I don't backpack anymore but used to as a younger man. Back in the early-mid 70s I carried a S&W 67 because it was the only gun I could find at the time in stainless steel. The 66 had just come out about that time and was what I really wanted for the extra oomph of the 357 round over the 38, but for those first few years of production they were tough to find, so I settled for the 67 in 1972 and carried it for about a decade.
Then, as now, I lived in NW Montana, griz country, so I felt pretty undergunned with a 38 Special. But I was an impoverished college student and availability of bigger, badder, better guns was limited. Fortunately, I've never had to defend my life against a bear.
Sorry for that bit of rumination. It just had me thinking about my own evolution, as well as that of the handgun market, in the context of this issue. While I don't backpack, I do a fair amount of hiking, some car-camping, and, in August of every year, a good amount of huckleberry-picking in griz country. My carry-gun for those purposes for the past six or seven years has been a 4" 500. I carry it on a belt holster. It is a heavy load, but it makes me feel pretty well armed.
But.......just last evening I saw a brand new 629 on the shelf of my favorite local shop. It has a 2 1/2" barrel and an unfluted cylinder. It looked quite compact, downright diminutive compared to my 500. Sweet looking gun and I'm considering it. I have very limited experience with the 44 Mag round but would enjoy playing with it as I do handload.....you have to if you want to shoot the 500 regularly!
