Bear Spray Safety 101

How to avoid accidentally spraying yourself and your shih tzu bichon...

I can't even begin to count the number of times I've gone hiking with bear spray and had zero issues. Up until a fateful weekend in July 2022, I had never even had to use bear spray. To my dismay, I can now say that I have used it but not in the way it was intended.

The safety clip on the bear spray had fallen off at some point during the hike. This particular hike had a significant amount of fallen trees and likely a branch during all the navigating caught the safety clip and pulled it off. It wasn't until we reached the summit that someone in my group noticed that there was no safety clip on the bear spray.

Being in bear country and having no other options for bear spray, we kept the spray. I was walking with the bear spray and my dog when all of a sudden he started tugging on the leash, in the process of trying to control him, I hit the nozzle and sprayed some of the bear spray (luckily only a small amount). I could immediately see that some of the spray had gotten on my dog's back and on my jacket.

Needless to say, I was mortified from this experience and have since learned some useful tips that never would have crossed my mind. Read on to find out what I've learned!

Tip #1 - Bring an extra safety clip

This first tip may seem obvious. If you have more than one canister of bear spray then take the safety clip off the canister you are leaving at home and bring the extra safety clip with you.

An additional option would be to purchase a replacement safety wedge clip (see link on the right). This particular safety wedge clip also comes with a tie, so if the clip were to fall off, it will remained attached to the canister.

Tip #2 - Attach a zip tie to the safety wedge clip

Some brands of bear spray already come with a zip tie attached to prevent loss. In the event that it doesn't have one, you can add your own zip tie. When applying your own zip tie you need to ensure that there is enough room so that you can easily remove the safety clip when it is needed. In the above photo, the safety clip is freely dangling on the handle.

Tip #3 - Know how to actually use it

I am definitely someone who bought bear spray and automatically assumed I would know how to use it if the time ever came. This was silly of me.

Maximum effective range of bear spray is 9-10.5 meters (30-35 feet), but what does that even mean? 9 metres is the length of 1 beach volleyball net or the approximate length of 4 golf carts. Did you know that a charging bear can cover 13 meters in 1 second. That is INSANE.

I see all the time hikers that have the canister in their book bag or not readily or easily accessible. Make sure you carry your bear spray in a location that you can grab it FAST. If you don't want to wear a belt for the bear spray (I don't), then a great location is in the water bottle holder on most bags.

Instructions on the bottle (Brand: Frontiersman):

To arm and apply (designed for one hand operation):

Place forefinger through hole in handle, with thumb on safety clip curl. Pull safety clip straight back and off using thumb.
Depress actuator tab for burst of spray. Aim at the face and eyes of bear.
Press trigger for 3 seconds in order to create a barrier of spray between you and the bear.
Stop to evaluate the impact of wind and other facts and adjust your aim if needed before spraying again.

To disarm you can reapply the safety clip.

Or if you're a visual learner, check out Wild Safe British Columbia and their quick 33 second video on using bear spray. A simple, easy to remember mnemonic S.P.R.A.Y.

Tip #4 - Practice

Finding out that a bear can travel 13 meters in 1 second is insane. You don't have to necessarily spray the bear spray to practice. Just practice getting the canister out of your bag and the safety clip off is a great starting point.

Tip #5 - First Aid

First hand experience from someone who has been accidentally sprayed by ME.

Basic principles:

Move to fresh air as quickly as possible
Wash exposed skin with cold water and soap
If it gets in your eye then place your head under water and open your eyes, remove your contacts as quickly as possible, and do NOT rub your eyes
The effects should go away in 30-45 minutes. If they don't then seek medical attention.

I could tell immediately that I had sprayed the back of my dog. I quickly grabbed my dog and moved away from the area because I had already started coughing from the fumes. We took him to the nearby stream at our campsite and I essentially started throwing water all over his back and rubbing it with my hand. Honestly, my dog didn't seem to notice. I just didn't want him licking himself and ingesting the spray.

Here's where all the mistakes started to happen. It was ~10:30pm at night and we had finished a 20km day of tough hiking. It was cold and now my dog was wet and I didn't want him to get cold so we brought him into the tent.

MISTAKE #1: Don't go into a small space post bear spray. My dog was wet and his instincts was to try and shake off the residual water. That meant all the fumes still stuck to his fur were going everywhere and we were breathing it all in. We couldn't stop coughing, until finally my dog settled and laid down. We kept the tarp open on both sides to try and get air moving through, but in hind sight we should've stayed outside longer. My dog also proceeded to get his wet fur all over our sleeping bags and pillows so he just spread the bear spray.

MISTAKE #2: Do NOT use your hands to rinse it off. Should've used a towel. What they don't tell you on the bottle is you can have lasting effects of the bear spray for days... It wasn't until 72 hours later was I able to touch my eyes. I think because I was rubbing my dogs fur with my bare hands and then not being able to adequately wash them immediately after did my hands take such a beating. My hands essentially felt like they had frost bite for the next 48 hours. They constantly burned and the only comfort was holding ice (which I didn't get until we got out of there).

In the end...while this was a horrible experience because we were out in the middle of the nowhere and thought worst case scenarios, we ended up all being okay. This experience was a valuable lesson on bear spray safety and my lack of knowledge on how to actually use bear spray.