Dressing Around The Gun?

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Packman

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Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am rapidly approaching my 21st birthday, and will be obtaining a Concealed weapons license. I was recently reading the thread containing tips about people's advice for life, and I have a few questions....

One of the big tips I've gotten out of that thread is to move stuff around your body. That is to say, one must "dress around the gun." However, if I were to follow all the advice in that thread...I'm out of places to put my stuff. I'd like to inquire as to how people carry their gear when carrying a gun.

In my everyday dress, I typically wear jeans and a t-shirt or collared shirt. Of late, I've started dressing in a t-shirt covered by an undone western shirt (snaps instead of buttons.)

On a daily basis, I carry my wallet in my right rear, knife clipped to right front, cellphone in right front, keys in left front. That is the stuff that goes with me no matter what. However, I also usually carry a Surefire in a holster on my left hip and a can of OC in a holster on my right hip. This works very well with the button-down shirt, but I get some odd looks without it, particularly around campus.

My question is this: Where does one actually locate all this stuff to be discrete while carrying a gun as well? If I put a gun on my right hip, that neccessitates a relocation or abandonment of the OC spray, plus the addition of a reload somewhere on my body.

I'm 6 feet tall and 140 pounds, so I'm very slender. ANYTHING attached to me can be very easy to see, unless I'm very careful about how I have it attached.

What do you folks do or recommend?
 
Do you need to carry everything?

I'd start with the primary firearm and go from there. I'd not carry OC spray, because in my state I'd have to try to use that first.

I carry my primary in appendix carry with loose clothes.

You'll get it eventually, the clothes and mandatory carry items.

Take you time.

Stay safe.
 
Hmm, I just realized my location is no longer listed under my name...

I live in SW Florida. Concealed carry is not an option on campus, the OC spray is. I have a smaller canister I sometimes carry because it's easier to be discrete.

Once I have the CCW, I think I may be ditching the OC spray, but for now, I'm keeping it in mind. I don't have a carry gun or method selected yet, the research is ongoing. That will influence this, no doubt.

Thanks for the input, folks.
 
I advise a larger size, loose T-shirt or polo shirt, or open front shirt as you use. I also advise for it to be made out of heavier weight material, so it doesn't ride up or fly open as easily. I like the longtail Tshirts from Duluth trading, they are plenty long enough.

I also advise a thin cotton or underarmor type undershirt. This will keep sweat off the pistol and keep your skin from having bare contact with the pistol, and make it more pleasant to CCW. Some don't mind doing away with this.


Yes, I know it's hot as hell in Florida during the summer. I live in the South, too, but I tolerate it, even when wearing jeans/pants and slightly heavier shirts than ideal. I carry a full size pistol year round.
 
IMO opinion "dressing around the gun" means adopting wardrobe capable of concealing your particular firearm of choice.

I carry a full size 1911 which CAN indeed be concealed wearing shorts and an over sized T-shirt, however, that is NOT the wardrobe I use to conceal it. By choice.

For concealment purposes, my wardrobe consists of either a sport jacket, or over sized button up shirt. My choice consists of a more "conservative" approach as it fits my personal taste. One could just as easily conceal a firearm wearing an over sized T-shirt, however, that is not MY personal choice.

Concealment must first meet the goal of CONCEALMENT, and secondly, must conform to one's personality and taste in wardrobe.

There are MANY options out there, however, there is often times a sacrifice needed to meet your end goal of concealment based on individual comfort levels.

I am willing to sacrifice comfort for practicality, however, some are not. It is indeed an individual choice.
 
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ANYTHING attached to me can be very easy to see, unless I'm very careful about how I have it attached.
Click to expand...

OK. Point #1 - nobody notices. I've openly carried a 1911 in an Outside the Waistband holster at the hardware store, the grocery store, and stood in line at my local polling place to vote all in the same day. No one freaked out; no one called the police to report a man with a gun. I had conversations with people and the events were unremarkable. No one noticed.


Decide what you want, and what you you need, and arrange it about your waist. Put the rest in a pocket or leave it at home. You won't be able to carry everything you want with you. That's just one of the trade-offs.
 
Dressing around the gun? Isn't that what the holster does?
Seriously, the belt and holster are the most important part of the whole shebang.
I conceal a full size 1911 in cargo shorts and stylish t-shirts, year round. The summers get 100 + here, so that should tell you something.

Bullfrog Ken is right; no one will ever notice. You'll feel weird, and think everyone knows at first. That feeling simply disappears.
Shoot, on Sunday, when going to the range with my brother, I carried a Mossberg 590 like a walking stick to his car, past a barbecue full of hippies.
 
Though a bit of it isn't entirely relevant, this image is worth reposting:

attachment.php


There are many factors I keep catching myself doing when I should know otherwise. Short-swinging my right arm is the most memorable example.

That said, there are only a couple of complete outfits I have in which I can carry "comfortably," meaning I'm confident that the gun is concealed, probably not printing, the weight is properly supported, and I have enough stuff in other pockets to counterbalance sufficiently (something I learned when I used to use a shoulder holster).

My usual setup is this:

Right front pocket
- Wallet
- Spare change
- Pocket knife

Left front pocket
- Flashlight
- Cell phone
- Spare magazine (need to get a mag carrier, as I have to check it for lint weekly)

Right rear pocket
- Keys (with a ton of extra "junk" on them)

Pistol is carried IWB at about 4-5 o'clock. The aforementioned outfits are generally jeans, rigger's belt (which would probably give me away anyway), and a somewhat-billowy t-shirt, or Henley-style sweater if the weather is cool enough (which these days it isn't). Coats and jackets change all of this (once again referencing the above photo). Most of my clothing choices were made before I got my CHL, including the coats, and if I try to close them up, I'm printing for sure.
 
Great chart! This is the kind of information not easily found for those of us who may have had a CWP for a while, but never really carry...I just ordered a supertuck for my SA subcompact, hoping to develop a method that works well for me.
 
My advice: You are not police; don't try to carry too large a weapon. A J-frame in aluminum or "Scandium" works great. Many of us try to carry too big a weapon at first.
Cabelas and Duluth both have heavy pocket T-shirts. Get a good belt; try Packin' Heat in McAllen, TX. Look @ SmartCarry (FL). IWB holster is easier to conceal. A vest is a give-away. Cargo shorts/pants help with pocket junk.
Remember, for personal defense, accessibility is extremely important; more important than caliber, # of rounds, etc.
Carry 100% of the time you can legallly; one never knows what is next in life.
Don't get involved in others' problems / disputes.
Don't be afraid of the police; they are not looking for you.
Good luck ! Stay SAFE !
leVieux
 
There are many options and, if you're like most of us, you'll eventually amass a huge collection of holsters before you find the combo that's "just right."

First, I'd consider what you can ditch. I understand that you won't be able to CC some places and that the spray is your method of self-defense in those circumstances. If you relocate your phone, for example, to a shirt pocket or a belt holster, you'll free up a pocket. A tuckable IWB holster opens up options, and means that you don't have to displace the items currently in your pocket. Ditto the SmartCarry holster.

It's just a matter of experimenting a bit to find a system that works for you.
 
A lot of good info and that chart is great. What and how you carry depends alot on where you live. From what I understand, In Arizona you can carry what you want. Wow, packman, you carry a lot of stuff. Have you looked at those tactical 5.11 type vests? Lots of pockets for stuff. Here in MA, you must carry concealed. I carried a little AMT .380 for years. You could hide it anyplace. It only had 5 rounds, inaccurate and sometime jammed. After one scary incident, I traded for a med size .40 cal S & W with 4" barrel and 10 rds.A little large for concealed carry but shoots nice. My favorite carry is a THUNDERWARE holster. A pouch over your underwhere but under your pants.
Another alternative is a fanny pack, good if you live in Cambrige MA. :)
Holster are great in colder weather of course.
 
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Folks, thanks a ton for the responses. I appreciate it.

Tuckable IWB is the way I plan to start carrying. I've looked at stuff like Smartcarry and Thunderwear, and I might pick one up to try it out when I need to be a little bit dressier. I've also considered one of those bellybands.

I can ditch the OC spray without feeling uncomfortable if I'm carrying a gun, but the rest really needs to stay with me. Wallet, Keys, Phone, Knife are the daily needs, I want a flashlight on me as much as possible, especially if I'm going to be carrying a gun. Admittedly, that's not a 100% of the time deal-if I know it's going to be a short trip in daylight, I can forgo the Surefire or leave it in the truck.

When it's hot, I sometimes wear cargo shorts, which eliminate a lot of these problems, but I don't like doing that. Jeans are my preferred pants. I may have to make some changes there, it seems.

Dionysusigma, thanks a bunch for that chart. I've seen it before, but I'd completely forgotten about that.

Appreciate all the help, folks.
 
Look at Comp-TAC holsters. I have a C-TAC for my Kahr K9 and an MTAC for my full size Sig P226. I can carry either comfortably with a dress shirt tucked in over them. Carrying with an open button shirt concealing is easy. Oh, and ditch the OC.
 
I can ditch the OC spray without feeling uncomfortable
Click to expand...

You could, but I'm not sure you have to make the choice. An ASP Defender fits on a keyring and can complement your carryout without creating a burden. The reason I'm carrying OC spray is that the last few times I've been in dodgy situations, OC spray was all that would have been needed in the event things had gotten a bit more intense.

It's probably more likely that you'll need to mace somebody down than it will be necessary to shoot them, and the aftermath would have far fewer complications. The flashlight is the item I'd ditch if I were looking to lighten things up a bit.
 
A few things come to mind.

I'm 6'2", and now about 210#s. I also applied for, and received my CCP when I turned 21. At the time, I was 170#.

I was offered a wonderful piece of advice when I turned 21:
Don't go anywhere/do anything now (because you have a gun on your person), that you wouldn't do/go before (when you didn't have a gun on your person).
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While you may not need to be told that advice, it's likely that someone reading this thread may.

Something else to consider, is just how young do you look? I'm 35, and finally just now people are guessing me older than 25 - I still can't grow a full beard. While I do conceal my carry, I'm getting less concerned if someone notices a bulge under my over shirt if I move a certain way.

If I may hazard a guess, I would suppose that all the extraneous stuff you do carry in other pockets also calls attention to yourself, especially when you are as slender as you are.

Also, regardless of what you decide to wear, where you shop can have an impact on that as well: 30 year olds tend to dress different than 18 year olds. If you dress more like a 30 year old (you may already, I don't know, and I'm not trying to speculate) when someone does notice that you are armed, they might be less likely to cause a scene. And, let's face it, that's mostly what we're trying to avoid, is others causing a scene.

Pants: What kind of pants we choose makes a difference. If we choose pants that ride lower on our hips (low rise), carrying on a hip location is more noticeable. If we wear pants that have a longer rise (some call it a full-fit), and example would be the Wrangler Cowboy-cut (13mwz) jeans, the belt mounted holsters will wear higher around our waist.

Shirts/Coats: If you have occasion to wear a sport coat, you can have a tailor sew a thin piece of suede on the inside of the sport coat in the spot where you carry. The suede is not easily detectable from an outside observer, and tends to help (not fully) smooth the rough shape of a pistol grip under your coat. This might work with a western-style shirt as well, but I'm not sure.

Activities: If you drive a lot, you may not like wearing a IWB or pancake holster. Mine are not comfortable for long drives, regardless of what pant or gun I carry.

Movement: Be mindful of how you move. When you have to pick something up, if you bend @ the waist, a shoulder holster or hip holster will allow your sidearm to be much more visible. If you squat, try different motions in front of a mirror with your chosen carry method to decide what motion best maintains your concealment.

And finally, as slender as you are, I might consider minimizing what else you carry on a daily basis. I'm not saying this is you, so please don't take this example this way. Around where I live (rural area surrounding a Metro area) we have 16-20 year old volunteer firefighters and explorer scouts that carry all kinds of crap in their pockets. So, you see these very young looking, usually skinny kids, with bulges all over them from the stuff in their pockets, and hanging off their belts. I appreciate their enthusiasm, I really do, but when they walk around in open public, there are a lot of people that stare at them. I prefer to blend in if I can, and not stick out.

When we turn 21, we are taking our final step into adulthood. Likely more than all of the other issues brought up, behavior is likely the most important issue. Be calm, and don't attract attention.


PE
 
If you want to carry everything (and I mean everything), a Maxpedition fatboy works good. I've been using one since the winter and if you don't mind carrying a manpurse you can have all kinds of useful things in there. From tape to string to first aid stuff. I even have tools for opening raw oysters.
 
It's probably more likely that you'll need to mace somebody down than it will be necessary to shoot them, and the aftermath would have far fewer complications.
Click to expand...

That right there is why I'd PREFER to keep the OC. I like having a non-lethal solution available. I don't want to fistfight anyone, but I'd very much prefer not having to deal with the consequences of deploying a lethal weapon if it was avoidable.

Polar Express, you make some good points. I was actually discussing the issue of looks with my older brother a while back. Unfortunately, I do have kind of a baby face. I'm actually working on growing out a Van Dyke style goatee/mustache right now. It's interesting, I've never let my facial hair grow out before. It's driving me nuts, but I do like what it's doing for my apparent age.

I'm told I act much older than my age, which is a benefit. I can minimize the obviousness of what I'm carrying around. When I have the outer shirt on and unbuttoned, everything I mentioned previously is invisible.

I do a fair amount of driving, which is why I'm considering something like a bellyband, or even a crossdraw appendix carry (at about 11 o'clock.) Like I said, I haven't selected a carry gun or method yet, but that's a topic for another thread.

I don't worry too much about drawing attention to myself. Honestly, my cowboy hat and boots draw a lot more attention than what's on my waist, even when I have the pouches on without the cover shirt.

Cosmoline, my brother actually uses a Fatboy and loves it. However, in Florida, I prefer not to carry stuff like that around in the summer, because it's HOT. I'll keep it in mind though.
 
great chart! You can avoid all those tell tale signs with a smart carry and a J frame or small 380. That way when you adjust the gun it just looks absolutely like normal guy behavior. :)If I was in college, I'd have a smartcarry and a jframe or P238 at all times.
 
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