I was reminiscing about a canoe/camping trip to Algonquin in canada late 1970’s. We smuggled a revolver in with us. Tied all of the cooking stuff in a bag hung by a tree far way from our campsite. There was a bear attack right before our trip. It was a pain but i doubt the revolver we had would have stopped a bear. maybe the swarms of mosquitos. Later while hunting for turkey in bear woods. i bought a Taurus .44 magnum for protection.
There’s a canadian camper I follow on YouTube.
When he camps in an area with bears he drives miles away to eat.
He never eats where he camps.