Are you having trouble fitting your wardrobe around your handgun to keep it hidden day to day? Maybe you’re looking for the proper clothing that fits comfortably and you can adapt to fit your style and personality?
Well, worry no more! We are here to get you all that you seek on how to dress for concealed carry. Our clothing is a huge part of self-expression and in a way “speaks” to who we are. It is important to manage your wardrobe to adapt to your lifestyle but also not speak to the fact that you have a weapon concealed underneath your threads.
When deciding how to dress for concealed carry it is important to take a few items into consideration. First and foremost is what type of gun you will carry. A heavy, long weapon is going to conceal better than a short and fat handgun.
You will obviously want to consider your clothing and realize that society and each individual will automatically profile and assess the risk of an individual that they meet. A man in a long trenchcoat with combat boots on may very well conceal a weapon easily, yet the attire also nearly flat out states that you are carrying. Be sure to choose discreet clothing.
As saggy clothing with easily conceal a weapon, there are judgments to be made about this as well that could lead someone to infer that you are carrying. Most commonly people wish to carry with a professional, business attire so as to be able to operate in their day to day life and also carry discreetly.
What Gun Are You Going To Carry?
The first step to consider with concealing a weapon is what kind of weapon you are going to be using. When choosing a weapon that you want to carry every day you should simply consider the fact of how well it is going to conceal on your body. It may be a small gun overall, but if it is fat in width it will bulge out quite prominently.
The other consideration is your magazine size. A single-stack magazine for a sub-compact handgun is going to conceal better than a double-stack magazine simply due to the smaller size in width.
The disadvantage of a smaller gun is more recoil. This can affect the accuracy of the weapon as well as any followup shots thereafter. The good news is that you can reduce the recoil even a small gun.
You can do this by simply choosing a heavier gun, of course, but there are also lead inserts available to place into smaller handguns to add weight. You could get into muzzle brakes and compensators to add weight and reduce recoil but the attachments to the gun could reduce the concealability.
Also, you can simply use lighter bullets which will have less impact volatility but ultimately, less recoil.
Different Carrying Options
Another thing to focus on is what style of carry you’re going to do. If you carry just an ankle holster then you wouldn’t really need to worry about what you’re wearing except for your pants. There’s also shoulder holster carrying and then the standard inside the waistband (IWB) and outside the waistband (OWB) carrying.
If you wear a shoulder holster or conceal by carrying at the appendix or strong hip either IWB or OWB then you will want to consider your shirt wear to remain at the level of concealed carry.
If you’re keeping a professional vibe going then you will want to look at J-hook gun holsters like FoxX’s gun holster. These double clipped with the J-hook clip allows you to tuck your shirt or dress shirt in without it getting bunched up. This is for IWB carry.
If you are carrying OWB then you can look at a majority of holsters but it’s good to have a loose overshirt on or you can wear a business blazer to be able to conceal the weapon that’s clipped onto your belt.
You could carry off your body in a briefcase or a pack, but this opens up the opportunity to other people getting ahold of the gun and isn’t readily recommended.
The last style to mention is pocket carry. This style still includes a holster in your pocket and you reserve the pocket solely for the gun. You can also open up your whole wardrobe because you just need a pocket big enough to hold your gun.
You can watch a video here that gives more details on the different carry methods for concealed carry:
Pick Your Threads
Now that you have an idea of how and what you’re carrying, you can fit your outfit! There’s business, business casual, casual and then, of course, other styles of clothing that are saggier and easier to conceal.
Generally, a business outfit will consist of a blazer and slacks and you can use this as well for casual concealed carry.
As a regular civilian you can utilize jackets to help conceal the weapon and depending on your style of carry you can wear just a regular dress shirt or T-shirt.
Pro Tip: Gun Belt
Regardless of your style of carries, it might be a great idea to get a gun belt. If you use your regular dress belt or a regular belt it won’t be firm enough to hold the weight of your gun.
A gun belt has stiffener added into it to make sure it can carry the weight of a gun without sagging your pants down. You can also get leather gun belts that look less tactical than nylon and they will work for your business casual or business attire and nobody would even notice the difference.
The Gun belt is only necessary if you’re not doing a shoulder holster carry or an ankle holster carry. People believe there are high advantages to an appendix style carry and a strong hip carry because you have quick and easy access to the gun to draw it quickly.
Dressed And Ready To Go!
Now you’re totally set on how to dress for concealed carry! You want to make sure to make a cognizant choice about your gun that keeps the elements of your body features and how well it will conceal. Then you will choose how you want to carry and dress around the gun based on what you’re going for! It’s that simple! Keep it safe and keep it concealed!
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