The wife and I are planning an extended (six month) Western States trip next year with our travel trailer.
I know I can't (legally) carry a handgun in CA, but I'm investigating what's legal and not while we're there and passing through up the coast to Oregon and Washington states.
Planning on having a G26.3 (10 round mags) and a Ruger Redhawk .44 Mag with us along with a Rossi R92 in .44 Mag.  I'm pretty sure the long gun, cased, in the travel trailer isn't a problem.  I'm asking primarily about the handguns.
It looks like it's legal to carry it, either open or concealed on our campsites.  True?
And legal to have it locked in a case during transit but I'm not totally clear on that.  If I lock a handgun in a case before leaving a campground, store that locked case in the travel trailer, and get it back out at the next campsite, I'm thinking that is legal?  
What about stopping for gas / food between campsites?  I'm talking that it's still locked in it's case inside the travel trailer, which would be hooked up to our truck.  
Yes, I know "concealed is concealed" and "don't invite the man into your life".  I spent 2+ weeks in NYS this summer with a Hellcat and those two phrases served me well.  Having said that, I knew that I was NOT NYS legal.  At all.  At any time while in the state borders.  We then spent 3 months in Maine and I wasn't going to be unarmed for that entire period.
I really don't have a problem with "flouting the law", but would prefer to remain legal as much as possible.
Any help / advice would be appreciated.

I'll just get this out of the way.  When traveling I check lights for correct operation before leaving for the day.  Insurance and registrations are always up to date.  I drive speed limit or just (barely) under in non-permissive states.  Yadda, yadda, yadda.  

Enjoy your visit.  This is an absolutely BEAUTIFUL State - a vast ocean, titanic mountains, amazing deserts, rain forests, temperate forests... it is all here.  Enjoy!




Disclaimer - I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice.    It is my interpretation of the laws as I read them.

The long gun must be unloaded.  It must be in an enclosed container designed to contain a firearm or a locked container; the former does not need to be locked.  Ammo in a butt cuff, side saddle, etc. does not make the gun loaded, only ammo in the magazine attached to the gun or in the chamber (from a position from where it can be fired).  Ammo can otherwise be on or near the gun, and accessible.  The gun can be kept in a location accessible to you if desired.

The handguns must be unloaded and in a locked container.  Otherwise the same rules apply.

I would strongly suggest not to inform cops you have firearms or to have evidence of them visible to a potential LEO who might pull you over, as in California the protections you might expect from the 4th Amendment do not apply if you do not have a CA CCW permit and the cop has at least reasonable suspicion of the presence of a firearm.  California is not a duty to inform State.

Within your campsite, you can possess any long gun or concealable weapon any way you like, open or concealed, loaded or unloaded, but campsite is rather narrowly defined.  The actual area you are using directly (fire pit, tent or trailer, seating area, etc.) is as far as I'd go in considering it your campsite.  If your campsite is in a different area from your vehicle, it is legal to directly transport your cased firearms to and from your campsite.

Also, if you are in an unincorporated area where discharge is not unlawful (this will vary by county and local ordinance), you can open carry loaded, long guns or handguns, and concealed long guns can be loaded as well.  Concealed handguns must still be unloaded and in a locked container.  Vehicle carry in this context is limited to "roads" that aren't legally considered roads, or while off-road, as roads are a place where discharge is unlawful statewide.

State, county, and local parks may restrict the possession of firearms to a greater extent than this.  You should check the rules for any such place you may be camping or visiting beforehand.  Federal lands follow whatever the general State rules are for the type of area in question, so basically the above rules apply.  BLM and some Forest land are the ones most like to permit seasonal or year-round discharge of firearms (fire season may limit discharge, which affects what you can legally do; again, check this beforehand).  Of course, if you are far enough into the boonies, it doesn't matter much.

There are also some special rules for carrying while or during travel to and from fishing or hunting that provide some access to carry, but I don't know if you will be engaging in such activities.

If you are not in an area where discharge is not unlawful, but want to bring a gun along for hikes and such, you are limited to encased long guns, unloaded.  Handguns have destination requirements when not being transported in a motor vehicle.  If you are hiking directly to a distant campsite that you have reserved or something from your vehicle, a cased, locked, and unloaded handgun may be permissible as well.

It should be noted that soft cases, bags, etc. can be used for guns as long as they are lockable for handguns (or for long guns if not designed for firearms); they don't have to be hard cases.

Thanks for the replies, guys.  

As Trollslayer said, "It is so easy to comply with the CA laws, you really should do so."  That's my preference when at all possible.  Good to know that I can actually comply.  Unlike in NYS, for example.

Thanks again.

It's California.  Not, for example, Arizona.  You'll see some open carry in Az.  You won't see "carry" in organized campgrounds, in CA, even if legal.  (And what might be the "boundaries" is perhaps unclear.  From your "spot," what about walking to the water spigots, trash cans and/or restrooms?)  One might cause more "interest" by carrying.   In vehicle storage should be secure and well out of sight.  Vehicle burglaries, especially in urban areas, is a big problem.  And going from the vehicle to a new "temporary residence," say a motel/hotel, the less seen by others, the better.

In less permissive states my modus operandi at campgrounds has been to not carry at all but have a weapon inside the trailer loaded and staged somewhere that can't be seen from outside the trailer looking in.  During actual travel in these same states, the weapon has been broken down (slide off the frame) and locked in a hard-sided gun case in the trailer.

California isn't as bad as many of the other States with a lot of gun control, even though it still really sucks.

Too bad we don't do general non-resident CCW permits.  Non-resident permits do exist, but they are only for people who have permanent businesses or jobs in CA but live on the other side of the border.  People who want to carry while traveling here, visiting family, or whatever are SOL.  I think non-resident permits also have to be renewed very frequently.

East Coast states (NY, Mass, NJ, in particular) are worse than California, IMO.  It's too bad I can't get to Maine from Indiana, where we live, without having to travel through one of them.  We really, really like Maine.  Maybe we'll like the West Coast as much.

Maybe a Bruen result will be that non-permissive states will be forced to offer non-resident permits.  I'd like that, but realistically, even if true I expect that will be a long time coming.