Backpack, known officially as Bear 89, won Alaska’s Fat Bear Week on September 29, 2026. The 20.5-year-old brown bear secured more than 100,000 votes in the annual single-elimination tournament, edging out Bear 910 with just over 50 percent of the final online poll.
A Gentle Champion at Brooks River
After a week of fierce competition across a 16-bear bracket, Backpack emerged victorious as the heftiest bear in Katmai National Park and Preserve. The contest, now in its 12th year, celebrates the resilience of the 2,200 brown bears living on the Alaska Peninsula, which extends from the state’s southwest corner towards the Aleutian Islands. Organized by a nonprofit group, the contest originated in 2014 as an engaging method to educate citizens regarding brown bears, which are the coastal relatives of grizzlies. All voting is done online at www.fatbearweek.org, and the public could watch the bears on explore.org’s livestream cameras before deciding on their favourite.
Backpack claimed the title with 103,344 votes against his nearest rival, a female bear known as 910, who finished closely behind with 98,253 votes. Rangers and contest organizers noted that Backpack earned his reputation through a pacifist demeanor rather than aggression.
Rangers said unlike many large adult male bears, Backpack did not show much aggression toward his competitors. He'll stand up for himself when necessary, but he prefers to use a quiet strength to gain access to preferred fishing spots. His body size suggests that the strategy works.
Instead of brawling for prime territory, the bear relies on what rangers call a quiet strength, frequently sitting on a rock downstream to take in the scenery.
Lineage, Survival, and Famous Family Histories
Backpack’s victory carries a strong family legacy. The 20.5-year-old male, formally cataloged as Bear 89, is the offspring of past Fat Bear Week winner Holly, who first brought him to the Brooks River as a newborn cub back in 2006. He earned his memorable moniker from a tendency to hitch rides on his mother’s back during river crossings. Supporters rallied behind Backpack in the comments section of the competition’s Instagram page this season, highlighting his ancestry and gentlemanly demeanor.
That survival was not always guaranteed. Back in the spring of 2007 when he was a yearling, he turned up with a severe leg injury that hindered his ability to walk normally. Rangers feared he might not survive the season. Thanks to maternal support from his mother, he managed to bounce back and has since become a regular presence at Brooks Falls.
His final opponent, Bear 910, brought her own notable lineage as the daughter of former champion 409 Beadnose. A competitive field of ten females and six males vied for the crown throughout a week defined by intense matchups. Carrying an estimated weight of 1,200 pounds, last year’s champion Chunk, officially designated as Bear 32, secured his triumph. He was swiftly eliminated in the opening stage of this year’s tournament by Bucky, who subsequently fell in a later round to Backpack, known officially as Bear 89.
The Biology Behind the Bulge
Fat Bear Week was launched in 2014 to educate the public about coastal brown bears and their habitat. Fat bears are successful bears,
the nonprofit says on its website. These animals feed heavily on the plentiful salmon returning to the Brooks River beginning in the latter days of June. This location provides them with the opportunity to consume massive amounts of food in order to build up the necessary fat stores for winter survival. To be featured in the contest, the bears must frequent the area around the river.
The annual contest drew more than 2.5 million votes cast from around the world. Enthusiasts were able to observe the contenders catching salmon via online cameras and inspect comparative photographs illustrating the substantial weight gains achieved by the animals.
These fat reserves will help them survive their months-long hibernation through winter without eating.
According to park officials, the competition helps raise public awareness regarding the habitat and ecosystem of the more than 2,000 brown bears living in the area, while also highlighting threats such as climate change that impact their survival.
