Backpacking and carry

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  • Milkshakeed

    Plinker
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    Mar 21, 2009
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    Indianapolis
    Any of you all backpack? Do you carry when you backpack? If so, how? I currently pack in the side belt pocket, and that does not give me a speedy extraction of my gun.

    Also, where are your favorite backpacking trails?
     

    natdscott

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    What about just using a holster like normal?

    Open carry is acceptable under some circumstances. In my book, that is one such example, hiking snowflakes be damned.

    I think a positive retention holster is a good idea for several reasons.
     
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    hammerd13

    Sharpshooter
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    Oct 20, 2015
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    Hamilton County
    I hike in many locations (US and elsewhere). Southern IN, KY, TN, NC, WV, and MI are some of my favorites. When in the states (excluding brown bear territory), I use a Hill People Gear Runner's Kit Bag.

    Here's a link to the bag...be sure to watch the video at the end of the page to see proper firearm draw.
    https://hillpeoplegear.com/Products/CategoryID/1/ProductID/2

    This option puts the firearm right at my chest and keeps my back and waist clear for a backpack. This bag accommodates my Glock 26, Glock 23 (barely), or my S&W 442. I use a kydex trigger guard (tied to the bottom of the bag, so that it is removed during my draw) on the Glocks and a pocket holster on the S&W to protect the trigger while in the bag. With this setup, I can rip the bag zipper open with my left hand and withdraw the gun with my right very quickly. If you position the two zippers at the upper right corner of the bag, it makes it easy to open one-handed.

    If you want something bigger, choose their Original Kit Bag. For brown bear country, I just keep a S&W .44 mag in a hip holster and deal with the inconvenience.

    Here's a fun trail in IN. It's a good preparation trail for the AT (Appalachian trail), if you're considering hiking that. You can just do day hikes on it, overnights, or do the whole thing over a few days. Caching water is necessary and takes a bit of planning, but totally worth it imo.
    https://www.in.gov/dnr/forestry/4275.htm
     
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    Milkshakeed

    Plinker
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    3   0   0
    Mar 21, 2009
    96
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    Indianapolis
    What about just using a holster like normal?

    Open carry is acceptable under some circumstances. In my book, that is one such example, hiking snowflakes be damned.

    I think a positive retention holster is a good idea for several reasons.

    The belt of the pack rests on the gun if I wear it on my hip, or the pack covers it if I wear it on my back. Makes it hard to draw, and is uncomfortable. Over belly or chest are the best options.
     

    GIJEW

    Master
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    Mar 14, 2009
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    The belt of the pack rests on the gun if I wear it on my hip, or the pack covers it if I wear it on my back. Makes it hard to draw, and is uncomfortable. Over belly or chest are the best options.
    A vertical shoulder holster or a horizontal-chest holster should work
     

    spencer rifle

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    Apr 15, 2011
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    Scrounging brass
    Anything that goes over the shoulder or around the waist will interfere with proper backpack placement. I usually carry in a pack pocket, but I use a pack from the 1970s. Look for a belt that has padding attached to the belt with loops and not sewn directly into the belt, or only sewn on in places with space between. Then you can use the belt outside the padding to attach a holster, probably a clip-on type. Expect to hit you elbow on your grip frequently, depending on holster placement, your hiking style and whether you use trekking poles.

    As for packing:
    Locally (midwest) - Deam Wilderness, Zaleski State Forest, Knobstone
    Our of area - Anything AT, North Country Trail (especially the Painted Rocks area). Saw several hikers OC on the NCT.
     

    jsharmon7

    Grandmaster
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    Nov 24, 2008
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    Freedonia
    My Hill People Gear Heavy Recon kit bag just arrived yesterday. I loaded it up and took it out for a couple miles to see how it felt.

    For its purpose, I don’t know of anything better. It is well built, but not overbuilt so as to be thick and bulky. It’s also designed well and doesn’t have unnecessary crap that you feel like you need to cut off or maneuver. I loaded up a Glock 22 in a Maxpedition Velcro wrap holster in the rear compartment. In the front compartment I added a Maxpedition triple loop piece carrying a spare magazine, Leatherman, and bug spray. Then I added in my wallet, cell phone, and keys. Even with the larger pack, there wasn’t room for much else without making it feel overstuffed. I may add a disposable poncho and a granola bar for the next hike. Weight or comfort weren’t an issue and I liked having easy access to items.

    If you were doing a loop around a state park, you probably could make this the only thing you carry. You could conveniently carry items without crap dangling off your belt or stuffed in pockets. You could also carry a pistol without scaring the more civilized types you run across. For hunting or longer hikes off the beaten path, it’s a great complement to a main pack. It would keep important gear right up front without snagging on anything.
     

    roscott

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    Mar 1, 2009
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    I carry my G20 in a Kenai rig. It's pretty comfortable and really easy and quick to get to.

    This. I’ve gone through multiple backpacking holsters. Guides Choice isn’t a bad option, but I like the Kenai better.

    If open carry is an issue, pocket carry is my go to. Not my favorite, but it keeps it below the pack waist belt and is comfortable.
     

    Ark

    Grandmaster
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    Feb 18, 2017
    6,735
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    Indy
    The only pack I own with a waist belt rides higher than the pants belt and clears holsters easily. Safariland mid-ride belt adapter might also be a good solution for lower-riding pack belts.

    Open carry is legal and IMO completely acceptable when you're out in the woods. It's the woods, you should be accustomed to seeing people with guns.
     

    natdscott

    User Unknown
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    Jul 20, 2015
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    The belt of the pack rests on the gun if I wear it on my hip, or the pack covers it if I wear it on my back. Makes it hard to draw, and is uncomfortable. Over belly or chest are the best options.

    Derf..of course it does.

    I didn't even think about the hip belt.

    A buddy of mine does have a Hill People chest rig, and he's very happy with it.

    -Nate
     

    JoeG1

    Plinker
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    0   0   0
    Aug 6, 2016
    51
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    Greenwood
    When I go hiking (deer skouting) I open carry with a OWB holster with good retention. I never open carry in public, but when I'm out in the woods that seems like the most comfortable option.
     

    Charleybravo56

    Plinker
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    Aug 28, 2010
    59
    8
    Nashville
    I live in Southern Indiana and backpack here and the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho with my nephew.
    I put on a sling style TacPac under my backpack and wiggle it to where it’s accessible and convenient. This also gives me a utility pack as well.
    Here around home, I have too many firearms to limit to one carry piece. West of the Mississippi, a Glock model 20 (10mm, 6” barrel) and 3 mags. This gives me 46 rounds to dispel or dispatch man or beast.
     

    cg21

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    I found out the hard way about the waist strap pushing on the OWB holster...... I am also looking for options. I don't like the idea of the chest rigs just adding another strap going over my shoulders.. I do like the idea of mounting a holster to the hip strap of the backpack though.
     

    Vigilant

    Grandmaster
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    Jul 12, 2008
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    Plainfield
    Hill People Gear Kit Bag, reasonably priced, very comfortable under a pack, and large enough for some basic survival items as well, should you be separated from your main pack.
     

    BigBoxaJunk

    Grandmaster
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    Feb 9, 2013
    7,314
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    East-ish
    I found out the hard way about the waist strap pushing on the OWB holster...... I am also looking for options. I don't like the idea of the chest rigs just adding another strap going over my shoulders.. I do like the idea of mounting a holster to the hip strap of the backpack though.

    I always carry when I'm trail walking, and I have a hip pack with an internal holster that I made from sewing a piece of wide elastic to the back of the pack in the right shape to safely and securely retain my Shield. I also always have other gear in the pack, in front of the gun, but with a larger para-cord loop on one zipper tab, I can unzip and get my gun out pretty quick.

    I also do a good bit of back-packing, and my current pack is a ULA Catalyst. It has two zipper pockets, one on each side of the waist belt, and I was going to sew a similar piece of elastic fabric or kydex inside one of those, but they really aren't big enough. I think what I may do is to just fasten a kydex holster to either the waistbelt or maybe on one of the shoulder straps, like for OC, but then to sew up a fake nylon Pouch that would cover the gun, but held on with velcro that could be easily pulled open. With a lot of things like this, I find that it's way better to DIY so that you end up with something perfectly tailored to your needs.


    Also, where are your favorite backpacking trails?

    My son and I have hiked the Two Lakes Loop near Tell City a couple of times, a moderate 17 mile loop that's mostly nice, except for some ugly clear cuts. It was a good first overnight hike for me a couple years ago.

    We've hiked pretty much all of the trails in the Deem Wilderness in three different trips. I like Deem, but the peninsula camp sites get filled up early on weekends. I rather prefer the back-woods camp sites in Deem. I enjoyed Deem and will probably go back sometime.

    My favorite hiking place, so far, has been Red River Gorge in Kentucky. It has really beautiful scenery, and some pretty rugged trails. There are supposed to be black bears down there, but we didn't see any. I was especially glad to have my gun on the two multi-day hikes that we did there. I've hiked most of the marked trails there, but I really want to go back sometime.

    I saw online that IDNR has connected the Tecumseh trail in Indiana with the Knobstone trail, to make one trail over 100 miles long. I plan to find out more about that, and I'd like to try to work out a week long through-hike of that new trail next spring.
     

    ditcherman

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    In the country, hopefully.
    Also, where are your favorite backpacking trails?

    I have done both the Knobstone and part of Tecumseh, that's exciting to hear they are connected now. The Knobstone was tough, constant up and down, almost as tough as as hiking in and out of the Grand Canyon. I've heard people say it is really good practice for the AT, which I have no desire to do.
    I've actually never carried backpacking. Very hard to figure out how to carry it tactically. I always intend to and then I want to save that two pounds so I ditch the gun. Once in Grand Staircase/Escalante as we walked up a slot canyon following bear tracks was really regretting not having a gun, we didn't sleep well that night. He was somewhere in that canyon with us.
     
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