Bear spray, where do you put it?

[ATPringles]

Hi, I’ve used my hammock a couple of times now, and really like it. I am in bear country—both black and grizzly—and wonder how others stow their bear spray for easy access. I have been putting it on a ridge line organizer, but it looks like it might flip out, and I’m a little afraid it would land on my head. I’d put it beside me in the hammock, but I’m afraid the plastic part of the spray canister might end up breaking or tearing the bottom of the hammock. I use a Hammock Gear hammock, if that makes any difference. Please don’t tell me to not worry about the bears. They’re here. They sometimes visit. I keep a clean camp, but bears investigate sometimes. I just want ideas about how to keep the spray handy. Thank you. Pringles

[Hang Williams]

I keep it in my pack that hangs from my foot end. You occasionally hear stories about bears attacking people in tents and hammocks, so maybe I should keep it in the shelf on my blackbird, but that's already stuffed pretty full with other gear in camp.

[PopcornFool]

Consider your hiking shoes/boots. Boots under hammock. Water bottle in one boot. Bear spray in the other.
If you're concerned you might get the two confused, then perhaps the back country isn't the place for you.

Seriously though ... I don't carry bear spray, but I do use the boot trick for things I want to have handy (like my water bottle) when I'm in the hammock.

[mountain wanderer]

Honestly, I usually have mine on top of my gear, right below my hammock. There is also a dog under my hammock. His job is to give me enough time to get my hammock unzipped and grab the spray.

[ATPringles]

Thanks for the ideas. Maybe I could borrow a dog... . I was puttering about, and just noticed Dutch has a bottle holder for along the ridgeline. It even comes in a variety of pretty colors! (Only partially kidding, I like pretty colors, vs dull ones.) I keep thinking of Mike Clelland's book where he has his bear spray close at hand. I've never had a problem encounter, but I have had bears in camp and I'd like to have a plan, rather than use the discovery method.

[Sean McC]

Around here (Oregon) I don’t bother with bear spray. If I felt I needed it I would put it with my glasses and headlamp. Stuff I need to know where it is. In my case, that would be the head side of the shelf in a XLC.

[Shug]

Most bear spray comes in a holster type holder. Perhaps you can rig it on your hammock ridgeline for quick access even with bugnet closed.

Shug

[TrailBlaser]

In a holster while I'm out and about. In the saddlebag when I'm in my WBRR.

[cougarmeat]

Maybe there's a study about how many bear encounters happen with people in a tent/hammock vs out on the trail. I'd think I'd be more vulnerable in my hammock/tent if something large came into camp looking for food. That's why I camp in places where I'm at the top of the food chain ... except for cougars. But as long as I don't look/act/taste like a deer, I'll probably not become ... hum, what is the word, what is the word ...

[Twistytee]

I have a bear spray holster for my pack hip belt, but in my hammock I use mesh ridgeline loft from Hammock Gear in lieu of a traditional ridgeline organizer. While it’s a “one size fits all” capture point for my phone, battery, bear spray, etc., nothing flips out the way items can with the RO. And the spray is readily accessible inside the hammock should I encounter a bear or some other random threat.

As an aside, I’ve largely stopped worrying about these types of encounters while sleeping in my hammock. They are rare events I cannot control and losing sleep over it seemed rather pointless to me. That being said, I did have a black bear come right up to my tarp last weekend while camping in the Nantahala National Forest. It was looking for food and ran off as soon as I flipped on my headlamp and unzipped my hammock. Freaked me out a little, but it was also a reminder that I’m a visitor in their backyard and need to respect their environment.