Paul105's long use of Smith's ultra-lightweight M-329 speaks volumes. It can be inferred that he's not recoil sensitive, and has had the experience necessary to get that featherweight gun down out of 1st shot recoil, and ready for the 2nd. Most of us, with less time on the trigger just couldn't do it where it would make any real difference in a defensive situation...just my opinion. Note that he's changed over to Smith's heavier, but still fairly lightweight "L" frame Model 69. It's a choice I've made as well.
I just weighed my M-69, unloaded and found it right at 39 oz. That's why it's my day to day choice here on our farm. Good sight radius, comfortable factory grips, and superb accuracy with my handloads (usually Skelton's long famous prescription of a 240 gr LSWC at 950+ fps) make it an easy choice. The gun's equally accurate (sub-2" gps at 25 yds from a rest), with full house Magnums. In contrast, my Smith M-629 with a 5" bbl. is fully a half pound heavier...and that's unloaded. It's wonderful to shoot, absorbs recoil of full house loads in relative comfort, but feels like an anvil on the belt. I just don't carry it.
I applaud your search for a good back woods carry gun, Pdlloyd, but would suggest that the proficiency necessary for true mastery of a carry piece, would be very painful in a gun as light as a 329.
Having packed out elk quarters, near dark, unarmed made me reconsider the weight of an additional gun while hunting Colorado's high country decades ago, after I'd found fresh bear tracks in my return trail to the kill site. I'd foolishly left my .35 Whelen (all 9+ lbs of it) in the Jeep because of the bulk and weight. Those tracks were a real attention getter. Here in KY, where the bears are few, I get up, pack on that M-69 or a slightly lighter 1911 and get with the chores on our farm. I shoot for fun just about every day, and those guns are a part of my wardrobe, but still very useful if the balloon goes up for real. But the weight's the thing...if the gun's too heavy, I've found that I'll skip it.
HTH's Rod