Update on our unfortunate BEAR SPRAY incident...

[ParkCountry]

First of all, thanks to all who expressed support and offered constructive criticism on our unfortunate incident with BEAR SPRAY that went off like a bomb inside our pickup cab. Although I felt like a complete idiot in it's aftermath, I felt like my experience could help prevent it from happening to someone else. That in itself tempers my embarrassment at being so stupid in the first place. Much thanks also to bfast54 who suggested that maybe some of it got onto my heater core and could cause problems when the weather turns cold again. It had not occurred to me.

The first thing I had done was a complete interior detail to remove as much of the bear spray from every square inch of the cab. Because they had to wear respirators (among other things), the cost went up from an original quote of $120, up to $250.

Next, I had to have the windshield replaced because of the huge bullseye created by the explosion. I have a "Zero" deductible on comprehensive and actually made $100 back on the deal from my regular windshield replacement shop. By the way, the installer pointed out places where the detailers could not have reached without the windshield being removed. He even got "burned" by this residual spray in the process.

I made a trip to Boise when those first two jobs were done and noticed that my DVD player was skipping. Never did that before. Took the truck for the final repair to the local Ford dealer for fixing the panels on the dash that got blown out and replacement of the automatic headlight sensor that was destroyed. I mentioned bfast54's suggestion and that just about totally changed the estimate. The dealer guy said that if the spray got into the ventilation ducting, there was no way it could be cleaned out. End result, I'm getting a whole new dash and DVD player, all to the tune of just a tad over $2400. Needless to say, my insurance man was not happy with all the expense over a virtual bomb going off in the cab.

In response to some who wrote that it would never get that hot while actually driving, that's true, but my point was that just having the bear spray in the cab put me/us at risk because, who knows what else could have triggered the spray to go off, like accidentally tripping off the "safety" when driving on bad roads (i.e. the 60 mile off-pavement trip we took in April to Toroweap on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon). When I look at the shard of metal, flattened by the blast, that was formerly the bear spray canister, I think that the pain of the spray on our faces, in our lungs, and on all exposed skin would have been the least of our worries. Who knows what would have happened if that shard had severed a jugular vein or carotid artery.

Thanks again to all who offered support. It was much appreciated. We are now sadder but much, much wiser for this experience. Helping others avoid our pain is what this post is all about.

[Bluhorn]

Good Grief! I think I will take my chances with the bear!;) Thanks for the update OP.

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

wa8yxm wrote:

Turtle n Peeps wrote:
OP you're lucky they didn't total your truck out. It can and does happen.

A girl I went to college with had a skunk crawl in her car. :E Yep, you got it; it sprayed. They gave up trying to clean the car and totaled it out. To expensive to replace all of the interior down to the metal.

My dad used to tell of a neighbor (Well 30 miles) who patrolled his line fences every day during hunting season cause he lost a few head of cattle every year to deer hunters who could not tell the difference. Well he found where they cut the fence, Fixed it, tracked the car, a convertable, to where they parked it inside the fence in a fence row.. Top down and a bit of brush to hide it (Not that that worked) and then he went up to the barn, Hooked up ye old Honey Wagon and loaded a load of his finest.. You know how they judge the quality of that "Honey" (By how far downwind you need to stand) Well his"Finest" is some of the Finest I've ever ... had the displeasure of.

(I used to drive past his farm)

You got to know what the hunters found when they got back to their car... They did fix it, took out and repalced all the seats, fabric and such, Steamed the rest, never did get rid of all the aroma.

They also sued him... And lost,,, And got sent to jail for trespass.

But they never did get rid of the stink.

OMG, that is hilarious!

Reminds me of the Mythbusters episode where they left a dead pig in a Corvette for like a month and then tried to clean it. They said it could not be done really. All the wiring even had to be replaced in the car.

I'm pretty sure the OP or his passengers will smell pepper for years to come. I don't think I would want to ride in that truck in July in Az! Like the trailer poster alluded to, a little of that stuff is nasty!

[wa8yxm]

Turtle n Peeps wrote:
OP you're lucky they didn't total your truck out. It can and does happen.

A girl I went to college with had a skunk crawl in her car. :E Yep, you got it; it sprayed. They gave up trying to clean the car and totaled it out. To expensive to replace all of the interior down to the metal.

My dad used to tell of a neighbor (Well 30 miles) who patrolled his line fences every day during hunting season cause he lost a few head of cattle every year to deer hunters who could not tell the difference. Well he found where they cut the fence, Fixed it, tracked the car, a convertable, to where they parked it inside the fence in a fence row.. Top down and a bit of brush to hide it (Not that that worked) and then he went up to the barn, Hooked up ye old Honey Wagon and loaded a load of his finest.. You know how they judge the quality of that "Honey" (By how far downwind you need to stand) Well his"Finest" is some of the Finest I've ever ... had the displeasure of.

(I used to drive past his farm)

You got to know what the hunters found when they got back to their car... They did fix it, took out and repalced all the seats, fabric and such, Steamed the rest, never did get rid of all the aroma.

They also sued him... And lost,,, And got sent to jail for trespass.

But they never did get rid of the stink.

[PastorCharlie]

R12RTee wrote:

The Texan wrote:
All I will say is that as a LEO, who used pepper spray and had pepper spray used on me, I do have a little knowledge of what is in the canister. I do own several cans of bear spray and all one has to do is read the contents and you will see the basic ingredients are one and the same.

Now, IMO, a gun dealer who can not sell guns in California, but trying to stay in business, will say most anything to make a living. The size difference in the canister is due to "state" laws regulating how much you can carry for self defense with human pepper spray, nothing to do with the makeup of the contents.

Pepper spray and bear spray are NOT similar.
Although both types of sprays are made from oleoresin capsicum, it is the capsaicin and related capsaicinoids that are the active ingredients in bear spray. Therefore, if you see claims on a large can that state 10%, 20%, or 30% oleoresin capsicum, it is pepper spray (personal defense spray), not bear spray.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates bear sprays pursuant to an Act of Congress. Look for the EPA registration and establishment numbers, usually found at the bottom of the front label; only bear sprays will have this information. Also, bear spray labels will clearly refer to bears, and state it is a bear deterrent, bear repellent, or for stopping charging or attacking bears.

I found the information at these site interesting:

LINK

LINK

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

pitch wrote:
TurtlnPeeps, You keep making us aware that it is a felony to use on a human.
Is the law going to deter you from defending yourself or terminating a violent felony?

"I keep on making us aware." I'm getting old but I believe this was my first post on this subject? :h If I'm incorrect, please quote me.

In any event, to answer your question, no I would not use bee spray, or bleach or whatever to terminate a violent felony.

I don't carry such things on my person or in my car anyway.

That said, I would have no problem exercising my 2nd amendment rights to terminate a violent felony perpetrated against my family. I'm a firm believer in using the right tool for the right job. 🙂

I don't think it will be a problem though. Much like bears, I haven't seen a violent felony in my life. Sometimes like the OP found out, the cure is worse than the disease. 🙂

[pitch]

TurtlnPeeps, You keep making us aware that it is a felony to use on a human.
Is the law going to deter you from defending yourself or terminating a violent felony?

[TyroneandGladys]

delete

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

OP you're lucky they didn't total your truck out. It can and does happen.

A girl I went to college with had a skunk crawl in her car. :E Yep, you got it; it sprayed. They gave up trying to clean the car and totaled it out. To expensive to replace all of the interior down to the metal.

As far as bear spray goes. I don't know where you people live but I live in the county and have seen only 3 bears in my life around here.

I went to Yellow Stone about 5 years ago and saw 0 bears. :M When I was a kid we went to Yellow Stone and there were dozens of bears lined up on the road for "snacks."

As far as using a product on anything other than the target pest, it is a federal offence. Yes people I personally know in my county have been prosecuted and convicted of doing it. Not something you want to do IMHO.

[bfast54]

Roy...............................Glad I could help..............:)................Being in the Fire Service, near 30 years...................I know first hand.....how stuff can Migrate into spaces, and later cause big issues.



We had a school being built, and they had a Paint fire in a locker room.................Ended up, they had to remove the roof in the GYM, pull all the insulation in the ceiling.......and replace with new .......smoke got into that also.......................Think your issue was costly.....................Well, that was nothing on this one..........



Glad you got it fixed, and we all learned from it ...................Well worth the price of admission......I am willing to bet.:W

[The_Texan]

R12RTee wrote:

The Texan wrote:
All I will say is that as a LEO, who used pepper spray and had pepper spray used on me, I do have a little knowledge of what is in the canister. I do own several cans of bear spray and all one has to do is read the contents and you will see the basic ingredients are one and the same.

Now, IMO, a gun dealer who can not sell guns in California, but trying to stay in business, will say most anything to make a living. The size difference in the canister is due to "state" laws regulating how much you can carry for self defense with human pepper spray, nothing to do with the makeup of the contents.

Pepper spray and bear spray are NOT similar.
Although both types of sprays are made from oleoresin capsicum, it is the capsaicin and related capsaicinoids that are the active ingredients in bear spray. Therefore, if you see claims on a large can that state 10%, 20%, or 30% oleoresin capsicum, it is pepper spray (personal defense spray), not bear spray.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates bear sprays pursuant to an Act of Congress. Look for the EPA registration and establishment numbers, usually found at the bottom of the front label; only bear sprays will have this information. Also, bear spray labels will clearly refer to bears, and state it is a bear deterrent, bear repellent, or for stopping charging or attacking bears.

ba·sic


Adjective - Forming an essential foundation or starting point; fundamental.


Noun - The essential facts or principles of a subject or skill.


Synonyms - fundamental - primary - essential - cardinal - main

[R12RTee]

The Texan wrote:
All I will say is that as a LEO, who used pepper spray and had pepper spray used on me, I do have a little knowledge of what is in the canister. I do own several cans of bear spray and all one has to do is read the contents and you will see the basic ingredients are one and the same.

Now, IMO, a gun dealer who can not sell guns in California, but trying to stay in business, will say most anything to make a living. The size difference in the canister is due to "state" laws regulating how much you can carry for self defense with human pepper spray, nothing to do with the makeup of the contents.

Pepper spray and bear spray are NOT similar.
Although both types of sprays are made from oleoresin capsicum, it is the capsaicin and related capsaicinoids that are the active ingredients in bear spray. Therefore, if you see claims on a large can that state 10%, 20%, or 30% oleoresin capsicum, it is pepper spray (personal defense spray), not bear spray.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates bear sprays pursuant to an Act of Congress. Look for the EPA registration and establishment numbers, usually found at the bottom of the front label; only bear sprays will have this information. Also, bear spray labels will clearly refer to bears, and state it is a bear deterrent, bear repellent, or for stopping charging or attacking bears.

[The_Texan]

Dakzuki wrote:

pnichols wrote:
This may be off topic because I couldn't tell why the OP was carrying bear spray in their RV, but FWIW, at least here in CA using bear spray for protection from a human attacker is a felony, as it can stick to and completely cover a person's face so thoroughly that is sufficates them whether they deserve it or not.

I guess that bear spray should only be used on dangerous bears. We carry pepper spray for use on humans. I have no idea want pepper spray would do to the interior of an RV!

So you can shoot an attacker with a firearm in self defense but bear spray is a no-no? Something doesn't add up there.

I highlighted why it doesn't add up. They are anti anything to protect yourself, so I can understand why they have that law.

[Dakzuki]

pnichols wrote:
This may be off topic because I couldn't tell why the OP was carrying bear spray in their RV, but FWIW, at least here in CA using bear spray for protection from a human attacker is a felony, as it can stick to and completely cover a person's face so thoroughly that is sufficates them whether they deserve it or not.

I guess that bear spray should only be used on dangerous bears. We carry pepper spray for use on humans. I have no idea want pepper spray would do to the interior of an RV!

So you can shoot an attacker with a firearm in self defense but bear spray is a no-no? Something doesn't add up there.

[Dakzuki]

pnichols wrote:


I guess that bear spray should only be used on dangerous bears. !

Correct. Never use it on cuddly nice bears. :B