Got Some Questions for Members...

[Paul Gomez]

What do you look for in gear for concealed carry?

What do you look for in holster design?

What do you look for in a belt?

What do you look for in a mag pouch?

I'll chime in in a bit, but I'd like to hear from some of ya'll first.

I'll explain later.

 

[JadeRaven]

Comfort & accessibility. . . easy to put on/take off. I would rather not have to take off my belt to take off my pistol. And even though it's concealed, I like something that is moderately visually appealing, so no hard plastic if possible.

I don't look for too much in a belt, other than it being a belt that looks good with both dress pants and a pair of jeans, so I don't have to think too much when I get dressed

I have never carried any extra mags, so I will offer no opinion.

For what it's worth, I've not been carrying for a long time.

 

[derek_street]

What do you look for in gear for concealed carry?

What do you look for in holster design?
Comfortable, conceals well, good retention(rm holsters lowrider)
What do you look for in a belt?
I like a sturdy leather gunbelt ( Don Hume)
What do you look for in a mag pouch?
same as holster( galco leather double)
I'll chime in in a bit, but I'd like to hear from some of ya'll first.

I'll explain later.

I hope that is what you are looking for.

 

[#1bambam]

What do you look for in gear for concealed carry?

What do you look for in holster design?
Small light weight and that you can "feel" the gun I have some holsters that besides the weight differance it felt like the gun is still there after removal.
What do you look for in a belt?
Sweat proof and stays straight/rigid.Instead of conforming to my hips
What do you look for in a mag pouch?
Honestly I only use my pocket.
I'll chime in in a bit, but I'd like to hear from some of ya'll first.

I'll explain later.

My reply

 

[dwr461]

I like OWB strong side holsters on 1.5 inch heavy leather belts. If the weapon I'm carrying is going to have any weight to it. I wear Duluth trading company side clip suspenders.

http://www.duluthtrading.com/search...ture=product_1&kw=side clip&processor=content

They clip right where the holster rides as opposed to front and rear of it. This transfers all the weapon's weight to my shoulders and makes sure that the OWB doesn't ride low enough for people to see the muzzle.

For extra ammo (magazines or speed loaders) I just put them in a pocket.

Dave

 

[Tulse Luper]

What do you look for in gear for concealed carry?

Still looking, but I've come to the short conclusion that carrying a 'compact' gun is no different, comfort wise, for me than a sub-compact. I do reserve the right to change my mind in future, though. Also, I don't want to have anything to do with safeties that require any manipulation other that my grip.

What do you look for in holster design?

As of now, I don't think I'll go back to a holster that has 2 mounting points, clips, loops or whatever, knowing that I can carry comfortably with a single mount system.

What do you look for in a mag pouch?

I will, hesitantly, admit that I do not carry an extra mag the vast majority of the time. Go ahead, stir the tar and fluff the feather.

What do you look for in a belt?

The 5.11 Trainer. I don't see any flaws in it, but I've never used another belt.

 

[Witness]

I like leather IWB with kydex clips for easy on easy off. I don't worry about a reinforced mouth as I don't think that reholstering a ccw piece is high enough on my list to sacrafice comfort. As for belts go, I don't even own a "gun belt" as I have always just used whatever belt I was wearing. I'm not the kind of guy to dress around my gun.

 

[homeslice]

Warning, novice posts below.



What do you look for in gear for concealed carry?
As far as weapon choice: Reliability, magazine capacity, concealability (obviously).

What do you look for in holster design?
Rigidity, longevity, concealability (leading to overall thickness), retention, and easy on/off method. Price.

What do you look for in a belt?
Have not yet found a quality belt for a good price point. For now, just using a very thick one from wally.

What do you look for in a mag pouch?
I personally enjoy having a mag point that could be mistaken by a "non-carrier" as a leatherman or whatever. I also like one that fully protects my magazine as I can then use it when it's not on my belt to toss in a pocket. Is it the fastest? No, but it's what works for me thus far.

 

[SpeedRacer]

What do you look for in gear for concealed carry?

Functionality, reliability, COMFORT. If ain't comfortable, it ends up sitting at home.

What do you look for in holster design?

IWB.

I personally like adjustability. No two bodies are the same, and while I've worn "fixed" holsters that got the job done, nothing will be as comfortable as a holster you can adjust to your body, your desired cant and grip height. I don't want someone else deciding where and how my gun should sit.

I prefer kydex, but always end up wearing leather for some strange reason. Leather is more comfortable, but I really like the "I know for a FACT my gun is secure" feeling I get when kydex "clicks" your gun in place. Hybrid leather/kydex holsters are a step in the right direction, but there's something about them I just don't like.

I really like CompTac's clips. I like being able to remove my holster without removing my belt.

What do you look for in a belt?

So far my 5.11 leather belt has always gotten the job done. Not fancy or expensive, but plenty rigid enough. I personally don't like the nylon belts that scream "Hey look at me I have a gun!" and look silly with most normal clothing.

What do you look for in a mag pouch?

My response here would be the same as the holster...as long as it's comfortable, holds a mag securely and I can put it where I want it's cool with me. Again I'm currently carrying leather here even though I'd prefer kydex. More comfortable, and I was able to have a mag pouch/flashlight combo made exactly how I wanted it.

 

[nickatnite]

I don't ccw and there are a lot of reasons, one is due to an IWB holster looks awkward on me. When I OC, I wear this kind of rig from Tucker Gunleather. Yeah you will spend about 350 for the set.

 

[Doc Holliday]

I bought a Mitch Rosen rig (leather OWB holster, double mag pouch, and belt) for my P7 PSP. It's very well-made, comfortable & concealable, but EXPENSIVE. I don't carry it very often though because the HK's so heavy.

Recently, off-duty I've been carrying my Kahr CW-9 in a CompTac kydex paddle holster and a CompTac kydex single mag pouch on a Wilderness Products riggers belt.

 

[sterno]

What do you look for in gear for concealed carry?

Outside of the weapon, I look for general quality. Does it look like it'll hold up to hard, daily use.

What do you look for in holster design?

I like Leather. I also prefer belt clips over belt slots on an IWB (which I use more than OWB). I like either a small holster with no cant or a bigger holster with a 3-5 degree cant.

What do you look for in a belt?

Big, thick, leather.

What do you look for in a mag pouch?

I don't really use mag pouches. I usually just drop a speedloader/magazine in my pocket

 

[spanky]

Holster: secure, Small footprint, high concealment
Belt: 1.5" and thick
Mag pouch: short (more exposed magazine) and small footprint
Gun: 100%

 

[topgunz1]

I've used this: http://www.highnoonholsters.com/Product_Line/Bare_Asset/bare_asset.html every non-work day for 4 years, it gets the job done. My only complaint is the steel clip will scratch stuff. Easy on, easy off, conceals tight, I like the cant, cheap and fast.

I won't order stuff and wait weeks and months, yeah its "custom" but I don't do well with that. I want it NOW.

Belt: for brown I have a leather belt from Dillards. Nothing fancy, holds my pants up and keeps gun there. For black I usually wear my Safariland leather underbelt I use under my duty belt.

Mag pouch: don't use one, I typically dont carry mags, if I do they go in a pocket.

 

[Baldrik78]

What do you look for in gear for concealed carry?

What do you look for in holster design?

What do you look for in a belt?

What do you look for in a mag pouch?

I'll chime in in a bit, but I'd like to hear from some of ya'll first.

I'll explain later.

One word answers just about all of those - Comfort. If it's not comfortable, it won't be worn a daily basis. Comfort for me is a 1.5" Galco leather belt, a Milt Sparks Summer Special 2 and a full size 1911. I doubt most others find that comfortable though

 

[Paul Gomez]

OK, the reason for the initial post was that I wound up watching a presentation on concealed carry gear with a friend of mine and I was kind of surprised by some of the omissions in the lecture.

First thing, when talking about belt mounted carry, is recognizing that it is a system, the purpose of which is to allow consistency in carriage to allow consistency in weapon access.

A belt must support the weight of the gun and any accessories without folding or twisting. The best holster in the world mounted to a crappy belt is not going to allow the consistency that we're after. I don't care whether it's a Made in China copy of a Rigger's Belt, a handcrafted leather belt, a fancy American made Rigger's Belt or some weird synthetic pseudo-leather, But it needs to support the weight of the gun, etc...
A cheap belt may support the weight initially, but generally doesn't hold up in the long term.

The holster and belt need to mate together...1.5 belt for 1.5 belt loops as opposed to 1.75 loops on a 1.25 belt, so that the gun is in the same spot every time you reach for it. The method of attachment needs to securely mate the holster to the belt. I don't care if its' open loops, closed loops, clips, paddles, whatever...but they need to make sure the holster stays put.

The holster, obviously, needs to be made for the specific gun, not some generic 'one size fits all'. Now, you can get away with carrying a Glock 19 in a holster made for a Glock 17, that's not what I'm talking about.

The holster must cover the trigger guard, must allow for a full firing grip on the holstered gun and needs to stay open when the gun is removed. Furthermore, it must securely attach to the belt. Exposed trigger guards were en vogue years ago because they were thought to be faster. In reality, they were a faster way to ND.

Why does the holster need to stay open when the gun is not in it? If the holster doesn't maintain shape, the likelihood of you pointing the gun at yourself increases significantly when reholstering. Under stress, are we more likely or less likely to screw something up?
Being able to get the gun out of sight via the same scheme of motion that brought it into play simplifies what we have to think about under stress.

Again, why? Consistency.

Nowadays, it is relatively easy to get a decent carry set up. When I was working at Tac Pro, one of the things that I did was get the Pro Shop to stock 5.11 Rigger's Belts, Safariland ALS and non-ALS kydex holsters and RM Holsters mag pouches. For less than a hundred bucks, that's a hell of a set up.

A lot of people mention 'comfort' when it comes to choosing gear. Comfort, in context, is gained through a system that supports what we need to gear to do. It's a lot more comfortable to not bother strapping on five pounds of crap. Being unwilling to do that, my carry set up is designed to allow me to carry and access certain items under a wide range of less than optimal conditions.

Just some thoughts...

 

[70116]

I’m chiming in after the explanation. I'm new to CC, still experimenting and learning. Ask me again next month and it’ll be different. I did a lot of reading, on and off line to learn what cc was all about. I didn’t have the benefit of a ‘mentor’ so I’ve probably boiught and put aside items which were not good selections (for me) in the first place.

I do carry ALL of the time outside my home and my carry priorities are:

1. Reliability
2. Concealability
3. Comfort
4. Accessability

They're all equally important to me.

I’ve acquired 3 different semi-automatics, a G26, PM9 and P380.
I started with the G26 (1+12) in a fanny pack with a spare +2 mag. I like it but the weight distribution is tough with my body shape (fat & big gut). I can wear it most comfortably on the side and easily move it to a 1:30 position where access is best. I can have a good grip, ready to draw, without showing my weapon or even changing the way I’m walking. The fanny pack seems to be OK for an older guy in a tourist heavy area.
I then got a Crossbreed Belt and both the SuperTuck and MiniTuck holsters. I was amazed at the difference a good belt made and I’m still deciding about the holsters with the MiniTuck being the current favorite. I prefer the access of the fanny pack but the IWB is much more comfortable. I’ll probably end up using both in different situations. I haven’t decided how to carry a 2nd mag with the IWB, but I’ll get that worked out soon.

Then, because of weight and size, particularly with the fanny pack, I got the P380 as a BUG and for deep concealment. I have a DeSantis Super Fly that I’m delighted with and use either for front or rear pocket carry. I also got a Pro Stealth for weakside IWB and it holds a spare mag. I also got a DeSantis Mag Packer which pocket carries a single stack mag in my pocket. I believe that the mag and contents should be protected.
I’m not yet satisfied with the reliability of the P380 (it’ll be going back to Kahr for work) and wanted a BUG / smaller than the G26 so I got a PM9. That keeps me with the 9mm. I’ve ordered a MiniTuck for when it’s my primary and a Super Fly for pocket carry.

When I first got the G26 I didn’t realize how concealable it was with a good IWB setup or how comfortable it would be with a proper belt and holster. I started with a regular belt and name brand holster which, in combination with the G26 kept pulling my pants down.

I love the P380. I just wish there was higher performance ammo that had more stopping power (that’s another discussion). I will carry it by itself when I can’t carry anything bigger.

The PM9 is a cross between the other 2 in that it’s too large for rear pocket carry and on the heavy side (for me) for front pocket carry.
The one area I haven’t mentioned that has a major impact on carry equipment decisions is the expected scenario that you’re equipping for. Mine, for example, is a street encounter in the French Quarter, probably at night and very likely with more than 1 BG.

 

[dwr461]

I’ve acquired 3 different revolvers, a G26, PM9 and P380.

You might want to look up the definition of revolver. I'm just saying.

Dave

 

[flamatrix99]

I bought a Mitch Rosen rig (leather OWB holster, double mag pouch, and belt) for my P7 PSP. It's very well-made, comfortable & concealable, but EXPENSIVE. I don't carry it very often though because the HK's so heavy.

+1 I have a Mitch Rosen leather OWB holster and mag pouch. I just use a cheesy leather belt that I had before. I also have a Comp-Tac MTAC IWB that I use when I do CCW but I dont carry very often. If anything my G19 sits in my truck when I am out and about.

 

[LACamper]

70116 try some hornady critical defense in .380...

I really need to find a better belt.