Why would anyone carry a handgun as protection against bears???
The phrase "armed for bear" has a meaning to it, you know.
If you're just carrying a handgun, you may be "armed for squirrels or a raccoon", but not a large predator.
Sue
Weight and because it is better than nothing.
Typically while hiking in Alaska I carried a Remington 870 12ga with slugs.
I can attest it gets very heavy. :-)
If going somewhere where I'm less likely to run into a bear I admit I would often just carry the .357.
And yes, I understand the relative effectiveness of each option.
FWIW, if you are in the brush and startle a bear, deploying a long arm is iffy at best. Actually, deploying anything is iffy, but a long arm even more so.
-john