In the small pepper spray category, there are many ingenious designs on the market. One of the latest designs is a pepper spray canister that looks exactly like a lipstick tube form the outside. This allows a woman to retrieve something from her purse easily, not letting her potential assailant know that she is reaching for a self-defense weapon. Other small pepper sprays are shaped to look like fountain pens. These can be carried in the pocket and even taken to work without anyone realizing that they are there for self-defense.

Other small canisters are shaped to fit into the hand or to slip easily into a pocket. These may be no more than four inches in length, carrying enough spray for a few seconds of use.

Some pepper spray units are made to fit into specific places. These include key ring pepper sprays that come with a ring clip. There are also pepper sprays that have a visor clip attached to keep them close at hand in the car. These sprays can give a driver peace of mind when they are out running errands or when they have a long commute.

Many smaller pepper sprays come with cases that come in a variety of colors and designs. Some women prefer to have a black case that will look more intimidating. Others want to have a case that is their favorite color or a color that will match their purse or their other key rings. All of these options are available in pepper spray covers. The colors and designs come in leather, faux leather and vinyl coverings.

The larger pepper spray varieties also come in a number of shapes, sizes and colors. Many of the largest pepper sprays are in an intimidating black and may have a larger black case around them. These are often made and carried in order to ward off any trouble by showing the weapon to the potential attacker.

Some of the larger pepper sprays have a bright red top or are entirely bright red as a warning color. This can be an effective way of telling an attacker that what the potential victim has in her hand is dangerous.

Larger pepper sprays may have a belt loop hook to allow them to be hung from the belt loops in order to keep the spray close at hand. This is often an option chosen by joggers who want to carry protection with them but who also need to keep their hands free. This is also an option for students who have books to carry but don‘t want to be caught unprotected in a parking lot.