Driving from VA to CO

[Wake27]

We’re moving out to CO in about a month so I figured I’d see if anyone has tips/advice, good things to keep in the car, etc. This is the first time driving more than 2.5 hours with the whole family (wife, seven month old, and two fluffy dogs that weigh a combined 190lbs) so it will be interesting. The route planning is pretty much done and with the size of our dogs, the only real option we’ve been able to find for hotels is La Quinta.

I think I have a pretty decent emergency kit to include medical, lights, woobie, etc. I also have jumper cables, warning triangles, a decent tire plug kit with small pump, and will be getting a fire extinguisher. We’re undecided on whether we’ll be driving both vehicles or just one. If both, I’m leaning towards some kind of radio for comms so I’m open to suggestions there. I know OPTactical sells a Baofeng that seemed decent for the money, last I checked.

Something that I still need to look for but haven’t really seen discussed is a car holster. We’ll be on the road for 6-9 hours a day so I’m really leaning towards something that’ll allow me to mount my Roland Special instead of just keeping it AIWB for that whole time. I was interested in the G-Code RTI vehicle mount kit because I’ve used the RTI stuff paired with Safariland holsters for years and have been very pleased. Downside is that I’d most likely have to buy a whole new left handed holster. Obviously whenever we stop it’ll go back into my CCW holster.

If anyone has thoughts on the above or anything else that may be helpful, I’d appreciate it.


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[Caballoflaco]

I’d personally rather carry a smaller gun the whole time or have a holster with a clip or ptd loops that I kept in a console. (If I had kids in the car I’d just suck it up and carry) One of my personal firearms safety rules is loaded guns don’t come out of my holster in a car unless I need to shoot something. Too many people shoot themselves in cars for me to think administrative handling of firearms in a vehicle is anything but needless dickery.

On a personal note on shitty work day I can spend up to 9 or ten hours in a truck driving and a glock 26 in a 19 length holster doesn’t give me any problems. If you don’t have a smaller blaster taking the brake and light if you use one off the Roland might improve comfort.

[Wake27]

I’d personally rather carry a smaller gun the whole time or have a holster with a clip or ptd loops that I kept in a console. (If I had kids in the car I’d just suck it up and carry) One of my personal firearms safety rules is loaded guns don’t come out of my holster in a car unless I need to shoot something. Too many people shoot themselves in cars for me to think administrative handling of firearms in a vehicle is anything but needless dickery.

On a personal note on shitty work day I can spend up to 9 or ten hours in a truck driving and a glock 26 in a 19 length holster doesn’t give me any problems. If you don’t have a smaller blaster taking the brake and light if you use one off the Roland might improve comfort.

Thanks for the input. Maybe I’m just naive though, but I’m of the mindset that if I can’t safely handle a loaded gun without a holster, then I kind of deserve to shoot myself in the leg. I’d also rather not change the configuration of that gun since that’s mostly the only pistol I’ve been shooting for over a year now. Maybe that’ll change after so many hours in the car, but I’m not ready to give it up yet.


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[0ddl0t]

I'd vote pocket carry. You're unlikely to need to draw from inside the car (and if you do, you'll usually have warning signs leading up to it).

As for the route, I find the back roads more interesting, but with a wife & kid you may want to just get the traveling over with. Still, you might check out roadside america to see if there is anything you want to check out en route.

[Cypher]

Be advised it snows in JUNE here.

[txdpd]

Shoulder holsters are good for driving, if you can wear it low enough or the pressure on the inside of the arm isn’t uncomfortable.

Climate control is very important for the baby, those seats trap heat. Personally if I could afford it i would drive, and have the wife and kid fly out. Hit that baby with a shot of melatonin pre flight and it should be dramaless. Otherwise I’d start the trip as late at night/early as possible and try to carve out some miles during baby’ Normal sleep time.

[RoyGBiv]

Check handgunlaw.us for the different laws for the states you'll be transiting. Can you carry in a restaurant that serves alcohol? Does a gun mounted somewhere visible violate the rules (like it does in TX)? Does a gunbuster sign have force of law?

Kansas is the land of the minimum 30 knot breeze. Care is required opening car doors while facing downwind, DAMHIK.

[Cypher]

FWIW Colorado does not accept anybody's non-resident permit and if the standard capacity magazine for any of your guns is greater than 15 rounds you might want to load up on magazines before you come to Colorado.

[Wake27]

I'd vote pocket carry. You're unlikely to need to draw from inside the car (and if you do, you'll usually have warning signs leading up to it).

As for the route, I find the back roads more interesting, but with a wife & kid you may want to just get the traveling over with. Still, you might check out roadside america to see if there is anything you want to check out en route.

Pocket carry would give me a similar problem as above. I don't even have a gun that would work for it, much less am proficient with one. Also, while this is all unlikely, with all of our "baggage" we have very limited mobility when outside of the vehicle, which makes me feel like a very soft target. And because I care about that baggage, I want to be very able to defend it.

Shoulder holsters are good for driving, if you can wear it low enough or the pressure on the inside of the arm isn’t uncomfortable.

Climate control is very important for the baby, those seats trap heat. Personally if I could afford it i would drive, and have the wife and kid fly out. Hit that baby with a shot of melatonin pre flight and it should be dramaless. Otherwise I’d start the trip as late at night/early as possible and try to carve out some miles during baby’ Normal sleep time.

Interesting note on the shoulder holster, I'll take a look at that. We hadn't talked about her flying with the baby but we could do it. We're already going to have to keep the car pretty cold because of the dogs though, and we have a few battery powered fans for that but definitely something to consider. If anything, it adds extra reasons to make at least half the trip during the night.

Check handgunlaw.us for the different laws for the states you'll be transiting. Can you carry in a restaurant that serves alcohol? Does a gun mounted somewhere visible violate the rules (like it does in TX)? Does a gunbuster sign have force of law?

Kansas is the land of the minimum 30 knot breeze. Care is required opening car doors while facing downwind, DAMHIK.

Good points. I'd checked carry reciprocity but not the others.

FWIW Colorado does not accept anybody's non-resident permit and if the standard capacity magazine for any of your guns is greater than 15 rounds you might want to load up on magazines before you come to Colorado.

Was tracking the reciprocity, VA seems to be on the list. What do you mean about the mags though? I assumed all mags greater than 15 were banned. Is there a grandfather clause that allows you to own them if you already had them before moving to that state?

[Cypher]

Was tracking the reciprocity, VA seems to be on the list. What do you mean about the mags though? I assumed all mags greater than 15 were banned. Is there a grandfather clause that allows you to own them if you already had them before moving to that state?

Once you become a resident of Colorado your Virginia concealed handgun permit is invalid.

According to the statute if it's legal for you to buy a magazine greater than 15 rounds in Virginia where you're a resident and you purchased it there before you moved to Colorado it's legal you just can't transferr it to another Colorado resident you can give it to a Firearms dealer and they can sell it out of state but you can't give it to another Colorado resident