For the sake of argument,

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Man, nice "armor"! I could definitely find a few uses for that big green "dragon" you're using, too! Cumbersome? Yup--and mine has collected more dust and rust than dents and polish for quite some time. Oh well...

Tridents and full-plate for the southern folk... I'd rather equip them with McMillians and top-end optics for pest control, but that's another story ;)...
 
with regards to protection from animals, here is a convincing article supporting bear spray vs guns as the best survival rate outdoors: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/42173184/Survival%20Spray.pdf
basically bear spray was 90% effective, handguns 84%, long guns 76% (interesting), but 56% of firearm users were still injured or killed by the bear.

FWIW, "bear" spray is pepper spray and will work on any animal. Just dont fire it off into the wind...
 
Koda94, you're right about the effectiveness of bear spray -- there are quite a few studies that show similar results.

I'd add one thing to this, though...
FWIW, "bear" spray is pepper spray and will work on any animal. Just dont fire it off into the wind...
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The spraying-into-the-wind thing has been way overstated by those who, you should pardon the expression, "cling to their guns" for the purpose of bear defense. The stream is powerful enough to go a good distance into the wind, the bear (or other animal) is still deterred, and getting some pepper spray on you is a small price to pay for avoiding being mauled by a bear (or pig).
 
The stream is powerful enough to go a good distance into the wind, the bear (or other animal) is still deterred, and getting some pepper spray on you is a small price to pay for avoiding being mauled by a bear (or pig).
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Vanya, this is so true. I try sometimes to keep my comments short, so to elaborate what I was eluding to (probably a bit too much) is nothing is effective without training (just like a gun). Carry the pepper spray, learn how to use it effectively at moments notice, and learn its limitations. Its way more effective than a gun for animal attacks, even into the wind.
 
If a boar is charging, where should you aim the spray, at his snout or in his eyes? How close would you let him get before letting him have it? I'd want to hit that mark where I deter him instead of enrage him.
 
Bear spray comes in a couple of sizes, 9 oz. and 15 oz. cans. The 9 oz. ones have a range of 25-30 feet, the larger ones supposedly up to 40 feet. One of the nice things about bear spray is that you don't have to aim it that precisely, because the spray disperses in a cone-shaped pattern, so the face of the animal is a good enough target. The usual advice is to spray a short burst, retreat, spray another burst if necessary.

And the stuff works on mama grizzlies, so I wouldn't be too concerned that it might just annoy a hog. ;)
 
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