It's a precaution though, and as far as I'm concerned, if bears live in the area, they're not a bad thing to have despite the room they take up and the added weight. Yeah, you might not see a bear, but bear cans aren't really for if you see a bear on the trail. If you use the thing right, you probably shouldn't ever see it or the bear that might be trying to get in it. But the likelyhood of seeing a bear doesn't make it any less necessary.

I mean, most people aren't going to get into a car accident but we still should wear our seatbelts.