Grizzly kills camper in Yellowstone

[Chester Taje]

These attacks I beleive are very few and far between. Most animals stay away from people if they can. If you think about how many people are camping on any given day in North America it may open your minds. More folks probably get in accidents going camping than having things go wrong when camping.

[Lee Senn]

Originally Posted by melissab

After reading the 1st hand account of the bear attack it brings a question to mind. How sturdy are these little eggs against 4 footed or even 2 footed predators? I have seen video of bears tearing into vehicles etc so nothing is gonna stop one of them entirely but what about smaller predators like Mountain Lions, Wolves etc? My folks live in WY and once we have our little egg we want camp summers in that part of the country so I'm curios as to just how touch molded figerglass is compared to the sticky built RV's? Those that have done complete renovations will probably have a good idea about how tough these little trailers are.

Thanks for any input,

Melissa

Melissa I will present my observations and my thoughts. As to bears in general, both black and grizzly, in 20 years of backpacking and 38 years of camping both tent and trailer I have only seen a half dozen black bears and 3 Grizzlies ( all from a distance ,thankfully ,greater than 100 yards ). That is not a lot of visual contact given the amount of exposure. Our fiberglass trailers are tough as nails but definitely could not keep a determined Grizzly out ( although many may be of such size that they would have a hard time getting through the door !). best defense, in my opinion pepper spray, secondly firearms. If one got in your trailer we do have escape windows, flee to the car, no keys, get under the car. Next Cougars, Mountain Lions etc. In the above mentioned time frames I have only seen one and that only a quick glimpse and it was gone. Mountain Lions, Cougars , from what I have gathered from accounts of attacks, seem to go after moving prey hence inside your trailer I would think you would be reasonably safe. Wolves ( and now the controversy will begin ) ,although they have a terrible reputation, do not have much of a history of fatal attacks on humans. On the web ( and we all know the web is never wrong ) I could find documentation of only two fatal attacks in North America in the last 100 years. One in northern Canada and one recently in Alaska. So as I indicated in my post earlier on this thread we come to the two legged predator and that is where the real danger lies but we accept that risk daily. Lee

[Steve Outlaw]

I've never had the need to fire off anything like mace or bear spray so I'm not familiar with the spray characteristics. If a bear was breaking into our camper and maybe had his/her head actually inside an opening, be it one that it created or perhaps a window or door it had torn through and we were to spray said bear, would the spray not fill the entire interior space of the camper and choke us as well? I would not want to be forced to leave the relatively safe confines of our trailer to enter the realm of the bear who might be just a little upset at anyone and everyone. I believe I would still lean a little more toward fire power than chemical deterrents.

[Emmitt G.]

I think it would take a Big bad, mad bear to be able to break into a casita....

[Adrian W]

They come BIG, Strong and can be very Determined; if you add Mad or even Hungry, we are really in trouble.

I am guessing, the weak points would be the Door and Windows.

YouTube - Bear Opening Truck Door (twice)

YouTube - Black Bears Attack Car with Guy Inside

YouTube - Bear breaks in car at clingmans dome, smoky mountains, TN

YouTube - Bear resistant garbage containers

YouTube - Bear Resistant Container Testing

YouTube - Bear Container Safety Test, West Yellowstone April 2009

[Marjorie M.]

Originally Posted by Robin G

Not 5 feet from my truck to the patio set, and in between me and the patio set was a Mommy Griz and 2 cubs who were in the process of going thru the dumpsters. I got my rear back in the truck and debated how to move the grizzly's so I could get my new patio set. LOL....... I finally gave up! Figured I wasn't gonna score this time and went on my merry way............ minus a new patio set.

Great story, Robin, but just to be a nitpicker, there are no grizz in Colorado, only black bears, which are a lot less aggressive. I just spent 3 weeks in Montana and the Canadian Rockies camped in a tent, where there are grizz, but I had bear spray and 2 dogs. There were a lot of others tent camping also. I can't say I felt entirely safe, but the odds are against anything happening, as most bears aren't aggressive. This was the same time the attack in Yellowstone happened, so I was on high alert. One night I slept in my SUV, as I was in a thick forest in an especially wild place in Canada. I missed my Casita. But I can tell you, a bear can break into about anything if determined enough. Bear spray is very effective and won't harm the bear, just teaches them to stay away from humans. Also works on other critters, including humans. You can't take guns nor mace into Canada, but you can take bear spray, which I did.

[Emmitt G.]

that cool he used the handle, maybe he 's got a master key to start them too

[Patty C.]

We are the most nature-loving animal friendly people I know but when it comes to our personal safety (4-legged or 2-legged animals), what hubby says for home applies to camping ...

"If anyone breaks in ... they ain't leavin."

Patty

[Bruce Thomas]

Originally Posted by Emmitt G.

I think it would take a Big bad, mad bear to be able to break into a casita....

they have yet to make a Casita that a bear cannot walk right through..believe that

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by Adrian W

They come BIG, Strong and can be very Determined; if you add Mad or even Hungry, we are really in trouble.

I am guessing, the weak points would be the Door and Windows.

Those bears have all been fed by people and are found in National Parks where dumb people think it's cute to feed the bears.
If want to avoid bears stay out of National Parks.

[Byron Kinnaman]

All those bears in the U-TUBE clips, anybody know where those bears are today?

OK I'll tell you. They're all dead. I believe the PC term is euthanize.

[Cyndi B.]

I have only stayed in camps where bears are present a few times and I did not find it relaxing or advanturess. We stayed in a campground that had bear problems so bad the camp host carried a shotgun with rubber bullets which my husband thought would be a great idea for me. Not! So when the bear wandered into the campground while the guys where off hiking I didn't take out my Nikon. I got in the Tundra and wondered how fast I would have to go before I made him a hood ornament. If my husband wants to camp in bear country he can take the Boy Scouts.

[Dave Bese]

Cyndi; don't do it! I have a friend who hit a bear with a 3/4 ton pickup. Killed the bear but almost totalled the truck! He said it was like hitting a tree stump

[Cyndi B.]

Actually, the Tundra needs a major front end accident. Went in to get the gas pedal replaced so we wouldn't run away and found out that big girl needs a front end differential after three years. Can't wait for that recall.

[Keith Williams]

Originally Posted by Patty C.

We are the most nature-loving animal friendly people I know but when it comes to our personal safety (4-legged or 2-legged animals), what hubby says for home applies to camping ...

"If anyone breaks in ... they ain't leavin."

Patty

i'm with Hubby, "go ahead....make my day"

EKW