Now think about this, folks. You're carrying a rifle. You're carrying a pistol for "back up". A bear charges you. Which do you select (as if this were a video game)?

If the bear charges you from some of the thick scrub I hiked through for three years in Alaska, you might get one - at the most two shots off.

Realistically, the only time it made sense having a handgun along was when you had a roll of toilet paper in the other hand and were out looking for a tree. Even then, you're going to be, very literally, "caught with your pants down" and at a disadvantage. Otherwise, a handgun would have been easy to wield inside a tent. But if a bear's trying to get through those protective nylon walls, you only have a couple microseconds to react. You're once again at at extreme disadvantage.

Rather than worrying about which handgun one should bring along for backup, most people would be far better served learning more about "bear avoidance" - how not to run into bears. Choosing trails, siting campsites, campsite cleanliness, etc.

For those not carrying a rifle or shotgun with slugs, by all means carry a handgun. But we're not talking a handgun as "backup" then, are we?