I recommend one of these:
S&W M396 Airlite Ti (Mountain Lite) in .44 Special. Mine weighs 18oz empty, it has a 3-1/8" barrel, and carries extremely well. Five rounds of .44 Special (with another five rounds in a speedloader), and I'm good for the woods.
They're not made anymore, but you can find them occasionally on GunBroker and GunsAmerica. They do seem to be a mite expensive however, about $750-800 for a nice one. YMMV.