I am using a Targus tripod for both aurorae and trumpeter swans, pretty much necessary for the 500 mm lens and the 30 second exposures. It isn't a great tripod, but it compacts down small enough to fit in large suitcase so I did not need view to rent one here.
To avoid becoming bear chow at night when you can neither see them, nor aim accurately, I put the tripod in the back seat, with camera pointing out the open window.
The bear spray was a cheap solution. Looking at the stuffed grizzly in the Museum of the North, I can see why bear spray is more effective than a firearm. One of these charging head down at 35 mph would be spectacularly hard to hit, and to hit effectively.
I liked your proviso that you have to hit it effectively. Like the sentance in a Kentucky Militia Post, "Those who own rifles, and known how to use them." Yes, you have to hit the bear effectively; Hitting them otherwise will only make them madder, which is counter productive. I'll close by noting I wouldn't try to stop an Alaska Griz with a pistol unless its my replica Black Powder New Army Remington in .45 caliber. I'm not even sure I would trust a .357 magnum to stop a male Griz.
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