[pct-l] first night out

[Eric Lee]

Goodness wrote:
>
IMHO if you conceal, it is next to useless.
>

I'm on the side of strongly discouraging the carrying of guns on the PCT,
but the point above is a very good one: if you feel the need to carry a gun
because you expect that you might need to use it, then the only reasonable
way to carry it is exposed and ready to use.  Sticking a gun inside your
pack is just silly; if you're ever going to need it (and you won't), you're
going to need it in a damn-big hurry.  Carry openly or don't bother.  Of
course that's going to bring up some very interesting social dynamics
between you and your fellow hikers, but I guess you'll just have to deal
with that the best you can.

The same goes for pepper spray (for use on either humans or bears).  Any
situation where you're going to need it is almost certainly going to happen
suddenly with no warning.  If you had warning, then the smart thing to do
would be to avoid the situation in the first place.  If you didn't have
enough warning to avoid the situation then you aren't going to have enough
warning to go digging around in your pack after your spray can.

Eric