No doubt the .375 H&H is an excellent bear round, but I think there’s a fundamental difference between the kind of weapon I’d take if deliberately setting out to hunt bear (in which case the .375 would be at or very near the top of the list) and what I’d take for close range defense if merely packing/camping/hiking in bear country, or supervising a group of campers/hikers. IMHO, I think my first choice for the latter would probably be an AR platform carbine in .50 Beowulf, with my second choice a quick lever gun in .45-70, .450 Marlin or .444 Marlin, with a .480 Ruger or .454 Casull as a last ditch back up.