I was just thinking the other day.. I was wondering if anybody trusts carrying pepper spray or a taser for self defense?? Just thinking i would like the g/f to have something at least... Your opinions?
protect the anti-carry....
- Thread starter ouch
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If she needs it why not? My g/f carries a small thing of pepper spray on her keyring. Good protection for when she has to open the store at 5 AM. There are drunks and everything around that area and you just never know. It makes me feel better too, knowing that she can protect herself.
I have knives everywhere (on my person, in my purse, in our vehicles, random places in other areas, etc.). 
I also carry Bear Spray......more so to protect myself from people than bears. My S&W .40 usually isn't too far away, but not always practical to carry......thus the knives and "Counter Assault".
I also carry Bear Spray......more so to protect myself from people than bears. My S&W .40 usually isn't too far away, but not always practical to carry......thus the knives and "Counter Assault".
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Just as long as you know how to use what you carry, try letting loose with a blast of pepper spray into the wind, i have seen it a time or two, you are getting attacked and now you are blind too, or dump the contents while the assailant is out of range. Take a class if you can.
I definitely advocate trying the spray before you ever even think of having to use it. Yes, you do want to take into account wind direction, but once you are accustomed to carrying the stuff, you pretty much notice wind all the time.
The stuff has a good long shelf life.....or at least bear spray does. It's good past it's expiration date. Meaning, the contents are still good, it's the sprayer that needs to be checked because it can go bad. Every spring I give all 3 of my cans a blast to test them out, and always at different places and times (I sometimes have more than one can on me at a time).
Even getting a small whiff can irritate, but it's better than the alternative. If I ever get caught in a situation where I need to blast some off, and I can't get upwind (and maybe even if I do), I will be using my shirt/jacket to cover my nose and mouth.
For me, it's a great alternative to packing my S&W.
Edit: I should add that I count on this stuff. I camphost at a campground in the heart of Grizzly Bear country (and we've had one visit a few times), so besides having it for that purpose, there have also been some *shady* peeps through who've made me nervous being a female there by myself.
The stuff has a good long shelf life.....or at least bear spray does. It's good past it's expiration date. Meaning, the contents are still good, it's the sprayer that needs to be checked because it can go bad. Every spring I give all 3 of my cans a blast to test them out, and always at different places and times (I sometimes have more than one can on me at a time).
Even getting a small whiff can irritate, but it's better than the alternative. If I ever get caught in a situation where I need to blast some off, and I can't get upwind (and maybe even if I do), I will be using my shirt/jacket to cover my nose and mouth.
For me, it's a great alternative to packing my S&W.
Edit: I should add that I count on this stuff. I camphost at a campground in the heart of Grizzly Bear country (and we've had one visit a few times), so besides having it for that purpose, there have also been some *shady* peeps through who've made me nervous being a female there by myself.
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FWIW, Last year I was in the Hilgard Basin (near Hebgen Lake) fishing and was suprised by a griz, it immediately started doing bluff charges. I grabbed my first can (5yrs old) and let fly! Lasted about three seconds, the wind changed and I caught a little backspray, Nothing, no burn, not anything. The second can was about 3 years old, at this point the bear was still being aggressive so I let fly with the second can, this appeared to make the bear think but was not enough to drive it away. I grabbed my wifes can, brand new, and waited for the next charge and let it rip. In a split second the bear was gone and I was on the ground choking and gagging. Moral of the story, bear spray has a shelf life of two years, I believe the Counter Assault even states that on the packaging. The owner of CA lives here in Bozeman and I know him personally and he is emphatic that the strength of the product decreases over a realatively short time. I am going to buy a new can every year from here on out. Also it is reccomended to test fire the can only once in the life of the can.
I'll have to chat with Fish, Wildlife & Parks then since they are the ones that gave me the info on the shelf life, and to test fire the can every year....and stated they had talked to the owner about this product. Specifically, the Grizzly Bear Specialists. I'll be doing that right away.
I know one of my cans is 5 years old.....and a little whiff of that on a test spray was horrible.
I know one of my cans is 5 years old.....and a little whiff of that on a test spray was horrible.
back when it was still legal to carry pepperspray on aircraft, i carried a small one for years, and used it successfully against a doberman one day when i was out running....a different larger canister i carried when backpacking in bear country went bad in just three years, a quick test for function, and i sniffed the edge of the spray, but it obviously wasn't working, so i used a longer duration release with still no irritant....i put my finger on some of the stuff that had come out of the can and put it to my nose, but there was clearly nothing in it that was irritating....now i change out my spray every year
