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View Full Version : EDC meets EDW...?



ubervic
10-07-2011, 07:15 PM
A recent thread prompted many to share what they consider Every Day Carry, or EDC. What I'm more curious about is what folks on here consider Every Day Wear, or EDW. It's one thing to conceal what one is carrying; it's another thing to conceal that one is probably carrying concealed to begin with.

In my experience, 5.11 pants---or similar 'tactical' pants---offer great comfort and utility, but they tend to stick out like the proverbial sore thumb around the neighborhood or while running errands at Home Depot, Target, the kids' soccer practice, etc. I'm not so crazy about being permanently ID'd as Tactical Ted, so I have adapted most of my gear to carry in generic jeans.

I wonder what others do, so please chime-in if you carry and prefer not to telegraph it.

JodyH
10-07-2011, 07:29 PM
T-shirt and jeans or cargo shorts is what I wear.

Here I am RO'ing a match... H&K P30 carried AIWB.
Away from the range I rarely wear "gun" shirts like my snazzy orange Pistol-Training.com shirt

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p82/JodyHuggins/represent2.jpg

Here I am at the AFHF class in New mexico, again wearing my T-shirt and shorts.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvFSCkXIK4A

Al T.
10-07-2011, 07:41 PM
Loose shirts and cargo shorts when not working. Depending on which job, usually a nice pair of Wrangler brand cargo pants and a golf shirt. Wal-Mart carries the Wranglers for 16 bucks or so and my shorts come from Sams. Shirts from Sams too.

I go away from jeans due to wear issues that cargo pants don't have with me. I also like the multiple pockets.

I do not own any tactical pants, too much money for usually not quite as good a product.

TGS
10-07-2011, 07:58 PM
Warm weather equals cargo shorts and a button-down, plaid short sleeve short, button down linen shirt, or polo shirt....all untucked. If I wear a t-shirt I'll usually pack less than my P2000, so I usually end up dressing around the gun and wear the button down shirt(awesome concealment garment comfy, and not stupid looking). Shoes will vary between sneakers or sandals.

As cooler weather comes, I wear straight-cut jeans and a t-shirt/sweater with pull-over fleece, brown suede jacket, or heavy fleece jacket. usually sneakers or brown leather casual shoes.

I dress around my gun, but I wear completely normal-dude clothes with the exception of a leather gun belt which looks normal anyway. No 5.11's, no riggers belt, no hiking boots, ect. Nothing against guys that do, but I can't stand that stuff.

JHC
10-07-2011, 08:20 PM
REI casual. Arcteryx, Marmot, REI pants; variety of "fishing shirts", polo's, etc. Or jeans and similiar shirts. Or khaki's and similiar shirts. As it cools off, light sweaters and fleeces come into play.

LittleLebowski
10-07-2011, 08:43 PM
Packing right here. REI casual. VERTX pants. Lowa boots, flip-flops. Very casual and geared towards comfort.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h251/baxshep/333202cf.jpg

willowofwisp
10-07-2011, 09:21 PM
I am normally wearing American Eagle Khaki's or jeans a long with an america eagle polo or some days columbia shirts from REI, I work in a lab and I am in constant contact with corrosive materials, therefore i have a whoel wardrobe of clothes that became work clothes lol.

Outside of work I normally wear jeans or REI cargo pants a long with some type of t shirt.

LOKNLOD
10-07-2011, 10:03 PM
Carhartt jeans (the looser/more modern fitting ones) or carpenter-ish pants (like the canvas ones with a single leg pocket). I wear the khaki colored ones like most people wear dockers. I wear a lot of untucked button-front shirts, but since going appendix I am getting more comfortable carrying in a tshirt or polo that isn't sized like a tent.

ETA: I like the look and fit of some cargo pants, but honestly I have zero use for the leg pockets. I carry a lot of junk around, but having it beat my knees into submission is no bueno. I'll slip my phone into the pliers pocket on the carpenter pants sometimes, but that's it. What in the world does anyone put in those giant leg bags?

DonovanM
10-07-2011, 10:56 PM
Untucked tshirt/polo and jeans/shorts/khakis here as well. I rarely wear BDU/cargo pants off the range even though I know no one will notice much less care.

ToddG
10-07-2011, 11:01 PM
Untucked polo and jeans literally 95% of the time. I only wear 5.11s when I teach because I think it looks more professional. Otherwise, I'd even teach in jeans.

orionz06
10-08-2011, 12:21 AM
Jeans and and either a band shirt or a synthetic material polo of sorts (UA or Nike Dri Fit).

mscott327
10-08-2011, 04:49 AM
In Florida it depends on the weather.
Working: dress pants/ Dockers pants and button down shirt.
Off/home: cargo shorts with either a t-shirt untucked or polo shirt both tucked and untucked. The crossbreed supertuck deluxe allows me the flexibility to wear almost anything and not print.

In winter or what we Floridians call winter I wear either jeans, Dockers pants or LA Police gear basic operator pants. Shirts depend on the temperature.

Chipster
10-08-2011, 09:24 AM
Is it not funny that we all get away with cargo shorts in the summer but are almost instantly identified as "commandos" in the winter if we dare step outsidewith a cargo type pant? I love my generic Old Navy cargo shorts but something gets lost when they put full legs on them so I just wear jeans.

phil_in_cs
10-08-2011, 10:02 AM
normal week days - Business casual - khakis and a button down, sport coat or blazer if we have guests in.
casual work days or Saturday - usually shorts and a polo shirt, or cargo pants or jeans if it isn't too hot.
Sundays to church same as work, and change into my Saturday clothes when I get home.

Cargo pants do not stand out around here, and very few people would notice the difference between 5.11 cargos and the walmart brands.

For carry, MTAC tucked in, pocket carry an extra mag when dressed up, and a belt carrier when I am not.

TGS
10-08-2011, 10:03 AM
In winter or what we Floridians call winter

All my Florida time is spent in north Florida in Suwannee, Lafayette, Madison counties...dude, it's colder there in the winter than some days in Canada. We over X-mas/New Years we would be comparing the temperatures since we had a bunch of canucks with us. For real.

JodyH
10-08-2011, 05:21 PM
The Duluth Trading Co. firehose cargo pants are awesome for hard use and all day carry.
I love mine, and they look more plumber than gunfighter.

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk

karmapolice
10-08-2011, 05:52 PM
I wear a lot of button ups Arcteryx and Patagonia sometimes just t-shirts or less often polos
Jeans or Arcteryx pants in the winter and summer sometimes
Shorts I wear non cargo Arcteryx and other similar style shorts
so REI Casual lol

I'm carrying a full size M&P9 with a surefire x300 and spare magazine in this picture (for reference I am 6ft6in tall and 209lbs with a 34x34 pant size.)

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6111/6224067291_8282ee21d8_o.jpg

EricP
10-08-2011, 07:15 PM
Work: Carhartt jeans and company t-shirt or polo.

Nights and weekends: Carhartt pants and button down or polo shirt.

Winter: Multiple layers complicating weapon access.

mnealtx
10-08-2011, 07:29 PM
Working in Kosovo:
Button down shirt and t-shirt, tucked in.
Jeans
Tennis shoes / hiking boots depending on weather.
Benchmade Pardue 530 SBK clipped into left front pocket, tip up. (Company gift)

Vacations at home in Texas:
Short sleeve shirt, untucked and usually unbuttoned
Tucked in t-shirt
M&P 9 FS in Garrett Silent Thunder holster (IWB)
Jeans or cargo shorts, depending on weather
Tennis shoes

Both locations:
Normal pocket trash (front pocket wallet, money clip, comb, cell phone)

Maple Syrup Actual
10-08-2011, 10:32 PM
Assuming I am not working, which to some degree determines my clothing (I work in the telecom wing of a massive construction company and spend my days fixing telecom equipment now, so cargo pants and a safety vest are the mainstays)...

Nicer cargo pants than I wear to work (recently picked up the 5.11 strike pants...wow, very nice and looks decent in black)
A technical outdoors top of some kind*, or a t-shirt if it's warm
*The best of the lot is from a yoga company called Lulu Lemon...I'm not kidding, their tops are the freaking bomb, and built to withstand both irritating yoga crap and also extensive shooting sessions
A technical fleece from some fancy company or other
Arcteryx hardshell on top
Fancy hiking boots in a muted colour
Oakleys

So I am pretty much checking every single "yeah, tactical'd right out" box there is. Do I worry about sticking out?

Hell no, I live in Vancouver, Canada. Failure to wear any of the above would make me stick out. That's the official uniform here, you get issued all of the above when you pay your first round of property taxes.

I don't know who sticks out in 5.11 pants but as far as I can tell, it's nobody around here. I was visiting my retired parents and my dad, who is turning 70 soon, was wearing a pair. No kidding.

Al T.
10-09-2011, 03:42 PM
Duluth Trading Co. firehose cargo pants

I've looked at those a time or two. May have to get a pair and see how they do. Thanks!

JConn
10-09-2011, 05:04 PM
Yeah essentially similar to everyone else here. Everything from "rei casual" to jeans and a t shirt. I conceal a g19 and a mag even in summer.

seabiscuit
10-09-2011, 06:05 PM
REI casual here too. In Colorado, it's normal attire, and usually indicates a little bit of tree-hugging. And treehuggers don't carry guns, right?

Love my Kuhl Revolvr Jeans. Tough (I slid down a waterfall in them, and they're not worse for the wear), fast drying, and as comfy as pajamas. Usually wear an underarmour or GoLite top. I hate cotton.

MDS
10-09-2011, 06:38 PM
I'm still trying to figure out my EDW, but heading in the direction of REI casual. Comfy, practical, hard-wearing clothes that conceal easily and drape well, with enough style flexibility to fit almost every situation. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to go business formal. I usually just go slightly underdressed with slacks and a dress shirt tucked into a VM2. But the draw stroke from tucked IWB is so slow (and, more importantly, inconsistent,) that I'm thinking about OWB with a coat for those situations, which are fairly common for me.

NickA
10-09-2011, 09:37 PM
Mostly untucked SS button downs or polos, jeans, cargo shorts or some kind of casual khakis. I've ended up with a fair amount of Columbia stuff, not the most hardcore outdoor wear but I like it. I've got some shorts and pants that have one open pocket on the right leg that's handy for a phone or knife. Plus there's an outlet nearby and you can find great deals on slightly irregular items for $15 or so; oddly enough the irregular clothes fit me fine.
I do have a few 5.11 button downs that I really like-the ones with snaps that look look like buttons and velcro'd side slits. No 5.11 pants yet but now that I've taken 3 whole training classes I think I'm qualified to get a pair;)

phidelta308
10-10-2011, 11:46 AM
Black t-shirt, blue jeans, black belt, black leather shoes. When it gets cold I add a black leather jacket or a black fleece. Sometimes a splash of color like a navy blue hoodie or olive drab under armor.

Summer time expands my wardrobe to include khaki cargo pants/shorts and short sleeve white button down shirts.

My friends like to poke fun at my wardrobe... they all got together and dressed like me on my birthday a couple of years ago. I tell them black is slimming and goes with everything. And it's cheap.

JAD
10-10-2011, 12:21 PM
Work: ranges from suits to trousers, usually a dress shirt. Sweaters over a t-shirt in winter, when I'm not at customers' sites. Lace-up Eccos, usually non-gun belts.
Summer off-work: khaki Brooks Brothers shorts or Daisy Dukes and untucked polos. Often an undershirt.
Winter off-work: Cheap jeans or Carhartts, a tucked-in T-shirt, and a flannel shirt or hoodie. Sometimes a Patagonia vest; this is the only garment I have that I can wear open-front.

texasaggie2005
10-10-2011, 12:27 PM
Cowboy casual. Boots & jeans with an untucked polo almost all the time. If not, cargo shorts and an untucked polo or tshirt.

jslaker
10-11-2011, 08:06 AM
T-shirt under a button-down short sleeve shirt (tucked at work, generally untucked if off), either khakis or jeans. Dress shoes at work, either Chucks or Vans when I'm off.

I look like a pretty typical mid 20s guy in terms of dress, nothing really tacticool unless you consider a knife clipped in my pocket tacticool. But that's so common around here nobody thinks any thing of it.

KeeFus
10-11-2011, 08:22 AM
Wrangler cargo pants (Walmart) with some sort of bland t-shirt (Walmart) usually...wife says I'm too bland/neutral when I dress. Shoes are either Merrill's, Timberland, tennis shoes, or flops. I will either have a 442 in a pocket or on the ankle or have a G-19 in IWB or in OWB covered by a jacket (depending on the weather).

I have a lot of T-shirts that have something written on it indicating weapons...ie IDPA or so & so's gun shop. They have become what I wear around the house or to the range. I'd rather not draw attention and stay away from the 5.11's (gave them away to Goodwill). I think the only pair of tacti-cool clothinig I have is a pair of EoTAC shorts.

MechEng
10-11-2011, 09:24 AM
Cargo shorts in the summer, jeans the rest of the year. Occasionally I'll wear Carhartt work pants if I'm at the range, hunting or working outdoors. For the top it's polo shirts, T-shirts, sweat shirts or fleece depending on the weather.

TCinVA
10-11-2011, 10:27 AM
I may have said this before, but the whole 5.11's as a dead giveaway thing just isn't true, in my experience. Most people walk around completely oblivious to the world around them. The number of people who are likely to notice you enough to tell that you're wearing 5.11 pants and who actually might know what that means is so infinitesimally small that I don't consider it to be worth worrying about, personally. If I was working an undercover gig buying narcotics from bad people who might be motivated enough to really notice stuff like that, sure. If I were in line to shake hands with POTUS, sure...wearing "gun guy" clothing might invite unpleasant interaction with the USSS. Short of those two situations I'm not really worried about people paying enough attention to my pants to start wondering about what might be tucked into them because I just don't see it happening.

As gun guys we tend to notice that kind of stuff way the hell more than anyone else...and that "anyone else" includes law enforcement. As an example, earlier this year I was with a friend of mine on a local PD at a Sheetz gas station getting a drink. At the back of the store I noticed an OD green TAD Gear/Arc'teryx style jacket with the velcro on the shoulders and a logo patch from one of the big gun forums. I only saw the arm because the rest of the man was obscured, but I instantly knew what website he hung out on and that he was probably armed. My friend (veteran LE officer with lots of experience) didn't notice the guy until he was within a few feet of him, and then only after noticing the bottom of the guy's holster peeking out below the jacket.

Those visual cues mean something to me because I've been willingly immersed in the gun culture for my entire adult life. The vast majority of law enforcement officers (even the ones who would be considered "gun guys" on their department) and the vast majority of ne'er-do-wells wouldn't recognize those indicators any more than I would instantly recognize the "uniform" of a local street gang in Portland. As it was, in that fairly busy little store only my friend and I even noticed the man was visibly armed. Nobody else noticed a thing...not even as we stood there talking about gun stuff.

To paraphrase a comedian, if the odds of my pants getting me into some sort of trouble either with the law or by attracting the attention of bad guys were put on a pie chart it would be roughly the same sized slice as the percentage of people who would celebrate a 1/2 billion dollar lotto win by cutting off their own testicles with a grapefruit spoon.

I tend to dress pretty much the same all the time...polo or button-down shirt, cargo pants (usually 5.11s) or Levis. Wolverine work boots. (I may invest in some more atlhetic boots before too long)

vcdgrips
10-11-2011, 11:35 AM
Dress Clothes

Suit Jacket and tie
Sports Coat and tie
Sweater Vest over shirt and tie



Casual Wear

Casual pants (i.e. Khakis/Wrangler Cargo, Dickie/Carhartt workpant/occasional pair of jeans or cargo shorts
Spring/Summer- Square bottom shirt of some sort over a wicking t-shirt
Fall/Winter-same pants as above, add 1/4 zip fleece as covergarment over a base layer ( Merino/Capilene/Wicking T)

Re 5.11 or more "tactical teddy" looking clothes. While I would acknowledge that most people do not notice things like that, true professionals do-be them good guy professionals or bad guy professionals.

YMMV,

David Barnes

YMMV Greatly

jslaker
10-11-2011, 05:17 PM
Those visual cues mean something to me because I've been willingly immersed in the gun culture for my entire adult life.

Totally agree with everything in this post. Somebody that isn't a "gun guy" can probably recognize an NRA sticker on the bumper of your car; it's unlikely they'll spot you on the basis of your 5.11s. I don't wear them because I'd rather wear jeans, not because I'm worried about being made.

KevH
10-11-2011, 05:38 PM
Work wear:
Uniform, which at the moment is black utilities. Makes picking an outfit easy.

At home:

SF Giants New Era cap, Alpinestars hat, or an ivy cap

The North Face fleece or softshell (hey, it's a local company) or a hooded sweatshirt

Generally a collared button up shirt over a black t-shirt or just a black t-shirt

Lucky Jeans or cargo shorts

Converse Chucks, Keens or Reef flip-flops depending on what I'm doing

I HATE things that scream "tactical." I'll wear 5.11 or Transcon utility pants on the range to save wear on jeans, but that's it.

l8apex
10-11-2011, 08:59 PM
Work: Slacks & DriFit Polo. Eccos.

Off: Underarmour Polo or Shirt (UA charged cotton is awesome!). Slim fit cargo shorts or SF Dickies pants. Nike Free or Nike ACG.

Winter: North Face Shell Jacket/LW Danners

Watch: Suunto Core or Panerai. Mostly wear the Suunto.

YVK
10-11-2011, 11:04 PM
I prefer Brooks Brothers and Zegna suits over Armani and Brioni because their trousers support holsters better. Ralph Lauren sports jackets swing out of the way much better than Hugo Boss, that's for sure.



Seriously, just like everybody else, I prefer functionality of cargo pants; I complement them with nice shirts to look at least semi-professional. I am blessed in that I work in a place/area where people don't care as much about dress code, and quite a few of my colleagues dress very casually. I do take it to a whole another level in summer when my footwear is nothing but sandals, in and out of the office. Still, I have to be mindful of being too casual, and I've been somewhat frustrated with current cargo pants options. They all look sporty/technical/tactical, and I am always on a lookout for a dressier cargos. Lucky Jeans used to make great, streamlined, dressy looking casual pants with cargo pockets, but they don't offer those any more. Anybody has any ideas - let me know.

vcdgrips
10-12-2011, 11:15 AM
YVK,

I presume that you only make those brand choices when you are forced to buy off the rack. On the other hand, my tailor, Demitri, former clothier to the Genovian Court, can usually work around these issues :)

Seriously, I would caution those who carry while dressing up to ensure that thier purpose designed double width leather belt will fit thru the supposedly 1.5inch loops found on most nice slacks and suit pants.

Re jackets: if you carry for any length of time wearing a sportcoat/suit jacket, your gear will start to wear a hole in the lining. The USSS Presidential/DSS UN Detail solution is to beef up that lining with suede or other durable fabric at those "hot spots". The field expedient solution is a couple of layers of wide clear packing tape. You actually want to go tapeless for a few days until you see the begiinnings of the wear point, then apply the tape as indicated.

YMMV Greatly,

David Barnes

JFK
10-12-2011, 03:16 PM
I tend to wear pants.... It is easier than not to CC. Plus pants or shorts have belt loops. Way easier to attach a holster. This was just not working....

http://blogs.reuters.com/oddly-enough/files/2009/02/fashion-no-pants-280.jpg

TGS
10-12-2011, 04:34 PM
Seriously, I would caution those who carry while dressing up to ensure that thier purpose designed double width leather belt will fit thru the supposedly 1.5inch loops found on most nice slacks and suit pants.


Emphasis added by me.

I think that might be a problem right there. All dress slacks I've come across are 1.25", which have no trouble with a double-layer gun belt. However, I can really see it being a trouble for 1.5" belts. :eek:

Do you know of any slacks with 1.5" loops? I figure if I'm buying another set, it might as well be 1.5" so I have commonality between all my belts and holsters.

JAD
10-12-2011, 04:44 PM
Emphasis added by me.

I think that might be a problem right there. All dress slacks I've come across are 1.25", which have no trouble with a double-layer gun belt. However, I can really see it being a trouble for 1.5" belts. :eek:

Do you know of any slacks with 1.5" loops? I figure if I'm buying another set, it might as well be 1.5" so I have commonality between all my belts and holsters.
Dress belts are generally 1". A 1.25" belt looks pretty butch; a 1.5" belt looks like you're holding up a truss. I have holsters and belts for trousers, and holsters and belts for jeans.

YVK
10-12-2011, 05:19 PM
While they probably aren't "dressy" enough, I don't think the Vertx pants (http://wearvertx.com/VertxMensPant.aspx) are terribly sporty or technical or tactical looking. However, I don't have any fashion sense.

Vertx and Arc'teryx, depending on model, are somewhere in a middle of the road, imo. My problem with Vertx was that my pair shrunk mercilessly after washing , had to give them away.

This is a current representation of Lucky pants http://www.luckybrand.com/Commander-Pants/LBM00903,default,pd.html?cgid=mensPants&selectedColor=340 If you imagine the same but with smaller and neater rear and cargo pockets with variety of color selection, that would be my idea of dressier cargos.

ubervic
10-12-2011, 05:45 PM
My problem with Vertx was that my pair shrunk mercilessly after washing , had to give them away.

Too bad, because that Vertx gear looks great.

TGS
10-12-2011, 08:55 PM
Dress belts are generally 1". A 1.25" belt looks pretty butch; a 1.5" belt looks like you're holding up a truss. I have holsters and belts for trousers, and holsters and belts for jeans.

There's a few 1.25" belts that look plenty non-gun-beltish....I've asked a few people about my AG Custom 1.25" and no one thought it was butch or out-of-place while I was in a suit or slacks. I find a square buckle does a lot for it in terms looking normal.....those rounded buckles are ridiculous looking. I'm wearing a crappy Galco with a rounded buckle right now. Can't wait for my new belt to come in from the Beltman.

Do you notice a huge difference between the 1" and 1.5" belt and how they carry?

vcdgrips
10-13-2011, 12:01 AM
All of my suits/slacks purchased within the last 5 yrs will easily handle my 1.5 inch Liger belts. I have a 1.5 inch Rafter S leather belt which tapers to 1.25 inches in the front that usually works fine. While I still see the occasional 1 inch dress belt, the most frequently occuring dimension I see is the 1.25 inch.

OWB, I have found, the wider the belt the better, particularly if the weapon is an all steel 5 inch 1911. IWB/AIWB, using a belt .25 to .50 narrower than the belt slot is not nearly the issue, particularly if the weapon is not a 5 inch all steel 1911.

KeeFus
10-13-2011, 05:43 AM
Anyone looking for dress/gunbelts should give The Beltman (http://www.thebeltman.net/index.htm) a try. I bought one of his belts about 4 years ago and it wears great...holds the gun well too. He makes them in a variety of lengths/widths/colors/leather types (elephant, cow hide, horse hide) & has a selection of buckles to choose from.

tmoore912
03-24-2012, 10:21 AM
Reviving this thread for some information on preferred undershirts you guys wear. Mainly looking for make, model and where you get yours or where you order them from?

I have been a long time undershirt wearer even with casual shirts and polos, because I sweat a decent amount in the warm weather of Southeast Georgia. I have almost always worn plain cotton, but would rather used one of the newer wonder fabrics that are available now. Let me know what you guys are using? Thanks.

JM Campbell
03-24-2012, 11:55 AM
I use a lot of Old Navy athletic shirts that similar to the UnderArmor stuff. I usually catch it on sale for 6-8 bucks from time to time, I just buy in bulk when it is at that price.

GooberTim
03-25-2012, 03:46 PM
Wally World has some of the thin moisture wicking "dry tech" type shirts, like under armor, on hangers. Some are regular t-shirt fit and some are the snug fit. I think they are around $6 each? Just bought a couple recently to try, so I don't have an opinion yet, but will post back in a few days.

PPGMD
03-25-2012, 05:27 PM
Cargo pants are pretty common, so I do wonder can people outside the shooting/LE/climbing community (as those are the three that really care about cargo pants) tell the difference between the different cargo pants brands by sight?

I think that some of it is regional too. IIRC Caleb once posted on his blog that climbing pants, hiking shoes, and a fleece vest wouldn't get a second look up in the PNW.

EMC
03-25-2012, 05:54 PM
Cargo pants are pretty common, so I do wonder can people outside the shooting/LE/climbing community (as those are the three that really care about cargo pants) tell the difference between the different cargo pants brands by sight?

I think that some of it is regional too. IIRC Caleb once posted on his blog that climbing pants, hiking shoes, and a fleece vest wouldn't get a second look up in the PNW.

I find that if I wear untucked shirts over 5.11 cargo pants that from the upper-thigh down, cargo pants are cargo pants. Where you get a little difference in look is when you tuck in a shirt and you see those fancy tacticool slanty pockets, extra wide belt-loops, and stretchy elastic waistband with a lanyard ring. Same deal with woolrich tactical pants that I really enjoy. Even my 70 year old Dad has gotten into tactical cargo pants and he isn't a shooter. So I think the concerns of being "outed" are not warranted personally. I find a lot of "civy" style cargo pants don't have that "tactical" fit that I prefer (IE more taper in the leg, rather than wide straight leg style) and fewer extra practical pockets.

tmoore912
03-29-2012, 05:46 PM
I found some Champion Duo Dry Max, sleeveless, slight compression white shirts at Target. They seem to be working pretty well. Real stretchy, and have enough length on them to stay tucked in all day. Unfortunately, they only had two in my size.

JMS
03-30-2012, 10:45 AM
I have been a long time undershirt wearer even with casual shirts and polos,

I do the same, but mostly because I inherited some of the more less-than-desirable Mediterranean genes from dad's side of the family....freaking chest hair. Even if I were willing to manscape to begin with, it'd be impractical, and having chest hair poking through one's polo from within is unsightly.

Among my biggest things about undershirts with an IWB holster is that it stays in place as best as possible. I've found that, for me, natural fibers have more friction and are less likely to untuck under casual movement and even during the multiple draws of a training evolution than any of the synthetics, which are slicker by their very nature. I say less likely, not won't. I've gotten in the habit of re-tucking my undershirt whenever I make a head-call. More recently, I've reverted to simply just tucking the undershirt into my drawers; NOTHING untucks, no mucking-about. If I'm doing my job and keeping the holster/gun concealed properly, fretting over whether or not the waistband of my underpants might be peeking out over that of my trousers seems stupid, since I'm not trying to emulate Lil Wayne or some other waste of skin.

Cotton - more of a wintertime wear. It insulates better than the synth sport-type shirts, to me, but since cotton absorbs something like 200% of its weight in water and takes forever to dry....more than forever where it's layered with other stuff, at the wiast in particular...I prefer not to wear them in warmer weather. Most of my cotton t-shirts are untucked outerwear, for this reason.

Synthetic - Thin, light, moisture-wicking, all the usual bennies for summertime wear, though I wear them year-around. I have UnderArmour shirts, and wear them all the time, but the best I've run across are...
1) The Dri-Duke ones sold as Army uniform (non-FR) undershirts; pretty light, have a pinpoint weave to the cloth that's very similar to the XGO brand shirts (XGO = similar, more expensive, collars are WAY too tight). They don't slide around too much, possibly because of the weave. Picked up some at the FOB Leatherneck PX in '09, and I live near a bunch of bases of any given branch, so availability's admittedly not the problem for me than it might be for others.
2) The Columbia Mountain Tech II crew. All sorts of colors, can be found for very decent prices if one looks about (REI clearance sales, Amazon vendors, etc.). Has a horizontal-line sort of weave to the cloth, which may or may not be why it seems to shift about less to me.

EDIT: Another sometimes concern with synthetics is the holster sliding to and fro. I've found this to be less of a worry if carrying AIWB than I did with a 3-3:30 holster, though that's not universal for all. Both this and the shirt untucking can be mitigated by the addition of moleskin to the back of a holster, too.

Wool - still messing about, but I'm mostly liking the current lightweight Merino wool offerings on the market. Fantastic light-insulating layer for wintertime (even if you're sweating) and they don't hold on to your stink, though I'm finding most of the shrill protestations of the minimalist/go-natural acolytes that it's perfectly suitable for warm weather wear to be near-utter bullshit. It may not get as hot and absorptive as a similar weight of cotton, but they never couch it in those terms; it's still WOOL, so it retains the heat you generate when you're exerting yourself....or just sitting in the direct sun when you have no other choice. They can be retarded-expensive for what they are, which I attribute to all the Sierra Club whackadoos being positively mad for the things, and the vendors are sensibly taking advantage. Still, if you think of them as an alternative to long-johns instead of a normal t-shirt, the +/- $60 one will pay for balls-out retail makes more sense. So, I'll get them on clearance, and I'd recommend joining ProMotive, if you're in an eligible job-type; you can get some deals that make buying these shirts like buying synthetic ones for retail. I've got Smartwool and Minus 33, though the sleeve-length of the latter is long enough to creep out from under those of a normal polo...by a LOT. So, that's either folded like we were doing with t-shirt sleeves in the late 80s, or limited to wear with a short-sleeve button-down, which tend toward longer sleeves.

EMC
03-30-2012, 10:48 AM
fretting over whether or not the waistband of my underpants might be peeking out over that of my trousers seems stupid, since I'm not trying to emulate Lil Wayne or some other waste of skin.

That is funny right there! :D

bdcheung
03-30-2012, 11:02 AM
More recently, I've reverted to simply just tucking the undershirt into my drawers; NOTHING untucks, no mucking-about.

I learned this trick a year or two ago. It works great with tucked-in polo shirts or dress shirts and is the ONLY thing that I've found prevents my outer shirts from riding up and creating a false "muffin top".

LOKNLOD
03-30-2012, 11:32 AM
RE: shirt tucking vs. appendix holsters:
I installed some Velcro (rough side) on the front/outboard of my AIWB holster, and then put a short piece of the soft-side Velcro on the hem of my undershirt. Shirt tucks in behind the holster, goes under, and sticks to the front. It works well to keep the shirt tucked during heavy practice.

JMS
03-30-2012, 11:41 AM
Yeah, in my instance, I just reverted to how I used to wear Service uniforms back-when and those rare instances I wear slacks-and-tie/suits for certain work functions these days. It's unbeatable for preventing any visible bunching for that sort of clothing, which translates into other bennies for EDC. I know I've gotten to the point where tidal-shifts with my undershirt during a class or practice threatened to create an unsafe condition upon reholstering, so it's not a stretch to presume that I'm not the only one. Much better to have a shirttail sometimes touching my junk than having to practically drop trou on a range IOT rearrange clothes every howevermany draws.

Some folks'll recomment wife-beaters, too, which I wholly understand from the perspective of thin/cheap/readily available, but even if I wouldn't miss the sweat-absorption around the pits, anything sleeveless is just too Larry-the-Cable-Guy for me. Personal choices.....it's still a viable option for plenty of folks.