We are not talking about a romp through a Kodiak Island alder thicket or a trek over the Khyber Pass of A-Stan, this is the [bleep] Appalachian Trail. Cannons are not needed, nor is fire superiority, despite what you crazy bastards might imagine.
Ha! Jeepers-creepers, it's the AT for crying out loud! I've been to "one" of the two--not A-stan or Kodiak, but the upper reaches of the Kuskoquim River in AK where we saw brownies every day, some considerably within 100 yds. I've also spent time in the Bob
Where I saw a bear (blacks, though there are obv griz there too) for every two days there.
That's all..
. I agree with those who stated the first greatest challenge with carrying a side-arm is deciding when and how you'd use it, not the WHAT you'd carry, then your skill level, then the armamentarium.
