J hook for tuckable IWB hoster -- what else looks like that?

[Rontherunner]

I'm curious -- in a setting where I absolutely can't be spotted with a concealed weapon, if one uses a tuckable holster, but "all that is seen is the small black J-hook around the belt", how does that not give away that I'm wearing a gun?

What other explanation is there for such a hook? Can anybody suggest what else might look like that?

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[Frozen North]

Colostomy bag.... you wont hear another word

Maybe look into a pocket pistol. You will never get made with an LCP.

 

[joeq]

I've often thought the same thing. I haul my S&W 442 around in a Crossbreed Supertuck everyday but I just wear an untucked T shirt and jeans.

 

[Zundfolge]

J hooks are so 20th century ... the new hotness is V Hooks.

J hooks suck because the weight of the gun is on the top of your pants, not the belt. With the V hooks, your belt still holds the weight of the gun. So this also means that you don't have to go with a tiny, light, underpowered pistol (that you might as well carry in your pocket).

If you don't like Crossbreed's, CompTac makes some too.

 

[Rontherunner]

Colostomy bag -- that's funny! Might work!

 

[M-Cameron]

honestly....if someone is able to notice the hooks.....and actually know what they are.....chances are they carry also.

if you are really paranoid over it.....just wear your phone on a belt holster, and slide it over/ near the hooks.....no one will ever see/ question it.

 

[Sam1911]

If you MUST have absolutely NO indicators of anything unusual on the exterior of your wardrobe -- under the most careful scrutiny -- then I guess J hooks (or "V" or whatever) won't work for you.

Not sure what situations you could possibly run into where someone will be inspecting your belt-line with such intensity that a pair of small plastic tabs (all that shows) are going to be noticed -- let alone considered thoughtfully and commented upon or questioned. (At least none where they wouldn't also be wanding you and/or putting you through a metal detector.)

Do you walk around looking at people's belts -- or other parts of their wardrobe -- and asking for an identification of any object, item, or detail you can't identify? Of course not.

So, how do you see these as a liability?

Are there instances where you "absolutely cannot be spotted with a concealed weapon" where you'd still be legal to have it -- and yet will be under such intense observation?

 

[Vonderek]

I always thought the Mitch Rosen Workman was a good solution for this...a leather loop to go around your belt that you can hang keys from...until I changed jobs and no longer carried keys on my belt.

Everyone's probably right, that no one will notice...people would probably notice the tumorous lump on your hip before they notice the plastic tab. That has happened to me.

I confess, I'm one of those paranoid people that don't want anything out of place looking on my wardrobe--even if no one notices--so while I do have a tuckable holster I almost always use it as a regular IWB with shirt untucked. I guess mine is an untuckable.

 

[HankR]

So, how do you see these as a liability?

Are there instances where you "absolutely cannot be spotted with a concealed weapon" where you'd still be legal to have it -- and yet will be under such intense observation?

I'm with the OP, and appreciate this question being discussed.

I don't see how we can claim that "concealed means concealed", "just be careful not to print" and then say "Yeah, but who's going to look at your belt anyway?". I work in an environment where I am legally allowed to carry, but it would be frowned on to the point that if I was employed by the people running the site I could be fired. The site seems to think that it is illegal to carry there (even for non-employees) , but the state says state law applies (and CCW is therefore legal). I'm not sure what they could do to my actual employer, or to me. If I couldn't visit this site anymore I'd be unemployable by my current employer. I'd rather not be a test case, and would rather not have hooks visible on my belt.

I've thought about hiding the hooks w/ a belt-mounted cell-phone case or glasses case, but would appreciate any other suggestions.

 

[JTQ]

Possibly some confusion here.

This is a J-hook. Most of the clip will be behind your belt.
http://rlcompanyusa.stores.yahoo.net/jhookclipspair.html

Not this
http://rlcompanyusa.stores.yahoo.net/slclp.html

 

[Sam1911]

I don't see how we can claim that "concealed means concealed", "just be careful not to print" and then say "Yeah, but who's going to look at your belt anyway?"

Well, I don't generally say "concealed means concealed," or "just be careful not to print," so that's not exactly inconsistency on my part.

You present a situation where the risks might just be too great to carry using less than "deep cover." Every day's decision to carry a gun (and how to carry it) involves assessment of the risks of being discovered, and the stakes involved if you are, vs the risks of not having the gun, and the stakes involved if you need it. Add to this the variety of different gun (how powerful and how controllable) and carry options (speed to draw/difficulty of accessing it) you might choose and there is a whole matrix of possible choices and attendant risks.

In your scenario, you actually do feel that you are observed closely enough that small tabs at your belt line might be questioned -- and that someone present would have the authority to question you further on them, and ability to cause you significant harm if you (had to) answer their questions directly.

Perhaps you should consider some other form of carry, then. Pocket carry or even the "Smart Carry" / "Thunderwear" products could give you even more discreet options. There are some folks for whom even those extremes would present unacceptable risks.

My point with my previous statements was merely to suggest that we should make realistic assessments of these things. DOES someone actually look at you that closely? (Just as one possibility...) If you're working on ladders or elevated platforms within a few feet of other workers, so your waist is often right in someone's field of view, perhaps they do indeed! If you're working in an average office environment -- probably not.

We generally stress way too much over the possibility that others might notice "something amiss." But if the risks, and the stakes, dictate that you cannot afford discovery under any circumstances, it is very good to recognize that fact ahead of time.

 

[HankR]

Thanks Sam

You present a situation where the risks might just be too great to carry using less than "deep cover." ....Perhaps you should consider some other form of carry, then. Pocket carry or even the "Smart Carry" / "Thunderwear" products could give you even more discreet options. ... But if the risks, and the stakes, dictate that you cannot afford discovery under any circumstances, it is very good to recognize that fact ahead of time.

Thanks Sam1911,

That's about where I am now. Luckily the most likely scenario (at work) would give me time to access a deeply concealed self-defense firearm, so it's not all bad!

Thanks again,

 

[armoredman]

Some holster makers offer C hooks, top and bottom of belt.

Colostomy bag.... you wont hear another word

"Sir, what is that little plastic hook sticking out from under your belt?"

"I use that to assist emptying my colostomy bag, wanna watch?"

Alternatively, "Exactly why are you staring at my pants?"

 

[HankR]

An interesting (to me at least) follow up on the belt-clips for the tuckable holsters:

I recently bought a Foxx tuckable, and was breaking it in around the house. I had the gun tucked under a T-shirt, with a sweatshirt over top to cover the clips and the printing. As I was bending down to look at the truck bumper, my observant daughter noticed the clips (not J-clips, just the standard plastic clips) and asked me what was up. I showed her the new holster, and told her she was the first (and only) one to notice after several days. She's about 5'-2", so it's not like her nose is at my belt level, but she was also looking down at the bumper as the sweatshirt lifted up. Her only concern was that why did I have "that kind" of gun on. Further questioning revealed that she seemed to think that semi-autos were for concealing "in town" and revolvers were for hunting and open carrying on the acreage.