Counter Assault  Bear Deterrent Spray - 10.2 fl. oz.

If you've ever wondered if this can would actually help protect you from an angry bear, let me assure you: this stuff is for real. I speak from experience after having a can explode in my back pocket while fishing in the backcountry of Glacier National Park. I was lucky in that I was able to dive into the lake before the 10.2 liquid oz mushroom cloud of death that was instantaneously evacuated from the can hit my lungs. My fishing buddy was not. However, turn around is fair play as I emerged from the freezing water covered in a very Trump-ian orange oily glaze of industrial strength bear mace. I quickly lost the ability to see as I tried to flush my eyes with water, which I later discovered was covered in a similarly shimmering orange layer of oil reminiscent of the Exxon Valdez disaster. After about 15 minutes, my buddy regained the ability to breath normally and was kind enough to point it out. I guess I kind of deserved it, but I then had to suffer, blind, for another 30 minutes in 50 degree water trying to flush my eyes while he went back to stringing fish. Or so he says, honestly, I never saw one. A few hours later, after regaining my vision and recovering from a mild case of hypothermia, I was able to see the humor in the situation and appreciate the fresh layer of skin on my face, arms, and legs that was newly exposed by my backcountry chemical peel. Bottom line: 5/5, would not recommend as a skin treatment. 3/5, would seriously consider taking my chances with an angry bear rather than spray one of these cans up wind

I would give this negative stars and re-write the EPA for the 3rd time if I thought it would save others from my plight. A couple of years ago doing wild fire mitigation work in Northern California for a sub contractor for PG&E up in Lake County in Cobb, California, near Harbin ( which had endured wild fires recently that had killed a great many and laid waste to millions of dollars in property) the job called on me or my 3 partners climbing through a head high briar of poison oak to mark a dying tree nearly touching a power line. Tree branches + Power Lines + dry ground with much tinder = wild fire and subsequent death to communities. There was a rumor that the darker your skin the less likely you are to rash from poison oak. I'm African American and my team leader gave me the nod. Wearing full standard issue PPE + ( long sleeve shirt, long pants, boots, hard hat, leather gloves, protective glasses, backpack with, spray paint, ribbon, water bladder bear mace, bear whistle) and my other partners being rookies, I took the hit for the community and walked through the head high briar of poison, carefully pushing aside the poison oak with my hands to get to the old and damaged, dead, dry tree. I pushed and pushed and right at the tree I heard a hiss like a snake but then it got louder and then there was a cloud around me and I thought it was our spray paint canisters but then suddenly I was enveloped in a toxic cloud and could not see, and then could not breathe - my throat slowly closing up and fell into the poison oak briar blind and choking to death. TO make a long story short - THE COUNTER ASSAULT BEAR MACE CANISTER HAD BLOWN UP IN MY BACK PACK. PIERCED BY A MANZANITA BRANCH, THE THIN METAL RUPTURED AND SPEWING GAS THROUGH MY BACKPACK WAS KILLING ME! 2 of my team ran into save me from the toxic cloud of bear mace but could not get through air coughing and choking, their skin burning and like that they too could not breathe and or see and turned away. Luckily, one of the rookies had been an EMT and pushed through it all and lifted me up out of the poison oak and with my hand over his shoulder pushed through the head high bramble. He had on short sleeves for the big summer heat. On the mountain trail they poured water in my eyes and told me to breathe but I had no purchase on breath - not like asthma can't breathe but my throat had closed. I have 3 little boys and my life flashed before my eyes as the seconds like minutes, like hours mounted and there was nothing - I literally began to cry. Later both Randall and I went to the hospital where I complained about not being able to sleep the previous two nights and then already had spots on both eyes. Since they claim bear mace is not toxic the doctor told me not to worry about either and prescribed some drops for my eyes and prednisone for my labored breathing and burned out sinuses and told me my skin burns would abate with time. AS it turns out my team mate who saved me was suffering from the symptoms. Months later the spots on my eyes began to grow across my corneas and I am going blind. This was disregarded by the insurance company till they learned my team mate who'd run through the toxic mist had the same growths rapidly covering his eye so already he could not see clearly out of his right eye. He underwent surgery for his sinus problems but to no avail. Despite our co-ailments and deteriorating eyesite the Insurance company, CorVel Corporation still stated the Counter Assault Bear Mace could not make lasting injuries though all the medical facts presented otherwise. AS I write I have two Pterygium growing across my Cornea drastically effecting my vision and run through 10-15 albuterol hits daily. So does my former partner. We both have breathing issues two years later and his sinus problems after surgery are worst than mine with no surgery at all. Calling Counter Assault to bring their defective product to light and I was told it was personal error and nothing having to do with their cans. This might be true I told them but I later learned THE WEEK BEFORE ANOTHER CANISTER HAD EXPLODED ON SOMEONE ELSE IN THE COMPANY - to which they did not believe me and hung up. We did not have the sleeve which might make a difference when moving through the wilderness but if so then Counter Assault needs to make that piece of equipment mandatory. Good Luck out there