Fat Guy Concealed Suspenders *Photo Thread*

[SWModel19]

Ok, this thread is in response to this one, where george29 asked me to post pics:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=268253

The reason it is a new thread is to issue this warning:

Ok, so I'm a fat guy, and I ain't sexy. SO, if pics of fat guys annoy you, please no comments. You don't need to read this thread, do you?


My original post in the prior thread read:

I have a double problem. I'm also a big guy, but I cannot wear belts, at least not tight enough to keep a pistol from pulling my pants down.

SO, I invented my own fat-guy concealed carry rig. Buying the materials from strapworks.com, I used a belt that was just a bit too small, closed the gap with 6" of elastic (to make the belt loose). and then sewed shoulder straps onto the back in a criss-cross pattern (ie. the left strap goes over the right shoulder and vice-versa). Then I sewed hard-points onto the belt at 4 and 8 0'Clock that the shoulder straps can go into and be secured. It may seem silly to have the points so close to the back, but the point is to have the suspenders support almost the whole weight of the pistol, and have the belt do basically nothing but hold it next to my body. The elastic is because, as all fat guys know, when you sit down, the belly expands.

I then put a pancake holster so that it sits right on top of the 4 O'Clock hard point.

I put this on over my tidy whiteys, then my trousers on over this (I have button suspenders to hold them up). The pistol rides just under my belt line, as if I had an IWB holster. I then wear an oversized shirt, something along the lines of a Hawaiian shirt.

It conceals well, carry's comfortably, and other than having to pull up the shirt, is easy to draw.

Here are the pics:
The strap you see on the left of this pic goes over my left shoulder and attaches at 8O'Clock on the belt. The strap you see on the right comes over my right shoulder and attaches at 4O'Clock, right under the holster.


This is what the straps look like on the back side of the holster.


Side image of the holster.


The back of the rig. Where the suspenders cross, they're connected with a plastic dohickey.


The rig with "pants." I usually wear casual/dress slacks which are also supported by suspenders.


The rig with pants and shirt. If my shirt tails are long enough, I can wear this over the pants instead of IWB.

The rig under pants and shirt.


The elastic front band that lets my big tummy expand when I sit.

 

[Phaetos]

Nice work. That took some ingenuity to work out and accomplish. Thought about selling these to others yet?

 

[carebear]

That's clever.

How does it do on not following the gun out on the draw?

Is there enough "manliness" on top of the belt to hold it in place so the gun can clear the holster?

 

[Soybomb]

Kinda like a low ride shoulder holster/lifting belt combination. Very creative, nice work.

 

[george29]

OK, I will get my webcam going and show what I did with my suspenders and holster. Good thread.

 

[obxned]

Great solution!

 

[griz]

Good idea. Is it high enough to clear the seat belt buckle when driving?

Thanks from a fellow "full figured" gunney, Griz

 

[SWModel19]

Thought about selling these to others yet?

Thought about it, but it was so easy to do, and requires custom tailoring to the size of your body that I figured pics and a supply list would be better. See below for the supply list.

How does it do on not following the gun out on the draw?

Is there enough "manliness" on top of the belt to hold it in place so the gun can clear the holster?

It stays in place nicely during the draw, and it is quite comfortable. Holstering can require a bit of "aim," but I figured I would only holster at home. If I ever got in a SHTF situation, I would keep it unholstered until the police arrived anyway, and then surrender it. The belt itself is the stiffest stuff strapworks carries and holds up quite well, so far. The shoulder straps hold most of the weight, so the belt shouldn't wear out too quickly. The shoulder straps are made from their "seat belt webbing," so it doesn't stretch and it stays in place.

Is it high enough to clear the seat belt buckle when driving?

Yep. And the shoulder straps are adjustable, which will adjust the height of the holster anywhere between your lower hip and you love handles.


Thanks for all the positive comments. It has served me well for about a month now.

Shopping list - I bought enough to make three rigs, thinking I would have to experiment. I've only made one.

http://www.strapworks.com/Polyester_Webbing_p/sbw112.htm
SBW112B Polyester Seat Belt Webbing 1-1/2" Black
30 Feet
These are the shoulder straps.

http://www.strapworks.com/Elastic_p/e.htm
E Elastic - Black
[Choose Your Elastic Size:1-1/2"] 6 Feet
This is the front section. I only used one foot.

http://www.strapworks.com/Side_Release_Buckles_p/srbsa.htm
SRBSA Single Adjust Side Release Buckles
[Choose a SA Side Release Size:1-1/2" Black] 3 each
These are what the elastic was sewn into.

http://www.strapworks.com/Acetyl_Plastic_Loops_p/pl.htm
PL Acetyl Plastic Loops
[Choose a Nylon Loop Size:1-1/2"]
[Choose a Nylon Loop Color:Black] 6 each
These are the loops at 4 and 8 O'Clock. They're attached to the belt with about an inch or so of the seatbelt strap material.

http://www.strapworks.com/Acetyl_Plastic_Slides_p/ps.htm
PS Acetyl Plastic Slides
[Choose a Nylon Slide Size:1-1/2"]
[Choose a Nylon Slide Color:Black] 9 each
One each of these is used on the shoulder straps after they are fed through the loops on the belt and to adjust the length of the shoulder strap. One is used where they cross on the back (the dohickey I mentioned earlier).

http://www.strapworks.com/Side_Release_Buckle_Straps_p/srbs112h.htm
SRBS112H Side Release Buckle Straps w/ 1-1/2" Heavyweight Polypropylene
[Choose Your HWP Strap Length.:4']
[Choose Your 1-1/2" HWP Color:Black]
[Choose a Side Release Buckle Style:Single Adjust] 3 each
This is the actual belt. I was going to buy raw materials until I realized they had them ready made. It is deliberately too small for me, forcing me to make the elastic thing on the front.

 

[aerod1]

Great idea for those of US who are pleasingly plump and a little hard to please.
Yes, I like beer too.

 

[TCB in TN]

I like it as well, and as I have said for years,


"Do you know how much man you have to be to carry one of these around?"

 

[ilcylic]

Nice work.

It occurs to me (though I have not experimented thus) that if you got a left handed holster and wore it on the right side, the flat side would be out, and it would be even less likely to print. It'd just show up as a big flat thing, instead of having a distinct "gun shaped" outline.

Though, you might run into issues getting your hand on the grip, depending on how the intended "back side" of the holster was made. Might need something custom.

I'm going to be making some carry holsters in the next month. If I come up with something useful, I'll post pics.

 

[Jim March]

Long live experimental homebrew holsters...

I may have gone too far this time .

It works great. It carries my 4.68" tube Ruger New Vaquero (Colt SAA size) 357 high on the strong side, close to the body. Looks decent enough, and wouldn't be too surprising to most folks, but...somebody "in the know" would look twice I think.

Looks pretty standard from side view:

From the front though:

Yeah, that red is the front sight:

Everything that touches the gun is .060" kydex, smooth side. So are the front "lips" each side of the forward opening. The leather plate has two jobs: hide all the ugly kydex underneath, and hold the rig at the appropriate angle. The two forward (oval) conchos are screwed through the leather and outermost layer of kydex "taco fold" forming each lip. The trailing concho is hiding an attachment point between kydex and leather.

The kydex across the body of the gun is actually in two pieces: one fold just covers the barrel and the other starts at the forward part of the triggerguard (lightly grabbing it). The two sections overlap by about 1", and that in turn is what allows all this in the first place. At that 1" section, a total of .125" of kydex is forming a "C" around the gun, gently holding it from behind. And then the two lips (each folded back about an inch) stiffen each front lip to the point where this whole insane concept is practical. The top lip is held together with heavy stitching plus the conchos; the lower lip is held by paracord lacing which also forms the forward belt loop...which can be re-laced and adjusted to any vertical height.

Now to score a couple hundred blanks and head out into the desert, figure out just how fast this bad boy really is...

What else...you might note that the grip frame finish is starting to wear a bit. It's "honest wear" and it doesn't bother me a bit...gives it character .

 

[f4t9r]

cool a big guy like myself likes what you came up with !!!!

 

[SWModel19]

My only suggestion to those who might copy this (and I may do this myself) is to find a heavier belt. I bought the heaviest 1-1/2" Heavyweight Polypropylene that strapworks has, but I've seen some even heavier stuff at the local outdoor shop. If I do a second belt, I will find a heavier material. But so far, so good with the one I have!

 

[lanternlad1]

If you are selling them, I'd like one. I'm tired of always having to wear these damn bib overalls when I want to carry anything heavier than a .380. Kudos on your inventiveness from a fellow fat-ass.

 

[beaucoup ammo]

Compelled to give a thumbs up! Ingenuity is alive and well...very good work.

 

[SWModel19]

If you are selling them, I'd like one.

Thought about it, but it was so easy to do, and requires custom tailoring to the size of your body that I figured pics and a supply list would be better. See below for the supply list.

The custom tailoring is the one issue that keeps me from making and selling them. My 4 O'Clock might not be the same as yours. See post #8 for the supply list.