BEAR SPRAY IS NOT BUG SPRAY. DO NOT SPRAY YOURSELF.
How to Use
Bear Spray
RULE #1
RULE #2
DO NOT STORE BEAR SPRAY IN YOUR VEHICLE. EXTRA HOT TEMPERATURES MAY CAUSE IT TO DEPLOY.
The first step to properly using bear spray is to always have it accessible.
We’ve made this real easy by pre installing a belt clip on every canister dispensed from our Shacks. We recommend using this clip to hang the bear spray from a backpack strap, pocket, chest strap… or you know… your belt. Basically, put it anywhere it will be easy to grab.
DO NOT put bear spray in the bottom of your pack, in your friend’s pack, or in the bottom of your friend’s pack. You need to be able to grab your bear spray in a second’s notice. No bear is going to wait for you to dig around in your backpack to retrieve it.
Steps to Use
TL;DR: if a bear comes close, spray it
Firmly grip the canister body with your non-dominant hand and bring it up in front of you pointed at the bear.
01
Using your dominant hand remove the orange safety clip, put your index finger through the finger loop, and place your thumb on the spray lever.
02
Aim at the bear’s feet and adjust for crosswind. This sounds silly but bears tend to drop their heads when they charge, so this is the best way to get it into their face.
IMPORTANT: If the wind is blowing directly at you, DO NOT use the bear spray unless you absolutely must as you will end up spraying yourself. This is bad.
03
Begin spraying when the charging bear is 30-60 feet (10-20 yards) away creating a cloud of spray that the bear must run through.
04
Keep spraying until the bear changes direction. If the bear continues to charge, spray directly into its face and continue to spray until you run out of bear spray or the bear makes contact with you. If the bear makes contact with you, then follow our guidance on what to do in a bear attack.
05
Leave the area promptly and head towards safety. Do not run (that just turns you into fast food). Keep your bear spray ready to use in case the bear comes back. If you have a second can get it ready to use as well.
06
Once you get back to safety, inform a Park Ranger of the encounter and thank your lucky stars you live to tell the tale.
07
Shack Fact
Our belt clip is designed for you to keep the canister on your left side. This is on purpose. Yes… we know the majority of the world is right-handed, but just trust us on this.
Our intention is to make you use two hands to operate the bear spray so that you have less of a chance of fumbling it when you’re all jacked up on adrenaline while thinking about what the inside of a bear’s stomach is like.
*If you’re left-handed, please still use two hands.
