Any suggestions for how to pack pepper spray inside the airplane? I've doubled-bagged them in ziplocks, but, if a canister is activated, I don't suppose that the bags will remain sealed very long. Thanks.

CAVU

I think I'd be pretty leery of having them in the cabin. Better off in a belly-pod, or maybe as an exterior load secured to the struts.

Eric

I like the idea of securing them to the struts. Rig a remote actuator and do a low pass over the chili cookoff! Seriously, I'd rather have them outside than inside. Maybe it's just as simple as taping them to the strut (and carrying some goo-gone to cleanup the strut after landing).

Jr.--I have a WWI gas mask that would probably work with ANR headsets--the best of all worlds, and good lookin' to boot.

CAVU

Find a distributor that sells Pelican Cases. See http://www.casesbypelican.com/pelican-c ... IgodvwKuPg

We used them to carry pepper spray inside all the time. Keep the foam lining to confine the spray if it goes off, and remember to close the equalizer plug prior to flight.

They work fine, and there's no need to be that paranoid about this stuff if it's properly contained. The Pelican cases will do that.

MTV

Perfect. Thanks, MTV and Jr.

CAVU

I'd want a sealed box and a vent line to the outside of the plane (Like a battery box). That way if they went off, the over pressure would not pop open the box. Just have to use a hose that would let the gasses out fast enough, but I bet anything of 3/8's or larger would work (choked flow in the line at the speed of sound on smaller dia hose), as they don't all vent at once unless crushed or something.

Yes I did work on the Value Jet crash in fact.....don't use bubble wrap on anything that gets hot.

Zona,

These canisters don't have sufficient volume or pressure to open a Pelican case. The foam liner will also slow down the dispersion of the stuff if one were to go off.

So, you get on the ground, open the pressure equalization vent first, and if red stuff comes out, shut it off quick, and think again.

By the way, this stuff can (depending on the size of the canister) be illegal to possess in Canada, so be careful if you're going there not to get twisted up by Customs.

MTV

I carried that for years and carried my canister on my belt inverted. On one occasion I had it get pressed down while working on a downed person and it went off. I think it was activated for about 5 to 8 seconds. I only became aware of it because I could hear a hissing that shouldn't have been there. The juice started dripping out the bottom of the case but was not a problem to anyone around. When I got back to the station one of our dispatchers who was very sensitive to the pepper noticed it but no one else seemed to be aware of it. As long as the stream or mist is not allowed to become air born or come in contact with anyone in the cabin it should be fine. If you wrap it in a rag as an absorbent and put it in a zip lock bag and you should be fine. Before we could carry the stuff we had to take a full dose hit in the face with it. It will give you a case to pause. If you get it on you wash it off with water and soap before touching you mouth nose or eyes lest extreme discomfort should follow.

Counter Assault has something called the Kozee-Tote that's supposed to do the trick. I haven't had to try mine out yet and I put it in the float locker anyway. Visit www.counterassault.com and look around.

dabridgham wrote:Counter Assault has something called the Kozee-Tote that's supposed to do the trick. I haven't had to try mine out yet and I put it in the float locker anyway. Visit www.counterassault.com and look around.

Is that some kinda beastiality hybrid, or what? Scary!
( who sez them old mountain men never got any?....)

The bears around here just call peperspray "Seasoning"
JH

My opinion on pepper spray? Well we all know about opinions don't we.

Anyway, I think the stuff is worthless for bears, it can work on people. Seen it used several times mysef. For bear defense it gives a false sense of security and has less effect on a bear than throwing rocks and yelling.

As to carrying in a plane, I would keep it outside the cockpit.

Shane

Reminds me of the joke I heard about the yuppie hikers.....
Q: how do we know when you're in grizzly country?
A: when the bear scat has bells in it and smells like pepper!

Eric

Ha!

I guess the volume of the cans are not that much....I keep the camp stove fuel by the door so I can ditch it, guess that would work for this stuff too. Only I don't use it, I have a 357 autoloader for that......and sometimes an SKS with a blade bayonet. I know a 7.62 is weak for bears, but it's better than pepper, and I can always use the bayonet as a last resort. Kind of kidding here.....

The one bear I ever had a problem with, my brother on the first shot, hit the poor thing in the head with a rock a little bigger than a baseball from like 20 yards away up the hill. It staggered the bear for a bit, and then off he went over the side of the ridge, with me moving the other way.

Zona,

Now, if that brother of yours is a slow runner, you've got the ideal bear protection.

Let him stand and pitch rocks at the bear till the bear gets fed up with it, then you outrun him.

Or kneecap him and run like.....

The ideal bear protection: Someone who is a lot slower than me.

MTV

Pelican cases are designed to keep water out, not pressure in. They automatically vent when the pressure gets too high, as the lid is forced away from the rubber gasket until it doesn't seal. If it didn't, the cases would explode inside the cargo holds of aircraft.

That said, the irritating agent in bear spray is a solid particle which is suspended and transferred in an inert liquid propellent. Anything which keeps the solid OC particles from becoming airborne (such as a pelican case full of foam) will reduce the level of irritation should the can rupture. Zip lock bags will not work, as the pressure will make them pop, filling the surrounding area with OC particles. Short of a canister which is airtight and has been tested to withstand the forces of a ruptured can of bear spray (capped irrigation pipe?), there is no safe way to carry the spray in a cabin.

Even packing it in the middle of a sleeping bag will offer a fair amount of protection (though it will ruin the sleeping bag should it leak or rupture).

Anything that keeps the OC from becoming airborne is all you need. As I posted before, just wrap it in a cloth to trap the liquid, an old T-shirt will work fine. A plastic bag around that to keep it from leaking out onto the carpet where it can end up becoming a constant reminder, like every time you touch it and then rub your face. The small containers are just 2 oz. and the large ones are around 8 oz. so it wouldn't take a lot to contain the contents should it start to leak.
This stuff is actually available in liquid form to use as a mass crowd pleaser, bring your spray can.. We had a small amount of the liquid around the station and it was pretty benign as long as you didn't get it directly on you. It is classed as a mucous inflammatory not an irritant like chemical mace. It's organic too so not toxic, it just makes your face feel like you've been bobbing for french fries. When my canister went off I just took the belt carrier and washed it off with soap and water, did the same for the canister and put it right back on. I never tried it on bears, but works great on dogs and even drugged out people.

Pelican cases have a pressure relief valve. It seals the case. Either way--up or down. But, as noted, the foam will pretty much contain the spray in any case.

Good grief, folks, this isn't liquid hydrogen, fer cryin out loud.

I've been sprayed in the face with the stuff as part of training, and trust me--I wouldn't carry it in a pelican case inside unless I was pretty confident of the outcome.

MTV

Sort of off subject, but a guy I work with thought it was funny to spray the air vents of my car with OC. That was pretty funny, but not as funny as seeing him the next day in the locker room. Seems someone had put OC on his deodorant stick. Ha! His entire torso was bright red and he was running around with his arms up like a lobster-ape.

I cant wait to see him today...I think someone put OC in his toothpaste