Bear precautions

every backpacker has their own opinion on this. Curious to hear everyone’s here. What precautions do you take for bears when backpacking? I personally just sleep with my food unless I’m in a national park where bear canisters are required.

I stopped hanging my food in a bear bag because several more experienced hikers told me that they don’t actually work. So now I don’t know exactly what to do

Do you carry bear spray or a bell? Received mixed reviews on this from a retail worker when trying to buy for a trip to an island with a moderate bear population.

Bear Spray and a Bell are only for regions with Grizzlies -which is not many places. Anywhere with blackbears that won’t be necessary. That being said, I too have heard mixed reviews on bells but bear spray is a must when in grizzly country

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Thank you Taylor this is super helpful because I usually I tend to visit Black bear areas!

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Bear bells are essentially dinner bells…they have been shown not to work by several studies by fish and wildlife experts. Grizzly country bear spray is a MUST. It may just be the thing that gives you just enough time to get to safety.