Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Best way to carry pistol?

Looking for a way to carry my 3" 1911 on my backpack. Would like to carry it on my left shoulder strap and looking for someone who makes a holster and attachment system that will allow me to do this. My gun is a 3" 1911 with a Holosun RMR. Does anyone know of a system that will work for this? Cant carry it on the waist strap as I have some pockets all ready on there.

Obviously, you can strap/thread the holster somewhere on the pack or pack strap.. Molle, etc? Does it flop around and is it in your way, frequently? Can you reach it and draw easily?

I'd recommend an actual gun belt for the holster that you can wear around your mid. Cross draw, maybe?
Or a chest rig.

You'll never be separated from your firearm.

Are the items in your hip belt pockets more important to have at hand than your handgun? Way easier to put that stuff in your pack and carry on the waistbelt.

I like the safariland ALS paddle holsters. Put it on the padded waistbelt for the hike. When you drop your pack, thread your belt through it and your carry gun is in the same place.

Don't carry it on your backpack strap. The minute you take your pack off, you are unarmed. There is a reason why chest rigs like the Hill People Gear are so popular. Because the work perfectly for this.

I wanted to do the backpack strap "thing" since it carries the weight absolutely best of all but I have not found a way to do it without the gun flopping around. More or less gave up on it. For a while I carried 4" barreled DA and 4-5/8" barreled SA Ruger revolvers in Uncle Mikes vertical shoulder holsters. This worked very well under a jacket if I cinched the pack belt down so the holster somewhat rode on top of the belt inside my jacket instead of bearing the weight all on my shoulder. The pack strap would more or less keep the unbuttoned jacket closed enough to conceal but I could easily access and draw my gun .. often times with my left hand with a sort of "turn it around on the way out" draw. (It helps to be fairly ambidextrous.)

Sometimes I carry my revolver in a hip holster underneath my pack strap. Depends on the gun, depends on the holster, depends on the pack. With an old Cabela's alaska guide pack frame I found it pretty comfortable. Seemed to have a "pocket" kinda behind my hip bone. Putting the gun in there didn't create any pressure points. Other packs, not so good. Generally today I choose a day pack with a flat nylon waist band rather than a padded waist band or one with no waist band at all. Most of those ride either above or below my holster positioned on my pants belt so a hip holster works fine.

Most of the time, though, I carry in either a leather or nylon bandolier style holster. I have a couple of El Paso Saddlery 1942 tankerman holsters, one for 4-5/8" ruger single actions, one for 4" S&W N frames. I did 5-6 years with those. Today, though, mostly I've switched to Diamond D holsters. I have a Guide's Choice for a Ruger bisley .454 and a Denali nylon holster which fits both 4-5" DA revolvers and 4-5/8" DA revolvers. It's the nylon holster that sees the most backpacking use along with a S&W 329PD.

All of them get a bit heavy on the shoulder by the end of the day. The pack strap option starts to look mighty good again around 2-3 in the afternoon.

There is one other option I've done. Back in times before I had good holsters I carried either an 8-3/4" barreled N frame .357 (this gun was from before they were shortened to 8-3/8" or designated as the model 27) or a 7-1/2" barreled super blackhawk in the top of my external frame pack with the right hand side not cinched clear tight, just the weight of my sleeping bag keeping everything snug but accessible. I could reach up behind my head to draw. It was pretty effective back when I was younger and more flexible.

The hpg kit bags work great. Either that, or or get a good drop holster that holds the pistol securely and has a leg strap.

Be warned though, if you go the drop holster route, you will likely find yourself saying "you're either SWAT or you're NOT." In your best Sam MF Jackson voice. Which can be embarrassing if, like me, you're.... not.

I made up my own chest pack with a 9"x10"x2 1/2" Fieldline pack and a Crooked Horn Bino harness.

I have a Eberlestock nosegunner, works pretty well for carrying my S&W Shield in 30sc, which is nice and thin, didn't care for it as much with my Glock 20.

Thanks for the ideas. I have been using this but just trying to cut down on the straps. It works well and is pretty comfortable.

https://2aholster.com/product/litepath-chest-holster/

I agree. Can also carry a few essential items that never leave you with the pack off.

+1, and great for high country fishing when you don't need the backpack, just a few flies or lures.

Best option I've found.

https://www.hillpeoplegear.com/Products/CategoryID/1/ProductID/193

I use this https://www.marsupialgear.com/collections/all/products/little-joey-pack with this https://www.marsupialgear.com/products/semi-auto-holster

el Paso Saddlery 1942 Tanker

When I carry in the field I always use a Wilderness Safepacker (link below). Depending on the size of the firearm these can get a little bulky, but the concept is sound. With the velcro system you can attach them to a lot of things, plus your firearm and an extra magazine are always covered and fully protected from brush. it only takes a couple of seconds to click the buckle and access your weapon too. They're not cheap, but you buy it once and you're good - made in the USA! I have 5 and my wife has 1, so 6 in the family (so far).

https://www.thewilderness.com/safepacker-concealment-holster/

The best way to carry a handgun while hunting is to leave it locked in the truck. If you encounter something that you can't kill with a hunting rifle, then you have more problems than a pistol can solve.

I disagree.

Sure, assuming you see the threat coming, a rifle is a better option. Most times things happen too fast and completely unexpectedly and you’ll be lucky to get one shot off with your rifle before it becomes useless. A sidearm can be used with one hand if that “problem” happens to be on top of you.

Up here that sidearm is bear spray but I’d carry a pistol (as well) if it ever became legal.

I've been trying to solve this problem for years. A good solution does not exist so far. I've carried on the hip in a leather holster under the pack waist belt. It actually worked decent with a not-too-heavy pack and assuming you didn't need super quick access to it. Accessing it required the pack belt be undone. Attaching the holster to the pack belt works really well and gives quick access, but there's no concealment and if you take your pack off, the gun goes with it. When I carry like this, I pack a second, paddle style holster in my pack so when I get to camp I can clip on the paddle holster and still be armed. One major caveat of pack belt type of carry is when the pack is put on/off the gun and holster swing all around muzzle sweeping everything and everyone until the belt is clipped tight. Obviously you can take the pistol out before the on/off event; however, holstering/unholstering is one the most dangerous things you can do with a loaded gun.

Chest rigs / bino harnesses work pretty well. Some even come with a pouch designed for a pistol. They often don't accommodate a full size gun and if they do, the chest rig is ostentatiously obese. I like the chest rig during hunting season a lot, but for overnight summer hiking trips, it's cumbersome and hot and looks tactical mall cop.

Last option which worked pretty well this year during hunting season is a cowboy/Han Solo dedicated gun belt. Use your regular holster and a second belt - not the belt holding up your pants. The second belt and holster are worn cowboy style so the gun is dropped below the hip. The hip belt of the pack rides on your waist above the gun and holster. I found this works with some packs and not others...depends on the pack hip belt design. When this works, it works really well.

It's all a compromise between accessibility, concealment, gun size, and comfort.

I have a badlands super day pack I recently bought off of a member here. It has a pistol pouch on the inside of each hip strap.
It seems to be positioned pretty well but I have not put it to the hauling test yet.

Here's a great solution.

https://blade-tech.com/products/tek...;mc_cid=dbaca450db&mc_eid=f996314962

Have a receiver on your pack belt, and another on your pant's belt. Click the holster onto the pack mount while wearing the pack. Pack comes off, take the holster off the pack and click it onto your pant's belt.

If I'm dressed so I can get at it easily, I prefer a good crossdraw (Bianchi 111 is a good one) with a 4 or 5" model 29

Yep, plus there's enough room to carry a few other things you want to get to fast, like a small camera, headlamp, snacks, etc.

Just to update the thread. I went with a Hill People Gear Kit Bag and have been using it for a couple weeks so far and have no complaints. Works great for carrying my 1911 when I am bird hunting or bow hunting and right now during my rifle season my binos fit nicely in place of the handgun.

There is enough room for me to carry my gps, compass, wind checker, spare ammo, cell phone, knife, and a few slim jims.

I want to thank everyone for their suggestions.

My method.

I am curious to know your harness equipment as well as what all you are carrying.

It’s a Marsupial gear pouch with Zeiss 8x32’s and a laser rangefinder pocket on the side. The attached pistol carrier is from them..carrying a Glock 17… there’s enough room for a truck key, fire starter and wind powder.

You and me both. The place I’m most likely to run into trouble where I hunt is in the parking lot or on one of the trails while going in or out. Lots of people use that area for dog-walking, strolling, bird-watching, and dope-smoking. The perfect time to mug an old man for his stuff is when he’s got his rifle slung or after he’s put it away. A little something on one’s belt can be a deterrent to that if visible, or an unhappy surprise if concealed.

I carry crossdraw, which keeps me from banging my guns together, and I can draw with either hand. Have a tanker rig, but haven’t been able to get it adjusted to my liking so far.

This wouldn't work with hip belt mounted pouches, but combine:

- a Safariland mid or low UBL universal belt loop(make a shim to reduce loop size if not using a duty belt

- Safariland male and female QLS and/or T spacers to increase space between holster and belt loop

- 3 hole compatible holster. Safariland is obvious, but other companies such as T Rex Arms make holsters that have compatible 3 hole backs.


The UBL rides under a hip belt well and the QLS/T spacers create a gap for the hip belt to set in.

A good holster and a good belt are key.

Carry in the back pocket of a Filson cruiser vest. It balances out the stuff in the front pockets.

I always just carry a standard belt holster and put my pack belt over the top edge of it. I have been doing that for 53 years and never found a need to carry another way. In the USMC I carried a 1911 in a duty holster the same way. Nothing wrong with the "newer gear" but the old system worked for me for over 1/2 a century.

For me it’s hard to beat a good belt with a good cross draw holster. I’ve carried a K frame, Trooper MkIII, and a 629 this way for a while now. On an ATV, in and out of a vehicle, heavy coat, or with a backpack. Sometimes all in the same jaunt.

Yep.

Affirmative.

Uh huh.

Precisely.

I was talked into my first cross draw by a leather smith that came near to getting hit by a half feral dog. Had his 1911 in a strong side with insulated coveralls on. Dog appeared and he just couldn’t get unzipped to fetch the piece. Went back to his shop and made his first cross draw.

Kenneth Campbell, KC Custom Gun Leather, Springville, AL. Unfortunately he passed as a result of a failed heart surgery. But I’m the proud owner of his work; holster & belt and it won’t leave the family. Made to fit a 6 1/2” 629 factory comp. Don’t know how it could be carried strong side. Maybe appendix 😄

This is what I use for my Ruger .357 mag.

I don't generally carry a revolver when I am carrying a rifle. But I carried this once when following a wounded black bear into thick brush.

Tactical Holster

Anyone got or seen a slick, MINIMALIST (the lighter the better) way to backpack with a Glock 43? Open carry.

That is the worst advice on how to carry a gun I've ever heard ...

What's the point of owning a handgun if it's locked up in the truck when you're out in the woods ?

Sticky holster in front cargo pocket is not to bad as long as it doesn’t flop around to much in pocket.

Hey, trailhead thieves gotta eat too.

Lot to be said for this. Most of us aren't all that good with a pistol and waiting for the dangerous animal to get in your range could be fatel! That saig I do carry a handgun of some kind with me every where. Usually my 9mm in the carry holster. But actually would rather carry something like my 32 long for small game if I come on it. As for dangerous game, no way would I throw down my rifle to grab a handgun!

deleted.

I use a Triple K shoulder harnesses for my 2.75” 69, 1911 and 6” 57 and 5” 629. When I’m backpack hunting for elk in MT it’s the 69. It out of the way when I don’t need it and right there if I ever did need it. No complaints. The chest rig would be a nice option too.

Remember: Never leave home without it!

i like that carry system or the x-draw is good too , i want my hand gun close all the time . Pete53

As far as not carrying a handgun while rifle hunting I totally disagree with KC, at least in bear country. A rifle is not something you want to be fiddling with in closed confines of a tent whether by yourself or with others. If a bear comes to investigate the snoring and red licorice in the tent he ain’t using the zipper and front door. You’ll have a face full of tent, bear, screaming partner and darkness. A rifle is not what I’d want in that situation but a handgun can be maneuvered and fired.

This part:


"You’ll have a face full of tent, bear, screaming partner and darkness."

Once well backpacking in Colorado's Lost Creek Wilderness. I spotted cat tracks near a creek crossing. Later that night, well sleeping on a scrub pine dotted ledge near timberline. I awoke in the wee hours to answer the call. The zipper seized in my bag so badly that it remains that way today, some 20 years later. My flash light was foolishly buried in the unknown recesses of my pack. I managed egress, business, and re-entry in the pitch black darkness of an overcast sky. After which, a nearby animal proceeded to growl at me from close but unseen proximity. Without light all I could do is keep a revolver at the ready until sunrise. Later on, a small distance from that camp, I found the remains of a marmont carcass. Likely a lynx or bobcat was my midnight caller as the tracks were too small for a lion.

Sometimes I carry a small backup gun in any one of various ways well burdened by a big pack. But my primary gun is almost always a revolver in a Hunter 1100 holster. That holster can be unsnapped from the pack belt and re-snapped to my pants belt well the gun remains snapped/secured in the holster.

Darkness: This maybe a good reason to have a light mounted on your handgun.


Let me tell you a tail/story.
This is a true story it happened to me and my wife. I carry a handgun about 40% of the time while hunting with a rifle. This day now turned night; we were walking out of the woods headed to where I had parked my truck. It was dark out, needed a flashlight to see. We were about 1/2 mile from my truck. As we were walking out, I thought I notice the outline of what looked like a person. I promise, it felt like the hair on my neck was standing up. As we got closer to him, I could see another person. I stopped for a second, told my wife if this goes south, don't hesitate to protect yourself. Right about now, I was wishing for one of my handguns. As we got closer to them, I spoke up: hello, coming through. One of the guys said, getting back kind of late, aren't you? I thought, oh, I don't want to have a conversation with these guys. I replied, a little bit, I was hunting up on the border.

There was no real reason for these fellas to be stopped on the trail just talking. (It was dark and cold) We talked for a short bit and got out of there. As we were walking out, I was anticipating seeing their vehicle out by the road. No such luck seeing their vehicle.

My wife and I each had our rifles. Not really a close quarters weapon of choice.
I prolly wouldn't have gotten bugged if I was by myself. I had my wife with me, it's my job to protect her and keep her safe.

A lot of things can run through your mind in short order.
At this point is when I wish I had my chest rig holster, with a handgun in it. Easy to get to and deploy it.

We never know when we are about to walk through a mess. Alwas plan for the unexpected. I know better, I got lazy, thinking how far we were going to be walking that day.
Thanks to the good Lord, we are safe and sound from this. Never again will I not have a handgun with me.

I use a little saying: Never leave home without it.

I don't carry a handgun for those 4-legged critters, it could come in handy if needed; I mostly carry it for those 2-legged kind.

Well, I about wore this out. I hope this was a help to you in some way.
If you carry a handgun, get yourself some defensive training with it. Believe me you'll be glad you did.
Training with your handgun, you will be more proficient with it and safer too.

There is another saying, "you don't know what you don't know."

Stay safe out there people.

Hammer…..That’s an excellent point that hunters often overlook, especially when we’re carrying a rifle hunting. My handguns are almost without exception intended for predators. I don’t hunt with my handguns although I could because they’re (intentionally) legal for hunting in this state with a 4” bbl….my handguns are for defense against predators..2 and 4 legged critters and the ammo is suited for the most likely predator I’ll encounter for that activity

Very good points.

There's been a couple times I felt threatened or alerted by people doing odd things in a remote area. A very small amount in statistical comparison to my entire activity. But oddly enough, the one time I really felt cornered. It was a rifle I was wanting, but doing without.

I’m nursing a bad knee at present, so my “turkey gun” has become my S&W 5.7x28, carried in a Kenai chest holster from Gunfighters Inc. Nice rig, easy on and off, and secure. The pistol holds 22, but since I’m right on the border with VA and its 20-round limit for carry, I have 20 on board and anther 20 in the spare mag on my belt. The old saw from revolver guys was “if you can’t solve a problem with 6 rounds……”, so 40 should do okay.

One nice feature is that I can just put the rig on before I leave home, so no futzing around pulling a gun out of a case and slinging it along with a pack, etc. Leaves both hands free to run my trekking poles.

On the same note, anyone carry binos and a handgun in a hpg kit bag? Wondering if I should just do away with my bino harness.

Yes.

I don't generally carry a handgun when hunting with a rifle. But for hiking/backpacking I have carried a handgun in an old Uncle Mikes fanny pack that rides below the waist strap on my backpack. It's pretty comfortable and is easily accessible at all times. Not a high tech solution but it works.

For backpacking, I have a Glock 43 and a CYA carbon IWB holster; I just carried this across most of NM. Since my CHL does not work in NM the pistol was often in the lid of my pack while hiking and served mostly as a camp gun rather than something I could get to quickly. If I was open-carrying it, that holster clipped nicely to the webbing part of the waistband of my Osprey Exos.

Are you sure that New Mexico doesn't consider a pistol in a backpack to be concealed carry?

I’m not sure, but there were three big points I was prepared to make. First, and foremost, it was not easily accessible to me while wearing the pack. Damn near physically impossible, in fact. And then second, where was I SUPPOSED to carry it? And then finally, to any LEO I was thus engaged with, I think pointing out I was hiking across the entire state, starting in the border region, and camping in very remote areas, was going to be met with understanding and empathy.

I will cop to carrying it concealed a small number of times when I wasn’t comfortable leaving it in my pack. That was illegal.

It’s generally understood that folks need to transport firearms and there are laws around that. In oregon, for example, guns can be “concealed” by non-CHL-holders while hunting, or while driving to go shootin’, or whatever. In other words when driving to go shooting, if I have say a few rifles in the front of my truck, and a few handguns, and a handgun or two is covered up and out of sight, that’s not illegal. Actually since I have a CHL it’s moot anyway, talking about folks who don’t. I think the point is that it’s obvious to anyone that this person “has guns”, and secondarily, it would be a “gotcha” type law and so far, we don’t have too much of that in OR. Obviously somewhere like CA is a whole other story.

Yup, if you feel the need to carry a pistol you will need it on you ans accessible. It's better to keep it in the same general location so when encountered with a stressful situation you will not be pawing all over your kit to find the pistol you have kept in 3 different locations.

Carried a full size G22 with an RDO yesterday while hiking.

This gun:



Used my HPG Recon bag, that I attached an M4 double mag pouch.

Works perfectly.

I have recently started buying and modifying US military M3s both the 1911 ones and the Victory ones for revolvers. They are easy to modify for various handguns.

The pic below was taken hastily that's why the bino chest pouch is so low. Normally, it is "cinched" up so it is worn high on the chest. The M3 holster goes on next and is worn low on the side. The backpack goes on after that and I attach the belt loop for the holster to the backpack belt loop. If I need to take off the back backpack, one snap and a tug and the holster is free from the backpack. None of the straps interfere with each other during use.



You can get those M3s for about $25 delivered. Here is 1911 M3 modified for a Ruger BH with a reflex sight.

I would add - Nobody needs a handgun, until they need it very badly

Agree.

Open carry while backpacking is a little off-putting to most everyone else on the trail. In a perfect world we’d have constitutional carry everywhere.

"Open carry while backpacking is a little off-putting to most everyone else on the trail" - depends where you are, certainly not in Alaska but possible on the Appalachian. I have found that it's often easy to cover up a pistol when passing others on the trail with your hand, piece of clothing or closing a shirt or jacket over it but I really don't care.

That hasn't been my experience in this area. I think we all come with a "vibe". Much is subconscious and outside our control. Some of that vibe is whether you're comfortable with what you're doing. It may be that you are uncomfortable enough "packing openly" around people that you're putting off a vibe that makes them uncomfortable. I'm so used to it, it's comfortable, so I don't make others uncomfortable. .. or something like that. I'm certain it is as much about how we present ourselves as what we carry when we do it.

So .. I don't worry 'bout my pistol nor how people react to it when I'm hiking. When it comes to how to carry a pistol on a pack, for me it's about what is practical, comfortable, and accessible. Most options work for me for a half day. Toward the end of a long day even the best seem to get a bit .. wearing. I don't have a perfect answer even where concealment isn't a consideration.

One of the good things about the North Cascades is we encounter few humans.

Canadians appear wider-eyed when viewing carried firearms. Have on occasion. seen them with the proverbial bells and whistles.

Last time I went backpacking. Two or three years ago. I came out of the woods onto a road at the same time and place two campers were walking. We chatted a bit and they made mention of that fact I was carrying a gun. It didn't seem to bother them, and they were much more interested in my ancient external frame pack. Apparently no longer used except by old fools like me.

They did seem to get a bit nervous when after the conversation, the noticed the second gun I had on me.

Even NYC folks should know what a NY reload is :-)

With a pack frame, I'd have a cross draw holster done that could be mounted low on a shoulder strap. Most likely a custom build. With most of one's load on one's hips and a waist belt, that's a no-go location.

As to using the old pack frames - Have you ever tried to put a full elk quarter into the typical bag? With 10 feet of line, it's a simple carry on my old Sierra frames.

I agree. So put one mount on your right hip belt of your pack and a second mount on your pant's belt (under your pack's hip belt) at the same location. Take your pack off, click the holster onto your pants, exact same location.

M10mm some people don't understand , common sense is a lost art

44, yes it is.

With all the extra straps and doo dads attached to your bodies, some of you guys are beginning to look a little like the gimp from Pulp Fiction.

I'm with you. I don't like all the stuff handing all over my chest. And for the front chest fanny pack people (and I've done it), it almost always comes off in camp. You're not wearing your bino harness, or GPS, and everything else in the front chest pack while in camp, so if your gun is in there, it's not on you either.

If that was under my pack belt, it would dig into my waist or hips something fierce as soon as the pack belt was tightened.

Solid idea, but I am not sure it'd be so solid in practice.

Bullsh*t.

This is what I’m thinking about going to if I switch to 10mm. I’d keep the pants belt receiver in pack lid and use it only when in camp or breaking down a critter.

Absolutely.
And for the holster plus chest pouch plus backpack folks, at some point while having to add or remove three sets of straps to don or doff a top layer, one starts to feel a little like a rented mule being harnessed onto a plow. When that feeling comes around I know it's time to leave a bunch of that excess stuff at home.

With my old frame pack (Kelty Tioga II) the shoulder strap and belt attach to the frame at the sides, the belt doesn't wrap clear around. This leaves a void of sorts where the belt doesn't ride against the body. I have used that space for a handgun .. short super blackhawk. If I remember right, my oldest pack frame / meat frame is set up the same way. For exactly the reasons you mention, that carry location does not work with my internal frame packs nor possibly with a friend's newer external frame which has a "full contact" wrap around belt.

Tom

Haven't tried it myself, but this looked like a possibility, for me anyway. May drop the pistol just far enough under the pack belt to be out of the way, but not halfway down your thigh like the typical "tactical" leg holsters. They have chest holsters as well, but I generally have binoculars and a range finder there.

https://gunfightersinc.com/shop/micro-aggression-thigh-panel/

Thought you might have found the holy grail there. Still might be an option except for the leg tie. Leg ties are good for not very active duty roles. Running with one on doesn't work and after hiking all day with that thing around my upper thigh I guarantee I'm going to have blisters where I shouldn't. Might work if the dropleg straps were rigid so you could pull the gun out without the holster coming up with the gun. It's a good start though, I like the idea of a dropped holster.

I ordered one with a Ronin OWB holster for the XDM10. Will give it a shot and see how it does.

I'd like to know what you think of it...and thanks for being the guinea pig!

Have any of you fugking morons heard of a paddle holster and a towel?

You put the paddle holster on your strong side while wearing a backpack, and take five seconds to affix it to yourself when you stop on the trail or for the day. If the plastic between the paddle and holster become too worn from hip belts, buy another fugking paddle holster.

Drape a towel over it. I have done this for ten years through Yellowstone, Glacier, and wilderness areas.

Plaid shorts and Aviators let both human and wildlife know that you are not to be fugked with.



HPG kit bags are tough to beat.

Jeebus,

you are god!

Well, sort of. But get that little blondie a head covering.

Thanks for the hint with the towel. I hate an untucked t shirt and that solution would work well.

That’s a “Cotton Top” for sure. 😁

Like the paddle holster and towel combo. Great, yet simple low cost solution to a problem. Looks innocuous too. Great for the Deep South where high humidity makes a lot of us have a towel handy.

It's also summer in a National Park.

LOL

She's tougher than you.

Those that use the HPG Recon…what is your method for carrying your binos and pistol together? Both in the “pistol” compartment?
Ted, I would think the pistol retention would not be good with the double M4 pouch you are using?

I use the Rick Young bino harness. It rides well tilting over the HPG or can be loosened to ride directly over or under it.

https://rickyoungoutdoors.com/basic-ultra-light-bino-harness/

If you're going for a walk, just figure out something cheap like the above paddle holster.

If you're backpacking real distances with real weight, HPG is the way to go.

I use the HPG bino pouch that attaches via molle straps to the recon bag. works great and can be placed off center on the bag to give better access to the pistol and better string clearance when shooting a bow

I keep binos and rangefinder in the front pocket and pistol in the back (closer to the body) pocket. Works pretty well for me.

Shoulder holster.

I finally got this. It does keep the grip below the pack hip belt, but haven't run around in the woods with it yet. Here's a quick pick with an empty pack. I'm not a lefty, I took the picture with the front camera on my phone and I guess it flips the image.

Just ordered another holster unit for my Kenai, this one for my Shield plus. The more I use it, the better I like it. Keeps the weight off my waist and hips. Also is very accessible while in the car.

Was hiking on the local WMA last week while wearing the 5.7 on my chest. None of the dog-walkers we met ran away screaming in fear, nor even seemed to notice, not that I care. After all, I’m one of the people actually paying for their “dog park”, and point that out at every opportunity. Last week, one of the guys we met asked where the “wildlife preserve” area began, since he had seen that on a map someplace, probably on Apple Maps, which calls it a “Wildlife Area”, omitting the “Management “ part.

Uhhhh....

I'd love to see what happens after 25 miles wearing that chafe machine.