Concealed Carry in South Florida (and other hot areas)

[The Lone Haranguer]

I've yet to see my first summer over here, but understand they can be quite humid.

 

[Katana8869]

Central Fl here. For everyday low key activities I pocket carry either my S&W 638 or 642. If I decide to carry at the waist, I most often carry either my Ruger SP101 or my Glock 19 IWB under a loose t-shirt.

 

[mrtom762]

You don't mention what kind of gun you have - or are about to get

Im leaning towards a Glock 30 or 23, or perhaps a compact 1911 model.

 

[cleetus03]

I'm in the same boat as the OP, I live in North Florida, and it gets unbearable hot come June-August. I want to basically get the smallest effective gun possible, so that I have no excuse to not carry it 24/7, no matter what attire I have on. Right now it's a tie between a Taurus 85ul or Kel-Tec P11. I usually wear cargo shots with large side pockets that are plenty big to fit a pocket holster in.

 

[Tropical Buzz]

Down here in the tropics, I carry a Glock 25 OWB in a De Santis retention holster under loose shirts. I am looking for an IWB rig for occasional use and I occasionally pocket carry in large cargo pockets (I wear shorts 99% of my waking life). There are some really talented tailors down here too, and just yesterday my wife suggested that I have some shorts made or modified with a concealed holster side pocket. I also have a cheap shoulder rig that I wore only once - way too bulky and uncomfortable.

 

[PcolaDawg]

For the hot months, I pretty much have to pocket carry. Right now, my two pocket carry choices are:

1) Smith & Wesson 642 - I've got this in my pocket right now.

2) Kel-Tec P32 - I can carry this gun in my pocket in any situation at any time.

Have fun with it, and good luck!

 

[CDW4ME]

Hot weather carry: 2 options besides the ever present P3AT in pocket.
With either I wear a loose untucked t-shirt and loose boxers which I pull up between the gun and my skin (would / does look silly, but so what).
-S&W 442 with Barami Hip grip and Tyler T grip, no holster required, wear in typical strong side carry.
-Kahr PM9 / 40 or Glock 27/33 worn in Fist kydex clip on holster just to right of zipper.

 

[gunflask]

i live in broward as well

I can do a glock19 iwb in an uncle mike 15 dollar holster at the 4 or bersa 380 with the same get up and aall I wear are old navy 8 dollar shirts and I'm fine. everyone has their preference thoigh you'll know what works for you

 

[benzuncle]

mrtom762, cargo shorts/pants work great for me here in Central Florida. I use DeSantis Nemesis pocket holsters for my NAA Guardian 380 and my Taurus PT-145. The trick is to make sure the opening for the pocket is cut large enough to extract the firearm easily and deep enough to hide the piece. The outer pocket helps prevent printing. I bought another 4 pair of cargo shorts at K-Mart last Sunday for $10 apiece. (While they weren't made in the USA, they were NOT made in China. That's the best I could do.) I tried them on in the dressing room and made sure the Taurus fit and was easy to pull out. Works for me. I can also use the larger Nemesis to carry my Sig P239.

 

[WRGADog]

My suggestions for FL

are S&W J-frame, mine is a 340PD, 357. Other good options for Florida are the Kahr PM9, or Kahr P380. All are light weight and very easy to conceal. I own all three and carry them in my front pocket with no difficulty whatsoever. Resident of Central FL.

 

[loneviking]

Here's a way to deep conceal a small gun that shouldn't be to warm:

www.deepconceal.com

I just got one of these in and it's a pretty comfortable rig for a small gun. The band is made of industrial cotton instead of nylong, so it's much cooler. The pocket is a bit small for what I have right now, but I know a seamstress that can make a bigger pocket for it.

Another trick is the type of clothes you wear along with your holster.
Guyaberra shirts (AKA 'Mexican Wedding' shirts) are a good choice. The buttons stop at about the level of your naval, and the bottom of the shirt is a square tail. With the buttons stopping where they do, it's easy to pull the bottom of the shirt up and grab an IWB carried gun. Old Cuba was an armed society and somebody was thinking when this shirt was designed.

 

[gpr]

i don't want to sound like a broken record, but, kel tec in the front pocket works for me from church, to the beach ....on the two cold days a year, when i get to wear a jacket, P11 with 12+1 in a shoulder holster...gpr

 

[TheGrim86]

Out of the 3 you're interested in, I have a Glock 23 carried on the hip in a Blackhawk CQC level 2 holster. As long as your shirts aren't skin tight or extremely thin, concealment isn't an issue. Whatever you choose, just don't do like some people and put it under your shirt in your arm pit or something. The great thing about a concealed weapon is the "concealed" part makes it a level 30 holster, being that it's not known that it is there. So if a situation happens in front of you to someone else and you do not look to have a weapon, you may have time to reach in to odd places to find you weapon as you are not seen as an immediate threat. But if the situation is happening TO you, leave the ankle holsters and shoulder rigs at home. (unless you are concealing your shoulder holster with an open jacket.)

 

[Sapper771]

While on a past vacation in Florida I carried my Glock 22 in a Glaco IWB holster. I wore shorts, an undershirt, and a short sleeve button up "tourist" shirt. I didnt have a problem with it. I am glad I had it too , thanks to our willingness to carry our firearms, our car didnt get stolen, and a car thief got a first person lesson in military tactics.

My most recent vacation to Florida I took my Glock 21 SF and my Glock 30 SF. I tried carrying the 21SF, but I guess I am getting old because it didnt feel right. The 30SF was the answer. I dont really like to compromise firepower for comfort, but I am different.
The over shirt is my answer to carrying full size pistols. SHoulder holsters are also a good investment. When I buy polo shirts, I usually get them one size larger and they seem to cover up well. Using these tactics have worked well for me while in hot and humid climates.

 

[-v-]

Kel-Tek or Khar would be your best choices, I think. Plus most short's/pant's pockets tend to be deep enough to easily conceal either one. Shoot what you like best.

 

[ReelFaith]

Ruger LCR in the front pocket

 

[ichi]

smart carry hk psp.it works with lot of guns,but i don't want an AD if im under stress and the barrel is situated right over your crotch( i would not reccomend glocks w/s.c.)

 

[MedWheeler]

Untucked button-front or T-shirt over a IWB holster for me 99 percent of the time. The IWB is worn between the belt and pants, not inside the pants, and contains either a Charter Arm Undercover .38, or a Bersa Thunder .380ACP.
In a pinch, when "beach" attire is the dress code, I'll drop my J-22 or my Grendel P-10 (yes, I have the one that works!) in a pocket.