Do vests SCREAM gun?

[ArgentineSteel]

Vests work

I have a nice black concealment vest I wear to church periodicly. I need something that allows polite concealment and doesnt scream GUN! I am not the only person with a black leather vest. It was made by a local manufacturer who I found at a gun show.

 

[jon_in_wv]

I agree with most of the posters here with one exception. While the Safari or Photographer vest are a dead give away (unless your a photogropher or on safari) I will often wear a fleece vest when the weather turns cooler. It lets me carry my winter gun under the vest. I also wear a fleece jacket or vest under my winter coat so I can take my coat off when I'm in a restaurant or other similar places without worrying about my weapon.

 

[Old Dog]

While the Safari or Photographer vest are a dead give away (unless your a photogropher or on safari)

Well, just this morning I wore my off-white Woolrich vest (over a dark blue Nike "Dry-Fit" t-shirt) out on some errands.

At the neighborhood drycleaners, not one of the eight or nine customers in line with me asked me if I was going on safari, where my cameras were, did I work at the zoo, or what type of handgun I was packing.

Although the mall wasn't crowded (it being a Monday morning and having just opened), no crazed gunmen opened fire on me first before taking out any other mall-walkers, nor did I garner any strange looks in Champs Sports, at the watch battery kiosk, Foot Locker, Whistle Workwear, Macy's, J.C. Penney or in the food court (a couple slices of Sbarro's pizza makes a good breakfast).

I returned a couple DVDs to my local Blockbuster, but to be honest, I only spent a few seconds there dropping my movies in the quik-return slot outside ... Still, no strange looks from passers-by or snide remarks regarding my utter lack of fashion sense.

I also wore my light green Columbia vest and my khaki 5.11 vest out and about in Seattle, Tacoma, Gig Harbor, Port Orchard and Bremerton over the past week (although the temps did get in the high 80s a couple days, I steadfastly stuck to my guns (figure of speech) and used my vests to cover my Commander, my SA Loaded and even once ... my Inox 92FS (just because). And a couple of those days, I even wore some cargo pants that could be mistaken for 5.11s and sported my Ray-Ban aviator sunglasses or my Oakley M-frames in an effort to appear even more "gunny" or tactical (though I did discard the idea of wearing my Thunder Ranch or FAS ball-caps, my hair was lookin' too good).

Not once did I ever get the feeling that I was looking out of place, that anyone who may have glanced at me a second time even considered me anything other than another middle-aged white guy who liked having lots of pockets to carry his stuff in.

Let's kill this topic once and for all. Folks, no one out there cares how you dress.

 

[Classified00]

Old Dog has returned from the brink of death to share his wisdom with us .... I, for one, plan to heed it.

 

[Ezekiel]

Folks, no one out there cares how you dress.

Unless it screams gun: as vests, fanny packs and odd bulges do.

"Sorry."

 

[BullfrogKen]

Old Dog,

I've been wearing mine for 4 years now. Not just to Blockbuster, or the mall, or errands around town where I might spend 15 minutes around someone. I wear a vest garment at work, with people I spend 45 hours a week with. No one has asked me if I carry a gun. The guy working right next to me reads gun magazines at lunch. Has never asked me anything at all close to gun talk.

Those thinking maybe they're too polite to ask. . . I recently had to ask a former coworker to come out to my range to help form an environmental stewardship plan for our club. He hunts; he and his coworkers brought bows out during lunch in the fall to practice in a back parking lot. When I called him out to the range, and we talked togther, he never knew. Not even suspected. And he is a shooter.

Old Dog said: Folks, no one out there cares how you dress.

Its true. The only one who thinks a vest "screams" gun, and is looking for who else in the room is armed, is you. If you do happen to come across a similar person, then maybe you'll figure each other out. And, maybe not. But, you just simply aren't going to convince me people go about their lives looking for who they meet are armed.

 

[1911_CQB]

I still wear my 5.11 junk around sometimes, ( hey the polos look nice, fit great, as do the pants and shorts. And the vest i use when hiking, or shooting out on the mountain, plus it doubles as a quick gun cover garment) and ive never felt like people were checking me out.

 

[jon_in_wv]

Old Dog. It's called sarcasm.

 

[SuperNaut]

I see a lot of hip-hop guys wearing vests and cargo pants. So perhaps vest don't scream "gun" so much as "I'm a rapper!"

 

[Deaf Smith]

Here in the hot summer (Texas) yes it screams gun. I find a IWB and a Glock will conceal under a loose t-shirt quite well (and is fast to!)

 

[Jamie C.]

Funny, but I just saw our governor on the TV a few months back, looking over some tornado damage...

He was wearing a cargo vest quite similar to the one I wear almost every day, during warm weather.....

Y'all think he was packin'?

Seriously... around here, nobody pays much attention to vests. Fanny packs and "man purses" might get some strange looks, and possibly a few giggles, but I doubt anybody'll connect any of those items with guns...

But, no matter what people may or may not think, I'll probably keep right on wearing my vests, and my beat-up old Stetson.... Hell, they're both as much "me" as the gun I'm carrying is.


J.C.

 

[another okie]

I like my concealed carry.com vest, though it's a little short for me. (I'm 6'2".) Occasionally people do ask if I'm going fishing, even though the vest has hardly any pockets. When it's cold enough a fleece vest works great. In warm weather an untucked shirt works reasonably well, especially the Cabela's Safari shirt, which is a heavy fabric and comes in tall sizes. If that won't work it's time for ankle or pocket carry.

I just noticed in the new L.L. Bean Travelers' Catalog there is an "explorer vest" that comes in tall sizes. I may need to call them and see how long it actually is. llbean.com/travel Item QR53527

 

[chipp]

Someone said regular poeple don't notice. I think your right.
Its the paranoid psyco and muggers and street wise poeple. (which are the ones you should be worried about) types that notice. if you have a full size auto or a revolver with a six inch barrel and its 90 degrees out, you can bet your a** the bulge is noticable. Try putting on your gun and vest and look into the mirror. if you can see a buldge than anyone else that is interested can see it also. don't forget when you are in public your not going to be standing still.
my buddies and i used to sit and try to pick them out I've seen guys with at leat 3 guns on them.