Accessibility V. Concealment in the Winter

[That Guy]

I'm not one of the cool kids who do AIWB, so I'm looking at things from regular strong side carry perspective. That said...

How do you guys dress for the cold and still keep your handgun accessible?

I've been playing lately with waist-length jackets with elastic waists. Yank the jacket up, it should drag any layers underneath it and over the holster up. The issue is, depending on the amount of stuff you wear, you might end up with a bunch of bunched up fabric forming a "ledge" of sorts above the grip of your gun. Still though, I find this a lot better than a lot of the usually mentioned options. You can actually wear a jacket fully closed with this method, for example.

(Although to be honest, if it's really cold at the range, I'm typically more likely to switch to a dropped and offset or dropleg holster. Doing lots of draws from underneath a jacket is a good way to lose a lot of body heat. (A waist-length jacket is neat with these open carry holsters as well though, since the jacket is short enough not to get in the way of the holster.) So, I admit I don't do as much reps with winter concealment that I could, but... Screw that, it gets cold. )

why unzip the outer jacket/vest? That seems like a really bad idea prone to failure

That caught my eye as well. Better to have the outer layer loose enough that you can just pull it up.

Gloves are the hardest thing to get "right". It seems so simple and yet is so hard.

Glove liners are really, really great. Super thin little liners that, when combined with a "meh" winter glove keep your hands much warmer than a single glove layer could. And since they are so thin, you really don't take much of a dexterity hit with them. Much recommend.

[BehindBlueI's]

My question is how do you balance concealment with accessibility in the winter.

Coats with deep pockets. Pocket gun in the outside layer for when speed of access is critical. Duty sized gun on belt for when I've got time to get to it.

[RevolverRob]

Off body carry scares me because I am convinced it's not a question of if but when I'm going to forget that bag

I concur. It is very context dependent. For someone who works in an urban environment and cannot adequately tailor their clothing to suit their winter-carry needs, it represents a good compromise. Simply put, most business/business casual clothes of any season are not suitable for concealed carry in an office environment (with widely varying interior/exterior temperature ranges).

But if you're outside in the winter a lot, two guns, one in the pocket, and one on the belt is probably the best solution.

[TGS]

Simply put, most business/business casual clothes of any season are not suitable for concealed carry in an office environment (with widely varying interior/exterior temperature ranges).

Really?

Granted, most people in my office carry a gun so I may have a different way of looking at it.......but how is a sweater and sportscoat not suitable for concealed carry?

It seems like an odd claim to me, given what you described is the standard dress code for security attaches and close protection officers the world over who carry guns around people who get the heebie-jeebies from guns.

[RevolverRob]

Really?

Granted, most people in my office carry a gun so I may have a different way of looking at it.......but how is a sweater and sportscoat not suitable for concealed carry?

It seems like an odd claim to me, given what you described is the standard dress code for security attaches and close protection officers the world over who carry guns around people who get the heebie-jeebies from guns.

Well, I'm referring to off-body carry in a year-round context not just winter. Although, I am finding it to be an interesting solution in winter.

A sweater isn't too bad. A sportscoat can be. The issue stems from two common issues that people who do executive protection, for instance, may not have to deal with. The first is interior temperature. Buildings are usually super-heated or super-air conditioned. Which means that a long-sleeve, heavier, cover garment may not work. In my case, especially, I start sweating like a Whore in Church just about the instant I put an extra layer on in my office, when the heat is on. And the coat/sweater doesn't work in the summer at least where I live. Super-light sports-coats can, but they usually don't conceal/cover as well. The second is the cut of most off-the-rack stuff. It isn't as conducive to concealed carry as it seems. Having things tailored around your gun helps A TON. As in, really, really, helps. But if you're buying off-the-rack on a limited budget, it makes life difficult.

Exec Protection gets three benefits here: 1) They move around a lot and therefore are not subject to the same rigors as someone who works day-in-day-out in an office. Which includes the temperature issue. 2) They make better dollars than most and can have their clothing tailored to their needs. 3) They are exec protection. Sure they aren't supposed to show their guns, but people KNOW they have them. Which means a little slip here and there isn't the end of the world.

Dave in middle management in The Loop in Chicago? - His career could be DOA if his boss finds out he is packing a P30SK under his sport-coat. Hence the plethora of very good deep-concealment options for office workers. Off-body can make a lot of sense for Dave, if he can lock his office or a filing cabinet with his bag in it, when he needs to go to a meeting. Or better yet, if he can just take his briefcase/messenger bag with him when he goes to that meeting. No worries about being "made" in this sense. And contrary to what "switched on" people think. I've not, in years and years of working in Academic/Office Environments ever had someone go, "Is that a military backpack? Do you have a gun in there?" - Despite carrying some obvious .Mil inspired gear. Black. Just go Basic Black. And you can't go wrong.

-Rob

[voodoo_man]

I have found that if you invest in quality winter clothing items your carry method doesn't change too much.

Only thing I do for the winter us wear merino wool trousers, socks, start wearing long sleeve shirts and heavier cotton long sleeve button down shirts as well as an Arc'teryx jacket. With some gloves and hat, my carry position and style doesn't change.

I guess I could probably get away with carrying owb strong side, but I just don't need to.

[BaiHu]

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[1911nerd]

I've used the Hill People Gear chest rig when skiing in UT to good effect.

I'd like others from up north's opinions on this as well. I'd like to piggyback on to this and ask if there are any snow skiers/ snowmobilers that carry. I'm from the land of "oh my God what is this white stuff that's not even sticking to the ground," but I like to travel north to enjoy winter sports. So far I've basically been pocket carrying in my ski jacket, but that's obviously not ideal. My normal mode of carry is 4 o'clock IWB when not bundled up. Thanks.

[Cypher]

Really?

Granted, most people in my office carry a gun so I may have a different way of looking at it.......but how is a sweater and sportscoat not suitable for concealed carry?

It seems like an odd claim to me, given what you described is the standard dress code for security attaches and close protection officers the world over who carry guns around people who get the heebie-jeebies from guns.

I think it's a question of terminology, when you say " Business Casual" I hear "Dockers and a Polo" or "Dockers and a sport shirt" that takes a little T&E to conceal anything much bigger than an LCP.

[Cypher]

Maybe if I provide some background it will clarify my situation.

I work as a security guard in Colorado Springs. I work nights and I spend the majority of my night out doors and am moderately active in all weather conditions. Concealment isn't a concern in that situation.

I'm not a cop but there are enough similarities that I watch them to see what they do that I can adapt for my use. One of the things I noticed right off is that NONE of them wear coats unless they're in a static environment (accident scene). As a result I don't wear my coat at work unless I am going to be out of the car more than half an hour. My company issues us cop coats that have a split on each side to go around your gun.

I use the Army's ECWCS system under my uniform and it works well enough that I have to turn the heat in my car WAAAAAY down when I'm dressed like that (Trainees hate me).

For headgear my wife bought me a Thinsulate beanie at Walmart that is the warmest hat I've ever worn

When I'm not at work I tend to either wear jeans and a flannel or 5.11s ( I used to work for a company that issued them as uniform and I have 3 or 4 pairs)and a pull over.

I think I'm going to end up layering up under the pull over and going with the 2 gun concept.