Is This The New Concealed Carry Uniform?

[Trunk Monkey]

I volunteer at the welcome desk at my church. I sit right in the middle of the lobby and unless I'm actually helping someone I have a bunch of time to watch people.

So tonight, I was people watching and I noticed 4 parishioners (apart from the security team and a couple of guys I know are cops) who were carrying.

This is legal in Colorado and the Pastor has no problem with it. What I found odd was that every single one of the people I saw were wearing almost identical khaki, "tactical" (not necessarily 5.11s) pants and camp shirts. It was almost like they got together and planned their wardrobe. Is this the new Concealed Carry Uniform? Is it common enough to make that style of dress a dead give away? Are khaki pants the new photographer vest?

 

[armoredman]

I actually have a pair of those, got them on clearance. Normal wear is much more ordinary and boring, because I agree the 5.11 gear sticks out like a sore thumb.

 

[AZAndy]

I see that sometimes too. What works for me is jeans and a Hawaiian shirt, or a Scott E-vest in the winter with long-sleeved shirts. Those photographer/shooter vests are quite a tell. I used to see a fellow in Wickenburg (same weather as Phoenix, pretty much) going about in the summer wearing one of those vests. When you're wearing a vest and it's 110 out, well, that's getting a little obvious.

I like khaki pants for comfort, but they always seem to need ironing, which I do enough of as it is. So I gave up on them.

 

[bannockburn]

In the summer, if it's still a little cooler out in the evening, then it's jeans and a Hawaiian shirt. If it's casual attire but a little dressier, then it's the khaki Dockers. Other than that it's khaki cargo shorts; pretty much like every other guy you see out there. Haven't seen anyone wearing a photographer's vest though occasionally you'll come across someone with a nice leather vest. Don't think we're all carrying but can't really say for sure.

 

[Old Guy]

In visiting the FBI Academy, many moons ago, I bought a pair of 511 pants. My preferred mode of dress, at aged 81! Are these same pants, love the many pockets!
Do you want to see 511 style pants? Go to Europe!
Now they tend to be a baggie mess, in the legs, my Wife stitches a crease in the front. Look like some one just pressed them. Summer, shirt outside the pants, Glock 19 on right, the spare magazine on left, in front of a LED Flashlight. Winter (all 3 weeks of it, Florida you know) rain jacket, sweater. Do I own one pair of jeans? Not sure where they are.
Old Guy, with a neat white beard? Wear a ball cap, always, skin cancer pops up now and again, have a great skin Dr. under control. Picked that up, in Australia, the start of it anyhow, lived in Sydney for 3 years.
It was cool to have a tan! How long have I worn 511s? Since 1970? Self-employed Firearms instructor, for 25 years, suited the job, never caused any speculation, that I can remember, not whilst in Canada, no carry allowed.
Been in Florida since 2003. The only thing that stands out, the Liverpool accent.

 

[buck460XVR]

What is more surprising to me than "the new Concealed Carry Uniform" is that your church needs a "security team". What our world has become. Back to the clothing. Folks are what they are. What folks wear is their business as is the way they carry. I generally have enough other things to worry about than what others are wearing. I've found that folks that consider themselves "tacticool", wear clothing labeled as "tactical".

 

[Speedo66]

Fanny packs while not hiking or camo attire while not hunting are often signs.

 

[fpgt72]

I have to wear "tactical" pants at work...I don't wear a uniform, but my polo shirt does have a star on it so it is without any shadow of a doubt a shoot me first outfit. When I am off work I will wear shorts, jeans and a shirt not tucked in....I don't want to look like tactical ted.

It seems to me most people just have to have that hay look at me thing about them....guess it makes them feel cool. Makes me chuckle.

 

[BigBore44]

Whatever happened to wearing a sport jacket or suit? It's common practice here and conceals a sidearm very well.

 

[bearcreek]

What is more surprising to me than "the new Concealed Carry Uniform" is that your church needs a "security team". What our world has become.

Churches have had armed "security teams" since more than 100 years before the US was founded. It's not particularly new, it just fell out of popularity for several decades. Obviously the potential enemy to be secured against is different.

I never wear jeans unless I'm welding. Good quality, non-cotton "cargo" pants are more comfortable, last longer, dry faster and have more storage options. Where do you guys who wear jeans all the time carry your phone or emergency medical gear?

 

[Axis II]

I belong to a hunt club and i get a good chuckle every meeting or get together we have. there are the guys with the 5.11 pants, 5.11 shirts, vests, camo army jackets with a bunch of patches on them and the next week they will be different. one guys an armed security guard and has to come in there wearing a polo shirt, dress pants, pistol, badge on the belt and cuffs. the meetings are at night on a Sunday so you know there is no way he just got work and even so take all that b.s. off.

some guys wear a full size pistol, 3 mags in a Wal-Mart holster with the nra shirts, 5.11, Blackhawk, etc. right now I've got on 8inch boots, cargo pants, etc cause its my work attire but when i get home its cargo shorts, jeans and sometimes green, or khaki cargos and not because I'm tactical tommy. i paid $15 for them and have had them 5yrs and still going strong, they are comfy, have cargo pockets for my wallet, phone and keys and still somewhat stylish. now if your sporting the 5.11 pants with the knee pads and the bungee strap thing by the back pockets then that's a little weird.

when im ccw i don't want anyone to know or have a suspect i am. i don't put gun stickers on my truck, don't really wear gun shirts unless its something i got for Christmas from a friend or family member.

 

[Tirod]

Jeans are the #1 most common pants worn in this area during the summer - long, short, cargo, carpenter, boot cut, whatever. As for where do people put things in their pockets, some don't try at all and when shopping I frequently have to wait for them to go back out to the car for their reading glasses or wallet. They leave their wallet in the car - unlocked. But - they take their cell phone in! And they leave it on the counter, along with their reading glasses, and have to come back in for them.

We have a pile of reading glasses in our lost and found.

No guns yet -

Most of the open carriers here wear jeans, dark shirt, and a black nylon holster. Kydex and leather, rarely. Usually boots, even in the summer. Most of them never have any issue about having stuff carried in their pockets, either. They know exactly where it's all at, which I attribute to carry. They cleaned up their act and make an effort to put things consistently with some thought about it.

Same for the CCW carriers I'm aware of, and anecdotally (who can really tell) the prior service guys I know conceal more than open carry. For the most part they are "on the job" which as tech service (I sell auto parts) they aren't dressed to the nines. Even in winter.

I'd put the 5.11 crowd into the bunch of guys who don't work in them unless professionally - last I checked they were much more expensive than jeans and if you have any experience in construction, mechanics, trades, etc pants are basically expendable and barely durable. 5.11's are $49 to $79 - no way would I work in an abrasive job like framing, pouring concrete, rolling around on floors with oil and antifreeze leaks, carrying batteries leaking sulfuric acid, crawling under foundations etc. Heavy jeans and off brand "Carharrts" would be minimal for that.

When the pay is 80% of National Average in your metro frugality forces some common sense and unless you are salaried there's no spending money on extravagant social garb meant to look like you work for a living when you don't. : )

 

[bearcreek]

I'd put the 5.11 crowd into the bunch of guys who don't work in them unless professionally - last I checked they were much more expensive than jeans and if you have any experience in construction, mechanics, trades, etc pants are basically expendable and barely durable. 5.11's are $49 to $79 - no way would I work in an abrasive job like framing, pouring concrete, rolling around on floors with oil and antifreeze leaks, carrying batteries leaking sulfuric acid, crawling under foundations etc. Heavy jeans and off brand "Carharrts" would be minimal for that.

It depends. I do tree removal and trimming for a living. That could be considered an "abrasive" job. Climbing trees, scraping the pants on bark, picking up and moving logs, dragging brush, repairing heavy equipment etc etc. I've found that good quality "cargo style" pants are worth it. Never tried 5.11 brand pants but I wear Arborwear Tech pants almost exclusively at this point. http://www.sherrilltree.com/arborwear-tech-ii-pants They're $80 but they last way longer than jeans or Carhartt/Dickies type pants and they dry out crazy fast which is really nice on a 95 F day or after a rain. They've got thigh pockets too, which is where my phone and TQ get stored. They're worth the extra money. I wear them to any shooting type classes I take as well but again, it has nothing to do with me being "tacticool".

 

[everydefense]

There's a guy at my work that wears a 5.11 polo from time to time... I agree that it seems like a dead giveaway, but at the same time, I doubt anyone who isn't a "gun guy" (or girl) would even know what 5.11 is...

EDIT: After others' comments about the cost of 5.11 clothes: He is a middle manager, so he doesn't have to worry about getting that shirt dirty, btw

 

[340PD]

Hey, whatever it takes. If a "bad guy" sees an army of tactical pants in the pews that just may be the deterrent they need to stay away. Kinda scarecrow like.

 

[everydefense]

Hey, whatever it takes. If a "bad guy" sees an army of tactical pants in the pews that just may be the deterrent they need to stay away. Kinda scarecrow like.

I suppose it's a balancing act of bad guys knowing they're being watched by sheepdogs, and bad guys drawing a bead on you to be the first under fire in an attack... I can see both sides of the argument.

 

[Axis II]

if you guys want a decent cargo pant for cheap check out LApolicegear.com operator pants. i wear them for work and have for years and get about 3yrs out of them when they fade and then they turn into around the house work pants. i have other pairs i use for fishing, scouting, hunting, etc for 6yrs and still going strong. the cargo pockets are also sleak and not parachuted out so they look good too.

 

[herrwalther]

I wear tactical pants for work. So I am certainly not going to wear them in my off time while carrying. I have pretty nondescript carry attire. Jeans and a baggy T shirt. The most unusual part of my wardrobe is the pants because I live in Alabama where it is hot practically all the time.

 

[farm23]

Vest cries 'shoot me first'. For church a blazer covers everything.

 

[ClickClickD'oh]

What I found odd was that every single one of the people I saw were wearing almost identical khaki, "tactical" (not necessarily 5.11s) pants and camp shirts. It was almost like they got together and planned their wardrobe. Is this the new Concealed Carry Uniform?

There was a thread a while back, maybe a year ago where people were pontificating on if the "tactical" bags like Maxpedition could give them away and possibly make them targets for people of a nefarious mindset. My response at the time was, "well, duh"... to which I was resoundingly informed that I'm just being silly, people can't figure out patterns like that... which made me wonder why "shoot me first" vests are called "Shoot me first"... you know, if no one put 2 and 2 together.

So yeah, it's just another entry in the tacticool checklist... which always amuses me because one of the most dangerous people I ever met wore starched jeans, old scuffed ropers and white button down shirts.

 

[cslinger]

I think we as gun owners pay WAY more attention to this stuff then other folks. Hell from time to time I will notice an ankle buldge and think immediately "dude is ankle carrying"

The reality is I could walk through the mall with a bright lime green shirt that said "Hi, my name is Chris and I am carrying a cocked and locked .45 handgun, have a great day!" And 95% would pay no notice whatsoever.

So yes tactical khakis and untucked shirts are absolutely the in vogue carry uniform and the ONLY people who know this are other folks in the fraternity so to speak.

Now I have seen a guy carry a Glock 26 in a million moms march fanny pack. NOW THAT IS CONCEALED CARRY.

 

[WrongHanded]

I wear 5.11 cargo pants almost exclusively when I'm not working. I like the pockets, the fit, and that the dry quickly. They also seem to last for quite a while. So I wear them for all manner of tasks, from yard work to grocery shopping to hiking. I never really considered whether or not they look "tactical", just that they are functional. I suppose it may be a clue that I'm CCing, but at this point I'd happily open carry if it wasn't such a hassle, so I really don't care. However, I think "tactical" pants alone, don't draw much attention, especially when the waist and pocket area is covered with a shirt.

I do have one of the 5.11 vests, and wear it sparingly. That is definitely a giveaway because it's very recognizable, as are the CC cross shoulder gearslinger style bags.

 

[wally]

What works for me is jeans and a Hawaiian shirt,

Ah, the retirement uniform. Works for me too!

With most folks walking around in public paying far more attention to their cell phones than their surroundings, I stopped worrying about "being made" long ago.

Actually, I suspect that we keep our "head on a swivel" when out and about is a larger tell for concealed carriers than our choice of clothes.

 

[MedWheeler]

Old guy writes:

Winter (all 3 weeks of it, Florida you know) rain jacket, sweater.

Where in Florida do you still get three weeks of it? This past winter down here was on a Wednesday, and I worked that day, so I didn't get to do any "winter carry."

When I was younger down here, we got more. Sometimes three weeks of it. Sometimes a little more..

 

[MedWheeler]

wally writes:

Actually, I suspect that we keep our "head on a swivel" when out and about is a larger tell for concealed carriers than our choice of clothes.

I got made that way at least once that was mentioned to me. My Russian wife and I were at a park with our daughter when we happened across another Russian-speaking family and made our self-introductions. As the other guy and I were talking, it came up that I had been in law enforcement, and he commented that he had noticed how I had appeared to be constantly scanning the park, and had told himself that "that guy is ex-military or in law enforcement" before we spoke.

Sad thing, though, was that he himself was gunned down by a former business partner a few months later.