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Post by sasquatch on Feb 17, 2016 1:31:06 GMT -8
I do a lot of solo backpack trips. While out on the trail I do carry a firearm. Just wondering if anyone else does? Chances are I will never need it but I would rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
Also wondering how you carry your sidearm if you do carry while backpacking. People get a little weird about it sometimes so I usually carry concealed.
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reuben
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Post by reuben on Feb 17, 2016 3:17:12 GMT -8
Need it for what?
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jazzmom
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Post by jazzmom on Feb 17, 2016 4:21:32 GMT -8
LOL... I thought this thread was going to be about rain gear.
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Post by Coolkat on Feb 17, 2016 5:14:34 GMT -8
People ask me this a lot. I tell them never. For me the chances of needing are so slim it's really not worth all the extra weight. I'm not sure what wildlife it would be needed against. Gizzly, maybe but unless you're carrying a really large caliber sidearm you're only gonna make it mad.
If you're backpacking in New York's Central Park that might be a different story.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2016 5:14:47 GMT -8
Me no guns, wife carries bear spray.
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toejam
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Post by toejam on Feb 17, 2016 5:22:20 GMT -8
For protection on the trail nothing is lighter and more efficient than good sense. For peaceful sleep - bourbon and ear plugs.
I have a friend who accidentally shot himself sneaking a gun into a national park. If you really want to carry the extra weight, throw a brick in your backpack. It will be just as useless as a gun but less likely to do harm to you or anybody else.
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amaruq
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Post by amaruq on Feb 17, 2016 5:35:31 GMT -8
LOL... I thought this thread was going to be about rain gear. I thought it was going to be about a different type of rubber coat....
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zeke
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Post by zeke on Feb 17, 2016 5:57:10 GMT -8
Nope. Never saw the reason why. I had a squirrel bound across my sleeping body once, but even if I had been awake and holding the firearm, I wouldn't have tried to shoot it while it was crossing my chest.
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jay
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Post by jay on Feb 17, 2016 6:09:25 GMT -8
I personally do not carry while on the trail but do not have a problem with those that do. I do think that you are going about it the right way in carrying concealed; as you say, some people can get a bit weird about it. The only other comment I would make on this is to make sure you thoroughly know the appropriate laws where you are going to avoid any problems as they can vary from place to place.
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tomas
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Post by tomas on Feb 17, 2016 6:53:13 GMT -8
I thought it was going to be about a different type of rubber coat.... My mind went into the same gutter as yours.
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Post by hikerjer on Feb 17, 2016 7:33:41 GMT -8
All I've ever carried is bear spray and a SAK and I've hiked in grizzly country all my life. I suppose it's fine if you want to lug all that extra weight around for nothing, at least IMO. The problem I have with folks carrying is that so many of them have to use it for something - just to hear the noise, I guess, since they carried it all the way in. Too often I've been disturbed by gunshots from people just shooting for the hell of it.
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tigger
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Post by tigger on Feb 17, 2016 7:52:39 GMT -8
I carry bear spray depending on location. In my youth, I carried a CO2 pistol to shoot at my frying pan when I got bored. I've hiked with a few people who carry, mainly with military or police background. They carry out of habit. We've never needed the bear spray or weapon. I've ran across bears, wolves, coyotes, elk, and various other animals without any sign of attack at all. If anything, most were trying to avoid me or simply ignored me.
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Post by rodwha on Feb 17, 2016 8:58:08 GMT -8
I've never carried a firearm while backpacking/hiking, but this is due to the laws mostly. There is a tremendous responsibility in doing so, and in crowded places I likely wouldn't because of that.
Though you likely won't ever need any form of protection, and I hope that you never do, but I find it funny how there are an overwhelming number of people who will tell you that you don't need it and can come up with many reasons and statistics. Tell that to the few people who have been attacked. Though the odds are quite slim I'd prefer to have the means were it to happen to me, as I think they would as well were they being mauled.
I think a high grade pepper spray, or better yet bear spray is quite effective and would always be my first line of defense. A weapon of any sort would only be employed in the most dire of circumstances.
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zeke
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Post by zeke on Feb 17, 2016 9:08:37 GMT -8
Bear spray is so much more effective at stopping an attacking Griz, and it has been proven in the real world. No need to carry a firearm at all. There are states where discharging bear spray is illegal, but those states do not have Griz. For black bears, other means are equally effective, but it does take some effort to learn how to react to bears. Guns are not the answer.
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almostthere
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Post by almostthere on Feb 17, 2016 9:17:45 GMT -8
You need bear spray with griz. Elsewhere, you need nothing but a real idea of real risks - you are far, far, far, far more likely to be injured, dehydrated, hypothermic, or lost than being attacked by man or animal in the wilderness. Statistics support this. (Assuming you are not in Africa or Alaska, here - the lower 48+ Hawaii is my guess, as that tends to be the audience here)
The number one cause of animal related deaths in the WORLD is the mosquito. In the states, it's bee stings (you have to be allergic).
Carry a gun if you choose to, but it's wasted weight. You can AVOID animal related injuries far more easily than you think, by keeping your head straight and not inflating the chances of being hurt by storing food properly, being aware, understanding predator behavior (there are books and plenty of info on this) and not picking up the ^$&% snake.
As for people... the trails with crime rates just happen to be near roads. I have met weird ones in the backcountry, but you know, the times I've had the hair stand up on my neck have been IN TOWN. Where the thugs really live, you know. The ones that are too busy looking for victims to drive for hours to find a trailhead and hike for miles just to hope that there might be someone out there to attack.
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