Do vests SCREAM gun?

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Anthony, I agree with you totally that being non-descript is the way to go. I just don't agree that wearing even a "tactical" vest makes one stand out to the population in general. Perhaps we disagree on our perception of what makes one really stand out ...

I'm a big proponent, to all the young guys who work for me, of "dressing like a grown-up." I tell 'em, wearing a jacket and tie on occasion is not a bad thing. Wearing pants that fit, with a waistband on your actual waist, will get you taken more seriously by the adults you deal with.
 
Part of having a license to carry is being as discreet as possible not only in who you let know you carry a gun, but also in the way you conceal it.
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Listen, can you hear that? That's the sound of a hundred thousand folks in open-carry states bashing their heads against a wall. :D

Vests or Fanny packs? Depends on who's wearing it and how out of place it is with the climate and the rest of their dress.
 
A vest looks funny. If you don't care if other people think you look funny, thats fine. Just remember that by looking funny, you're drawing attention to yourself,...
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In spite of of how young Low-Sci may be, irrespective of where he may reside, and notwithstanding his being prohibited from carrying, the above statement is true.

I'm sure there are some places in across the nation where vests are considered to be a bit more normal attire. But generally, vests are not normal fashionable attire. I tend to notice things that are out of the norm, I’m sure you do as well. Therefore, it's not a stretch to believe that people may take a bit more notice of someone wearing a 5.11 vest.
 
I Just Simply Don't Care for Vests and Fanny Packs

They make me look goofy, and believe me, I don't need to look any goofier.

So I carry my PM9 in a DeSantis Nemesis pocket holster (works fine in jeans, slacks, Dockers, or shorts). Or in a CrossBreed IWB holster with a Hawaian or Camp style shirt with the tail out. By the way, if you thought IWB was uncomfortable, try a CrossBreed. It's a whole new world.
 
Just wear a stupid hat, something that really draws attention. Mis-direction is what majicians do... :)
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No, you should hang around a friend with a stupid hat.


And the few times I have spotted a fanny pack that I thought might have held a gun, were a guy with a fanny pack that looked like it had a large chunk of steel in it, and one guy with two speedloader pouches on his belt, with the silver HKS knobs sticking out the top.

Having exposed spare ammo is what screams GUN.
 
Well, I think that wearing something sufficiently out of the norm will make you look funny, and its my most respectful, young, liberal-college-town-dwelling, non-CCWing opinion that people wearing vests look funny at best. A decrepit old codger looks a lot less funny in a vest than a 21-year-old college student, but he still looks funny.

But I guess if you're going to simply write off my opinion because I'm too young or where I live, you probably have bigger problems than what can be assisted by wearing a vest.
 
New Vest Design and more

I have been researching summer carry for some time (S. NM desert, 90-110 degrees). "To the original question, do vests scream", it depends; so I'll mention some other solutions (I didn't want to change my wardrobe, eg for WB carry, and I wanted convenience). [Great thread, great comments]!

There is a very nice-looking new CC vest from www.bullfrogskin.com. It's spendy, but is ideal for some lifestyles. It's designed to be cool. The tan color on their website looks yellowish on my screen, but I requested a swatch, and it really is a muted tan. If you contact them, you will find them very helpful.

This is more of a "dressy/casual" vest than a sports vest; each type only looks acceptable in the right place. Most anyone might wear a fanny pack or sports vest in Moab, or if you are an obvious tourist anywhere. Both a sports vest and fanny pack will look out of place in a non-tourist/non-outdoorsy town, except on certain people. Personally, I believe that if carrying, you want to blend in because you want the advantage of surprise.

I probably won't get any vest because in this hot, sloppy, non-tourist desert town NOBODY would wear an extra garment (except bikers) unless they were dressed for business. Besides, a vest looks silly with shorts IMO. A vest WOULD scream.

I think many can get away with a fanny pack if the design, person, dress and location is right. I picked up a small black one that is _just_ big enough for a Glock 26 (enough gun for me) and which has the all-important retention device and belt loop to support the weight and prevent theft. It needs an innocent-looking "liberal" decal to divert attention from the business-like all-black color.

(A flourescent pink fanny pack may not say "gun", but it may well attract unpleasant attention, including a beating if you are caught by surprise off the beach. I trust that suggestion was made in jest.)

I also found a vertical (travel?) belt pouch in a thrift store (40 cents!) that _just_ fits the Glock. Having a front flap with lacing, key clip and a coin pocket prevents it from looking gunny at all. This one is going to require some modification to enable a reasonably fast draw. I plan to accomplish a tear-open mod with velcro. I already bypassed the flap snap-lock by cutting its strap and superglueing in velcro. The original snap remains for public view and use. (Just that small mod halved draw time).

I have "deep pockets" :scrutiny: in my cargo pants: that is my preferred method of carry by far - nothing extra to wear, extremely convenient and easy access, easy disarm/rearm for the likker store (everywhere I go sells alcohol here) - and it's amazing how the Glock disappears in them (in a modified Nemesis); I love cargo pants for many reasons - they are the below-the belt equivalent of a tactical vest without looking "tacky" :) and they are _expected_ to have bulging pockets. If cargo could be your style, try it: Cabelas, thesportsmansguide.com, Walmart, Sams.

Last word: be adaptable, innovative and willing to do modifications. There is always a way. But do use a solution that is a) compatible with your circumstances, b) attached to you, so it cannot be put down and forgotten, or snatched/cut off you. Shoulder bags & purses are a last resort, IMO, because they don't meet this criterion.

C
 
Depends on the situation. In general, if I see a vest or fannypack in my day-to-day routine I assume they are carrying. I doubt the general public does though. Some people dress around their carry weapon rather than having a weapon around their method of dress--to each his own.
 
Most People are Starring in Their Own Movie These Days.

Witness the idiots talking loudly into cell phones (or invisible ear pieces, that's REALLY strange). You can probably dress or carry almost any way you want. No one seems to be aware of anyone but themselves......except of course YOU.....and ME.
 
Then they should change the photo on the website, because THAT one looks goofy.
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I'll agree with that. Looks like a sleeveless lab coat. I have the denim one, and so does P95Carry, and those look pretty nice. When the weather is cool they don't raise suspicions.

Of course, Chris and I are old codgers, and we don't worry much about what people think. ;)
 
cgraham - thanks, what you said was helpful.

I think I have found my perfect answer... I was at Academy and saw a clear plastic backpack... That would conceal a gun perfectly.... :what: :neener:
 
Some folks just do not know how to dress around a CCW period.

Make no difference gender, size, climate, either they don't dress around the gun, or they give themselves away in how they carry themselves.

Go to www.corneredcat.com and check out how pax dresses around a gun. I still thinks she needs to either bribe or challenge some guys to model on her site.

Gals have a harder time with anatomy, and equpment available, and still do better than men do most often.

Me? Around here vest screams gun because most folks do not carry themselves with a gun very wellwhen they wear a photo vest or fanny pack. Heck they can have a gun in the trunk and you can tell...
All these reason have been shared earlier such as DNS did.

Been known to wear a Trout vest, because I was fishing for trout, or wading for other species in a pond, stream , or lake. Last time I was using a fly rod for pond bass/ bream , no shirt, and IWB 1911. It was HOT, it gets that way in the South.

I can get by with a Biker Jacket, because I act like a 51 y/o juvinile delinquent. I do not even own a bike btw.

I like simple, I prefer to project a perception about me - depending on where and what I am having to be as to what that perception may actually be projected.

Old fart returning to College. Some old fart that might be retired. Some guy that flat does not care he is over 40 and still wearing faded jeans and tennis shoes.
Though I am single, no kids I can appear to be a Hubby, BF, BIL, Uncle, Dad, some old guy that has no business out with a lady less than half my age...Anyone's Brother, Grandson...Son...

I personally like simple in regard to the less stuff I have, the less stuff I have to keep up with.

Preacherman, Chris, Larry, Sandy and others have seem me out and about...
I do not want to be "pegged" as anything other than what I choose to be pegged as.

Heck in Tulsa I was "pegged" as some 'biker dude' , driving a truck, and escorted to the Hotel to meet Larry, Chris and everyone.

With Preacherman...just some fellow he hired to run errands I guess...


Steve
 
cgraham

Thanks for the kind words. I'm glad the swatch arrived. I had a tough time matching the color on the computer screen. I'd have to describe that tan/khaki as more pale yellow with a lighter tone than standard khaki.

I've been wearing a vest, really one of maybe 20 different menswear wool suitings and solids, for 5 years now. I wear them all day, whenever I leave the house, and I carry full size handguns OWB with a light and spare magazine offside, just like I train.

Those canvas chestful of pockets aren't for me. I dress in nice slacks and shirts. Now, I can certainly grab one of my garments out of the closet and dress it down with jeans, but I can't dress up those "tactical" vests. They're a piece of gear. I try to keep my cover garments looking like a clothing accessory as much as possible.

No one knows at the office. But, then again, I make an effort to avoid all hunting/gun discussions. If I'm ever directly asked about the topic as I walk past a hallway conversation, or from a neighboring office/cube, my responses generally contain a confused look with a question that someone who knows nothing about guns would ask. Or, I'll say my mother never let me play with such things and immediately follow up with a work question, excuse myself as being too busy right now to talk, and move along.

When I'm asked about the vests I wear specifically, which has happened maybe 4 times in 5 years, all from women, I respond that I sew and I made them. Then we talk sewing, usually because they're sewers, too, and that's why they asked.


Really folks, this is all about how you carry yourself. The conversations you get into, and the advertisements you broadcast about yourself tells the people you spend time around who you are. I feel my clothing veils my tools from public view; my attitude and mannerisms are what conceals them from those I spend time around regularly. As SM here posted earlier, some of us can tell who has a gun in the car because they advertise it. They may not say it explicitly, but they give it away in how they act and talk.


I've posted this here before. I know people through my support group who have an ostomy. They're self conscious and nervous as h3ll that someone's gonna notice it at first. Then, they eventually realize no one does. When was the last time you saw someone that had a vest on, and wondered what brand ostomy appliance they use?
 
More Vests

Nice lookng vest, Supernaut - but too hot here!

Here are a couple I found on sale today, by chance.

Denim, heavy weight: www.sportsmans.guide, 1-800-888-3006: item GX6X-53240X Catalog 202536 $14.97

Safari-style vest, less obvious pockets than usual, Columbia brand (quality); Campmor #46591-N $29.97, Summer catalog. 1 year return privilege. I'll try this one.

The price & appearance makes these worth checking out.
 
yup,

Does to me anyway.

Of course here in TX, with 100 degrees from April 1st to November 30th, any unnecessary garments are suspect.

I only know one guy who wears a vest regularly, and he also wears a belt buckle that says "Special Forces". Fact is, he was SF, about 30 years ago. Think he is armed?

Anecdotal yes, but an anecdote is still a true story.

As far as the argument that your average sheeple is oblivious goes, I will buy that on face value. The far more important question is this: is your average wolf oblivious? Because that is where your real threat lies...
 
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I have enjoyed this thread because I admit I'm a sometimes vest-wearer, and I mean that typical photog/safari/adventurer style vest (I have 'em in both khaki and OD green!) with the million pockets and even epaulets. Around here (central Alabama), the main place I see people wearing such attire is at the gun shows! There, one would think they might have found themselves at a vest convention! And while it's rare that I encounter another vest-wearer, when I do, said vested-one and I almost always share a slight nod of recognition, even a slight grin, as we at least think we have a pretty darn good idea that the other guy is packing heat. :)

Like another poster said, I think the vests have their place for those of us comfy with wearing them. Sometimes, an untucked shirt works for me...or a blazer...or a Kramer Confidant holster shirt under something else...just one more "tool in the toolbox."

One of the things I love about cooler weather is that the fleece vests can come out...comfy, practical, and they at least give me the impression of a lower profile.

I do carry in a Galco fanny pack sometimes, too, although mine is a "non-tactical" light grey hahaha...I wear this usually when walking or biking, though...I feel very conspicuous with it otherwise...

I've shared this in another post, but once I was pulled over for a minor traffic infraction. The officer had already noticed I was wearing a photo-vest and his first question was whether I was carrying a weapon or not. I told him I was, handed him my CCW along with my wallet, and we had a fine conversation after that...he even let me off with a warning!

Otherwise, while wearing the photo-type vest, I get the same questions about going fishing / hiking / camping / etc. that other posters have expressed. I just laugh and go on...I just like the darn things and find 'em comfortable.

One more thought: recently I was at a parents' meeting at church and was photo-vested (with 1911 tucked away underneath) and, of all things, the NERDINESS of fanny-packs came up. The youth leader was prepping us about an overnight trip our kids would be taking with the church, and he suggested that the kids ought to just put their stuff in fanny packs so they wouldn't lose anything. We parents all laughed and told him NO WAY would our middle-school-age kids be seen ANYWHERE with something as uncool as a fanny pack. When he replied (laughing) that he wasn't aware that his own fanny pack habits were so out-of-vogue, I helpfully offered that I thought that fanny packs were AT LEAST as cutting-edge and trendy as vests like the one I was wearing! :)
 
In the three plus years that I have been reading these forums, no one has ever posted a link to a news story in which someone got shot because they were wearing a vest, fanny pack, Wilderness belt, hawian shirt etc...

I put this in the Urban Legend / Internet Myth catagory. Like all legends and myths, it's based on a reasonable sounding theory (if a savy, trapped/very aggressive/ BG makes you as packing, he may take you out ASAP to eliminate the threat). However it appears to be JUST THEORY.

I stand by MY theory, which is that you have a FAR better chance of being killed commuting to or from your destination in a vehicle than you do of being killed at your destination because you are wearing "shoot me first garb".

On the flip side if "shoot me first" garb facilitates you carrying when might not otherwise, or carrying a larger capacity / caliber, or simply makes it more comfortable then I say go for it.

Drive safe ............ and don't shoot me first :neener:
 
I don't think I would get shot if I wore one. However, I do think I would get noticed. I do not want to get noticed when I am carrying.

Perhaps this is a leftover discomfort from being the "foureyes" in school. That attracted attention and usually it was not the kind of attention I wanted.

Larry, that vest in the picture is what I meant by "goofy". I have no idea who would wear that, it looks like a retail uniform. All that is missing is a Walgreens or Walmart nametag.
 
I think they are a dead giveaway.

When I see a guy wearing a fishing vest, I can't help but try to spot his weapon and/or other giveaways like a sure fire or extra magazine.

When I see someone wearing one of those 5.11 or woolrich 'tactical' ccw vests, I don't even bother because I already know. Especially in an urban area.

If I ran into the same guy out in the country he wouldn't look half as suspicious.

Personally, I think most people who wear the 'stereotypical' vest do so to look the part.

I have only recently started wearing my 5.11 pants because I feel they have just now become mainstream enough to not scream "has a gun." But I know they attract a small amount of attention because I find myself noticing others who wear them as well.
 
IWB holster + outside-the-belt shirt = CCW.

No need for a vest. An IWB holster (Mitch Rosen's Workman does well) and a not-tucked-in shirt conceals well. Just spend a little more time picking shirts, choosing those meant to be worn outside the belt.
 
Interesting topic. I've been wearing vests since forever and cargo pants since 92. I live in the Northeast but travel the US a fair amount. The only comments I've received regarding my vests were "that's a nice vest" when one from Orvis, "going fishing?" and "a photographer?"; this last when carrying a camera bag.

I was asked, - once - by a fellow airline passenger "who do you work for?" The questioner was also wearing 5.11s and a non logoed polo shirt. (He was FBI.)

I also just came back from the Philadelphia VA medical center. About half of the other old guys in the waiting room must all have been "packing" as they had nice concealment vests. No one paid any attention to them. If such vests scream gun as stated you would think that in as much as the VA is a federal installation someone would ask. Or maybe wise enough not to as some of those wearing vests also were proudly wearing Korean War caps. They struck me as not suffering fools gladly.
 
But do vests scream? It may depend on what region of the country, or even your local neighborhood. As mentioned by several of us North Westerners, a fleece in Seattle doesn't rate a second glance, but the wrong latte is a major faux pas. It's the first full day of summer, and we're still wearing our fleeces in the mornings and on an evening walk. Down in Tucson a vest might draw all kinds of quesitons, but then, down in Tucson who would care about concealed?
-BothellBob
 
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