Packable rifles are fun. My dad recently bought a Marlin 70PSS, though he almost bought the Henry AR-7 instead. The idea behind both guns is that they can be taken apart of easy packing and can be used for hunting small game. They're only .22 long rifle, so they're not big enough for protection but are still a fun way to hunt. For bear protection I've had my eyes on a Marlin 1894SS, which takes .44 magnum to a whole new level of power over revolvers. It's only good out to 100-150 yards or so due to the relatively low bullet velocity, but sounds like it would make a good gun for the brush.

When it comes to handguns I've always been partial to revolvers; they can pack a lot more wollup per ounce than automatics and can have more ergonomic grips. People talk about the S&W model 329 as the end-all, be-all for lightweight protection, but it sounds like the recoil is downright punishing. I'm waiting for them to do a rerun of their model 629 Mountain Gun, which is a .44 magnum that only weighs 39.7 oz. That's very light for such a large caliber, yet it's more pleasant to shoot than the 329. It used to be very popular with archers.