I camp in a lot of areas where bears reside. So I have a can of bear spray. I was looking at it today and see that it has an expiry date on it. Good to know now . So does any one know the reason that it expires even if it has never been opened?

 

Bear sprays, pepper sprays, etc have an expiration date because they lose their effectiveness over time as the pepper extract ages. The best performing (HOTTEST) sprays will be those that are freshly filled with the pepper extract. Not to say that you could tell a very noticeable difference but the spray companies can't guarantee the spray's effectiveness beyond the date stamped on the can. It's more of a legal thing. You can bet that even if the can is expired by some amount of time, a good solid stream of the spray will still yield some pretty powerful results. Not as effective as freshly squeezed, but still potent. I, for one, would not want to experiment with an "expired" can to see if it's as "potent" as a fresh one. Oh, and FYI, the bear sprays usually are "super hot" and much more powerful than sprays intended for humans. The percentage of extract in bear/animal repellents is increased for more effectiveness. Hope this helps.

 

If it is anything like high end riot gas it is so potent that it will burn your skin. I did a training fire a couple of mounths ago and the Swap team had deployed a bunch of gas in this building a day before. Somehow the powder got though my buncker gear and gave me and my guys a 1st and 2nd degree chemical burns.

So if you want a fun time spray yourself with it. Then put it down your pants and spary little you.

 

A full, unopened can of Bear Repellant, that has expired, is a great thing to have,,,,think about it.
hopefully your next can will expire unopened.

 

LonestarCTD thanks very good explanation. jerry61 I could not agree more hope I never have to open a can, and Goober hope those burns have healed.

 

We live and camp in griz country. My bear spray is a Winchester defender loaded alternately with 1 oz. slugs and double 00 buck. It won't expire.

 

I agree. A life threatening situation requires deadly force. I think bears are relatively intelligent and it makes me think about my doberman back in the 80's. I was working on the roof and I saw the meter reader come into the subdivision. Immediately my doberman went crazy in the back yard. I came down and managed to put a chain on him and I thought he was gonna break his neck trying to get off. For 30 minutes I had to lie on top of that dog and wrestle him to hold him down. Turns out the meter reader had shocked him with a cattle prod through the fence. One thing I don't want is a full grown bear wondering around the woods with no thought in mind except getting even with me for a dose of pepper spray.

 

I have personally sprayed bears IN THE FACE with that crap and I can tell you that I wouldn't trust it to protect my families life, A dominant brown bear will tear you limb from limb, I don't care what you spray. Even a big black bear is a force to be reckoned with. Get a gun.

 

It expires when the last can has been depleted and all that you have done is made the bear really, really mad at you........

 

Alaska Grizzly Bear Notice:

In light of the rising frequency of human/grizzly bear conflicts, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game is advising hikers, hunters, and fishermen to take extra precautions and keep alert for bears while in the field.

We advise that outdoorsmen wear noisey little bells on their clothing so as not to startle bears that aren't expecting them.

We also advise outdoorsmen to carry pepper spray with them in the case of an encounter with a bear.

It is also a good idea to watch out for fresh signs of bear activity.

Outdoorsmen should recognize the difference between black bear and grizzly bear dung.

Black bear dung is smaller and contains lots of berries and squirrel fur.

Grizzly bear dung has little bells in it and smells like pepper.



..............And,...............



So these two guys are walking in the forest when they see, on the path ahead of them... a Grizzly bear!
Worse, the bear sees them, and begins to move towards them.
"Oh my God... Ohmigod WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO?" says the first guy in a panic.
He looks around and sees his companion kneeling down to tighten the laces on his running shoes.
"What are you, crazy?!" he shouts at his friend. "You can't outrun that bear!!"
And the second guy says, "I don't have to outrun the BEAR......I only have to outrun YOU"

 

Pretty funny but probably true. I have made several very remote float trips in AK. We had one Griz come straight down the bank at us. With all the arm waving and yelling he crossed to the other side and went splashing on by----about 30-40 feet away. River was pretty small there. Fortunately, he was way more interested in all the pink salmon in the river than us. Some fellers up there, who should know such things, told us if you don't spray them right in the eyes they actually like it and sometimes roll around in it. Not sure if that is true or not but that is what several guides told us.

 

Instead of bear spray, I have an unopenned six pack of Billy Beer. That stuff has sure aged, so by now, it is ready for personal protection. Only worth about 11.50 recently on EBAY. I figure that if it does not injure the bear, it will certainly confuse and annoy him...he will figure I am a cheapster so I have nothing worth stealing, and if he gest a taste of that beer, and figures I've been drinking it...he'll not chance a bite.....

 

I've been reading a bit about bear spray since I just moved grizzly country and like to bow hunt. The spray is much lighter to pack than a .44 and you don't have to be a good shot. If you don't hear from me again you'll know it didn't work and I've become a pepper steak for a grizzly . I've bowhunted, hiked, and camped black bear country all my life, they never worried me except hauling game out at night.

 

Goober,how did you decon your clothing?

 

Often if police treat an area with gas, it will be CS, which is a totally different animal than OC (Oleoresin Capsaicin) that is often in bear sprays and subject control sprays.

Generally a normal washing will remove either, though OC may leave orange stains.

In my experience if you get OC on your face, it produces a burning sensation that doesn't really effect a person's ability to fight, but once it's in your eyes you absolutely can't see or open your eyes. I would presume it would be the same for a bear (that getting it in the animal's eyes would be the best chance of achieving the desired result with a motivated attacker).

As far as expired cans go, the old CN (mace) was said to come out of solution and form solids.

OC is probably better, but considering the low cost and what you are risking, if you need bear spray I'd probably pony up to keep a non-expired can on hand.