[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Handgun for backpacking (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 12/30/2009 4:05:03 PM EDT
| Hey guys. I am in the market for a new pistol for backpacking. Normally carry a 1911 in an inside the waistband holster. But for backpacking I would like something small enough to safely carry in a front pocket, cargo pocket or even a rear pocket. Have checked out a number of options, but wouldnt mind the opinions of others who may carry while backpacking. |
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Buddy of mine carries one of those light alloy S&W's. I forget the model but he says it shoots a .357 and you don't want to shoot it for fun.
ETA: S&W 386 |
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What do you want the handgun for? Self-defense/Snake medicine/Foraging?
I'd probably go with a J frame Smith, 3 inch bbl. Could use defensive ammo, shotshells, or wadcutters for small critters. (I shot a whistle-pig with a 148 gr wadcutter @ about 25 yds & it did a number on it.) YMMV Hessian-1 
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I would opt for a Glock and a slingshot.
If a bear or dinosaur or angry woman appears, carefully remove the Glock from the holster, place it in the slingshot, and send it whistling toward the approaching menace, being careful to dive for cover and whatever you do, DON'T LOOK AT THE MUSHROOM CLOUD!!! |
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I would opt for a Glock and a slingshot. If a bear or dinosaur or angry woman appears, carefully remove the Glock from the holster, place it in the slingshot, and send it whistling toward the approaching menace, being careful to dive for cover and whatever you do, DON'T LOOK AT THE MUSHROOM CLOUD!!! LOL love it... Oh yeah I forgot, no Glocks 
Wanting one for defense of course. Not worried about snakes or other critters. |
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And make it more difficult to get to than the pocket he's talking about? OP, can you open carry in VA? |
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And make it more difficult to get to than the pocket he's talking about? OP, can you open carry in VA? Yes, open carry is legal in Virginia. About the only exceptions are the places that I would be backpacking, which are state parks (concealed only), the AT and after February National Parks. |
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Agreed. You could take that pistol fund and spend the rest on mags and ammo and an extra flashlight. |
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I would opt for a Glock and a slingshot. If a bear or dinosaur or angry woman appears, carefully remove the Glock from the holster, place it in the slingshot, and send it whistling toward the approaching menace, being careful to dive for cover and whatever you do, DON'T LOOK AT THE MUSHROOM CLOUD!!! 
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9x19 is the smallest round I will consider, and I don't like it. When I can't ahve anything else, I stick a PF9 in my front pocket or a cargo pocket, with an Uncle Mike's pocket holster (Glock size). It's a thin gun, and I can get it out easy. Not sure how well it would handle for you with your pack/belt.
You might look into a Maxpedition sling, see if it could hang off your pack or frame or even still off your shoulder. Let you carry the gun you're most familiar with. I eventually plan to upgrade my "last ditch" gun to a PM40 when the money shows up. |
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I have a s&w 642 that is for 38 special +p and I carry it for a backup gun in town.
When in the woods I tend to go up to a 44mag revolver, have a few and trying to get it down to one. Some people have a drop holster that is more of a rectangle so it does not scream firearm and they like it. These days I have a belt for my pants and the backpack has its belt and then I sometimes wind up with another belt with the gun in the holster. I reposition things depending on if I have the backpack on or not. Since I have not settled on one firearm for woods use I am still messing around with options. I kind of got the belt and gun in a holster idea from people who use a fanny pack and their backpack at the same time. I just don't own any fanny packs right now. |
| Do you expect that you might need to use your weapon to defend yourself against dangerous animals that weight more than 100 lbs? If so, the minimum I would be carrying is a .357 magnum revolver with at least a 4" barrel. If we're talking over 400 lb animals, then a .44 magnum revolver with at least a 4" barrel would be the minimum. |
| I have a G30 SF and I think it would be too big for how you want to carry it. I also have a J-frame in .38 special and I think it would work out much better for carrying in a pocket, etc. I would recommend getting one in .357 that way you can shoot both calibers and bring the thunder when you need it. Or maybe a Kahr PM9,40 or 45 as they seem pretty nice while also being the perfect size for pocket carry. |
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+1 for the snub in 357
shoot shotshells, 38's for plinking and small game, full house 357 for the rest I carry the Ruger sp101, it's heavy, but I like the stainless. Read a story about an African PH who handloaded his sp101 with 200gr loads for dispatching wounded lions. Probably wasn't pleasant to shoot. |
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+1 for the snub in 357 shoot shotshells, 38's for plinking and small game, full house 357 for the rest I carry the Ruger sp101, it's heavy, but I like the stainless. Read a story about an African PH who handloaded his sp101 with 200gr loads for dispatching wounded lions. Probably wasn't pleasant to shoot. Now..there is a gun I'm interested in.....either a GP or an SP in .357...............mostly because I have nothing in.357 and lots of brass to load for it. 
[that's the excuse the wife is getting...she ain't buying it so far]
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| I can't answer this without knowing where you would be hiking and what types of animals are to be found there, will you carry a pack? jacket for concealment? I would lean towards a double action revolver in .44 myself which would cover a large range of encounters but thats just my preference. |
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And make it more difficult to get to than the pocket he's talking about? OP, can you open carry in VA? Yes, open carry is legal in Virginia. About the only exceptions are the places that I would be backpacking, which are state parks (concealed only), the AT and after February National Parks. I'd call the safepacker as open carry as using a fanny pack. And the idea is he rigs the safepacker to his pack's hip belt, providing much easier access than in a pocket. It's how I carry my pistol in the wood every day. |
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I carry a Kahr PM9 in the pocket of my slacks to work. It can fire 9mm +P ammo and it is surprisingly accurate. I am pretty confident with that pistol, much more so than a mousegun like the LCP. The Kahr will have a smaller signature than a pocket 38.
I have also tried to pocket carry a Glock 26 with a Desantis Nemesis holster to work. It was too big for work, but it might work OK for backpacking. For some reason the Kahr is more accurate, but the Glock carries more rounds. When I backpack I carry a 44 in a regular holster or a Glock 19 IWB. The belt on your backpack should really be high enough, right below your ribcage and above your hip bones, where it does not interfere with your pants belt. Benefits of wearing the belt high on the waist:
• Proper loading of the skeletal frame, further supported by the two strongest muscle groups in the body: the quadriceps & gluteals. • Blood flow & nerves route across the front of the hips; wearing the belt too low can restrict blood flow causing muscle fatigue, nerve pinching and possible numbness. |
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Do you expect that you might need to use your weapon to defend yourself against dangerous animals that weight more than 100 lbs? If so, the minimum I would be carrying is a .357 magnum revolver with at least a 4" barrel. If we're talking over 400 lb animals, then a .44 magnum revolver with at least a 4" barrel would be the minimum. At that point it time to start thinking about the legality of rifles. |
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a Blackhawk in either .45LC or .44Mag looking for a cross chest rig I saw a while back. For a backpacking gun?  That's a bit on the heavy side, dontcha think?not really...although a good chest rig would light the load a bit. You need the chesty puller from simply rugged. LINK |
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i have done alot of backpacking - you dont want a heavy gun - maybe that Kahr PM9, or officers acp, taurus 85 in .38
i would not carry anything IWB because you will sweat like crap and drench the gun in sweat after an hour of humping a pack animals would be the least of my concern unless you were in alaska or montana or somewhere you could run across grizzlies, i would also attach a bell to my pack out west to warn large critters of my approach (we hiked the absaroka range in wyo with only bell on our packs for warning - no guns) my main concern while backpacking would be people with ill intent, mainly at night around your camp and at road crossings - note you are not going to be able to get to a gun while humping a heavy pack - IWB is not practical, and even a shoulder rig you will sweat profusely and the gun will be drenched in sweat so you want your gun in the pack where it can stay dry. You need to stash it in a side pocket so you can quickly get to it after dropping your pack. Also whenever i see a Safepacker it screams ccw and looks pretty dorky to boot so those would not be an option for me. ETA i hiked 550 miles of the AT from springer to damascus, VA and did not carry a gun at all, i would have probably thrown it off a ridge to shuck weight from my pack during the first 100 miles |
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I'll carry a .44 for hunting. But not for summertime trail hikes or fishing.
Shoot a moose while hiking.....no. A 22 rimfire is great for popping a rabbit or a grouse, and everyone in camp can, and will want to, shoot it. My dad carried his 1911 for many many years and never shot anything bigger than a grouse. Shot over the top of a black bear once. Make noise and use pepper for animal defense. Truthfully if you shoot some lion or bear in Wyoming you almost have to have some teeth marks in you......or it's a bad shoot. |