Since they won’t let you carry enough the bear spray, you’ll likely need the ammunition...
I’m against making bears into aerosol sprays. What good can come of that?
With 11 pounds of ammunition, why would you need bear spray?
PUNCHLINE:
Bear scat has small bells in it and smells of pepper-spray.
I had no problem seeing bear spray on my last trip to AK. I was well armed and didn’t buy any. I have not seen much bear spray where I reside in CA, but there probably is some. Don’t know what it costs.
Amazon has it for about $30.
Well...yeah.
On one hand, you’ve got a pressurized container full of noxious gasses, being transported vertically to a low-pressure environment - increasing the pressure gradient strain on the container and making it significantly more likely to rupture. If it does rupture, you’re now circulating noxious fumes through an enclosed space carrying hundreds of trapped passengers. THIS. IS. BAD.
On the other hand, you’ve got pressure-stable tiny containers of stable powders which are, if released, not noxious and generally stay in the larger container (which is probably within 1-3 more containers). Nothing will happen unless there is a precise and forceful impact on a primer, which isn’t going to happen if properly contained. In the extreme fluke event of one of these tiny containers firing, it will in all likelihood make a small “pop”, produce a little smoke (again, within multiple containers), and otherwise have zero effect on aircraft & passengers. For any significant harm to occur, the cargo would basically have to be on fire, at which point a box of ammo popping will impose a negligible increase on the already-severe situation. No harm done.
Yes, 11 pounds of ammo going off all at once will likely cause less harm, and is far less likely to do so, than the release of 4 oz of bear spray.
There’s a reason ammunition is put in guns with “the longer the better” barrels. No chamber + no barrel = no appreciable harm.
I bought five large cans of bear spray a few years ago during a family trip to the Tetons and Yellowstone. A man had been mauled to death on a trail near the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone a week before we visited. Couldn’t bring the stuff home with us, so we dropped it off in a Bear Spray donation box in Jackson on the way to the airport. I think the drop off was either at an outdoor store or a ranger station. Some lucky visitor got ours for free in the next few days.
TIP: If you are visiting bear country, try to find the free donation boxes where departing people drop their spray off. You might save some big bucks.
Bear Spray is a big improvement over the Bear Roll-On they sold in years past.
Buy the bear spray when you arrive in bear country, then ship it to yourself or give it away when you leave.
We were stopped at the Calgary airport this summer with some. I think it is a racket to increase internal sales.
It’s probably best and easier to pack your own bear. That way you have fresh bear spray on hand.
Buy it at the destination, throw or give it away, no other option. You can pack pepper spray in checked luggage, but bear spray is too large by about double , and likely too potent.
Just have plaenty of duct tape.....so you can get back
