CCW clothing 'tells'

karben17,

Welcome to THR.

May I suggest going here to assist with your holster and concealment questions:

http://www.corneredcat.com/

Steve

My problem is... I walk/stand/sit like a Marine...

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Don't worry. A lot of straight men happen to be effeminate. Just take pride in who you are, even if you weren't man enough for the army.

I have been "made" before, i usually wear either wranglers or carhartt double fronts, this particular time i was in carhartts and a t-shirt, i was washing my hands in a walmart restroom, as the door opened i glanced over to see a gentleman about 50-55 walk through the door and head to the urinal, we caught eye contact and gave a nod, i went back to washing my hands, thats when he spoke up, asked me "Reno or Sparks" I responded with an "excuse me sir" he then said, "you're a cop right?" i said "no sir I'm not" he responded with an "oh, saw part of your holster and thought you were."
On another occasion unfortunately to the mall christmas shopping with my girlfriend, we were eating in the food court and she elbows me in the ribs and gave a head nod to a guy walking by, nothing special pointed this guy out, but the fact that his shirt was up a little bit and you could see his Glock Sub-compact. She said she never noticed that kind of stuff until she started dating me.

Quote:
My problem is... I walk/stand/sit like a Marine...

Don't worry. A lot of straight men happen to be effeminate. Just take pride in who you are, even if you weren't man enough for the army.

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whoa....<taking cover>

Do any of you CCW ers feel or display apprehension when approaching anti-theft detectors at bookstores and libraries?

You know I bet there are a ton of Climbers who have no clue that one of the companies in their support industry has been adopted by the tacticool set.

I think 5.11s are just as likely to make someone think you climb or hike as carry. I have wondered about the knife top thing, though. I always carried a knife cause I couldn't carry a pistol, and I discovered the knife was actually pretty useful.

Almost everything that we consider a dead giveaway of someone carrying, 99.9% of the general population wouldn't notice.

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And it wouldn't matter a bit. The problem is that the 0.1% remaining is usually in the predatory or police segments of society. In the case of the latter, that's a problem where it's illegal to "carry openly" and the cops like to harass people. In the case of the former, it's a problem because they'll know you as a threat and will therefore be gunning for you if they're trying to pull something.

So, best to go unseen.

I always carried a knife cause I couldn't carry a pistol, and I discovered the knife was actually pretty useful.

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So true, I couldn't live without a knife. I use a knife for everything. But I have a lot of friends who carry knives that don't even own a guns. Its not a very good sign. Unless you're in NYC or something.

Actually I have never been concerned if others are packing or not. I know I am and that is all that really matters to me.

Hi Steve (SM),

Thanks very much for the link to www.corneredcat.com. This is the best site devoted to women/gun issues that I've seen! The discussions on holsters, etc. are very useful. Thanks again!

Kim

I usually..

Just pat down everyone I meet.

I only pat down those that appear suspicious. I am very suspicious of attractive young women.

I saw a guy in applebees who had two speedloader pouches on his belt at the 1:00 position. That was kinda a dead giveaway.

Good point. I wonder if my "Celebrate Diversity" shirt gives the game away?

I only pat down those that appear suspicious. I am very suspicious of attractive young women.

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Good plan. It's always the innocent ones that turn out to be guilty.

Dear Geronimo 45,

Did you not read my earlier post? You are a wicked person. Wicked, wicked, wicked.

I don't think I have one specific article of clothing marketed specifically to the gun market. I just wear jeans, a non-tucked t-shirt, carry a Microtech manual folder in the front pocket, and a full sized 1911 in a cheapo IWB and dress-belt style gun belt until I egg Blade-tech enough to make me one with TLR-1 support. I've never had problems carrying a full sized 1911 (5'7" 170lb) but I have been making plans to move over to a subcompact XD40 just for ease of carry on an extended day. A full-sized gets kind of annoying when it's pressed up against you when driving and whatnot.

Do any of you CCW ers feel or display apprehension when approaching anti-theft detectors at bookstores and libraries?

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Those things detect specific RFID tags they put on products. They usually look like stickers with a foil, coil, or similar piece of metal embedded that will set off anti-theft detectors. They can usually be avoided by walking around the furthest one and in/out the door if you were a shoplifter since there is usually a 1-2 foot gap between them and the entrance way; they're more for deterrence than actual usefulness I feel.

Ive never been "made" carrying either IWB (around 2 o'clock) or with my ankle holster. But I would love to be caught by a fellow gun enthusiast- not to neccessarily spark conversation, but simply to correct any of those "errors" or tells I may be unneccessarily displaying. Corrective criticism would be great, in order to avoid either harassment/panic on the part of antis and to avoid detection by BGs.

Certain people carrying those largish-sized leather "Day Planners" set me off.

You just know that there is a Glock 22 in them.

CCW clothing choices

Dress to fit in with the environment you're in, and nobody will know the difference.

Where I live, wearing Royal Robbins or 5.11 pants makes people think you're a hiker or backpacker.

The 5.11 vest with the big pouches on the front for a 30 round M-16 mag do stand out, and I just use mine for practicing from concealment at the range.

If you want a photojournalist type vest that is not as obvious, check out Orvis or Filson or Dulth Trading Company.

This summer I think I'm going to get a Hawaiian type shirt, cut extra long, to help conceal little guns in an IWB holster.

The posters who have made the point that you can sometimes detect a CCW permit holder or off duty cop because they are obviously scanning the environment and have good situational awareness is very true. HOWEVER, many of my co-workers at the PD don't seem to have that much situational awareness when they're on duty

At work i wear a "happy shirt" (my hawaiian's) every friday so there! Nothin wrong w/ wearing a shirt that says "i need more batteries!" hehe

My Leatherman has been a constant companion to me for over 6 years now, i got it as a x-mas present and its what actually got me to start wearing belts... rofl. As a computer tech that thing is the BOMB, knives, screwdrivers, pliers... helps on the farm too 90% of the time until something more is required

Guess it wouldn't be a large leap for me to have a iwb kind of holster, job requires tucked in shirts tho so makes it a bit difficult. The car suffices as an unhappy median. Thankfully Texas passed that law that lets you keep yer gun in your car on company property even if they prohibit it. Prolly still lose my job for helping someone out... but at least i'd have a chance (however small) at helping someone out.

J/Tharg!

rnb65 has a good point

The biggest tell is frequently touching the gun. People who are new to CCW are always afraid their gun is exposed or about to fall out of it's holster, so there is a natural tendency to touch it often. Sometimes it's so subconscious you don't even realize you're doing it, but someone watching with a knowledgeable will spot it in a heartbeat.

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Yup, I was visiting FL and was looking like an LE due to a shirt my LE brother gave me plus a NRA hat, a big guy in street clothes was on the beach, he had a fanny pack on...the beach was a gun free zone...he tapped his fanny pack and looked at me real nervous...I saw him again 20 minutes later, no fanny pack.

I use a retention holster and generally could care less who sees me, I barely conceal as NV is an open carry state

percy

Do any of you CCW ers feel or display apprehension when approaching anti-theft detectors at bookstores and libraries?

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used to, but now that I'm in NV it doesn't.
They never go off anyway.

Now that so many have phones and beepers on their belt, it makes it easier to carry concealed. Hawaiian style shirts are fashionable enough that wearing that cut of shirt and having a bulge at the belt line is just too ubiquitous to draw attention. In colder weather, carrying concealed is too easy to accomplish to bother discussing as a general concern. What colder weather does for me is cause a switch in type of holster.