Carry Smart - Musings on Concealed Carry Gear

I've carried a concealed firearm of one sort or another, as a civilian, for going on 15 years now, and there are some lessons I'd like to share with you.  These come from painful experience (some painful to the wallet, some painful to the psyche, and some physically painful), so I hope passing them on will help somebody save themselves the trouble.

Belts - belts are important - really important.  They hold your pants up, but they also hold up everything that's IN your pants.  Whether you're pocket carrying a .357 snubby, or carrying a full size .45 strong side hip, wearing a good belt helps keep everything where it should be.

Galco makes a great dress leather belt, specifically for concealed carry - I wear one every day, and it's comfortable and gets the job done.  I got married with my carry gun in a Galco Skyops Holster, held up by a Galco belt - couldn't be happier with the quality.

Wilderness Tactical Products makes a great instructor’s belt, in several styles.  My casual wear belt is one of their instructor’s belts, with the polymer reinforcement - carries pretty much everything I want on it, with no hassles, and has a great buckle adjustment.

My training/instructing/3-gun belt is a dual belt CR Speed setup - expensive, but easy on and off, and very effective.

Holsters - generally, a good holster isn't going to be cheap.  There are exceptions (certain pocket holsters) to the rule, but in general, expect to pay upwards of $75 for a good concealment holster.  And when I say upwards, I mean expect to pay over $100.  It's worth it, trust me.

I want to caution you from choosing odd holster positions - sure, small of the back sounds great, until you have to sit on it for an hour in the car.  Appendix carry is great, depending on how you're built. Personally, it took a while for me to be a convert, but I’ve adapted, and now it’s my preferred carry method.  Not being a woman, I can't comment on products like the "Flash Bang" bra holster, and be careful how you ask for reviews, lest you be considered a perv.  A good, strong side hip holster, or a pocket holster, are both fine choices depending on the size of the gun you're carrying as well.

I'd also like to have a quick word about drop leg holsters - yes, they are cool looking, and there's a generation of shooters going around looking like Han Solo.  They are, however, generally uncomfortable, and unless you cinch them tourniquet tight, they will move around when you run.  I had a conversation about them with one of our high speed guys, and he commented that most of his team mates have gone back to belt holsters - so unless you have a specific itch you're scratching with a drop leg, I'd give it a pass.

Serpa holster seems like a great idea – who wouldn’t want a holster with a firm retention lock?  Over the years, though we’ve all seen failures in both construction and technique – best case, you have a gun stuck in the holster when you need it – worst case, you have a brand new set of holes in your choice of caliber.  I’m not bagging quality retention holster – but stay away from the ones that require your finger to be near the trigger when you draw.

Finally, let's talk about paddles - paddles are a great solution if you have to take your holster on and off quite a bit, since you don't have to mess around with getting belt loops untangled from a belt - however, for anything else, they suck.  Unless you have a specific need for easy on/off of your handgun, stick to normal belt attachments and leave the paddle at home.

Pocket Pistols - It's funny how true the saying "what's old is new again" is.  I've always been a big fan and collector of early pocket pistols, because they're such an interesting item.  I do question the effectiveness of stopping a villain with a 50 grain bullet traveling 750 fps, but you have to admit, the form factor is pretty neat.

Today's pocket pistols are significantly different from yesteryear’s, and mostly chambered in calibers less  apt for shooting small, furry rodents.  I have no problem carrying either a .32 ACP or .380 ACP pistol as a backup, and since they small and light (because nowadays, they're mostly polymer), it's a breeze.  They're also good for situations where you need deep concealment, and let's face it, any gun is better than none.

Flashlights - I'm a big believer in always having a flashlight handy, although not necessarily for tactical reasons.  Every jacket I wear has a flashlight or two in the pocket, and I'll often clip another tiny light to my pocket or belt.

Why?  Because it's nice to be able to see when the lights go out, and 90% of the indoors nowadays consists of windowless caves, with no natural light.

Now, I'm not suggesting you need to carry a light so bright you can see it from space, or play out the final scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark with an attacker.  A nice, low cost light, is however, something you should have with you at all times, and companies like Inforce, Surefire, and Streamlight all make affordable LED flashlights that will get the job done.

The thing we're seeing more and more of, and this ties into the holster discussion we just had, is custom kydex holsters that are modeled to fit your gun with a weapon light attached.

Much has been said about the usefulness of having a weapon light, and I tend to agree - it gives you a bright light source with which to identify your target.  However, keep in mind that when your idiot teenage son stumbles into the house at 3:00 am, you're not just pointing a flashlight at him to identify him, you're pointing a loaded firearm - you see the quandary.

Clothing - My wife calls my wardrobe "adult garanimals", because it's hard to pick out something that doesn't match.  I'm not really a fashion star, but I just want to mention this - tight, restricting clothes make it not only difficult to conceal a firearm (good luck getting a Glock inside the waistband of your skinny jeans), but they also restrict movement.  Nobody wants to have a blowout while trying to get into urban prone, and honestly, the rest of the world doesn't want to see it either.

That about wraps it up - remember, when making choices about carrying a concealed firearm, there's a lot more to it than simply picking a firearm.  Smart choices in carry gear will make the experience safer and less stressful for everyone - good luck.

Thanks for reading,

Kirk