Concealment Faux Pas

[NH Shooter]

We all know the obvious things that can betray concealment: shirt lifting and becoming totally uncovered, printing or even having the weapon fall out of place and hit the floor (I don't many in this group have suffered the last one). But there are other concealment faux pas that are not quite as obvious and can only be learned through experience or training. I am hoping the group could share some of their often-not-considered points in this regard.

I'll start: concealment compromised by banging into something with the holstered weapon - that clank sound that can only come from one hard object hitting another. I do this occasionally going through a door, so I've become a little more mindful of it.

What else do we need to remain mindful of?

[Wondering Beard]

Hugs.

[Guerrero]

Hugs.

Who're you hugging if you're pelvis-to-pelvis with them? If it's not my wife, I don't hug anyone that way. ;)

[revchuck38]

Hugs.


Who're you hugging if you're pelvis-to-pelvis with them? If it's not my wife, I don't hug anyone that way. ;)

Where I live, hugs are common among opposite-sex friends. I'm 6'1". If I hug a lady who's 5'1", there's a good chance her arm will brush my IWB-holstered pistol.

[Wondering Beard]

Who're you hugging if you're pelvis-to-pelvis with them? If it's not my wife, I don't hug anyone that way. ;)

revchuck38 response applies. I'm 6'3" and everyone else in my family is much shorter than I.

[NH Shooter]

Possibly worse with AIWB carry?

"Is that a 1911 in your pants or are you just happy to see me?"

[CleverNickname]

Hugs.

Yeah I got a story about that one. In 2003 my brother and I were on a road trip, and stopped to see my grandparents in Arizona. When we left, my grandma gave us both a hug goodbye. I angled my body so she wouldn't bump my handgun, but my brother had recently turned 21 and so hadn't been carrying for long. He didn't think about or know that it might not be a good idea not to let grandma know he was strapped, and apparently she got a big handful of handgun when she hugged him. She didn't say anything about it at the time, so I didn't realize anything had happened. Later, she called my dad about it. The kicker? She was fine with him carrying per se, but she was just concerned that he wasn't open carrying, since she didn't realize CCW was legal in Arizona.

[Wondering Beard]

Possibly worse with AIWB carry?

"Is that a 1911 in your pants or are you just happy to see me?"

Depends with whom.

Little kids will basically jump on you, so no one form of concealment is undiscoverable. Some relatives will be "enthusiastic", especially with the various lockdowns and it may have been months since you saw them and that makes things difficult no matter where you carry. With most friends, depending on relative height, AIWB helps as its mostly the shoulders and upper chest that touch, but sides and back are exposed.

I like doing a handshake mixed with an "abrazo" as your arm covers the weapon.

[Parf]

Hugs.

Fight for underhooks.

[Artemas2]

....belly pokes....I know wtf right?

At 130lbs I am not the pillsbury dough boy. The number of times a casual acquaintance has without warning reached out and poked me in the stomach
or more often the slide of my gun has made me jumpy of anyone walking towards me.
It is not a gesture I understand or even know why people do it.

On a more practical level I moved my wallet to my opposite rear pocket. Often my shirt will noticeably bunch or print on the grip as I move my strong arm behind my hip.

[BigT]

I've spotted a good few guns I wouldn't have noticed if the owner wasn't wearing desert boots, or a fishing vest or even a shiny knife clipped to a pocket.

[Clusterfrack]

LOL! Is this some kind of frat boy thing? Or just something dudes try on short guys? I had a "belly poke" from a guy I don't know very well at a USPSA match maybe a year or two ago. My right snapped up and tapped him in the plexus. Not hard, but enough to get his attention. I thought it was fucking funny, and I got a good laugh out of it. Not sure he will do that again...


....belly pokes....I know wtf right?

At 130lbs I am not the pillsbury dough boy. The number of times a casual acquaintance has without warning reached out and poked me in the stomach
or more often the slide of my gun has made me jumpy of anyone walking towards me.
It is not a gesture I understand or even know why people do it.

[RoyGBiv]

I'm reminded several times at the beginning of jacket season that I should exit my vehicle slowly to assess whether my jacket has returned to normal position from outside the seat belt position.

[vcdgrips]

Switched to AIWB to thwart the hugs/contact from kids I was coaching and their parents. Before that, I was all about the going low so they had to go high above my waist band and/or the off side push out.

I would also not that concealed means concealed in most applications. it does not mean invisible to the naked trained eye at 1 meter.

IMHO CFPS are first and best avoided by carrying in a purpose build/model specific holster mated to a purpose built/width specific belt and wearing a cover garment that covers but is not a tent.

I too try to be the grey man re shoes/and visible knife clips.

[Coyotesfan97]

I try to cross my right ankle over my left knee. Sometimes depending on the pants just sitting down raises the hem enough to expose the bottom of my ankle holster.

[revchuck38]

I too try to be the grey man re shoes/and visible knife clips.

I try to be as "grey" as possible - even my hair is grey. :) One thing that bugs me about the grey man thing is the assertion that wearing trail running shoes is an absolute tell. I ran a trail race the weekend before last, have another coming up in three weeks, and COVID willing, have one in AZ in February. There's a section in trail shoes life between being too worn to run in and not worn enough to throw out, so they become knock-around shoes. So I wear them. While carrying, no less. And have yet to be kilt in da streetz.

Where I live, everybody, his brother, and his brother's dog, has a knife clipped in a front pocket. It's obviously a regional thing.

[blues]

I try to be as "grey" as possible - even my hair is grey. :) One thing that bugs me about the grey man thing is the assertion that wearing trail running shoes is an absolute tell. I ran a trail race the weekend before last, have another coming up in three weeks, and COVID willing, have one in AZ in February. There's a section in trail shoes life between being too worn to run in and not worn enough to throw out, so they become knock-around shoes. So I wear them. While carrying, no less. And have yet to be kilt in da streetz.

Where I live, everybody, his brother, and his brother's dog, has a knife clipped in a front pocket. It's obviously a regional thing.

I'd be more suspicious of someone who didn't have a knife clipped to his pocket.

Thankfully, most everyone around these mountain parts wears cargo pants or cargo shorts and tees. No need to go through any changes to not stand out. (Not that I would...I like dressing for comfort and utility.)

[OfficeCat]

LOL! Is this some kind of frat boy thing? Or just something dudes try on short guys? I had a "belly poke" from a guy I don't know very well at a USPSA match maybe a year or two ago. My right snapped up and tapped him in the plexus. Not hard, but enough to get his attention. I thought it was fucking funny, and I got a good laugh out of it. Not sure he will do that again...

I had no idea this was a thing.

[LOKNLOD]

If you carry strong side, the classic platonic side-hug is a danger. As you guys noted less an issue with aiwb unless you’re walking around spooning people who don’t already know you’re armed.

Bending weird can be a tell. Odd one-leg-out squatting positions. Can potentially groan and play off that old sports injury while rubbing your back or knee.

Picking at your shirt - pulling or tugging to confirm concealment. Another benefit of aiwb is I can look like I’m adjusting my junk which is just rude and encourages people to look away. Also, here in OK it’s windy a lot, and I can put my hands in my pockets casually (fingers in, thumb out... #phrasing) and pin my garment with my forearm and even tactically confirm gun placement while sorta blocking the spot I print most - the heel of the grip — from view.



Depends with whom.

Little kids will basically jump on you

I was leaned back in a recliner, not laying down but sorta flopped back, and my young daughter ran up and flopped face first into my lap, as kids are prone to do — bam, busted her lip on my AIWB carried pistol (I think it was a P30 at the time). Of course this was in front of company. Thankfully they weren’t the type to be upset over it.

[peterb]

I try to be as "grey" as possible - even my hair is grey. :) One thing that bugs me about the grey man thing is the assertion that wearing trail running shoes is an absolute tell. I ran a trail race the weekend before last, have another coming up in three weeks, and COVID willing, have one in AZ in February. There's a section in trail shoes life between being too worn to run in and not worn enough to throw out, so they become knock-around shoes. So I wear them. While carrying, no less. And have yet to be kilt in da streetz.

Where I live, everybody, his brother, and his brother's dog, has a knife clipped in a front pocket. It's obviously a regional thing.

"Grey man" shouldn't be "never wear X". The idea is to blend in with the local norm, whatever that is.

John McPhee found this out while doing a story on long-haul truckers, "A Fleet of One."
-------------------------------
"...My identity in truck stops was at first another matter. Hatless, in short-sleeved shirts, black pants, and plain leather shoes, I had imagined I would be as nondescript as I always am. But I was met everywhere with puzzled glances. Who is that guy? What's he selling? What's he doing here? It was bad enough out by the fuel pumps, but indoors, in the cafes and restaurants, I felt particularly self-conscious sitting under the block-lettered signs that said "TRUCK DRIVERS ONLY."

So, a little desperate and surprisingly inspired, I bought a cap. Not just any cap. I picked one with a bright-gold visor, a gold button at the top, a crown of navy blue, an American flag on the left temple, and -on the forehead emblem -- a spread-winged-eagle over a rising sun and a red-and-green tractor-trailer and the white letters "AMERICA - SPIRIT OF FREEDOM." One the back, over my cerebellum, was a starred banner in blue, white, red, gold and green that said "CARNESVILLE, GA PETRO." I put on that cap and disappeared. The glances died like flies. I could sit anywhere, from Carnesville to Tacoma."

[JAD]

Elbow checks and blousing are tells for 3:30 that get better at 3:00 and go away completely at 1:00. I really prefer AIWB for its effect on my behavior.

The only AIWB tell I'm conscious of is my tendency to untuck the butt from my gut when I sit down. I'm usually pretty subtle about it. Higher ride alleviates.

[Duelist]

Possibly worse with AIWB carry?

"Is that a 1911 in your pants or are you just happy to see me?"

Learn to lean into a hug, don’t hug someone like you’d like to get intimate with them. Keep both guns out of contact.

Unless, of course, there’s some interest there. Then, you’ll have to be ready for the questions.

[Clusterfrack]

Learn to lean into a hug, don’t hug someone like you’d like to get intimate with them. Keep both guns out of contact.

Unless, of course, there’s some interest there. Then, you’ll have to be ready for the questions.

Fortunately the ‘Rona has pretty much eliminated hugging anyone who isn’t my wife. (Some of her friends were really into hugs).

[BobLoblaw]

Gotta be fast around those little kids doling out aggressive hugs. Separately, my daughter and nephew have each received a forehead full of Beretta slide. Lucky for them I run the slim levers. Told the nephew that you shouldn't run into Iron Man if you don't want to get hurt and that redirected his attention towards me being a liar.

[trailrunner]

I try to be as "grey" as possible - even my hair is grey. :) One thing that bugs me about the grey man thing is the assertion that wearing trail running shoes is an absolute tell. I ran a trail race the weekend before last, have another coming up in three weeks, and COVID willing, have one in AZ in February. There's a section in trail shoes life between being too worn to run in and not worn enough to throw out, so they become knock-around shoes. So I wear them. While carrying, no less. And have yet to be kilt in da streetz.


I started wearing trail running shoes 15 or 20 years ago to, you know, run on trails. I also used to work in the field a fair amount, and they were great shoes for that. Now I just run in my road running shoes and I fly a desk, but I still have some leftover trail running shoes that I wear around. Sometimes I wear them with Kuhl pants, but I've also been wearing those for a long time too. I realize that Patagucchi is a bit passé now, but I got my first jacket in the mid-80s and I still have it. I don't go out of my way to look tacticool, but that's just how I've often dressed even before I knew it was a thing.

[NH Shooter]

For hugs, I get my arms under the hugger's and make sure they land well above the waist line.

Not that I get many... :-(

[Sal Picante]

Fight for underhooks.

+1

[FNFAN]

Fortunately the ‘Rona has pretty much eliminated hugging anyone who isn’t my wife. (Some of her friends were really into hugs).

Yeah, but how about those business competitor hugs? Once's you've figured out the diameter of the hole you'll need, you disengage and create distance.:p

[mtnbkr]

or even a shiny knife clipped to a pocket.



I too try to be the grey man re shoes/and visible knife clips.

I don't think clipped knives are much of a giveaway these days considering their ubiquity. Virtually everyone has one these days.

Combat boots and vests out of context, definitely.

Chris

[RJflyer]

My consistent tell is when I’m out to dinner with friends and acquaintances and I’m the only one at the table who doesn’t order beer or wine. If there’s someone at the table who doesn’t know me well, they’ll often make an comment about why I’m not drinking. I usually just awkwardly laugh it off and change the subject.

[vcdgrips]

"I don't think clipped knives are much of a giveaway these days considering their ubiquity."

Perhaps, but why tell the world you are carrying a knife. No good can come from it.

Moreover, the clips/knife can be quite hard on pants fabric, particularly when you have to wear slacks/dressier khakis on a daily basis (at least pre Rona.)

I suppose if my clip equipped knife was a primary edged weapon, I might be of a different mind.

[JohnO]

Based on the number of news stories I have seen over the years about "Gun left on Toilet" I would be warry of making that mistake.

[revchuck38]

My consistent tell is when I’m out to dinner with friends and acquaintances and I’m the only one at the table who doesn’t order beer or wine. If there’s someone at the table who doesn’t know me well, they’ll often make an comment about why I’m not drinking. I usually just awkwardly laugh it off and change the subject.

Same here, and also when I go alone to a restaurant that has a bar area I won't be seated at the bar. Just about anyone who knows me at all knows that I'm an active runner and cyclist, so I can explain the "no alcohol" as necessary for training.

[mtnbkr]

Perhaps, but why tell the world you are carrying a knife. No good can come from it.
I suppose it depends on the environment. If you're in an NPE or near-NPE (big urban center or office where suits or proper business casual is the rule), then I agree completely. But out on the street in the average town, I don't think it'll telegraph anything. A fancy phone or watch will probably get more attention.


Moreover, the clips/knife can be quite hard on pants fabric, particularly when you have to wear slacks/dressier khakis on a daily basis (at least pre Rona.)
True. Some pants and clip combinations are worse than others. My Sebenza's clip is hell on heavier pants (more pressure). The pants I am wearing right now, a pair of Duluth Firehose Chinos (real firehose, not the current flex stuff) has a notch worn into the pocket where my knife is always clipped. The pants are about 10 years old though.


I suppose if my clip equipped knife was a primary edged weapon, I might be of a different mind.
Mine isn't, it's just a tool (I even carry slipjoints from time to time). The clip keeps it from bouncing around the bottom of the pocket and doesn't feel like its weighing pants down.


Chris

[TGS]

My consistent tell is when I’m out to dinner with friends and acquaintances and I’m the only one at the table who doesn’t order beer or wine. If there’s someone at the table who doesn’t know me well, they’ll often make an comment about why I’m not drinking. I usually just awkwardly laugh it off and change the subject.

Well, I guess I'm certainly fortunate then since my wife doesn't drink at all....strength in numbers I guess, people just assume we're teetotalers.

What's weird is that when I'm out with her family (super liberal) they'll still ask what I want to drink, that sort of thing. Regardless of being very open about my alternative lifestyle choice (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkL4lVMJqDk), I think they're still oblivious to the fact I carry a gun. In the times that I specifically answer that I'm carrying, they look confused at my effort to be responsible regardless of the fact they generally think cops are evil whenever an OIS hits the news. I guess it goes in one ear and out the other without any realization/thought processing.



Moreover, the clips/knife can be quite hard on pants fabric, particularly when you have to wear slacks/dressier khakis on a daily basis (at least pre Rona.)

To that end, most of the people at my job who carry pocket knives in suits tend to carry them AIWB or clipped in the back pocket. Doesn't stick out like a sore thumb, and is easier on the suit pants since it's not sitting at a seam/joint.

[Duelist]

My consistent tell is when I’m out to dinner with friends and acquaintances and I’m the only one at the table who doesn’t order beer or wine. If there’s someone at the table who doesn’t know me well, they’ll often make an comment about why I’m not drinking. I usually just awkwardly laugh it off and change the subject.

LDS and Muslims deal with this all the time. ;)

[OfficeCat]

LDS and Muslims deal with this all the time. ;)

I'm fine with letting people assume I'm a recovering alcoholic.

[feudist]

I'm fine with letting people assume I'm a recovering alcoholic.

"I don't mix alcohol and heroin."

[willie]

Some who carry will make a slightly exaggerated attempt to avoid bumping into counters or door facings so as not to clang the weapon on objects. When I was a health inspector, I spent a lot of time in convenience stores and made a point to observe my fellow man. That's when I began to notice this.

I use the terms cowboy, commando and operator in a derogatory sense. Around here cowboys drive a giant pick up truck and are frequently seen at convenience stores where they buy snuff and beer. They wear western boots but have never stepped in cow shit. Commando's and operators are wannabes who wear a neck beard and 511 garments. Unlike Joe Friday, they do not carry a badge. Many in these three categories intend to print. They do so to posture.

Recently I attached an iwb holder to my belt. A couple minutes later I bent over to pick up a pen, and holster and revolver hit the floor. I was wearing a new belt for the first time. It is thicker than my others. The holster clip did not grasp it completely.

[Dennis]

After 25 years of constant off duty carry and lots of traveling and going out I would have to say that attitude is everything. Printing when moving, hugs, playing with kids, whatever. Never act guilty, never freak out and look around guilty, don't cringe, just casually fix any issues with the same attitude you would put your sunglasses away and keep moving forward. I never shy away from hugs and while I keep my strong arm low I keep the conversation and action moving forward so they either don't notice or don't have time to care. I have been busted maybe twice in my life and those were by people I would see everyday and got lucky.

I do carry as slim low profile IWB as I can and make sure my shirts drape correctly, to include spending more for tailoring than the shirt cost if needed. A dark undershirt also probably helps.

Dennis.



Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk

[BigT]

I don't think clipped knives are much of a giveaway these days considering their ubiquity. Virtually everyone has one these days.

Combat boots and vests out of context, definitely.

Chris


Its not necessarily they everyone carrying a knife carries a gun, but I know if I see a knife clipped in your pocket I'm looking for printing. If I was a bad guy I would likely do the same.

I was once a bad guy role player on a training event for individuals going into high risk environments. I know I took down people with knives clipped in their pocket a lot harder , because that looked a sign that they be more likely to resist.

[deputyG23]

When my son was a baby nearly three decades ago, I was rocking him in the church nursery with a pocket carried G27. I heard a clunk on the floor and there was my pistol lying on the floor next to the right side of the rocker. I scooped it up and put it back into the pocket holster. The lady in charge of the nursery saw it and just smiled.

[snow white]

Yup. Reminds me of the time I was playing with my daughter at the playground. I had a s&w j frame in a phlstr city special. Im chasing her around and decided to jump onto some monkey bars to get a good swing from them. I see in slow motion my j frame lift out of my holster and just float away as if it was tied to a balloon, landing about ten feet in front of me on the ground. Thankfully nobody else saw so I casually walk over and pick it up and put it back in its holster. Thats the only time anything like that has happened to me and i Just about shit myself. Mentally added Tarzan swinging to things I shouldn't do with that holster set up. One thing that experience did do for me was, now I hit any holster I get with my heat gun and add retention.

[RJ]

I would also not that concealed means concealed in most applications. it does not mean invisible to the naked trained eye at 1 meter.



That’s a great point. These days (five or so years since I picked up a gun for the first time at age 56), my wife looks critically at me as we go out the door. Sometimes I get a ‘I can see it’ especially with the G48. I know when I’ve got it situated correctly if she asks me ‘you *are* carrying, right?’

Despite the fact 99.9% of people have even the remotest idea you might be carrying, I still pay attention to holster, belt, clothing, draping etc. In two years plus of RVing, there’s not a person we ran into who was aware I had a gun on me.

Thanks BigT for the pocket clip knife tell. I hadn’t thought of that. Lately, I’ve been wearing a khaki range-type cap w Velcro patches out and about. Maybe that’s not such a good way to blend in. I should probably get a local sports team hat or similar.

[HCountyGuy]

I don't think clipped knives are much of a giveaway these days considering their ubiquity. Virtually everyone has one these days.

It’s all locale-specific. Here in GA outside of the metro if you’re a male and you don’t have a pocket knife you’re likely to get some eyeballing as it’s unusual to not have one.

[Clusterfrack]

It’s all locale-specific. Here in GA outside of the metro if you’re a male and you don’t have a pocket knife you’re likely to get some eyeballing as it’s unusual to not have one.

I always have a clipped pocket knife. The problems I’ve run into happen when people ask to use my knife, and I either tell them no, or produce a much larger and scarier looking knife than they expected. I really need to keep a small utility folder in a pocket.

[TQP]

I always have a clipped pocket knife. The problems I’ve run into happen when people ask to use my knife, and I either tell them no, or produce a much larger and scarier looking knife than they expected. I really need to keep a small utility folder in a pocket.

I have a leatherman juice(?) on my keys that has a useful set of scissors on it, which handles most of the things people want to borrow a knife for, with the bonus that they'll have to work a lot harder to hurt themselves with that than a knife. Before I started carrying AIWB I used to carry a SAK in the watch pocket of my jeans for that sort of thing.

And on the subject of concealment oopsies, I somehow managed to hook the butt of my full sized 1911 into the back of a straight chair at Cracker Barrel, and the chair came with me when I stood up. The deputy I was having lunch with got a good laugh out of it.

[TGS]

Its not necessarily they everyone carrying a knife carries a gun, but I know if I see a knife clipped in your pocket I'm looking for printing. If I was a bad guy I would likely do the same.

I was once a bad guy role player on a training event for individuals going into high risk environments. I know I took down people with knives clipped in their pocket a lot harder , because that looked a sign that they be more likely to resist.

I think there might be a cultural factor at play here that doesn't translate equally between SA and the US.

Pocket knives are extremely common in the US outside of a precious few extreme-left areas. I personally would not consider the simple presence of a pocket knife in the US to be a litmus test about anyone's proclivities towards carrying a gun or resisting.

When you start adding different context clues that changes things, like whether you're looking at people going into a high threat environment, whether knives are illegal to carry in such a manner, knife + type of clothing, type of knife (I'm thinking P'kal or wave opener vs run of the mill pocket knives), behavioral traits, etc.


I always have a clipped pocket knife. The problems I’ve run into happen when people ask to use my knife, and I either tell them no, or produce a much larger and scarier looking knife than they expected. I really need to keep a small utility folder in a pocket.

Clusterfrack be like:

63375

[4gallonbucket]

When I'm in a conversation or otherwise distracted and one of my daughters runs up to give me a hug and hits their face on a Glock grip. I've had to say "oh no you bumped into my belt buckle" before when in an NPE.
They have learned not to do this for the most part, but it really teaches me to keep up my awareness.

[Clusterfrack]

Clusterfrack be like:

63375

"Now this is a knife."

[CleverNickname]

"Now this is a noife."

fixed

[blues]

fixed

I was thinking the exact same thing before I saw your "correction". :p

[Irelander]

Wind has caused me some issues. I'm not sure if anyone noticed but just a few weeks ago I was at a tourist spot around here and it was a warm but windy day. I had my PPS carried AIWB with a well draped T-shirt on. As I was walking to the attraction, the wind was in my face. I looked down and my shirt was plastered against my torso with a nice vacuum formed profile of my PSS on my waistline. I was horrified but tried to just stroll on and not draw attention to myself. I fidgeted with my hands in front of the gun to shield the view not knowing what else to do. Not sure what I could have done differently. This has happened on several occasions but apparently no one noticed.

[Wondering Beard]

Wind has caused me some issues. I'm not sure if anyone noticed but just a few weeks ago I was at a tourist spot around here and it was a warm but windy day. I had my PPS carried AIWB with a well draped T-shirt on. As I was walking to the attraction, the wind was in my face. I looked down and my shirt was plastered against my torso with a nice vacuum formed profile of my PSS on my waistline. I was horrified but tried to just stroll on and not draw attention to myself. I fidgeted with my hands in front of the gun to shield the view not knowing what else to do. Not sure what I could have done differently. This has happened on several occasions but apparently no one noticed.

if you're wearing jeans (with pockets close to your front and comparatively high, unlike slacks) putting your hands in your pockets can help you blouse your covering garment making your gun print less.

[Le Français]

Wind has caused me some issues. I'm not sure if anyone noticed but just a few weeks ago I was at a tourist spot around here and it was a warm but windy day. I had my PPS carried AIWB with a well draped T-shirt on. As I was walking to the attraction, the wind was in my face. I looked down and my shirt was plastered against my torso with a nice vacuum formed profile of my PSS on my waistline. I was horrified but tried to just stroll on and not draw attention to myself. I fidgeted with my hands in front of the gun to shield the view not knowing what else to do. Not sure what I could have done differently. This has happened on several occasions but apparently no one noticed.

A shirt with a pattern, texture (like seersucker), and/or a certain stiffness (like linen after it air dries) can really help with this, in my experience. Even if it drapes well in a static environment, a thin t-shirt is suboptimal when movement and wind are factored in.

[Bart Carter]

I always carry my phone. I find it easy to hold it with my elbow at about 90 degrees and still look natural. My arm can cover up a lot of what I don't want others to notice.

On the other hand, when I am out and about, I usually don't care if people notice or not.

[willie]

My shirt size is XL. When wearing a T shirt only with a holstered weapon, I select a 2XL shirt. But I'm most comfortable with a 2XL T shirt and a conventional shirt untucked and unbuttoned. Being elderly, I am retired and don't care if my attire might appear sloppy. Also I wear Danner boots which nobody notices on old guys. The boots are as tattered and scarred as I am.

[Erick Gelhaus]

My most interesting one was post-9/11. The Sunday after the attacks, I flew to KC, MO for a clandestine meth lab conference. On the plane there, it was only local, state, & fed dope investigators and the flight crew. So, maybe 25 people tops. We were all at the front of the bird, a row to ourselves. I wasn't completely scummy in appearance at the time, but I didn't look like the police.

My carry gun was a Commander in a Kramer IWB rig.

Flying home the following Friday afternoon was a very different story. I board & have an aisle seat. My pistol/holster is towards the inside of the row. As I'm settling into my seat, the guy next to me moves, stretches, and elbows the grip panels. He realized what he hit. He spent the rest of the flight leaning as far away from me as he could, all the while staring at me ... from KC to PHX. Sigh.