Backpacking with a Firearm

[WisBorn]

I'm not a backpacker, but I do live to hike. I would carry your EDC XDS. If pocket carry is not an option, the hill people holster (as mentioned) or a safepacker are two options. If your backpack has good size waist pockets try storing and drawing from them.
I would carry a magazine of hard cast or FMJ for wilderness areas and a magazine of self defense loads for the populated areas.

Safepacker Concealment Holster

Safepacker concealed weapon holster made in the USA. Concealment gun holsters and pistol holsters for concealed carry use.

www.thewilderness.com

 

[Haywood]

I wouldn’t go anywhere without a firearm. At least a pocket nine or lightweight 38. Pepper Gell Spray also. If you have plenty of time to plan I would put all packs and gear on and do some dry runs.

 

[Armored farmer]

I'll take your word for it. I just can't see how. Like I said, I've looked at those Hill People chest packs and couldn't see how they could possibly work given the fact that the shoulder straps would be under my backpack's shoulder straps.
It doesn't matter to me anymore anyway. I'm too old and decrepit for any serious backpacking now. Come to think of it, one of those Hill People chest packs might work well for me for the kind of "backpacking" I do now - which I'm trying to "work up" to a 2-mile hike down to the Marsh Creek and back a couple of times a week. I'm half-way there.

I use mine for a tackle pack for stream fishing.
Also as a binoculars carrier.

 

[bearcreek]

My only wish is the Hill People Gear factory would mount their logo less obtrusively and out of sight.

Pretty easy to get rid of that with a stitch ripper and sharp pocket knife, if you're so inclined.

 

[WisBorn]

The safepacker holster attaches to the waist belt of your pack. I would recommend the shoulder strap for when you aren't wearing your pack.

 

[Blue Jays]

The Wilderness Safepacker is a pretty versatile piece of kit.
It does not scream GUN! quite like some of the other packs.

 

[bearcreek]

Like I said, I've looked at those Hill People chest packs and couldn't see how they could possibly work given the fact that the shoulder straps would be under my backpack's shoulder straps.

The shoulder straps are under the pack straps but they're low profile enough that it doesn't interfere or chafe, at least for me. It's designed so that the only thing under your pack straps is thin but wide 2" webbing. These sorts of things really are highly individualistic though. Certainly not a one size fits all solution.

 

[RJTravel]

My first extended solo backpack trip was in 1955. Countless trips since - mostly in the N/W such as the very remote Selway-Bitteroots in Mt/Id, also the Tongass in Alaska. Suffice to say I am quite experienced. Moose, elk, and bear are common. Have stood face-to-face with mountain lion - they have no fear in deep wilderness. Today even wolves have been turned loose. One would be a fool not to carry. A .22 is not adequate whatsoever for signaling. A good choice might be a 3AT which weighs exactly 8 ounces. Buffalo Bore .380 is potent and adequate. If unable to carry 8 lifesaving ounces I would suggest confining walks to the local mall.

 

[tactikel]

I get your problem. I’m 70 and hike a lot at sea level and at altitude. First carry a blade of maximum legal length, then a firearm as light as you can swing. I pack my LCP (9.6 oz dry). I favor REI cargo pants with the zip off legs. The LCP stays in the backpack until I’m near an urban area then it migrates to the right thigh pocket. Depending on the hike, I may carry a tactical tomahawk in lieu of the Ruger. Stay alert, have fun.

 

[.308 Norma]

If unable to carry 8 lifesaving ounces I would suggest confining walks to the local mall.

LOL! The trouble is, the "local mall" is 30 miles away for me. That's why I said (post #50 this thread) my "backpacking" these days consists of trying to "work up" to a 2-mile hike down to Marsh Creek and back a couple of times a week.
Even at that, when I'm on those hikes, I'm carrying for a couple of reasons. First because I'm hiking alongside a country road, and there just might be miscreants of one sort or another on that road - just like there might be miscreants at the "local mall." And second, as I've mentioned before, there are several farms and ranches between here and Marsh Creek that have large, territorial farm and ranch dogs that will run a hundred yards down someone's driveway just to yell at me for "trespassing" on "their sections" of a public road. Lastly, we actually do have mountain lions in this part of the state, and while we seldom see one, I'm pretty sure more of them have seen me.
BTW, as I've also mentioned before, I've never had to shoot one of those farm and ranch dogs that pester me on my walks. They always back off when I show them my great big hiking staff. But if that didn't work, I also carry pepper spray. My 38 Special or 9mm is a "last resort" kind of thing. I wouldn't want to kill someone's dog just because it didn't understand property lines. I like dogs, and they're only doing their jobs when they yell at me for being what they think is too close to their people's property.

 

[.455_Hunter]

My first extended solo backpack trip was in 1955. Countless trips since - mostly in the N/W such as the very remote Selway-Bitteroots in Mt/Id, also the Tongass in Alaska. Suffice to say I am quite experienced. Moose, elk, and bear are common. Have stood face-to-face with mountain lion - they have no fear in deep wilderness. Today even wolves have been turned loose. One would be a fool not to carry. A .22 is not adequate whatsoever for signaling. A good choice might be a 3AT which weighs exactly 8 ounces. Buffalo Bore .380 is potent and adequate. If unable to carry 8 lifesaving ounces I would suggest confining walks to the local mall.

I had my first F2F with a mountain lion at age 10, no adults around, so understand where you are coming from about always having something along. I will disagree about the .22 and signaling. Where I generally hike, gunshots, even a .22 pistol, echo and carry something fierce. If you know there may be people looking for you, a couple bursts of three shots could definitely assist in them narrowing down your location.

 

[RJTravel]

Where I generally hike, gunshots, even a .22 pistol, echo and carry something fierce. If you know there may be people looking for you, a couple bursts of three shots could definitely assist in them narrowing down your location.

I see you are from CO - where I now reside. Perhaps a .22lr might work if people looking for you are nearby, however in remote wilderness there are virtually no people whatsoever. I've been on lengthy 2-weel backpacks in the MT Bob, S/B wliderness, etc, and never ever encountered any human sign whatsoever until back in civilization. Again, perhaps some use in CO, but CO is not anything like MT, etc, with people crawling over every hill in CO. It is vastly different.

 

[Frulk]

I had my first F2F with a mountain lion at age 10, no adults around, so understand where you are coming from about always having something along. I will disagree about the .22 and signaling. Where I generally hike, gunshots, even a .22 pistol, echo and carry something fierce. If you know there may be people looking for you, a couple bursts of three shots could definitely assist in them narrowing down your location.

I got lost once...pretty remote area. Didn't have a beacon so I did as I remembered from reading what to do when lost in the woods while hunting...fired 3 shots...waited for a good long time...nothing....fired three more times...waiting longer this time...nothing...decided since I shot all my arrows except one and it was getting dark I better take my best guess and walked in the direction of where I thought the truck was...got lucky and found it.

All seriousness aside though...I recommended the PMR30 .22 Mag in a post above...if you fire that thing 3X3 or more and no one responds then there is no one around for miles to begin with. One thing it is, is LOUD.

 

[gconang]

Pocket carry a small revolver.

 

[gconang]

 

[.455_Hunter]

Where I generally hike, gunshots, even a .22 pistol, echo and carry something fierce. If you know there may be people looking for you, a couple bursts of three shots could definitely assist in them narrowing down your location.

I see you are from CO - where I now reside. Perhaps a .22lr might work if people looking for you are nearby, however in remote wilderness there are virtually no people whatsoever. I've been on lengthy 2-weel backpacks in the MT Bob, S/B wliderness, etc, and never ever encountered any human sign whatsoever until back in civilization. Again, perhaps some use in CO, but CO is not anything like MT, etc, with people crawling over every hill in CO. It is vastly different.

Yes, more useful in an area where people or targeted rescuers may be roughly nearby. In your MT scenario, I question if any backpacker portable firearm would be of such use.

 

[RJTravel]

All seriousness aside though...I recommended the PMR30 .22 Mag in a post above...if you fire that thing 3X3 or more and no one responds then there is no one around for miles to begin with. One thing it is, is LOUD.

Son-in-law has the PMR30 & I totally agree - LOUD it is. Much better than an anemic .22lr. I could carry my NAA mini in .22 mag. Louder than the PMR. I have carried for some 68 years and have used a handgun several times - once my S&W mod 19 M&P to deal with a black bear at less than 10 yards - on W side of the Bob Marshall. I was alone, young, & stupid!

 

[Dan-O]

Strap a small light firearm to a backpack shoulder strap. Preferably opposite side of your strong hand in a cross draw position and then cover it up with the shemagh that you can easily get away with most days in tx.

 

[WisBorn]

Aliengear Holsters offers a nice system for strapping the holster to your backpack strap. I have one of these holsters for my XDM compacts. It does give up your concealment of the handgun

ShapeShift Backpack Holster

Carry your handgun securely on backpack straps with the new backpack gun holster from the ShapeShift line. With the new backpack holster adapter, secure your handgun to a backpack strap in seconds.

aliengearholsters.com

 

[Barmcd]

I know something about backpacking. Don't take a firearm. It's just too heavy and not worth the weight. Look, I carry every single day. I get it. This backpacking trip is probably not the one time that you'll need a firearm. It's much more likely that carrying too much weight will make the trip a worse experience. Look, I had to go to Disneyland once with the kids. One time, I took them to a major league baseball game. I made it through both experiences without being armed and it wasn't because of a dearth of miscreants present. In those cases, I didn't have another choice except to not go. You have a choice, but choosing to carry might very well be a choice to cut the trip short or not make it.

If you're not already doing 30-mile weekend trips with a full pack, to make 90 miles, you're better off planning for 10 days and to do that, you'll want to plan on at least one re-supply point. If you're fit and not overweight, your final pack weight with water and everything should be no more than 20% of your body weight. If you're overweight, use your estimate of an ideal body weight. A gun and ammo are probably at least a pound and they're 100% useless except in an improbable contingency. Even in those circumstances, there are other defenses that can be improvised. You would be taking a greater risk to use your weight allowance for a firearm instead of first-aid kit components that are more likely to be needed and can't be improvised -- and for those who like to talk about "stakes" vs odds, the stakes could be just as high. Even so, you're probably not packing an EMT duffle bag because you want to get somewhere on your feet -- 90 miles in fact. Use your weight allowance for the essentials that are certain to be needed. If your pack is overweight, you should add a day of travel time for every 5% it's over the 20% of your ideal weight.

Thanks for the advice. I've been a backpacker from a long time, mostly mountains in West Texas and New Mexico. I just haven't been in about 10 years. At least this one doesn't have an elevation challenge. Since there are so many trailheads along the way, we're going to stash food and water along the route so we can pick up every third day. I'll be carrying light, but it will include a trauma kit, I have one in each of our vehicles anyway. I'm fit, not over weight, and walk 3-5 miles a day so I'm not worried about the hiking part. I'm worried about walking with the load I'll be carrying. Starting after the new year I'll start carrying the pack loaded with 30 lbs. or so of weight and increase the distance so I'm good to go by March.

 

[Barmcd]

This is a surprisingly difficult issue, and I still haven't come up with a perfect solution.

@Blue Jays has part of the answer, in my opinion. I bought a 340pd specifically for the purpose, and it's light enough to be tolerable even in ultralight and "fastpacking" scenarios.

Where to put it is the trick. I haven't found any waist or shoulder holsters that work. I've had good success with a chest pack, but you'll need to adjust the sternum strap on the backpack - assuming it's adjustable. The draw, from a chest pack, is a bit slow, and most of them absolutely scream "gun!". I bought one in light blue, and attached corded earbuds in a visible location to try to make it look like a cell phone pouch.

I also carry in pouches attached to the hip belt, either integral with the pack or aftermarket add-on. I went so far as to make a stacked cardboard template of roughly the size of the gun to take with me to REI while backpack shopping. This obviously limits the size and weight of the gun, but even then, few packs have hip pouches big enough. Finding one of the right size, with a quick access method like a velcro pull tab, might be the best solution.

My last resort - and my primary carry method with a backpack - is to keep the gun in the lower pouch at the back of the pack. Both my multi-day "heavy" pack and my trail running "fastpacking" vest have such pouches. These have no zippers or buttons and "close" with just an elastic strap. They are meant, I'm sure, as a convenient place to stash frequently accessed items like gloves or snacks. They offer very little security, and getting to the gun without removing the pack requires some contortions. I just haven't yet found anything better.

You summed up my dilemma better than I did. Much as I don't really need a reason to buy a gun, I don't see myself buying a 340PD for one hike.

 

[Barmcd]

Is there any record of this happening? Miscreants in urban areas seem to use vehicles instead of walking more than a few blocks.

On a hike of that length the phrase "Ounces become pounds" comes to mind to this old backpacker. Since you'll carry whatever you choose remember that you have to lug that weight the whole way (and that's a very ambitious schedule) along with the water you'll need to carry. You aren't preparing for an end of the world rabid gangs of cannibals scenario so trim the weight down to one spare. Also, what is "the boy" carrying? He should be carrying as well, or at least lugging the spare spare ammo.

For carry with a backpack, Hill People Gear's chest rigs have a great reputation. https://hillpeoplegear.com/Products/CategoryID/1

I haven't looked, but I should do that. My thoughts are there are at least 20-25 access points to the trail and if I were going to rob someone, I'd just park at an access point, wait for hikers to come buy, rob them, and drive off leaving them in the woods on foot. I wouldn't have to walk anywhere.

 

[Barmcd]

Sure crime happens all too often, everywhere. I’d come closer to expecting it the closer I am to Houston too.

This was my first hit googling it though.

Ambushed and Robbed on Houston’s Buffalo Bayou Hike-Bike Trail

Like many Houstonians tired of being indoors and pleasantly surprised by the cool weather last weekend, I took to our city’s increasingly well-developed hike and bike trails to seek fresh air and nature during these often too-isolating times. At approximately 10:30 in the morning on Sunday...

generalacademic.com

That's exactly the type of incident I envisioned.

 

[Barmcd]

I wholeheartedly agree. The problem is, when you're going on a backpacking trip, you're not always "on a trail." Sometimes you're at the trailhead(s), and as I said in my post, miscreants and two-legged predators sometimes hangout at trailheads. So, when you're at a trailhead, it becomes the same tired old argument about whether open or concealed carry is best. I personally like my gun concealed when I'm at a trailhead (or in town for that matter) and open when I'm on a hiking trail, or outside around home (we live out of town).

I think the trailhead is the most dangerous area we'll encounter and I don't want to advertise to potential bad guys that I'm armed. I don't open carry for the same reason. YMMV.

 

[Terry G]

I know something about backpacking. Don't take a firearm. It's just too heavy and not worth the weight. Look, I carry every single day. I get it. This backpacking trip is probably not the one time that you'll need a firearm. It's much more likely that carrying too much weight will make the trip a worse experience. Look, I had to go to Disneyland once with the kids. One time, I took them to a major league baseball game. I made it through both experiences without being armed and it wasn't because of a dearth of miscreants present. In those cases, I didn't have another choice except to not go. You have a choice, but choosing to carry might very well be a choice to cut the trip short or not make it.

If you're not already doing 30-mile weekend trips with a full pack, to make 90 miles, you're better off planning for 10 days and to do that, you'll want to plan on at least one re-supply point. If you're fit and not overweight, your final pack weight with water and everything should be no more than 20% of your body weight. If you're overweight, use your estimate of an ideal body weight. A gun and ammo are probably at least a pound and they're 100% useless except in an improbable contingency. Even in those circumstances, there are other defenses that can be improvised. You would be taking a greater risk to use your weight allowance for a firearm instead of first-aid kit components that are more likely to be needed and can't be improvised -- and for those who like to talk about "stakes" vs odds, the stakes could be just as high. Even so, you're probably not packing an EMT duffle bag because you want to get somewhere on your feet -- 90 miles in fact. Use your weight allowance for the essentials that are certain to be needed. If your pack is overweight, you should add a day of travel time for every 5% it's over the 20% of your ideal weight.

I hike, not backpack, three or four times a week. Backpacking usually only a couple times a year. A CZ P-09 is ALWAYS carried if I'm not experimenting with another carry gun. Some times a .22 also as a plinking gun. Wild creatures I'm not too concerned about, Wolves just twice in probably decade and they ran away immediately when they saw me or caught my scent. No threat at all really. When have you heard of Wolves attacking a human? I have encountered shady individuals several times though. Some meth cookers for sure once. It is safer in the woods than walking in a city, but that doesn't' mean there' s no need to carry.