. If your hikers are put off by the sight of the handgun then maybe a SafePacker http://www.thewilderness.com/storepinnacle/index.php?p=product&id=1356&parent=171 or something similar is needed. Bet they'll be mighty happy to see that ol' .44 come out when it becomes necessary.
stay safe.
I've got a Maxpedition Versipack that does a good job with any of the following: 3" SP101, 4" S&W M65, XD9, CZ-75, 1911 commander or govt, or 4" Redhawk. Out of sight of the naive.
It's a damned slow draw, though. Requires 2 hands, and zipper manipulation. And cross-draw, on top of that, which makes for a slow presentation after the draw.
It carries BARELY enough stuff for a day hike. I climbed Mt Humphrey with it a couple weeks ago, with my little troupe o' single folks. Had the 4" Redhawk, 1st aid kit, about 3/4 of the list from the typical "10 essentials," A 1L Nalgene, 5 more 16oz water bottles... but this was just too heavy around the shoulder. It was almost a gallon of water, with a 3 pound handgun, and other stuff, pulling on the side of my neck. But, I have been using it for the last several hikes because it lets me carry concealed without having the gun be a hindrance to mobility when hiking. IWB just sucks when stomping up a mountain.
But, the appropriate gear for a 5+ mile hike in AZ heat requires me to carry more equipment (water in particular) than the Versipack allows. Especially when comfort of carry is factored in. That means backpack with two shoulder straps to distribute the load, which means the gun goes back on the hip.
I have an old Hunter-brand leather rig for my 5.5" blued Redhawk, cartridge loops and all. I'm going to start wearing that on hikes (again). Hoplophobic girls be damned (or guys, for that matter). The older blued Redhawk has a very "lived in" quality to it, as does the leather. The gun's backstrap bluing is worn out, the cylinder bluing is faded from a few hundred miles of leather-friction while stomping around, the holster and belt leather is broken in and creased in the right places. It's out and "in your face" but it is difficult to argue with... it fits the AZ countryside very well. I actually get NO sass from other hikers when I wear it, though I have when wearing any automatic, or the 4" stainless Redhawk in a black nylon holster. I find the cartridge loops interfere with a large backpack and rub me uncomfortably, and the cartridge belt is useless for holding a belt knife or flashlight... but it's been the only gun and rig I've ever gotten no flack over back-country carry.
No more hikes with no gun, or with a measly little PF9 or smith 642 in the pocket.