This gets brought up once in a while. Up in my home state of Alaska, there seem to be two routes that a person takes with handguns: 1) ultralight, which usually ends up being a S&W model 329PD with an x-frame grip, or 2)something powerful with a short barrel, which is typically either a 4" Smith model 500 or a Ruger Alaskan in .454.

Here in Washington I might pack a Ruger SP101 or Smith Airweight, but most of the time I don't carry anything. There just aren't enough dangerous animals in the area to justify carrying it. I sometimes pack anyway because of the meth labs people can find in the middle of nowhere, but they don't seem to be much of an issue around here either.

If I were more serious about using a handgun for protection from anything (4-legged or not), I'd enroll in a defensive handgunning course and spend a lot more time at the range. As it is, I'm considering switching to pepper spray because I'd be less likely to leave it at home.

It might be that I pack less often because experience has made me less paranoid; in my nearly 3 decades of hiking I've only been in 3 situations where I'd wished I'd been armed with something. Hiking's pretty safe.