A bulky brown bear who became famous for hitchhiking on his mom’s back is the 2026 Fat Bear Week champion.
Backpack, also known as Bear 89, picked up their victory Tuesday night, a week after the Katmai Bears. broke the internet as people logged in to vote for their favorite bear. Authorities say more than 2.3 million votes were cast this year around the world.
Katmai park ranger Sarah Bruce said Backpack has a large number of loyal fans. Backpack beat the other finalist, Bear 910, of approximately 5,000 votes.
“This is one of the bears we’ve been able to see on live cameras since the live cameras were installed in 2012,” Bruce said. “He’s a familiar bear. People have watched him his whole life.”
A “stoic presence” on Brooks River
This is the first time Backpack was named the biggest bear in Katmai National Park and Preserve, but he won races in the family. His mother, Hollywon the online competition in 2019.
Backpack got his nickname because he liked to climb on his mother’s back when he was young while swimming in the Brooks River.
Bruce now estimates he weighs between 1,000 and 1,200 pounds. Backpack is 20 years old and some fans declared early on that this would be his year.
“Part of the reasoning I’ve seen people say, ‘We should vote for 89,’ is because he’s older and these other younger bears will still have a chance to win,” Bruce said. “I think a lot of people have kind of grasped the idea that this may be his only Fat Bear Week, and this is his only chance to win.”
The backpack gained so much weight over the summer that his before and after photos look like a different bear. Bruce said his fur color changes throughout the season.
“At the beginning of the summer he’s mostly blonde, then his fur gets darker,” she said. “Most bears undergo a transformation, not only in their weight but also in their coat.”
Backpack also faced challenges during his years at Katmai. The park said he overcame a significant leg injury in 2007. It was so intense that park staff and visitors questioned his survival, but his leg has since healed.
He grew into a large adult and became a constant presence in Brooks Falls. He likes to sit on a rock in the middle of the river, possibly to admire the view or avoid the cold water when fishing for salmon.
“Some fans will call it Backpack or 89’s rock. It’s not uncommon behavior on the river – sometimes bears sit on different rocks and look for fish that way,” Bruce said.
Backpack has very few injuries compared to most adult male bears his age, which park staff say is a sign he is not aggressive. He is said to have “quiet endurance”.
“He has a pretty stoic presence on the river,” Bruce said. He doesn’t really get into drama or cause upheaval in the hierarchy. He’s holding on very quietly.
Tight (and massive) competition
Backpack ultimately beat 15 other heavyweight prospects in bracket-style competition to secure his Fat Bear Week crown.
For the first time, the group included entire families of bears. Most were eliminated early on, but Mama Bear 132 and her three spring cubs made it to the semifinals, losing to Bear 910, this year’s runner-up.
Bear 910 doesn’t have an official nickname like Backpack, but many fans call her the “Dancing Queen” for her head movements while fishing. She’s another legacy bear whose mother also won Fat Bear Week.
According to her bio, she adopted her niece and raised her alongside her biological cub years ago and now lives alone, fishing wherever and whenever she wants. Its large size attracted attention from a few male competitors earlier in the season.
Even though Bear 910 wasn’t crowned chubby champion, Bruce said she was still very curvy and had developed a sizable fan base.
“I think people really like her. They really respect her as a bear who adapts (and) takes care of her family members, even if they’re distant,” Bruce said.
Even though the chubby entrant you were supporting didn’t take first place as the biggest bear, Bruce said they were still winners. The goal of Fat Bear Week is to celebrate the weight animals gain while feasting on massive salmon runs.
“They have already won in the sense that they are prepared to survive another winter hibernation,” she said. “They get all the love.”
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