I strongly recommend a steel frame for a .44 magnum of any length. You have to assume you'll need to use it some time, and the recoil in a 26 or 30 oz aluminum frame is going to be brutal. You won't want to practice enough to shoot accurately, and even with practice a followup shot may be difficult.

I have a 3" short lug and a 4" M29 Mountain Gun, which weigh in about the same at 40 oz. While manageable, that is about as much recoil as I wish to deal with, on or off the range. I have a boot grip on the 3", which makes it easily concealable in a VM2 IWB. The short grip does not intensify recoil, but it does allow more torque than a longer grip.

There's a lot of difference between 3" and 4" carrying concealed or in a high ride holster. It's much harder to clear leather with a 4" gun. The advantage of a 2-5/8" barrel over 3" is trivial in that regard. A good holster and belt, and you won't notice it's there after a while.

You're not going to conceal this revolver in a pocket. It's too thick to hide, too long for any but a cavernous pocket, and too heavy to walk without it bouncing around.

I suggest you get a lanyard for it too. That way it's more likely to follow you up a tree, assuming you get that far ahead of a bear. One option for Hogue monogrips is a lanyard stud in place of a retaining screw.