Bear spray, people spray, etc.

[.38 Special]

I spend a lot of time hiking in places where guns are not allowed. Many of these places are home to black bears and/or mountain lions, in addition to the ever-present possibility of various two-legged predators. I've been carrying OC spray designed for use against people, but have heard that bears occasionally require several good blasts of spray, meaning that my little people-sized bottle may not cut it. And it looks to me like the typical "people" sprays have much higher concentration of capsaicin than the typical bear sprays. And I also have no idea whether any of these sprays would work against a big cat, assuming I even saw him coming.

So, questions:

1) Are bear sprays effective against people?

2) Are people sprays effective against bears?

3) Do any of them work against cats?

4) What the heck should I buy?

 

[fardarrigger]

If I recall correctly, bear spray is the same as people spray (capsicum, or red pepper) It tends to be stronger concentrations for bear spray, in larger containers that put more product on target, a good idea. Either should work on cats. I saw some canisters recently at Sportsman's Warehouse. Good luck, hope you never need them.