onlurker
Regular Member
It seems like since I've changed OC rigs a few months ago for when I'm out hiking/backpacking, people have taken more notice and I thought I would share some of the encounters with the forum.
Most of the good encounters have appeared to have been from other gun owners and comments were along the lines of "nice piece" or "I usually carry X but it's stuffed in the pack." There was a small group of people out at Lake Serene that I spoke with for a little while as they thought my P226 was a 1911 and had asked about my holster since they couldn't find a comfortable way to carry while backpacking. I may have created a Serpa convert from Fobus.
The one really good encounter that sticks out in my mind was last weekend up at the top of Mt Pilchuck. It involved a family of 5 people, 2 moms and their young boys out for a hike on the mountain. One of the kids asked me if I was a cop as he said he saw my gun and one of the younger boys leaned over out of curiosity. They were curious so I answered their questions and chatted with them while their Mom was there watching. When the question came up with why I carry, one of the Moms (younger one) pretty much answered for me (not rudely mind you) with, "so people won't bother him" which was clarified to creeps that hide out in the woods shortly after. They were then setting up to take a family photo and I offered to take it for them which they thanked me for taking it. I was polite and courteous the whole time and we parted ways as they headed down the mountain. It at least appeared to me that one of the Moms understood that there is good reason to carry, and overall I thought this was a pretty good encounter.
Later that day some photographers came up who had the same idea I did, and that was to take pictures of the sunset (which was magnificent by the way). I had moved my photo equipment to a spot I decided would provide a good vantage point and left the arrivals be, passing them occasionally to get a different lens or the filter I had forgotten. One of the photographers in the group came down and joined me and we chatted about cameras a little, shot the sunset, and then parted ways when his group went down the mountain, not even a peep about what was on my hip. It wasn't until a group of two guys who had the same idea as me to stay the night did I realize that the photography group took notice as they told the two guys coming up that there is a "MWAG" up there in that "you better watch yourself" tone. The irony of this is of the two guys they told, one of them was carrying a G21 in his pack. After he told me what that group said, we laughed, chatted about guns and hit the sack not too soon after another group came up who was also carrying (concealed).
Aside from the photography group, the only other time I've ran into an "anti" that was actually willing to speak their mind directly to me was at the trailhead of Mt Pugh (pronounced like a church pew). I had arrived the night before my climb so I could hit the trail early for some photographs, so it was dark when I ran into an older Canadian couple in a VW Bus. I stopped, rolled my window down and chatted with the gentleman that was there and he was kind enough to assist me with parking my car. I don't remember exactly how the topic came up of us "Yankees and our guns" as he put it, but he was firmly a believer that anyone who owns a pistol gets drunk and goes around shooting people. Oh, and pistols are only good for one thing, and that's murdering others. Of course I was offended by this but I was tired and didn't feel like getting into it with some Canadians, so I said "yeah" and "mmm hmmm" a lot all the while being friendly. He too was very friendly to me as well so I didn't feel the need to bring up the obviously open carrying of my pistol that he clearly didn't see while being within 10ft of me, although in his defense it was pretty dark.
Other than that, people either haven't noticed as they weren't paying attention or they don't want to bring up such a polarizing topic. Of the times people have brought it up, I was and will continue to be courteous and as warm-hearted as I can towards them. Thanks for reading.
Most of the good encounters have appeared to have been from other gun owners and comments were along the lines of "nice piece" or "I usually carry X but it's stuffed in the pack." There was a small group of people out at Lake Serene that I spoke with for a little while as they thought my P226 was a 1911 and had asked about my holster since they couldn't find a comfortable way to carry while backpacking. I may have created a Serpa convert from Fobus.
The one really good encounter that sticks out in my mind was last weekend up at the top of Mt Pilchuck. It involved a family of 5 people, 2 moms and their young boys out for a hike on the mountain. One of the kids asked me if I was a cop as he said he saw my gun and one of the younger boys leaned over out of curiosity. They were curious so I answered their questions and chatted with them while their Mom was there watching. When the question came up with why I carry, one of the Moms (younger one) pretty much answered for me (not rudely mind you) with, "so people won't bother him" which was clarified to creeps that hide out in the woods shortly after. They were then setting up to take a family photo and I offered to take it for them which they thanked me for taking it. I was polite and courteous the whole time and we parted ways as they headed down the mountain. It at least appeared to me that one of the Moms understood that there is good reason to carry, and overall I thought this was a pretty good encounter.
Later that day some photographers came up who had the same idea I did, and that was to take pictures of the sunset (which was magnificent by the way). I had moved my photo equipment to a spot I decided would provide a good vantage point and left the arrivals be, passing them occasionally to get a different lens or the filter I had forgotten. One of the photographers in the group came down and joined me and we chatted about cameras a little, shot the sunset, and then parted ways when his group went down the mountain, not even a peep about what was on my hip. It wasn't until a group of two guys who had the same idea as me to stay the night did I realize that the photography group took notice as they told the two guys coming up that there is a "MWAG" up there in that "you better watch yourself" tone. The irony of this is of the two guys they told, one of them was carrying a G21 in his pack. After he told me what that group said, we laughed, chatted about guns and hit the sack not too soon after another group came up who was also carrying (concealed).
Aside from the photography group, the only other time I've ran into an "anti" that was actually willing to speak their mind directly to me was at the trailhead of Mt Pugh (pronounced like a church pew). I had arrived the night before my climb so I could hit the trail early for some photographs, so it was dark when I ran into an older Canadian couple in a VW Bus. I stopped, rolled my window down and chatted with the gentleman that was there and he was kind enough to assist me with parking my car. I don't remember exactly how the topic came up of us "Yankees and our guns" as he put it, but he was firmly a believer that anyone who owns a pistol gets drunk and goes around shooting people. Oh, and pistols are only good for one thing, and that's murdering others. Of course I was offended by this but I was tired and didn't feel like getting into it with some Canadians, so I said "yeah" and "mmm hmmm" a lot all the while being friendly. He too was very friendly to me as well so I didn't feel the need to bring up the obviously open carrying of my pistol that he clearly didn't see while being within 10ft of me, although in his defense it was pretty dark.
Other than that, people either haven't noticed as they weren't paying attention or they don't want to bring up such a polarizing topic. Of the times people have brought it up, I was and will continue to be courteous and as warm-hearted as I can towards them. Thanks for reading.
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