Most of us go our entire lives without ever getting molested by a charging grizzly. But we hike all over God's creation. The practical solution is a lighter weight carry gun. The impractical solution is to carry a heavy weight gun that weighs a bunch. And while you're at it, haul a full box of ammo along becasue you might get charged and treed by a whole herd of griz. Every thing in life is a compromise. If you don't want to compromise, the big clunky stainless steel revolvers are poor compromises. I'd select at the least a .375 H&H, but preferably a nice M70 Safari in .458. It'll put that 629 to shame.
But as we know, its a bunch to lug around. And you'll have a tendency to put the M70 down a the first chance. And when you get to your camp site, you'll also be much more likely to take the 629 off your belt because it hurts. The 329 will fit the same holster, but you'll have it on because its light enough to forget. I'm not sure how the 386/396 got into this debate, but I've got them both and they seem as much lighter that the 329 as the 329 does to the 629.
The fact is, every year somebody seems to get chewed up by a bear. Some times not, but just as often 2 folks get the business. But we only very rarely read about an armed person getting bit. And sometimes those have rifles! The point being that no firearm is a guarantee you won't become lunch.
There's usually no reason to live our lives like we're afraid. But if carrying a revolver for self defense makes sense to you, pick wisely. The difference between a 629 and a 329 is almost nothing downrange. Almost every day you go hiking, you'll thank the day you spent the extra change for the featherweight gun. You'll smile because it saved you so much pain, and you'll still have a 44 on your hip.
I have friends who can't believe I only carry a tiny J frame in the summer. They're even more astounded I don't carry a couple of reloads. These are the same guys who "need" hi cap mags and at the least, 2 extra. And they've never had a reason to fire even a single shot in anger. Yet they persistently imagine the need for evermore firepower. A fully loaded 329 will more than fulfill the actual needs of 99.9% of all back country users in the continental US. Particularly in Utah, where a few mean bears show up every once in a while. And I agree, a moose might actually be a bigger threat (and in Colorado, too.)
We've left out the 357 from this discussion. The 41 mag is just as effective. You can feel the difference between the 357 and 329, but it depends on ammo, too.
