Traveling w/Bear Spray

“Hobbit mentioned that an air carrier said you could only carry a 4 oz or less bear spray. It made me want to call the airline I will be taking to NY which is JetBlue. They said they do not permit bear spray at all in checked luggage.

I guess I'll have to buy a gun when I get there and file down the balistic marks! Oh well....”

“Why would you be taking bear spray to NY?

Last time I checked there aren't any grizzlies in NY.”

“yes, but treebeard is very aggressive”

“crash is right, and I think treebeard may be gunning for me!!!! I'll be hiding out in a different burough than where he lives!!!

I think I'm more concerned about walking around with my dog and someone snatching her than something happening to me. You're always more protective of the ones you love.

I'm dying to spray someone anyway and NY is just the place for that. If I see bears when I hike, it's from a distance and I really don't want to spray a bear anyway, only unruly people!

I have posted a few times where bear spray would have come in handy when I lived in NY. Boy would these guys have been surprised and deserving of what they got for picking on a female that was alone at night. I have no real fighting skills and I can't run fast, so I need some kind of advantage.
last edited: 5/20/05 10:51:44 PM”

“Black bears aren't usually a problem in NYS unless somebody has been feeding them. Then they are a real nuisance readily capable of ripping off doors.

It has been said that bear spray doesn't work on black bears though. Usually does work (but not always) on 2 legged critters.”

“Bear spray works on anything that has a eyes, nose, and mouth.”

“I've actually seen it not work on black bears. Seems to work fairly well on grizzlies. I've also seen it ignored on 2 legged psychotics & some spaced out druggies.Disheartening to see. While I like CS (safer & stronger in higher concentrations) much better than CN (can be fatal in high concentrations/confined space), the combination with pepper seems to work best. You could always move to the military (old) DM, but a double dose is fatal.”

“catskhiker, what is CS and CN?

Does anyone know what you need to get a tazor? Can anyone get one and do you need a license?”

“CS, which stands for 0-chlorobenzalmalononitrile, is actually a white solid powder usually mixed with a dispersal agent, which carries the particles through the air. I like alcohol based (evaporates on contact) carriers better than water.

CN, or chloracetophenone is an older police version of mace. Lasts longer than CS but less effective.

I like CS mixed with pepper spray combo. The higher concentrations don't always work better. It's just another tool. Probably more effective if held in your hand & used at close range but no guarantees.

Most people would have the stuff buried in their packs. Kind of hard to get to. Most people would find it hard (reaction time) to spray a charging bear from 30 feet away. Most mountains are windy meaning you would probably "spray" yourself.

Every state has different laws, but generally sold to any adult. Remember that it is a weapon just like a handgun. Used by mistake or offensively is a crime. Used defensively (like a handgun) you can still be charged or sued. Every one has to make their own decision on their individual situation.

Spray with a dye will make it easier for police to track. Spray with FOAM sticks better to ALL critters. Bear canisters are shaped like smaller fire extinguishers & carried in a holster.

In all cases of 2 & 4 legged critters, common sense & using your wits is the better first alternative.”

“catshiker, I guess in the back of my mind I always think about those opportunistic people that if they find you walking on an empty street, even if it's around a busy area can drag you into a car and drive off with you or maybe after reading these Dean Koontz books where women were chloroformed and dragged into cars has me thinking.

When I see woman jogging down roadways where there may be a lot of traffic, but not always too often, I always think about their saftey.

In life, people can do many things, but just don't because they are normal and law abiding, but if someone was crazy, they could really grab women off the street all the time who are just walking along.

I guess I don't like the idea knowing at times as women, we are in situation where we can be abducted unless we only travel in crowds. I think most women know not to park next to vans in mall parking lots too.

I'm not paranoid, I just want to be prepared. That is why off duty cops and other people that can carry guns off duty do so.”

“Every one has to make their own choices.

I DO NOT think it's paranoid to be carefull, using common sense & think about what you would do in a given situation before hand. Some fight & some don't. It's a personal choice. I like pepper/irritant spray but it doesn't always work. Groups are always safer. I don't think a gun is the answer either. I can carry a gun 24/7 but do so rarely. I give my wife pepper spray for camping. My son-in-law gave it to my daughter when she was going to school nights for her masters.

I know a nurse in NYC who acted "crazy" & her attackers left her. Others that soiled themselves & a guy who acted like he was going for a (imaginary)gun in shoulder holster. It's like landing a plane...if you can walk away, you done good.”

“For every $%^hole, there are 10 decent people that would help you.

Personnally, I walk away from most if not all provocation. I can stay calm under verbal abuse & threatening behavior.

However this changes automatically when it's happening to (any) children or (any) adult people requesting or obviously needing help.”

“On a side note: Some night time show had girls going into a mall and they had a man try to lure them to his car. Some of the girls went and the mom's were in nearby cars were nearly passing out that their kids went with the guy who gave them a story.

What touched my heart was two girls by the door to a mall talking with the the "set up guy", and a women heard him and told the girls to come with her in the mall (to get away from him). It was really nice that she suspected something and helped those girls, even though it was a demonstration, but the girls did not know that.”

“Don't worry, Lippy. I won't be after ya. Just what type of godfersaken area do you plan on going to that gives you such an aplocalyptic view of a simple visit to the city?”

“Not sure what catshiker is describing but all EPA approved Bearspray is OC (Oleoresin of Capsicum) and if you hit a black bear in the face with that it will feel it (I suggest not shooting humans with it - bad, very bad).

Sounds like catshiker is describing regular ol' mace or pepper spray meant for use against humans.”

“So, Lipstick is going to visit Snake Pliskin? No wonder she needs the bear spray! The Duke of New York is one bad mutha..(shut yo' mouth)!!!”

“if a can of bear spray makes you feel safer than gopher it i say!

bear spray is a hell of a lot safer than a gun and probably much more effective.”

“More effective?

Ever seen somebody get shot? Bullets are pretty damn effective against humans.”

“she could get into a lot of trouble carrying a pistol in NYC, Bison. I don't know her, but I assume she isn't licensed to do so...”

“Pepper spray (Oleocapsicum, or OC) all by itself is effective, but it can be fought through if the person has been sprayed before or has a high tolerance for pain. It takes a direct hit to the mucous membranes, ie nasal passages, eyes. If the target holds their breath and is not hit right in the eyes, they can still function really well. Even breathing can be done, it can just be a nuisance.

CN is not readily available anymore and really shouldn't be used due to the fact that it can cause death from reactions to the components.

CS is lovely awesome stuff. CS attacks the skin and mucuous membranes and the big difference between CS and OC is that a person hit with CS HAS to breathe, it causes the mucuous membranes to flare making your body gasp in response. This causes the person to inhale and after that it's all over. It also burns the skin alot more than OC.

The best product on the market for chemical spray is a product called Freeze +P. Freeze plus P combines CS and OC to make a most excellent debillatating partnership. You can get it in both foam and spray. One nice thing about foam is that it isn't affected by the wind as much as spray. I had an incident once where an officer sprayed a guy in a fight and the wind blew 90 percent of the spray back in the officer's face. He then had to fight the bad guy while crying and coughing. That's one reason why we all get sprayed yearly so we know the effects. You can still function when hit with OC.
last edited: 5/23/05 12:57:23 PM”

“Enter Sgt. Fury!”

“The other big difference in Bear spray though is the concentration of OC versus the concentration in products meant for use against humans. Also bears tend to be breathing pretty heavily when they charge you :)”

“That's Lt Fury thank you very much....”

“You've been demoted”

“Has there ever been a study done or actual testimony from people who have had to use bear spray?”

“Laughs, not by you Tree”

“Too late”

“More effective?

Ever seen somebody get shot? Bullets are pretty damn effective against humans.”
Bison
1:53:34 PM


ya, but 1]actually shooting (i.e., hitting) the person is not exactly a gimme.
2] hitting the person in an area that incapacitates them is another story - especially if they're on smack or some shyt.
3] shooting them in area that incapacitates them without killing them is another story.
4] not shooting a bystander is another issue.


now with bearspray- it has a much wider spray area and when you hit the guy, i don't care who it is and what he's on - if he can't see and can't breath- he ain't doing much for awhile.”

“Just take a spray bottle of liquid nitrogen like they use to freeze warts off.

If some guy attacks, freeze his nuts, then when you kick him in the nuts they will shatter LOL.”

“You can find plenty of testimonials online, and controlled studies, don't know of any studies regarding actual in the field use, but the expert concensus seems to be that it's very effective when used properly.”

“pepper spray meant for humans would be best ofcourse, but i'm just saying that bear spray is better than a gun”

“Thanks for the lovely mental image Manuka...”

“I like to use a 2x4 with a nail sticking out of it, crude, but effective.”

“I like the Liquid Nitrogen thing. That would be hilarious, would the pieces tinkle when they hit the ground?”

“Sprayed often with irritants has caused (like everything else) cancer. Non-jacketed lead bullets are a problem too, along with indoor ranges.(primers) CN can just be fatal in high concentrations such as a grenade tossed into a room. CS isn't a problem in these instances. Propellent leakage (no push for the spray)occurs occasionally too.”