Backpack crowned Fat Bear Week 2026 champion in Katmai
Backpack, a 20-year-old brown bear known for riding on his mother’s back, won the 2026 Fat Bear Week contest after receiving roughly 5,000 more votes than the runner-up.
Backpack, also identified as Bear 89, was declared the winner of the 2026 Fat Bear Week competition in Katmai National Park and Preserve on Tuesday evening. More than 2.3 million votes were cast worldwide, and the bear secured the title by a margin of about 5,000 votes over the finalist Bear 910.
Katmai park ranger Sarah Bruce said Backpack has been observable on the park’s live cameras since they were installed in 2012, making him a familiar figure to viewers. "He’s one of the bears that we’ve been able to watch on the live cams since the live cams were put in in 2012," Bruce said. "He’s a familiar bear. People have watched him his whole life."
The 20-year-old male is estimated to weigh between 1,000 and 1,200 pounds, a significant increase from earlier in the season. Bruce noted that his fur also darkens as summer progresses. "In the early summer, he is quite blonde, and then his fur kind of gets darker," she said.
Backpack’s nickname derives from his habit as a cub of climbing onto his mother Holly’s back while swimming in the Brooks River; Holly herself won the 2019 competition. The bear recovered from a serious leg injury in 2007 and has since become a regular presence at Brooks Falls, often perched on a rock in the river while fishing for salmon. "Some of the fans will call [it] Backpack or 89’s rock. That's not an uncommon behavior on the river – sometimes the bears will sit on various rocks and look for fish that way," Bruce explained.
Compared with other adult males, Backpack has few wounds, which staff interpret as an indication of a non-aggressive demeanor. "He’s more of a stoic presence on the river," Bruce said. "He doesn’t really get into drama or cause any upset in the hierarchy. He holds his own very quietly."
The competition featured 15 other bears in a bracket format, including several family groups. Bear 910, the runner-up, is sometimes referred to as the “Dancing Queen” for her distinctive head movements while fishing. Bruce said the event highlights the bears’ ability to accumulate weight from the salmon runs, which is essential for surviving the winter hibernation.
"They have already won in the fact that they are set to survive another winter hibernation," Bruce added.