by Timothy Martinez Jr.
By now you’re probably tired of hearing about the rash of bear attacks occurring this summer, but if you’re going camping in bear country, it’s important to be conscious of the risks.
Fortunately for campers, technology and other innovations have made camping much safer from threats like bears. By having some of these products and items, you can reduce the risk of bear encounters.
With the Bear Bag, you can ensure a bear can’t access the food from your campsite by hanging it from a tall tree branch. Although some bears might be able to smell the food, they won’t be able to reach it. Nevertheless, you have to still be cautious since bears have been known to jump through hoops for food.
- The Bear Bag
- Bear Repellent
While the name sounds like a spray you put on yourself to keep bears away (kind of like bug repellent), bear deterrent is actually designed to stop an angry bear. This stuff is basically really strong pepper spray that can stop a charging bear by getting it in their eyes. It’s supposed to incapacitate the bear long enough for you to escape. Bear repellent is getting more efficient and has the ability to spray farther.
- Bear-Resistant Food Containers
Food is probably the number one reason a bear will enter your camp, which is why many national parks require these. Food containers seal food in highly durable proprietary polymer blend, and they can withstand hundreds of pounds of brute force.
- Signal Horns
Bears are frightened by really loud sounds, so having one of these handy is key to scaring off a bear in the event of an encounter. There are a number of other devices designed to scare away bears with noise like bells and whistles, but signal horns seem to be the most effective. Although these weren’t invented to deter bears, they’ve definitely proven their worth over the years.
- The iPhone ScareBear App
OK, this one isn’t really that great, but it gets kudos points. The ScareBear Trail Companion came out a while ago and received a lot of flack for being ineffective at how long it takes to find and activate, but the concept is interesting. The app basically makes noises that sound like bells, an air horn and hand claps. This will almost definitely not deter a bear, but hopefully the idea leads to more effective technological ways to repel bears. Until then, here is what long-time bear hater and hilarious pundit Stephen Colbert had to say about the app.
