Time to Conquer Montana?

 I have hardly ever camped in Montana.  What a shame!  A gigantic state ignored.  Of course Montana is not as big as it looks on the map because the eastern half is probably too low and hot in mid-summer.

Two summers ago I made a noble effort to correct this oversight.  I ended up on the northern edge of the Yellowstone ecosystem.  I drove past warning signs about grizzly bears and felt uncomfortable camping there.  Ursaphobia is something that one must overcome in order to camp in Montana.

Most of the grizzlies are found in or near Glacier and Yellowstone national parks and the corridor between them.

I have bear spray, but have considered a handgyun as well.  The handgun project is probably nothing more than a thought experiment.  Target practice is noisy and expensive.  Could I really hit a charging grizzly in the brain with a handgun?  At least with bear spray, you don't have to aim very well.  Of course shooting bear spray upwind will not be pleasant.

During the handgun thought-experiment I ran into all these guys bragging about their "chest rig" (bag/pack), for carrying the gun.  My goodness, there are a lot of men out there who are wannabees for Special Forces or Search-and-Rescue teams!  But chest rigs do make it easy to get things out of the bag.  Among other reasons, that is why I have never liked fanny packs or backpacks like the Camelbak.

After watching a dozen You Tubes on chest rigs, I finally laughed off male earnestness about their "tactical" equipment, as well as the high prices.  I have crashed onto my chest on a mountain bike and knocked my breath out.  So I decided to come up with a holster and straps based on things I already owned.

Regardless of whether you are using bear spray or a hand gun, under-the-armpit should be the correct location.  It is pure luck that I am left-handed, which makes this under-the-armpit holster even better for a mountain biker, because I will take the left hand off the front brake first.  Also I have only fallen on the left shoulder/hip/knee when going over the handlebars, and the right armpit seems like the safest place for a holster.  I once crashed with a camera on the left hip and it left quite a bruise.  There are a couple reasons why a crashing mountain biker falls on the left side.

What about walking?  Although you can operate bear spray with one hand, two hands will probably work a lot better.  If one hand is attached to the leash of dog that is going bonkers because of the bear, that same hand will be useless for holding onto the bear spray.  So I have gotten in the habit of snapping the dog leash onto a waist belt.

Grangeville ID is not really grizzly country, but I walk and bike with my new "tactical" equipment just to get in the habit.  The idea is to do these things automatically, without wallowing consciously and fearfully about bears.