Comfortable AIWB

[Clusterfrack]

Do you find wearing an undershirt helps with comfort, draw speed, or (in particular if you are in hot muggy weather) heat management?

If so, what types/brands/fabrics do you suggest?

Great question. As with everything AIWB, my answer is ‘it depends’.

For raw draw speed, and repetitive draw practice without getting a tummy rash, a BJJ rash guard or compression T is my choice.

But, a slippery undershirt makes my pants tend to slip down more, requiring a tighter belt. So, for all-day carry I use either no undershirt in hot weather, a Lycra-cotton blend, or the 32deg Costco shirts mentioned above.

Tighter is better for drawing. Loose undershirts can snag my thumb, or get fouled in my fingers as I draw the gun.

For comfort, it doesn’t matter unless it’s really hot or I’m doing a high output activity. In that case, the 32 deg shirts seem to wick and dry the best.

[Caballoflaco]

Having said that, in the summers, I started using Ex Officio T-shirts, under my armor, and under just about everything else, due to being cooler than Smartwool, and also protecting my uniform shirts from sweat stains.

I live in SE Texas, about 50 miles inland from the Gulf of Texico; the wet, green, humid part of Texas

I’m in central Alabama and I’ve found that no matter how high tech none of the wool blends work as well as synthetics when it starts getting hot and humid. (Side note: this includes wool socks which suck out loud combined with a goretex boots)

Also, due to working outside I don’t worry about an undershirt when it gets hot out because I just sweat through both shirts and two shirts are hotter that’s one. If I was just running errands that were mainly indoors an undershirt wouldn’t be a problem, but I only bother if I’m wearing a button down where fashion dictates it as necessary.

[csheehy]

Excellent, thanks for the tip. I will see if my local Costco has these, and report back later on the one that I ordered from Amazon.

RJ, you won't see them until probably March or so in the stores. They carry long sleeve t-shirts and long under wear by the same manufacturer but it's a totally different knit and/or materials.

From the manufacturer's website:

https://www.32degrees.com/products/m...=3015431323688

Cheaper than Amazon.

[Clusterfrack]

I just swapped guns for today. The p-07 is actually more comfortable and feels lighter.

[dontshakepandas]

RJ, you won't see them until probably March or so in the stores. They carry long sleeve t-shirts and long under wear by the same manufacturer but it's a totally different knit and/or materials.

From the manufacturer's website:

https://www.32degrees.com/products/m...=3015431323688

Cheaper than Amazon.

I didn't know I needed these, but have 4 on the way now.

[RJ]

I didn't know I needed these, but have 4 on the way now.

Holy crap. They’re $4.99 if I’m reading it right? Do these fit true to size? I’m an XL in transition to L.

[csheehy]

Yes, true to size. It's not a compression shirt. I'm about 6'2" and, ahhhhhhhh...225 lbs. I take an XL. and it fits properly. Doesn't hang like a tent, and hangs slightly below the beltline. Won't pull out of your pants when tucked in, absent wrestling an alligator or something.

[Bucky]

I just swapped guns for today. The p-07 is actually more comfortable and feels lighter.

Swapped with the other gun pictured?

[RJ]

Now that I've learned a bit more, and am carrying more sensibly in holsters by either JM CK or Dark Star Gear, I'd like to revisit undershirts, in particular for AIWB. After doing a bit of research this week, I ordered a poly/spandex compression shirt to try from Amazon, which should arrive today:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This shirt arrived. Overall fit is tight/snug but not overly. I wore an XL at 210 lbs but I’m at 187.2 this morning. So they say order one size larger. I ended up ordering an XL figuring it would be ok; it was.

I’ve never been an undershirt guy through 30+ years of corporate suit and tie. So it’s kinda odd to have on.

I did 10 minutes of dry draws with my DSG / G48, timed with my AMG Commander, hitting between 1.6 and 1.8s to a press on a good sight picture to a scaled USPSA A zone at 7 feet (yards). I can see how an undershirt can help avoid rubbing my belly on the master grip. There’s much less rubbing and friction with the undershirt. As I continue to lose weight it should get better.

I think the undershirt will be most useful for me for training / classes with a lot of repetitive draws. I’m not sure I’d wear one this tight every day.

[Clusterfrack]

Swapped with the other gun pictured?

Yes. LCR.