20 years ago I would have scoffed at the thought of needing bear spray, today not so much. I probably see over 50 bears a year and probably pass by a hundred more that I don't even know are there while riding around here and over the years have noticed a big change in some bears attitude... 20 years ago 100% of all bears I did see basically got out of the way and were weary of people and avoided them. Today not so much 50% run away, 40% just sit there watching you, but 10% are not afraid and even come towards you, some seem fairly aggressive... ( made up % as I see it) So carrying bear spray started to look like a good idea about 10 years ago when one bear actually charged and acted belligerent towards me. I certainly wouldn't rely on anything other than bear spray to use on a bear, experimenting with a last line of defence seems stupid to me. JMO