Don’t forget to keep your mouth shut, too. Everyone outside can hear what’s going on.
I was surprised the campground I was in in the Stimson redwoods didn’t erupt into applause after five minutes of being rocked by “Oh David!! Oh David!! Oh David!!” 
no, I wasn’t david
Telemark hit it spot on in the last 2 sentences of his 1st paragraph - you are highly unlikely to need it, so why carry the useless weight? Plus, as others noted, it is illegal in many places (if you worry about such niceties.)
But, I suspect that people who enjoy/feel a need to carry guns, would tend to do so whatever their activity. (Well, maybe not swimming. Then you can bring a speargun!)
sigh
First of all, a firearm is a terrible signalling device. Not only does it weight and cost far more than ideal auditory signalling device (which anyone backpacking should carry), firing a handgun in the air poses a possible risk to other people. You’ll also find it difficult to locate someone by a single shot; multiple shots will be required, and in forested or mountainous terrain the sound may be misdirected, whereas you can blow on a whistle all day without running out of anything but breath.
The practical hunting utility of a 9mm (or similar caliber) handgun is poor; it’s too large for small game (which would be more easily taken in a survival situation by the use of snares and deadfalls), too small for large game (penetration is inadequate for bear or moose, too short of a sight radius to be used at range, and too bulky to be carried at ready. With a pack on your back, you’re not going to be able to keep it on your hip, and in a surprise predatory attack you won’t have the opportunity to dig out out of your pack, even if it’s located in the top compartment.
As for the weight, consider a “standard” 40 lb loadout for a 3-4 day hike. A typical compact 9mm handgun–we’ll use a Sig P229 for talking purposes–is going to run 27.5 oz, unloaded. The magazine (empty) is 3oz. A single 9mmP round (147gr roundnose bullet) weighs on the order of .4oz. A pistol and two 13 round magazines gives a total weight of 44 oz or 2.75 lbs. That means that you’ve giving about 7% of your total weight budget away to an item that is of essentially no use in any conceivable situation outside of a violent criminal attack (which, despite the links posted above, are extremely rare.)
If you’re worried about predation (by human or animal) travel in a group. If you want a signalling device, clip on a whistle. If you want to hunt, bring a rifle (and follow the regs.) If you want to waste your weight budget on a steel safety blanket, well that’s personal choice–laws and regulations permitting–but don’t rationalize the “need” for a gun while hiking based upon spurious and facile arguments.
Stranger
That’s super, but it was suggested once, by one guy and even he is saying “don’t do it if you don’t want”. Apparently beating dead horses doesn’t require a gun.
Jumpin’ Jehoshaphat, let it go! HEY EVERYONE! DON’T BRING A GUN! Can we drop it now?
Crafter_Man and I will be over here shooting tin cans.
We just put down a deposit on a motorhome yesterday. An old one, and it was really, really cheap, but it’s a motorhome nonetheless. I imagine we’ll head out once a month or so.
I’d love to hike the Appalachian Trail, since it’s there and all. We’re not far from it. Maybe not the whole thing, but some of it.
I was once too far along in a relationship before I learned that her impression of camping was “ewwwwww”. If I could have ended it there I would have.
It’s all about your attitude. If you’re planning on hating it, you will. If you’re able to appreciate things that you’ll experience while camping, you’ll enjoy it.
Now that’s a helpful tip! 
Burundi, we’re going to Shining Rock. I don’t know any more about it than that at this point.
At least on the East Coast, I’ve found hikers to be more earthy/crunchy granola types (as opposed to the snowmobiling/hunting/beer drinking crowd). They tend not to be gun owners. But certainly for day hikes and most overnighters, you’re just not going to get into a situation where a gun would be required. And pragmatically, East Coast trails tend to be steep and rocky. If I’m gonna carry extra weight, it’s going to be a camera or water. I will carry a knife, but primarily as a tool.
That said, I’ve spent some time in a tent in the deep woods. There’s something about being out in the dark with nothing but 0.0002 inches of nylon between you and the Wild that’s fundamentally disturbing. If I were a gun-toting sort of guy and was camping in the backcountry, yeah, I’d probably bring it.
Shining Rock Wilderness is gorgeous! Cold Mountain (of Charles Frazier’s Cold Mountain) is there. It’s some of the most beautiful country in the world. You can read more about it here.
You ought to find wild blueberries–it’s getting towards that time of year. I don’t know if they’ll be fully ripe yet, but if they are, you’re in for a treat! We go berry picking around there every year.
If you’re lucky, you’ll see a black bear. Keep your distance, and if one gets too close, make a lot of noise. They’re not ordinarily aggressive or interested in hurting you. Needless to say, don’t feed it.
It’s been pretty warm up here, so I wouldn’t pack long underwear. I would wear jeans when hiking, though, to protect you from ticks, mosquitoes, and brambles. Pack a long-sleeve shirt or light jacket, too. You might want it in the evening.
Wow…thanks!
I’ve only noticed this when I was using the water-free hand sanitizer to clean my hands. Since you’re not supposed to put it in your eyes, this didn’t really surprise me. In my case, it was either that or take my chances with whatever bacteria one picks up while canoeing in Zimbabwe ( :eek: ), so it was a pretty easy choice. I found eye drops helped reduce the stinging pretty quickly.
I am a huge fan of camping/hiking. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to go on a good backpacking trip in a few years now. The state I live in is awesome for these kinds of activities.
First of all. Pack lightly. You do NOT need to change clothes everyday. However, you will want extra socks. Clean, dry feet are a must. This has already been mentioned. Make sure you have a hat.
Wear layers. This way you can easily peel off or add, depending on temps/weather. Be prepared for the worst. In my case, “the worst” has never happened, but I’ve been lucky.
If you’re hiking trail be sure to leave behind your itinerary with relatives/friends and check in with the ranger station.
Be sure to include a first aid kit. Mole skin is your friend.
Be sure to have bug repellant. Be sure to have sun-screen.
Take a light pair of sandals with you that you can change into once you’ve reached your camp. Your feet will thank you.
Be sure to have both a water purifier and water purifying pills.
Most importantly, have fun. Relax. Enjoy the scenery. I love the smell of firs or pine when the sun is beating down on them.
:: Puts Rosemary e.o. on her shopping list, then reaffirms her completely platonic girl-love for WhyNot::
I’ve only gone backpacking once, buy my cousin did most of the planning.
I recently went car camping (slept in a tent). I find that any meals you eat taste 10x better when camping. tHis was in a national forest campground.
http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/cnnf/rec/camping/cheq_25.html
The campsites weren’t super-far apart, but there was some buffer. (it was an empty weekend- so there were at least two vacant campsites between my and my nearest neighbors).
I’m doing a multi-day bike camping trip in the UP, (www.tourdaup.org) but they will be hauling up to two bags, so I don’t need to pack as light as if I was carrying everything.
Brian
You’re welcome. Have fun, and let us know how it goes!
I’ve done a bunch of ‘jeep’ camping. Never in regulated campsites. Hate those.
Best time I had was when myself and 4 buddies took two 4x trucks and an FJ-40 on a two week exploration of Colorado jeep trails. Great fun. This was back in 1979. Things where a little bit more fast and loose back then. 
We covered 1000 miles mostly on gravel roads and jeep trails.
I’m back! I just wanted to let you know we had a great time.
North Carolina is an incredibly beautiful state. I had been there before, years ago, so I already knew it was gorgeous, and it was even better than I remembered. We hiked in from the East Fork Trail head with the intention of camping along the way and going up to Shining Rock on the second day. Before long, the trail petered out completely and we could go no further with the packs, so we backtracked until we found a good site and set up camp. We were right by the Shining River, which was clear as glass and full of rounded stones that ranged in size from “pebble” to “La-z-Boy recliner”. It was also freezing!
It rained all the first night, and half of the next day. I love rain, so I had no problem with being out in it and getting wet…at first. After a while, being wet with no way to get really dry got old. Eventually the rain stopped, so we took a small amount of food and went out to try the trail to Shining Rock again. This time, we got long past the point where the trail gave out, and indeed, long past the point where any sensible people would have given up. It became less like hiking and more like mountain climbing. Then it got less like mountain climbing and more like hanging on to muddy tree roots with my fingernails while trying to get a foothold in the wet clay. We finally decided to head back, took an even more dangerous route, and got lost, but finally managed to make it back to the camp.
The second night outdoors was a little harder on me than the first. Without the sound of the rain pattering on the tent, it was very very quiet and very very dark. As I lay there holding my husband’s hand, I thought of that scene in The Haunting of Hill House when Eleanor is lying in her bed, frightened, and holding Theo’s hand for comfort. Then she finds out it wasn’t Theo’s hand at all… I meditated on Hill House until I had myself good and scared. Then I went to sleep.
The next day we hiked back to the car. It seemed like a breeze, with the luxury of having actual trails to walk on. So, now that I’ve had a couple of showers, and we survived the big bad wilderness without getting ourselves injured or permanently lost, I’ve decided that I do like camping and we need to go do it again sometime soon.
Outstanding!
Always glad to hear of someone getting a good indoctrination to hiking & camping.
Sounds like a good trip! Excellent to hear that you enjoyed it! (But just wait… there are even better ones out there…)