Fence Systems for Backpackers??

I've heard of them being used before, but only for more base-camp style trips in high-density grizzly areas in Alaska. Seems like the weight of these systems has come down quite a bit since I first heard about them, but it still seems like overkill to me, at least in the lower 48.

A good friend raises golden retrievers and has an electrical invisible fence system. She kept having to retrieve one of her pups, a big goofy male. She didn’t know how he was escaping. Then two of them started to show up wandering so they watched. Turns out he had discovered if he backed up and took a big running start at the invisible barrier he could run right through it with some momentary yelping; and he was teaching his siblings. Totally good thing he was your prototypical golden
curtie. 😎

Bears can open car doors using the handle, goldens can’t. Add in grizzlies are faster than goldens. So what are the odds any system that’s backpacker portable would be even remotely effective against a really motivated 700 pound grizzly that can hit speeds of 30 mph and is smart enough to game the system?

I’d think the current emphasis on eliminating the motivation has the best chance. And behavior is very light weight.

Possibly a learned associated response: the system warns them off places not worth the ensuing trouble?

I have one of those around my yard but unless your friend has a completely different type of system, the "fence" is underground and doesn't deliver the electrical shock. That comes from a collar that the dog wears, and the collar has these spokes that poke out so that it touches their skin. The collar buzzes a few feet before it shocks, to warn the dog of what's coming. Once trained, the dog rarely gets shocked because they learn what the buzzing means. It takes quite a bit of training to keep a dog from running through it. In fact, the company that installed ours won't sell it to you for puppies younger than 6 mo.

A live electric fence to control livestock and such are obviously different. I'm amazed that a grizzly would even feel it through all that fur. I'm guessing it works for elephants because they don't have much fur.

An elephant getting hit on the tip of their trunk I can easily see. E fences don't work on Scottish Highlander cattle. Black bears go through anything that isn't really high amperage after bee hives. Just happened twice last week in my town. If there's food , or scent of, in that measly 400 sq. ft. , I would not trust it. You may be the food, too. Camping along a salmon creek in AK? Likely a deterrent for a curious bear. Just imagine the fun jokes you could have in camp lighting up your friends.

Horseback riders use electric fences in grizzly country I believe. Keep the horses in and the grizzlies away from the horses at camp.