. And I have pepper spray at home, and woodsman cans i take backpacking all the time– so I’m a real believer it has a place and use its just not going to be magic self defense.

This isn’t a “sauce” it’s a wind resistant gel. Easy to operate, fool proof aiming, amazing distance. This is cheaper, lighter, and more relaxing to have than the 9MM it replaces. This gel will provide an escape as a last resort from a distance that the flailing perp can’t get to you.

Easy to carry, simple to conceal and dosen’t cause a complicted legal process of you use it. The wife has one when she walks the dog, the girls (3) each have one for personel protection. If you lose it, get another one, if you use it get another one and recommend it to your friends.

Legal in all fifty states and ther rest of the world. I highly recommend it to women, kids and the elderly.

I have only deployed this spray twice in the past ten years, as a deterrent against dogs who have been off-lead and have approached me and my dogs in an aggressive manner. You have to be ready to use it at close range, so practise before deploying it.

A rapid and sustained (only a few seconds) spray will send the other dog running away. I have only used it on medium sized dogs, both bull terrier types, and only when there has been one dog. Thankfully, packs of dogs roaming the streets are a thing of the past.

I first purchased this spray after my cocker spaniel was savaged by a bull terrier who had escaped from its yard. Ever since I have never walk my dogs without it and continually check to make sure that it still works (and hasn’t leaked its contents).

While I may never use it again, just having it with me gives me greater confidence.

For years, we used this spray at the doggy daycare facilities to break up dog fights. It did work to break up the majority of fights oftentimes just long enough to get the dogs separated before they would attempt to resume fighting.

Direct Stop is a citronella spray meant to buy time and (hopefully) get dogs to release if they’re latched on. It will not end a dog fight completely nor stop a dog from pursuing you – continued defensive measures would still be necessary if the loose dog is not yet contained.

Direct Stop will not break up 100% of dog fights either. If a fight is serious enough or a dog persistent enough, not many things will work to deter or end it. Dogs will fight through water hoses sprayed in their face, ears being torn, being dumped in a pool, fire extinguishers emptied in their face – serious dog fights are hard to break up.

Many bark collars also use citronella so dogs with a history with bark collars are no longer detered by it. When purchasing this product, have reasonable expectations and a Plan B for if you are ever confronted by a loose dog when out with your dog or by yourself.

This is my first line of defense if I am confronted by an unfamiliar, aggressive dog but definitely not my only. It is also not a replacement for behavior modification. If your dog is fighting frequently with another dog in your home, please contact a trainer that uses scientifically supported methods.

Michael Shikashio is an expert on dog aggression and has some helpful resources on his website.

It sprays on a longer distance than a regular pepper spray and is under higher pressure which is good. I had to use a regular pepper spray once so I can compare. The regular pepper spray was not a good experience at all.

I had to come really close to reach the dogs with the stream and then My dog was all sticky and brown where she was sprayed and was miserable until I washed her with shampoo at home. Fortunately I didn’t have to use this spray in a real situation yet.

But I know that it would be working much more efficiently and be safer for the dogs than a pepper spray. Definitely worth having it on me all the time for being prepared, for peace in mind. In our neighborhood there are lots of free roaming dogs.

In October 2021 I used the Raid Max Perimeter with auto trigger product as directed and sprayed on the inside and outside of the doors and windows in my bedroom and master bathroom (connected to my bedroom) to get rid of ants near my back sliding glass door.

It sprayed ALOT of liquid with the auto trigger on the surface and ran down and laid in the track of my sliding door. It immediately had a strong odor and I could taste it in my mouth. I opened doors and windows and used fans to ventilate.

After a few of days of sleeping in my room I started to feel sick with nausea, headache, and just feeling unwell. My husband had to use his inhaler several times throughout the night, which he doesn’t normally do and he has asthma.

We left on that Monday to go to Florida for business and after a couple of days I started to feel better and by that Friday we were flying back home and I felt great. After returning home I slept in my room Friday and Saturday and I started to feel sick and by Sunday I was feeling very ill again with the same symptoms and my husband was was getting headaches as well.

After we realized it was the Raid that was affecting us, we stopped sleeping in our bedroom for months now and have been sleeping in another bedroom in our home. Anytime I’m in the room for long periods of time I can smell and taste it in my mouth and I start to feel ill after prolonged exposure.

I contacted the company and have done several things they suggested, including paying to have the door removed and painted, rented air scrubbers, and nothing has helped. I had an environmental company come out and test the air quality and the chemical is still in the air in my bedroom.

From my experience I will never use RAID products again! Please be careful if you use this product inside your home!!.

My GO-TO! Using for years! I just bought another, I’ve been using this for years both indoor (where safe, behind laundry machine) and outdoor. I live in a condo so everything is enclosed but that doesn’t mean things can’t track in.

That doesn’t mean my patio doesn’t get bugs even though I live on 2nd floor. With every time I’ve moved (I’ve been using for 10 years!) I always take the first day to clean then spray perimeters. It works, at my last home I found a dead scorpion where I had sprayed when I moved in, under the appliances! And two days ago I found a dead bug from my perimeter spray 2.

5 months ago. Please never stop making this! I love the electronic trigger and there is a lock, especially since I have a small child. This is the BEST product and you can buy refills too. Don’t spend your money on pest control.

This is a simple DIY that works much better! In homes and apartments, outdoors, etc.

We are living in a newer house but, even so, bugs have been a major problem and annoyance. It seems like no matter what we used they still somehow made their way into our home. Ants and spiders and the occasional beetle have been the main problem.

I decided to give Raid Max Perimeter Protection a try. So far I’ve used the product in our basement, especially around the window frames and the air ducts leading outside. I’m confident this will create a barrier that will keep all the pests out.

I already found one spider as I was spraying and it took care of it instantly. I also tried it outside on our front porch and I intend to spray the entire perimeter of our home around any possible entry points.

I love the handy sprayer. It comes with the batteries needed so no need to make a separate purchase. It sprays evenly and is easy to control. I like that this spray can be used both indoors and outdoors.

I also appreciate that there’s no odor or oily residue which is especially important when using indoors. What excites me the most is that the product prevents bugs and does so for up to 18 months. That’s great piece of mind.

I would definitely recommend Raid Max Perimeter Protection. With 1 gallon of product, this is an affordable and easy way to prevent pests in your home. This review was collected as part of a promotion, and the opinions are my own.

Excellent quality as expected with the brand, All of my duty is Safariland and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Basketeeave is crisp, stitching is perfect, and much better looking than nylon gear.

The snap pops open easily. Several times I would be walking around with it flapping in the wind. Overall it looks great and does what I need.

This case fits my small 5.11 TMT Flashlight perfectly!

Finding a bear spray holster that was molle capable is actually difficult. This one works great! You can use it on a molle system or it fits over a backpacking pack hip belt. This was exactly what i was looking for! Construction seems to be high quality.

This spray holster works great with my Mystery Ranch pack but I think it would work well with any pack that has the molle style webbing to attach to. Keeps the bear spray secure yet is very easily accessible if ever needed.

Very reasonable price as well. A much better option than the flimsy sleeve you get with the bear spray.

I chose this spray holster for a few reasons. One, I have been a MR customer for a number of years and their products haven’t let me down. Two, if is a simple design that works with multiple belt designs and it is non-obtrusive.

Three, it is one of the lo.