How We Verify Bear-Proof Products
Where our data comes from, how we check it, what we leave out, and a public record of the mistakes we have corrected.
On this page7 sections
"Bear-proof" is a marketing word. A certification number you can look up on an official list is a fact. We only publish the second kind, and we tell you when we get it wrong.
Our Sources
- The IGBC (Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee) publishes two lists of certified bear-resistant products, a confirmed list and an unconfirmed list, on its official page. Our latest check used the versions dated October 22, 2026.
- WMI/SEAFWA (Wildlife Management Institute, with the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies) runs a separate black-bear testing program with its own approved list. See how the two programs relate.
- Manufacturers' own websites for photos, model names, and company facts. Never for certification claims: a company's page is not the list.
- Named wildlife agencies (Colorado Parks & Wildlife, BearWise, and others) for the guidance in our guides, linked at the bottom of each one.
How We Check
- We read the official list text directly and copy the model name, certification number, and date.
- A product only appears here if its number is on an official list. If we can't match it, it does not go in.
- IGBC says products on its unconfirmed list are still certified; the manufacturer just hasn't completed that year's availability check-in. We label those products "unconfirmed" and do not call them uncertified.
- We re-check when the list changes. Our most recent re-check was November 5, 2026: every IGBC certification number we publish was found on the October 22, 2026 list, and none had moved between the confirmed and unconfirmed lists.
- When we can't verify a claim, we say so on the page instead of guessing.
What We Cover (and What We Don't)
We show a curated selection, not the entire IGBC roster. The IGBC's confirmed list runs to roughly 200 products from about 40 manufacturers, and it keeps a separate unconfirmed list, so a model missing from our pages may still be certified. Each product page says how many certified products it shows, and links to the official list so you can check any model yourself.
What We Never Do
- Take payment to rank, badge, or recommend a product.
- Invent scores, ratings, review counts, or specs. If we don't have a number, we leave it out.
- Use AI-generated images of products. Product photos come from manufacturers; only decorative background art is AI-generated, and none of it shows a real product.
- Hide how we make money. Some links are affiliate links; details are in our terms and disclosures.
Corrections Log
Every change to a claim we got wrong, newest first.
- November 5, 2026: Product Finder wording and ranking. The Finder said its results were ranked by how often bears visit, and that a ZIP code would point you to local rules; neither was true, so we reworded both. We also fixed ranking so a hauler preference no longer wrongly demotes carts that a manual pickup can empty, enclosures now rank on the cart count in the model's own name, and a mismatch with your hauler type is flagged instead of hidden. Try the Finder.
- November 5, 2026: Bearicuda certification number. Our page said the number Bearicuda cites (#3356) appears on none of the IGBC lists. It does appear, once, on the unconfirmed list, but for a Kodiak Can from Northland Products, not a Bearicuda product. Corrected on the Bearicuda page.
- November 5, 2026: Size of the IGBC list. We had said the IGBC list holds nearly 500 products from over 100 manufacturers. The October 22, 2026 confirmed list shows roughly 200 products from about 40 manufacturers, plus a separate unconfirmed list. Corrected.
- November 5, 2026: Completeness wording. Several pages said "every certified" product or a "full list" when we show a curated selection. We replaced that wording and added a scope note to each product page.
- November 5, 2026: Ammonia and mothball advice. A guide described ammonia and mothballs as commonly recommended bear deterrents without a source. We replaced it with what named agencies actually say, including that mothballs have little or no repellent effect. See the agency-sourced guide.
Found something we got wrong? Tell us and we will check it against the official list.
Report an Error
Think something here is wrong or out of date? Tell us through the form on our For Business page. We will check it against the official list and, if you are right, fix it and add it to the log above.