I feel It takes a well trained horse and rider to go bit less. My personal preference was the Jim Warner hackamore.
Jim Warner Hackamore – Rope Nose | Reinsman
I love this setup because it offers enough control to get a there attention but it's at the same time very gentle. It's also so nice not to have to find a way to warm up freezing cold bits in hunting camp on cold mornings. I bought a very well trained gelding from a ranch in Darby MT and the cowboy that raised him us this hack. Eventually I trained my other 3 to go in into as well. Make sure you try anything at home first before you head out on the trail.