I agree on the negatives of carrying mace. A few years ago a friend of mine was overly concerned about the potential for bears during hikes in western Montana. This escalated to the point that I agreed to buy the BIG can of bear spray to calm him down. I've never used it, because I practice safe hiking - no dark corners, no walking in the woods at night, etc., etc. - kinda the same as wandering about on the islands. Besides bears like pepper with their meals.