How do you carry while hiking?

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pesta2

New member
Sunday we went hiking. It was a short trail because Steph just had an operation and did not want to do a longer trail. When I go hiking I open carry. I no longer have a 2” .357 because I am sealing off my Taurus revolvers. I am trying to find a Ruger SP101 to carry hiking but so far not luck. What I ended up taking was my M&P .40 Compact in a belt holster.

Here lies the dilemma: When I wear my pack my waists straps comes right across the firearm. What I end up doing is putting the waist strap over the top of the holster and the holster kind of sits out some with the waist strap in back of it. Not to bad of a set up but the firearm is not close to the body and moves around a lot so I have to keep readjusting it.

Any chest or shoulder type holsters is out of the question because of the shoulder straps. No other kind of pack in the front because of the waists straps. I would say a thigh holster is out of the questions, I don’t want to be hiking though the woods looking like some kind of mall ninja.

I usually have my EOS 30D over my neck and under the left arm. Then the pack has the additional clothes, rain gear, and two more cameras. Then on the outside of the pack I carry two water bottle on the sides and my tripod strapped to the lower porting of my pack horizontal. So there is no place to carry on the back where I can reach it.

So to all the hikers, how do you carry hiking?
 
I don’t want to be hiking though the woods looking like some kind of mall ninja.
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Then the pack has the additional clothes, rain gear, and two more cameras. Then on the outside of the pack I carry two water bottle on the sides and my tripod strapped to the lower porting of my pack horizontal.
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Are you hiking or practicing for a bug out? How many pounds of gear do you carry (with out looking like a mall ninja)?

When I hike I carry

Benchmade/Emerson CQC7 folder.

Glock 22 in El Cheapo Uncle Mikes holster

A 16 oz water bottle if it is hot.

My hikes are typically on private property and range between 2 to 5 miles.
 
I do mostly day hikes these days, in the 2 to 5 mile range. Getting old... ;-)

I have an S&W Model 60, J-frame .357 magnum. So far, I've been carrying it in a shoulder holster (open carry), which works fine under the day pack I carry when hiking if I adjust it to hang a little loose. (The holster has a thumb brake, so the gun is secure regardless.) I can see the problem pesta2 mentions, though, if I were carrying a larger pack or one with slightly different straps.
 
I carry my 642 in my pants pocket whether I'm hiking, horsebackriding or what ever.

But I found if you must carry a heavy pistol, you couldnt beat the old military style shoulder holster. Its not really a shoulder holster, because its really carried on your chest, at an angle on he left side (never saw one for left handed people). It was designed for tanker crewmen I believe.

Anyway I carried one in Vietnam and it didnt interfear with the ruck. I've carried it on extended cross country ski trips, again with a ruck. It dosnt interfer with the straps or frames of the ruck yet its readly avaiable.

Heavy belts with holsters get to my hips when I'm packing a ruck.

My grandaughter swipped my camera so I cant post a picture of it but I'm sure you've seen the pictures of pilots or tank crews wearing them. Then made them for the 1911 and 4 in Model 10.
 
How many pounds of gear do you carry
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I have not weighted my equipment but my old camera pack with just camera equipment weighted 30+ pounds (no other equipment but camera). Since then I usually try to go lighter. EOS 30D with cable release and one Sigma lens, Infrared digital camera, a light 120 like a Holga, and maybe a Polaroid and CF cards. Then I have my Manfrotto carbon fiber tripod with a ball head so it is really light. I use to carry Multiple lens and if I took my Arax 120 (upgraded Keiv 88) two lens for it, but all the equipment lugging around gets old fast. Other items, usually various cloths, like long sleeve shirt, socks, and some rain gear. I usually carry a Leatherman wave and a small survival kit and two 32 oz water bottles.
 
Well you don't want to look like a mall ninja but it sounds like you already are a photography ninja. If a thigh holster is out, check out some of those fanny pack holsters or have you tried the MaxPedition packs that have the holster built in? www.maxpedition.com/store/pc/viewCategories.asp?pageStyle=h&idCategory=18



Have you tried one of these?

packmule.jpg
 
I just use an EMS nylon fanny pack in front. It's not a gun version, but just a simple low profile nylon thing. It's well built, but my pack's waist straps never get in the way nor do they have to go over anything I need.
 
When I am walking or camping in the boonies I use a western Style low slung gunbelt with my 586 in it. That gets it out of the waist strap area and allows an easy draw to protect me from the random Ninja Chipmunks.
 
I sometimes carry a Ruger Redhawk 44 Mag 5.5" in a Simply Rugged Pancake holster. The waist belt goes right over the holster but it does not get in the way of the gun. My toher carry gun when Hiking a long way and weight is an issue is a Glock G26. I carry it in a Kydex holster attached to the waist belt of my pack. I also have a belt holster so when i put the pack down or I am at the camp site I just take it off the pack and put it in the holster. The G26 replaced a Glock G30 I used to carry hiking(My wife likes it at the house she shoots it real good).

http://www.simplyrugged.com/leather_goods/index.html

Here is the Simply Rugged website they have a nice chest holster also.
 
I use a m-12/84 on my left side shoulder strap keeps it out of the way and rasy access, they can also be reversed for south paws.
 
I'm one of those guys who can't walk a half mile from the car without lugging my day-hiking pack with tons of stuff "just in case..." I've got the flashlight in there, the spare flashlight with strobe thingie on top, the compass, the spare compass, the Garmin hiking GPS, the spare batteries for all that stuff, the signal mirror, the flares, I am not kidding. Toilet paper (aside from the comfort of actually using toilet paper instead of some "natural" substitute, toilet paper is a terrific way of getting a camp fire going), that brings me to waterproof, windproof matches, a lighter in case the matches don't work, the rain parka that covers me and the pack, and about 3-4 liters of water depending on how hot it is and how many dogs I've got with me, and no, I am not kidding. So, long ago I had to figure out how and where to carry the gun.

Short answer: I use an Eddie Bauer belt pack (I don't call them fanny packs) with the pack part in front of me and hanging over the buckles for the waist straps of my hiking pack, and the belt pack straps going back around my waist and buckling back there. The belt pack is very easy to get into, and the gun is held securely.

Longer answer: I thought about open carrying, mostly for the detterrent effect it might have on those who have taken to the woods for drug crime and other pursuits (wayyyy too many of that type out there these days). A wise local gun store owner offerred me the sage advice not to do the open carry thing in the wilderness. He pointed out that if I was in a verbal confrontation with anyone out there, they could walk away and call the cops and claim I threatened them with my gun. As he pointed out, who are the cops going to believe? The guy who calls 9-1-1 or the guy walking around openly toting a gun on his waist? It would be his word against mine, and I'm the guy standing there with the gun. The cops will not know or likely care which one of us is telling the truth, so they will take my gun and ship me to the local lock up to let the courts sort it all out. I just don't need that aggravation. I don't open carry guns in the woods.
 
I open carry when I hike in a manner similar to what Armsmaster270 described: I purchased a nice leather duty belt for my holster, knife and water, which I wear about 2 inches lower than the belt for my pants, which keeps it lower than the backpack belt. This is with a 4 inch .357. Since I like to overnight backpack, carrying less weight is not an option, at least not one SWMBO would like. The additional belt is also convenient if you have to remove your gun, no undoing the belt required.
 
On a short hike I carry like I normaly do. Last sunday I took my dogs for a three mile hike I had a S&W model 60 carried IWB.

Backpacking is another story. It's better to go light to save weight. I'll carry a model 642 in a fanny pack turned around to the front. My camera is also there so it serves two purposes.

I agree with ursaws elemensis, it is better to keep your gun concealed.
 
Camping and hiking gun: Shoulder holster under shirt - Colt 10mm Gov model w/Silver Tip 145 gr. May carry KelTec 3AT as back up depending on the area. No snakes this side of the mountains but when hiking on the "East Side" the Colt is still with me in the nylon shoulder holster and a Hi Standard two shot Derringer loaded with .22 mag shot round. Go into the northern areas (bear country) and its a shorty .12 Ga pump and slugs slung on the outside of the back pack. And the (U guessed it) Colt to hand. Just me and .02
 
I wear a fanny pack in front on the waist that contains my GPS, Cell phone, Pistol, and Wallet. I've added a carbiner attached with a leather strap to the zipper tab for quick access to the compartment on top that holds the pistol.
 
Another vote for the fanny pack; I use 'em a lot. On the inside: appropriately sized uncle Mikes and firearm of choice. I don't put anything else in the pocket that contains the firearm.
 
Uncle Mike's makes good fanny packs, as do several others.

I also recommend the Safepacker by The Wilderness, which comes in various sizes and can attach to a belt, the pack itself, the waistband of a backpack, or on its own "fannypack" belt which they sell separately.
 
http://www.survivalsheath.com/holsters/index.htm

http://store.wrbsales.com/bachho.html

http://www.survivalsheath.com/holsters/index.htm

Just a few ideas...

Myself,I decide what gun and how I'll carry it,and work around it...It seems like you are placing the carry gun in your mind as a secondary accessory,after the backpack and everything else.Perhaps you'll get some fresh ideas if you start with the gun and how you want to carry,and then plan on how to carry all the other stuff.Just a different perspective...
 
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