When it comes to testing bear-resistant camping equipment, the bears have the last word.
To be labeled “bear-resistant,” products have to pass bear-assisted tests, and the grizzlies at Washington State University’s Bear Research, Education, and Conservation Center are happy to oblige — and have been since 2022.
To warrant a bear-resistant rating, a product must weather 60 minutes of bears’ active efforts to breach it. Bears are wily, and each has its preferences when it comes to breaking and entering.
The testing process has benefits all around. Bear-resistant products reduce bears’ habituation to humans, and testing provides enrichment and physical activity for resident bears. And if a product can survive all this and still work for humans, it’s likely market-ready.