Concealment Clothing: Products For Your Needs
Choosing Concealment That Works For You
You have your Concealed Carry permit and you are ready to start carrying in public. You could be facing the issue of what clothes don’t scream “hey I’m carrying a firearm.” From what I have seen, men have a lot more options when it comes to concealment clothing than women do for concealment.
Let’s start with shirts. Most shirts are designed to be tucked into your waistband, making it tough to conceal a weapon if it’s attached to your side using a belt. This is where an inside the pants holster or belly band holster can be used to hide your weapon.
Some shirt manufacturers have taken notice. Companies like 5.11, Smith and Wesson, Blackhawk, and even Under Armor, have introduced shirts designed to allow fast access to a concealed firearm. The web has many manufacturers but get ready to open the check book. Not all of these will be affordable concealment clothing options. Most of these shirts cost between $50 to $60 each. Some of these shirts include sewn-in holsters, others allow fast access to your side arm, belly band or shoulder holster.
What about pants? Blackhawk, 5.11 and Woolrich make tactical pants. I like Woolrich pants because they are priced around $30 where Blackhawk and 5.11 are close to $50. These pants have a holster pouch sewn into the front pocket or allow you to reach through the pocket to retrieve your firearm.
Do women have the same options? Not really. A comment I hear from women is their clothes are designed to make them look slimmer, making it a challenge to conceal their firearm. If you wear long dresses or pants, an ankle holster may do the trick. But you have to be aware of how tight the pant leg is or your dress length. Seeing a Walther PPK holstered on top of a 5 inch high heel may be sexy but is it practical? Unfortunately, women get short changed on concealed carry clothing unless they can fit into men’s sizes. Other options for women include oversized clothing or tops that drape over them which work great for concealment.
Other Concealment Clothing Options
Gunner Security offers the Packin T concealment T shirt and the CCW Ultra Concealment Shoulder Holster. These can be worn by both men and women. The Packin T allows you to customize the T shirt using large heavy duty Velcro panels. You can attach holsters, mag or accessory pouches to each side of the shirt. The Ultra Concealment Shoulder Holster weighs about 3 ounces, is fully adjustable and allows you to carry your firearm under a standard shirt. When wearing this holster, your shirt should fasten with buttons or a zipper that allows you to reach though the shirt to access your firearm. Women have an advantage when wearing the Packin T or shoulder holster because the natural contour of the breast helps hide the firearm.
The good news is more gun owners want to carry concealed. Many clothing manufacturers have acknowledged the need and are stepping up to the plate, so keep an eye out for future products.
We offer many other products not covered here, many of which are affordable concealment options. Looking for something specific? Let us know.