How Do I Hide This Thing?
By Kathy Jackson
After much soul-searching and careful
consideration, you've made the decision that your life is worth defending
whatever the cost. Toward that end, you've purchased a firearm and have
decided to carry it with you wherever you go.
Now for the million-dollar question: How?
First off, you need a holster. You really do. Even if you have chosen
a firearm small enough to tote around in your pockets, a holster is needed
for safety. You do not want lint to lodge itself in the end of your gun,
creating a pressure hazard if you need to fire. You really and truly do
not want your keys or a wayward finger to inadvertently pull the trigger
while the firearm is knocking around loose in your pocket or bag.
You've got to have a way to carry the firearm that covers the trigger,
protects the firearm from damage, and will help to prevent most preventable
mishaps -- and that means using a holster.
Holster designs fall into two very broad categories: on-body
options, and off-body options. On-body
holsters allow you to carry the firearm underneath your outer clothing,
while off-body designs allow you to tote it in a purse, pack, or other
device designed to carry the gun around.
Within those two broad categories, there are a lot of choices. Here is
an overview of the options you might consider.
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Off-Body Carry
On and Off: Pocket Carry
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On-Body Carry
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Carrying off-body, in a purse or a pack, sounds very good at first glance.
No wardrobe adjustments will be needed, and if you need to enter someplace
where firearms aren't allowed, you can discreetly lock your bag in the
car.
But there are significant trade offs, and it is important to understand
and consider exactly what those trade offs are before you make a commitment
to carry in this manner.
No matter how careful and dedicated you are, the fact is that off-body
carry is simply not as secure as carrying on the body. Purses, packs,
and daytimers often get set down and occasionally walked away from. If
you ever leave your bag where another person can access it, the odds are
very high that you will be "made" -- that is, that other people
will discover that you carry a gun. This can range from embarrassing to
disastrous, depending upon where you are and who found out.1
Off-body carry can be much more socially awkward than carrying on the
body. Few people make a habit of carrying a pack with them literally everywhere
they go -- even to walk from one end of the room to the other. When visiting
a friend's home, for example, most women will set their purses on the
floor near the couch, or on a chair near the door, and do not think of
it again until it is time to leave. If a firearm is hidden within the
purse, leaving it casually lying around like this is simply not an option,
but to continually keep your purse slung over your shoulder or balanced
on your lap is likely to earn you an odd look from time to time.
Purses, bags, and packs are also frequently targeted by thieves. In some
situations, the best survival tactic might be to simply hand over your
belongings and be a good witness. But carrying a firearm in any of these
eliminates this possible option and limits your choices.
Furthermore, at a single glance, many criminals will recognize a concealed-carry
fanny pack or purse for what it is. Those who do might decide to look
for easier prey, but if they instead decide to attack, the element of
surprise may not be on your side.
Drawing the gun from most off-body options is usually very slow, and sometimes
prone to fumbly-fingered mistakes. The sole exception to this is a properly
designed fanny pack.
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Carrying a concealed handgun in a purse is probably the most common method
of off-body carry for women. Certainly there are a lot of women out there
who do not believe there is any other way they can carry a gun.
And this method has a lot going for it: it involves minimal changes to
the way you're already living your life. You don't have to buy new clothes
or figure out how to make your existing wardrobe work with an altered
waistline. Most women already carry a purse, and putting a gun in there
doesn't usually feel like a hugely invasive change.
Furthermore, for a woman who is dressed up for church or a party, there
often really-and-truly isn't anywhere else to reasonably hide
a gun except in a purse. Concealed carry and female dress clothes can
be a very awkward match.
Safety Issue
If you carry in a purse, whether the purse is designed for gun carry or
not, you must use a dedicated compartment which contains the
gun, the gun only, and only the gun. If there's other stuff in the same
compartment, you could end up with a lipstick tube levering the
trigger back and firing an unintentional shot when you sling the purse
over your shoulder.
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The best purse for concealed carry is one which is specifically designed
to tote the gun. Such purses have dedicated compartments, often with adjustable,
built-in holsters intended to hold the gun securely in the correct orientation.
They usually have wide, sturdy straps so the added weight of the gun won't
dig into your shoulder and destroy your nerves. The gun compartment often
allows discreet access from the side of the purse, allowing the carrier
to get her hand onto the grip of the holstered gun (while walking through
a parking lot, for example) with no one the wiser. Some of them even allow
the user to lock the gun compartment separately with a clever little padlock.2
There's a fashion problem with a lot of purses designed specifically for
concealed carry, however. An unfortunate number of these purses are just
plain ugly. I think many of them are designed by men who've never had
to ask themselves the $64,000 Question.
Also, for those who like to change purses frequently, it can be quite
depressing to be limited to only one purse for the foreseeable future.
To be strictly fair, I should note here that most gun purses look a lot
better these days than they did a few short years ago. Given the
general trends toward concealed-carry legislation in formerly prohibitive
states and the increasing number of women interested in lawful carry,
we can probably expect gun purse styles to continue to improve for the
forseeable future.
Left-handed women need to know that most gun purses are designed to be
carried on the left shoulder, with the zipper or velcro closure pointed
forward, which allows easy access into the gun compartment for the user's
right hand. If you are left-handed, you will need to choose a gun purse
which has identical styling on both sides so that it can be carried reversed
for left-hand access. Be sure to check whether the holster can be fastened
to either side of the internal compartment, too.
The two biggest companies which manufacture concealed-carry purses are
Coronado Leather, and Galco Gunleather. Of the two,
I personally find Coronado's purses to be more attractive. Neither company's
products are particularly cheap. Expect to pay about what you would for
a quality belt holster from an established company, plus the
price of a good leather purse.
One beautiful carry purse which I saw recently can be found at
www.philipclements.com. I have not personally handled this purse,
and thus cannot vouch for its internal construction -- but man, is it
pretty!
[back to top]
Let's get the fashion issue out of the way right up front. If you're wearing
a fanny pack, you have to wear the right clothes to go with it. Otherwise,
the total effect will flunk the $64,000
Question. Fanny packs don't work with dress clothes. They
don't belong in most offices and they don't look right with a lot of outfits.
Fanny packs work well in vacation areas, with tourist-y clothes or exercise
clothes ... and that's really about it.
But fanny pack carry has a lot going for it. It's very comfortable. It's
considerably more secure than most other methods of off-body carry, because
the fanny pack is usually fastened in place making it difficult to walk
away from. It's also less socially awkward, because it isn't that unusual
to continue wearing the fanny pack even while walking around indoors.
Furthermore, out of all off-body carry methods, a properly designed fanny
pack provides the quickest access to the gun if you need it in a hurry,
and is least likely to create fumbles with the gun while drawing. That's
a big plus.
Good features to look for include:
- Light padding where the gun nestles against the tummy-side
panel. This makes the pack more comfortable when worn, and reduces floppiness
when carrying a heavier gun.
- Adjustable elastic or velcro straps in the gun compartment,
to secure the gun in the orientation you prefer. This prevents the gun
from flopping around uncomfortably, and also allows you to draw it without
fumbling.
- Fast-access zipper cord(s) allow the user to rip the
entire pack open with a single movement and access the gun very quickly.
Packs without this design feature are much, much slower to use.
- Ability to be set up for either left-hand or right-hand
access. Even those who are not currently ambidextrous are only one sprained
wrist away from needing a weak-hand carry method.
- An extra, non-gun compartment, so you have somewhere
to place your wallet and other non-gun stuff. If you carry a fanny pack
and also have visible bulges in other pockets where you are toting your
wallet, keys, cell phone, et cetera, you really give the game away. Try
to keep this in perspective, though. For the sake of the
$64,000 Question, you probably want to avoid bulky packs which
are more than a few inches thick.
[back to top]
Slow. Awkward. Very likely to be in the wrong place if you need
it in a hurry. But it's the only way some folks feel comfortable carrying
a gun to the office. For lawyers or others who must continually enter
and exit secured buildings, it's not such a bad method provided there's
somewhere safe to lock it up when you must leave it behind.
As with other methods of off-body carry, look for a product with a dedicated
gun compartment which has adjustable straps to carry the gun in a stable
and predictable orientation.
The dedicated compartment isn't just a safety feature to prevent your
ballpoint pens from nestling in the muzzle. It also serves to prevent
accidental exposure when you need to open it up and use it as an actual
daytimer. When considering a purchase, make sure the product you're looking
at will do that part of the job properly, too.
Final caution: don't set that thing down, anywhere, unless the
area is truly secure from all three Cs: children, the clueless, and the
criminal.
[back to top]
Properly speaking, pocket carry should be categorized as on-body carry.
However, carrying in a jacket or vest pocket has more in common with off-body
carry than with the other forms of on-body carry because it is so easy
to set your jacket down and thus become separated from your weapon.
Pocket carry is generally very convenient. During winter in colder climates,
many people find that an outer coat pocket is more quickly accessible
than a belt holster underneath several layers of clothing. And during
a hot summer, carrying in a shorts pocket while wearing a tank top can
be much cooler than putting on the extra layer of cover garment most other
forms of on-body carry require.
Safety Issue
If you carry a concealed handgun in a pocket, you must have a pocket holster
which covers the trigger.
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It can be difficult to find the ideal handgun for pocket carry. Except
for those who habitually wear very baggy clothing, the gun usually has
to be quite tiny. The chief problem with most tiny pocket guns is a triple
whammy: tiny guns usually come in marginally effective calibers,
they are not often easy to shoot, and few people enjoy shooting them.
Shot placement is important with any size weapon, but critically so in
smaller calibers. In order to get good shot placement, you've got to get
good at shooting your weapon. And in order to do that, you've
got to spend time on the range. What this all adds up to is that if you
want the convenience of carrying in a pocket, you will need to dedicate
yourself to spending lots of time on the range getting good with a tiny
gun which you may not enjoy shooting.
Because guys tend to wear looser pants than girls do, pants-pocket carry
usually works considerably better for guys than it does for gals. But
jacket-pocket carry works equally well for both sexes.
Does pocket carry require a holster? Absolutely. Many companies produce
holsters specifically designed for pocket carry. A pocket holster disguises
the outline of the gun, protects the gun from damage, holds it in a predictable
and stable orientation so that drawing is easier, and most importantly,
covers the trigger and trigger guard area to prevent negligent discharges.
A chilling story that was on the news a few years back: a young dad went
to the movie theater on a weekend afternoon to catch a flick with his
kids. He was carrying a handgun in his jacket pocket. He set the jacket
on the seat next to him during the movie, and when the movie was over,
he reached over to pick up his jacket. The motion of picking up the jacket
inadvertently pulled the trigger of the handgun and it fired. The bullet
struck him in the abdomen, severely injuring him, and barely missed the
head of a six-year-old who was standing behind him.
Was this an accidental shooting? It was not. It was a negligent
shooting, which happened because the young man was carrying his handgun
in a dangerous manner. If you carry in a pocket, you need a holster.
[back to top]
Several companies make vests and jackets which have built-in holsters.
Usually these holsters are located inside the front panels so that they
can be easily accessed simply by reaching in to the front of the jacket
or vest, as one would reach for a wallet.
Many of these designs are quite attractive, but remember that stylish
is in the eye of the beholder. As always, the
$64,000 Question must be asked and answered.
Safety Issue
When drawing from a concealment vest or jacket, be extremely careful not
to allow the muzzle to point at your own brachial artery.
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One motorcycle rider of my acquaintance frequently carries his sidearm
in a black leather concealment vest he purchased from
Coronado Leather. It works very well for him because when someone
steps off a motorcycle, observers truly expect to see the black-leather
"biker look." Because it's an expected part of the image, no
one looks twice. That's a successful answer to the
$64,000 Question!
One possible issue to consider is the weight of the gun. Because the gun
will be carried in the front, most of its weight will be distributed along
your neck and shoulders when you wear a vest or jacket with a built-in
holster. If you are already prone to neck tension, this may not be the
carry option for you.
Additionally, and in common with all off-body carry methods, you must
make provision for what to do with your gun-toter when you are not wearing
it. If you take your jacket off, you must carefully consider
where you set it down and who will have access to it.
Be aware that even a well-designed jacket or vest which is not being worn
and has a gun inside it should never be handled roughly lest a mishap
result.
[back to top]
No matter how attractive off-body carry might seem, carrying on the body
has definite and indisputable advantages.
First, no matter what happens, you know the gun will be with you when
you need it. Even if you carry your purse with you nearly everywhere
you go, there is still the chance that your purse, and the gun inside
it, might be sitting on a chair clear across the room if you need it in
a hurry.
Most on-body carry methods are more quickly accessible than most off-body
carry methods. If you need to pull the gun out in a hurry, you are less
likely to fumble when drawing from a belt holster than you are when rummaging
through a pack or purse. Worse, if your pack or bag has a built-in lock,
there's just the off chance you locked it at your last stop and forgot
to unlock it.
Carrying on-body is generally more secure than off-body carry methods.
Because the gun is strapped right to your own personal body, you will
surely notice and prevent anyone from accessing it without your permission.
There's very little chance of children, the clueless, or the criminal
getting into it without your permission.
The chief drawback to most forms of on-body carry is that it can be very
uncomfortable to wear a gun everywhere you go. While it's tempting to
recite Clint Smith's dicta here ("A gun is supposed to be comforting,
not comfortable"), the fact is that few people are willing to make
the commitment to carry a gun when it is not comfortable to do so. The
comfort factor can be improved by choosing the proper gun, by selecting
a quality holster, and by careful choice of clothing.
Hmmm, let me repeat that last bit, a little more forcefully: if you choose
the wrong gun and carry it in a poor quality holster, you will
find on-body carry to be too uncomfortable to keep up for very long.3
[back to top]
Holsters designed for ankle carry usually require the gun to be placed
on the inside of the non-dominant ankle. Thus, a right-hander would carry
on the inside of the left ankle, while a lefty would carry on the right
ankle. Ankle holsters are often padded for comfort, because there is so
little natural padding on the body in that spot.
For those who simply don't want to fiddle around with belt holsters, and
who don't want to worry about cover garments, ankle carry sounds like
an attractive option. Because they generally already have a lot of gear
carried on the beltline, ankle carry is frequently chosen by police officers
who need to stash a back-up gun.
Because a gun carried on the ankle cannot possibly get tangled in a seat
belt, people who do a lot of driving often find that ankle carry works
well for them.
Possibly the chief benefit for ankle carry is that it requires only a
minimal wardrobe adjustment: wider pant legs which are slightly longer
than normal. Except perhaps for a spare sock, it doesn't require any additional
layers of clothing.
Cowards Take Note!
You cannot draw from an ankle holster while running away.
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One important consideration when choosing a gun for ankle carry is that
it must be resistant to dirt and grime. Snubby revolvers are ideal for
this work. Even so, the gun must be cleaned with obsessive regularity
to be certain it will not be clogged with gunk when it is needed.
When selecting a gun and holster for ankle carry, remember that the gun
itself cannot weigh much, unless you want to develop a permanent tilt
to one side. It should also be reasonably small, for the sake both of
comfort and of concealability.
Concealability in ankle rigs can be more of a factor than most folks realize.
The pant legs should be slightly longer than normal, so that they do not
ride up when you sit down. Even with longer pants, it may still be necessary
to avoid crossing your legs at the knee, because that will often reveal
the holstered gun.
Because of the concealability issue, many folks who carry in ankle holsters
get in the habit of wearing three socks: one on the non-holster side,
and two on the holster side. The undersock provides padding, while the
oversock is pulled up to cover most of the holster leaving only the gun's
grip exposed.
For quick access, you don't need bell bottoms, but slightly wider pant
legs are a definite plus. Wide pant legs also help concealability, because
it is very hard to explain bulgy, bulky ankles.
Drawing from an ankle holster can be very difficult. The easiest draw
is accomplished while sitting down, an important point for those stuck
behind a desk for the majority of the day.
From standing, the usual technique (assuming you're right-handed) is to
stick your left leg out in front of you. Crouch down just far enough to
grab your pant hem with your left hand and pull it up out of the way.
Your right hand then reaches over and attains a firing grip on the gun.
You can fire from the crouch, or quickly stand. Kneeling is not recommended
unless you are behind cover. If you aren't behind cover, you may need
to run in a hurry and getting out of a kneel can be fatally slow.
[back to top]
I have to say this right up front:: I love belly bands. My favorite belly
band is an UnderWrap, from Galco Gunleather.
What's a belly band, you ask? A belly band is a wide, stretchy piece of
elastic with a built-in holster and often an extra pocket for a spare
magazine. It usually features velcro closures, and is designed to be worn
around the waist or lower torso.
Belly bands allow you to wear your gun on your body even when your pants
don't have wide belt loops to hold a gun belt. They're a very flexible
option, allowing you to place the gun anywhere on your torso that works
with your clothing and figure type. For those already accustomed to carrying
a gun on the hip, carrying in a belly band can be a very comfortable change
of pace.
Safety Issue
When drawing your handgun from a belly band, take excruciating care that
nothing (including your trigger finger) gets inside the trigger guard,
because the gun will very likely be pointed at important body parts during
the drawing process.
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A belly band can provide a remarkable degree of wardrobe flexibility.
It can be worn underneath dressy officewear, something difficult to do
with a traditional belt holster.
For women especially, having a belly band in the closet brings back a
lot of options that would otherwise be lost to on-body carry. Want to
wear tight, hip-hugging jeans? Or dressy polyester office slacks? You
can wear your belly band wrapped around your mid-torso under a short-cropped
but loose tee or sweater.
Want to wear a skirt that doesn't have belt loops? Wear your belly band
and position it exactly where your belt holster would have put the gun.
Want to wear a dress with your belly band? That gets a little more problematic.
Yes, it can be done. I've done it many times. The problem is, belly bands
provide so much flexibility in where you place the gun that it is easy
to get carried away and place the gun somewhere you wouldn't be able to
draw from. You can carry under a dress ... but can you draw from there?
Perhaps, depending upon the dress style. Or perhaps not.
Possibly the most important factor in belly-band concealability is the
size and shape of the handgun. Small, flat handguns are more easily concealed
than larger ones. Revolvers tend to lend themselves more to this form
of carry than all but the slimmest semi-autos. Something about the revolver's
irregular shape mimics the natural fall of clothing over the human body.
Comfort can be a factor when wearing a belly band. Those velcro closures
can be itchy. An undershirt definitely helps. In hot weather, I sometimes
wear a plain tube top underneath mine. This avoids putting any extra layers
of clothing anywhere else, but still gives a nice cushion from the itchies.
[back to top]
Carrying the gun on a sturdy belt around the waist has long been the preferred
method for professional gun-toters. There are two basic methods of belt
carry: outside the waistband, commonly abbreviated OWB, and inside the
waistband, or IWB.
There are three things you really need in order to gracefully manage belt
carry. First, you need a good holster. Second, you need a really sturdy
belt. And finally, you need a piece of clothing that covers the holstered
gun and doesn't look too weird.
It's important to remember to budget for a quality holster, because a
good holster can make all the difference between successful and unsuccessful
attempts at carrying a firearm. While you can find a cheap, collapsible
holster for as little as $15, it is really, really worthwhile
to look for something with at least some semblance of quality.
What makes a quality holster? Well, the most important thing a holster
does is hold the gun securely. If the holster doesn't do that, it's not
a quality holster no matter how much they're charging for it. To check
how securely the holster holds the gun, unload the firearm. Then lock
the action open and run your finger into the chamber and magazine well
to make sure they are both empty, or in the case of a revolver, count
the holes in the cylinder to be sure they're all there.
Comfort Tip
Any time a formerly comfortable belt holster starts acting weirdly uncomfortable,
it's probably time to replace your belt.
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Gun empty? Good.
Check it again.
Next step: place the gun in the holster. Don't put the holster on your
body yet. What you're going to do is find a soft horizontal surface --
a bed or a couch -- and gently turn the holstered gun upside down over
it to see if you can make the gun drop out. Don't hold it miles above
the bed, just a few inches will do. Hold the holster, turn it over, and
shake gently. If the gun falls out, the holster isn't snug enough.
Some holsters have soft, collapsible mouths. These holsters are dangerous
because it is literally impossible to put the gun into a collapsible holster
without holding the mouth of the holster open with your non-gun hand.
This means that while putting the gun into the holster, your off hand
must remain directly in front of the muzzle of the gun -- in violation
of the Four Rules. The floppy mouth
is also risky for another reason. There's the chance that it will fold
down and be caught inside the trigger guard while holstering. If you purchase
one of these types of holsters, be extremely cautious to the point of
paranoia any time you must place the gun into the holster.
Now about the belt. I'm not sure of this, but I rather suspect that the
belt itself is the biggest wardrobe change women have to make in order
to carry on the waist. You really-and-truly cannot comfortably or securely
tote a belt holster without a good belt to put it upon. A good belt means
one that is both wide and stiff. The belt must have some rigidity in order
to provide a stable place for the gun to ride.
When carried on a narrow belt, holsters tend to flop around, twist your
clothing into weird shapes, and just generally drive you right up the
wall. Remember this: any time a formerly comfortable holster starts
acting weird, it's probably time to replace your belt.
The final sine qua non of successful belt carry is a good cover
garment. That's such a large topic that there's no room to discuss it
in this article. For now, just remember that OWB requires a longer cover
garment than IWB, that prints cover better than solids and darks cover
better than lights, and that every piece of clothing you wear has to give
a good answer to The $64,000 Question.
One final comment about your cover garment: please remember you
don't have to wear ugly clothes in order to hide a gun. Pretty clothes
work just as well.
[back to top]
Generally speaking, carrying outside the waistband is usually more comfortable
than carrying inside it. No part of the gun will ever touch delicate
flesh, and you don't have to find pants an inch or two bigger in the waist
to make room for the gun.
OWB is also generally easier to draw from, because the grip is more accessible
to the hand. The gun often comes free more easily, because the only tension
holding the gun in the holster is the tension which the holstermaker designed
it to have. In contrast, unless the IWB holster is very stiff, it can
be partially collapsed by pressure from the belt and pants waistband.
Concealment is the chief concern with OWB carry. Because the gun and holster
are entirely outside the clothing, the cover garment must be significantly
longer than it needs to be when the gun is carried IWB. Furthermore, if
the cover garment flops open, there's no hope that you can nonchalantly
pass off a partially-glimpsed grip as something else; when you are carrying
OWB, whatever anyone sees will very likely look like a gun.
Although many knowledgeable instructors advise against it, if you live
in a state where openly carrying a firearm is legal, you might occasionally
want to wear your gun without a cover garment. In the case of open carry,
it is really essential that the holster be equipped with a thumb break
or other device designed to prevent other people from grabbing your gun
out of its holster.
[back to top]
My personal favorite holster is one that I've worn nearly every day since
I began carrying a concealed weapon back in the summer of 2000. It's a
kydex IWB from Blade-Tech, and
the biggest reason I love it is because it has a tuckable feature.
What's a tuckable feature, you ask?
"Tuckable" means that the gun rides on your belt, inside your
waistband, like any other IWB holster. But because of the manner in which
the holster loops are shaped, it is possible to tuck your shirt tail in
between the outer side of the gun and the inner part of your waistband.
The effect is that the gun is completely hidden by your regular clothing,
with only the holster's loop visible on the belt.
As you can imagine, this opens up a world of clothing options that would
otherwise be closed off by the choice to belt carry.
Probably the biggest issue in purchasing a gun for carry IWB is how thick
the gun is. Put very simply, the thicker the gun is, the thicker your
waist will look unless you dress carefully around it. You'll need to shop
carefully in order to avoid that problem.
Around the holiday season, I have occasionally found myself looking sadly
at my summer jeans and then at my handgun. "There's not room enough
in these jeans for the both of us!" the gun seems to remark. Too,
too true. If you're going to carry IWB, you have to buy jeans which are
an inch or two bigger in the waist than you normally would.
The problem with this, ladies, is that ladies' jeans are designed to fit
a certain waist/hip ratio. If you purchase jeans larger in the waist,
it is quite possible they'll be baggy in the rear. How gauche.
The solution is simply to slip over to the men's department, and purchase
guy jeans for yourself. Guy jeans are proportionately bigger in the waist
and narrower in the rear end than gal jeans are, and that's just what
you need in order to fashionably conceal an IWB pistol while avoiding
the dreaded baggy-butt problem.
Another possible solution, assuming the men's department jeans give you
too much room in the waist or not enough in the rear, is to purchase ladies'
jeans with stretchy fibers in them. That little bit of extra "give"
can make all the difference in the comfort world.
Another uncomfortable possibility with IWB is that the gun can be driven
into delicate skin. Simplest solution: get in the habit of wearing a lightweight
undershirt to provide a mild cushion between yourself and the gun. More
complex solution, assuming you're handy: add a layer of soft padding to
the backside of your own holster. There's at least one company out there,
Kramer Handgun Leather, producing
holsters which have a layer of back padding already built in.
For a more in-depth look at belt holsters for women, and finding holsters
that work with a woman's curves, see the
Straight Talk article.
[back to top]
This one is 98% Hollywood fantasy. But if you are very well-endowed, and
the gun is quite small, and your tolerance for discomfort is quite high,
and you don't mind the idea of ripping your clothes off to defend yourself
... have at it.
The above was my initial comment. Recently I heard from a lady named Holly,
who is a fan of bra carry. Here is what she has to say:
"I was reading on your page that you don't think too much about carrying
in your bra. I've carried a Kel-Tec P-11 and P-32 behind the underwire
behind my left breast for several years in cool weather with no discomfort.
Maybe we just have different comfort levels. [My husband] got a clip that
screws into the right side of the frame, just below the slide. It allows
you to clip the pistol onto your belt, pants waistband, pocket, or bra.
I've been kicking aroung an idea for a soft leather holster to attach
to an underwire bra at the same place I now clip the Kel-Tecs. I'll let
you know if [we] ever build a prototype."
Just goes to show that everyone is different -- and that you should never
listen to only one voice about anything (not even mine!)
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I have heard, from more than one source I consider reliable, that shoulder
holsters are very comfortable. You couldn't prove it by me; I've
found every one I've tried on to be quite uncomfortable in different ways.
Every body shape is different, remember. The lesson? It's a bad idea to
set your heart on any carry style or holster design that you haven't tried
on, no matter who recommends it.
Safety Issue
When drawing from a shoulder holster, take excruciating care that you
do not point the weapon at your own brachial artery. The simplest way
to avoid this is to habitually place your non-dominant hand on your dominant
side shoulder while drawing, and lift your elbow slightly. This gets your
arm and its vulnerable artery well out of the way in case an unintentional
discharge happens.
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Despite my own lack of success with shoulder holsters, I do know several
women who have them and love them. These women all cite comfort as a number-one
reason to love shoulder holsters, with concealability under dressy business
clothing a close second.
The simplest way to conceal a shoulder holster is underneath a boxy blazer.
That makes it an ideal choice for business clothing, but with one caveat:
you must be certain that the straps will never be visible as you move
around. This requires some time in front of a full-length mirror as you
bend and twist to be certain those straps will stay hidden with the outfit
you've chosen.
The other concealability issue you may encounter with a shoulder holster
is that if the gun is held horizontally rather than vertically, and you
are fairly thin, you may find that the gun tends to poke out in front
or in back. If this is the case, you may be better off searching for a
vertical holster design.
Incidentally, one of the nice things about shoulder holsters is that they
practically require you to carry extra ammunition, simply to balance out
the weight on both sides. That a reload can be carried so easily and concealed
so naturally is a pleasant bonus.
An excellent write-up on shoulder holsters from another woman can be found
on
Limatunes' Range Diary. Go, read.
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Another Hollywood fantasy. I've met exactly three women who have worn
one of these for any length of time. All three were very thin, and all
three reported that the carry method was radically uncomfortable.
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A Thunderwear-style holster is basically an elastic waist strap, with
a two-pocket pouch in the front. It comes in several variants from different
companies and under different brand names, but all of the variants are
designed to be carried low on the hips, so the gun will ride in the area
between waist band and crotch.
This works well enough for those guys who are able to get past the psychological
difficulty of carrying a gun that's pointed at their winkies. Guys' pants
tend to be a lot more baggy in that area than women's pants are, and any
strangers who might notice a bulge in a guy's pants are generally too
polite -- or too icked out -- to comment on it.
Because women's pants tend to be snug in the spot the gun will ride, this
type of carry doesn't work really well with pants for most women.5
But here's a secret: these holsters work pretty well with skirts.
And the nice thing is that because the entire holster and gun are below
the waistband, you really won't need a special cover garment to carry
this off.
The main concealment issue with these is that you must take care not to
clunk when you plunk down onto a hard wooden pew (or any other
hard surface, of course), especially in a quiet environment such as a
church. Don't ask me how I learned this.
The other item to consider is accessibility and draw speed. If you wear
one of these underneath a tight waistband, it may be difficult or impossible
to draw the gun if you need it in a hurry. Check it at home with an empty
gun before venturing out in public.
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