There are now an estimated 6 Million CCW (Carrying Concealed Weapons) permit holders in the United States and applications are on the rise. One of the first questions newly-minted permit holders ask themselves is “Now, how am I going to carry this thing?” As a Reserve Police Officer and CCW permit holder, I think I’ve experimented with just about every conceivable way to carry a handgun concealed. In my quest for the perfect concealed carry method, I’ve amassed a staggering collection of products. Most of them ended up being junk, but a few ended up being valuable tools. So, I’d like to share some of the things I’ve learned that might help you make a better, and cheaper, decision on how to carry your handgun concealed.
The first step in choosing a concealed carry method is to evaluate your individual needs. Choosing your concealed carry method is a personal decision and will be based on your lifestyle, body type, handgun choice, local climate and clothing style. While you may have to make some minor changes to accommodate carrying a handgun on a regular basis, it’s best to try to adapt your carry method to your individual needs. If your carry method requires too many changes to your wardrobe or lifestyle, you’ll usually end up not carrying your gun regularly.
Dress in your typical fashion and stand in front of a mirror. Try to identify areas where the combination of your body and your clothing create natural gaps where a handgun could be concealed. These locations will vary considerably due to your body type and clothing, but common places are under your arms (between your arm pit and your waist), on your hip, in the small of your back and around your lower legs or ankles. Be sure to repeat this process for all of the types of clothing that you typically wear as most of us dress differently for work, church, exercise and weekends. You should be able to identify two or three places where a handgun could be well concealed. If you’re having trouble identifying an acceptable area, try making minor adjustments to your clothing.
Once you’ve identified a few areas that have good potential, you’re ready to move onto the next steps. I use the acronym SACC to describe the four main considerations when selecting a concealed carry method. SACC stands for Security, Accessibility, Concealability and Comfort.
Security is of the utmost importance. We’re really talking about two things here, one is to protect your weapon from being taken from you by someone will ill intent (weapon retention) and the other is physical security, or protecting your weapon from being jarred loose by normal activities. Weapon retention is less of a concern with concealed carry than it is with open carry, but physical security is a bigger concern with most methods of concealed carry. Just imagine that you bend over in a crowded line at Wal-Mart to pick up a bag of dog food and all of a sudden, your gun goes clanking across the floor. If that happened, let’s just say that it’s not likely to go down as one of your better days.
Accessibility is obviously a major concern. If you can’t get to your gun easily and quickly if and when you need it, then it will do you no good and could make the situation worse. Keep in mind that if you do need your gun, you will likely be in a highly stressful situation where adrenaline will be pumping and fine motor skills will be diminished.
On the topic of concealability, the main considerations are bulging and printing. Ideally, you’d avoid a visible bulge completely, but in reality, that’s not always possible. A small bulge is not a serious issue and can usually be handled with an appropriate cover garment, but a major bulge, particularly in an unusual location is cause for re-evaluating your method or the gun you’re carrying. Printing is the visible impression that the weapon projects on your outer garments. This issue can be addressed in several ways as we’ll discuss a bit later.
There’s an old saying in the gun world that carrying a gun should be comforting not comfortable. While that’s true to some extent, if your carry method doesn’t offer a reasonable amount of comfort, you’re much less likely to carry your handgun regularly. Be sure to evaluate the comfort of the method in a variety of circumstances such as sitting, standing, bending over, driving, running etc.
So, it’s extremely important that your selected or potential carry method be evaluated on those four important SACC characteristics of security, accessibility, concealability and comfort.
In the following paragraphs, I’ll discuss several of the most popular methods of carrying a concealed handgun. I will make several references to specific brands that I have personal experience with. I have no connection whatsoever with any of these companies, except that I’m a customer, and have not received any compensation from them. I’ll also rank each method on the four characteristics mentioned above. The rankings will range from * (lowest) to ***** (highest).
Belt Holster
Security: ****
Accessibility: *****
Concealability: *
Comfort: *****
Obviously, carrying a handgun on a belt holster is one of the most convenient methods in terms of comfort, accessibility and, assuming you use an appropriate holster, security. The main challenge with this method, however, is concealability. If it’s cold outside and you’ll not be in an environment where it will be necessary to remove your coat or jacket, this is an acceptable and probably preferred option. A ¾ length coat or jacket of a heavy material should be sufficient to conceal your handgun in most scenarios. Be aware, however, that if it’s windy outside, you should be able to button or zip your coat without creating a conspicuous bulge. I often use this method in the winter when I’m making a quick trip to the store or when I’m planning to be outside. I strongly recommend acquiring a quality holster manufactured by a reputable company that is custom-designed for your specific handgun. The generic nylon holsters that come in small, medium and large are fine if you’re just looking for a range holster, but they fall short when it comes to concealed carry usage. Also, I strongly recommend that you get a heavy duty quality belt, preferably designed for carrying a handgun. I’ve found the carbon fiber Serpa holsters from Blackhawk (www.blackhawk.com) to be both reliable and affordable, but there are many quality manufactures of leather and molded plastic holsters.
Inside The Waistband Holster
Security: ***
Accessibility: ****
Concealability: ****
Comfort: ***
The inside the waistband (ITWB) holster is one of the most popular and versatile methods for carrying a concealed handgun and it’s one of my preferred methods. Most inside the waistband holsters are designed to be carried on your strong-side hip about halfway between the point of your hip and your tailbone (about the 4 o’clock position for a righty). Some holsters are designed to worn in the small of the back. While this is a very good location for concealability, it is somewhat dangerous if you fall and extremely uncomfortable if you’re sitting or driving. While quality holsters are made out of several materials including plastic, kydex and re-enforced nylon, I prefer a good quality leather holster for this purpose. Again, there are many quality manufacturers of this type of holster but I’ve had very good luck, and great customer service, from High Noon Holsters (www.highnoonholsters.com). Another tip is to find a holster with a slight forward cant, which will put the weapon at an angle that makes it much easier to draw cleanly. Inside the waistband holsters typically attach to a belt with either leather straps or a clip. If you choose the clip, make sure it is sturdy, made of metal, and has a lip to ensure it only comes off your belt when you want it to. It is always preferable to wear your shirt un-tucked when using an inside the waistband holster, but there are models available that create a gap allowing you to tuck in your shirt between the holster and the clip or straps.
I am a huge fan of the belly band. The belly band is essentially a stretchable band that can be worn across the mid section and includes a “pocket” to store your gun. There is another “pocket” on the other side designed for extra magazines. Typically, the gun is positioned under your arm between your arm pit and your waist. You can experiment with positioning to find the best balance of accessibility and comfort. I strongly recommend a belly band with two important features, a leather re-enforcement around the area where the gun goes and some sort of retention strap. I routinely carry a backup gun on duty. I wear it in a belly band on top of my vest and under my uniform shirt. I used to use a belly band without a retention strap until one day my backup gun worked its way out of the belly band during an arrest. Luckily, my shirt was tucked in, but I frequently use a belly band with nothing but an un-tucked t-shirt over it when off duty so I now consider the retention strap a must-have accessory for all belly bands.
A similar concept to the belly band is the concealed-carry undershirt. I recently purchased a shirt from 5.11 Tactical (www.511tactical.com) and I’m a big fan. I can’t imagine a carry method that can beat the undershirt in terms of comfort, concealability or security. The main drawback of the belly band/undershirt is accessibility. Depending on your outer garment, it may be a bit difficult to access your handgun quickly. I strongly advise anyone adopting this method to practice accessing your weapon and carefully choose your cover garment. There are several manufacturers of cover garments that utilize magnetic “buttons” to make it much quicker to access your weapon while retaining the look of a normal shirt. I use the belly band/undershirt method often when I’m dressed casually or in a situation when deep concealment is important. This method can even be used when jogging or exercising which is a big plus for people with an active lifestyle.
Ankle Holster
Security: ***
Accessibility: *
Concealability: ***
Comfort: ***
While I have several friends that love this method, I’m not a big fan of ankle holsters. For me, the primary concerns with ankle holsters are comfort and accessibility. This method also limits you to a rather small handgun such as a sub-compact 9mm, one of the tiny semi-autos chambered in .380 ACP or a small revolver. Accessing your handgun from an ankle holster requires an awkward motion and depending on your preferred pant/footwear combination, may suffer from serious issues of concealability especially when seated. Despite all of this, there are many fans of ankle holsters and it certainly is a viable option in some challenging concealed carry scenarios. If you choose this method, I strongly recommend purchasing a quality holster and I highly recommend the feature of a support band with attaches higher on the leg to provide additional stability. My friends who prefer ankle holsters universally praise the Ankle Glove which is made by Galco (www.usgalco.com) and I have to agree, while I don’t like ankle holsters, this is the best one I’ve tried.
Pocket Holster
Security: *****
Accessibility: ***
Concealability: ***
Comfort: *****
Once of the simplest methods of carrying a handgun is in a pocket whether it’s a jacket pocket, pants pocket or even a large pocket in cargo pants or shorts. If you choose to carry your handgun in a pocket, it is absolutely essential that you get a pocket holster. A pocket holster serves three important purposes, it keeps your gun oriented properly for accessibility and presentation, it covers the trigger to protect against accidental discharges and it helps keep foreign materials such as lint away from your gun. Pocket holsters are usually very cheap and easy to fit to your gun. I highly recommend one that has some sort of external material that helps keep your gun properly positioned and prevents the holster from coming out of your pocket with the gun when you draw your weapon. While there are many good manufacturers of pocket holsters, I’ve had very good luck with ones made by DeSantis (www.desantisholster.com).
My definition of Off-Body Carry method includes carrying your gun in a purse, bag, backpack, briefcase, “fanny pack” or any other container that can be removed from your body quickly and easily. The obvious advantages of off-body methods are concealability and comfort, but this method suffers from serious issues of accessibility and most importantly, security. I am not a fan of off-body carry but I recognize that it is, in some cases, among very limited options, particularly for women. While I don’t like this method, primarily for reasons of weapon security, if you choose this method it is imperative that you purchase a bag that is designed specifically for carrying a concealed handgun. Ladies, dropping a loaded firearm into your purse is a bad idea. Not only is there a significant risk of accidental discharge, I’ve spent too much time watching my wife dig through her purse looking for her keys, lipstick, etc to be convinced that you’ll be able to get to your gun when you need it. There is a wide selection of purpose-built purses, bags and briefcases on the market today that won’t require you to sacrifice in the area of fashion. I hope I don’t need to point this out, but you should obviously never leave a bag containing a firearm, unattended. If you’ve ever accidentally left your purse, bag or briefcase somewhere you should carefully consider if this is the right method for you.
There are several other options for concealed carry that I haven’t addressed here, most notably the shoulder holster. Since I don’t have any significant experience with them, I’ve not included them in my list, but that doesn’t mean they’re not viable alternatives for your situation.
Before I wrap things up, I want to share a few ideas around cover garments. Cover garments are any piece of clothing worn for the purpose of concealing your weapon. They typically include shirts, jackets and coats, but can also include pants, footwear and accessories. When possible, choose cover garmets that are made of heavier material and are dark in color. Heavier materials are less likely to “print” as they have shape of their own and darker colors are just as effective at concealing your handgun’s bulge as they are at concealing your body’s other less appealing bulges. Finally, some sort of pattern is helpful in camouflaging what lies beneath when compared to solid colors.
My final advice is to choose no more than 2 carry methods that will meet all of your needs. Once you’ve chosen those two methods, practice accessing and presenting your weapon regularly in a variety of positions so if the need arises, you’ll be ready to respond effectively in a stressful situation. Choosing a concealed carry method, like many things in life, is an exercise in compromise but if you keep the four SACC characteristics above in mind, you’ll be able to make a good decision for your situation.
