My favorite concealed carry shirt....

[lemaymiami]

During my years on the street down here in paradise (Miami - where else?) my favorite concealed carry shirt was the guayabera, just one more thing we got from Cuba.... This local interest article in today's Miami Herald is about the premier shop locally that popularized them.

https://www.miamiherald.com/miami-com/miami-com-news/article253740503.html

You really can't beat this style of shirt in hot weather for concealed carry... and if you go one or two sizes larger than normal a vest works well with it... Down here Guayaberas even were accepted in lieu of coat and tie in some venues... I haven't carried a sidearm since I retired out years ago -but you could certainly conceal a variety of weapon sizes with - and they were always much cooler to wear than anything else in summer where our humidity was frequently nearing 100% to go with the almost unbearable heat...

All of this was long before the armed citizen movement and those of us that went armed for work blended in pretty well with all the folks that wore guayaberas routinely... By the way... I never wore the expensive hand-made ones mentioned in the article - down here every big box discount store carried inexpensive simple cotton guayaberas that were perfect for street wear (that you didn't mind getting torn or bloody if necessary...).

 

[rust collector]

I love my guayaberas! They are as comfortable in the heat as a cotton shirt can be, but I have had to order from San Antonio or buy from shops in Mazatlan. They work great for us "dad bod" types, packing or not, and more pockets can't be a bad thing. I will have to check out the store in the article.

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

I have a couple that I picked up along the way. I am also a fan of the Hawaiian style shirt too .

 

[Trey Veston]

When I did a road trip to Arizona and the Mexican border in February, I ordered a couple of them and really liked them. Pretty much what I wear now in the summer unless I'm hiking or doing physical labor.

 

[Ranger Rog]

Here in California the hula shirt seems to be the least conspicuous.....one size up and they are long enough and have enough fullness to hide about any weapon......I'm not thick around the middle so I just kind of look like an old hippie trying to retain the past.....

 

[.38 Special]

Here in California the hula shirt seems to be the least conspicuous.....one size up and they are long enough and have enough fullness to hide about any weapon......I'm not thick around the middle so I just kind of look like an old hippie trying to retain the past.....

Yep. Hawaiian shirts and fishing shirts are the trick in SoCal. They hide the guns, keep the wearer comfortable, and - importantly - don't stand out. The guayabera may be the East coast version. I rarely see them in my neighborhood and while I'm sure they are comfortable and conceal the gun, they might be unusual enough here - at least on a fat white guy - that they'd attract too much attention.

 

[Alte Schule]

My wife and granddaughter actively shop the local thrift stores for deals. Wife recently scored 5 new 100% cotton St. John's Bay (JC Penny) short sleeve dress shirts for $2 each. Soft and comfortable perfect for Texas summertime conceal carry.

 

[CapnMac]

Guyabarra shirts are excellent in hot weather. The square hem means they look neat un-tucked, and you cannot fault the number of pockets, either.

As an aside, the current preferred term is "aloha" for the classic "Hawai'ian" shirt. Be careful getting the ones made in SEA as they run two or three sizes too small. While cotton can breathe better (or wash simpler) do not overlook the classic Rayon shirts as they "hang" so much better, which is very handy for preventing accidental "printing."

For both of those shirts, ordering a "long" is handy for getting longer "tails" on the shirt.

 

[theotherwaldo]

I live in an area with a huge number of Yankee retirees so my Hawaiian shirts blend right in.
Locally, only Hispanic small shop owners wear guayabera shirts.

 

[Ignition Override]

lemaymiami:
Your shirt and S&W 5906 (possibly) were the inspiration for Don Johnson, in Miami Vice?

 

[Pat Riot]

I am overweight. 6’ 270 lbs (gotta work on that) Anyway, I found a store called DXL. They are a big and tall men’s clothing store. They have a great selection of shirts from Aloha wear to tuck free button up shirts that will work wonderfully for concealed carry. They even have shirts that resemble the Guayabera shirts in the OP.

 

[bikerdoc]

I have a few and a bunch of hawiian shirts

 

[mstreddy]

Another fan of the Guayaberas, and the Cubavera's carried by some of the stores down here. My wife will buy me one for birthday or Christmas every so often. And, yes they help conceal well.

 

[jeepnik]

I adopted the Hawaiian shirt long ago. An old white guy in one attracts no attention whatsoever.

 

[Armored farmer]

I bought a few lightweight fishing shirts for my latest trip to South Florida (marco Island).
I like thebig pockets for my cellphone and the concealment of my iwb pistol.

 

[lemaymiami]

For Ignition... officers and plainclothed types down here in paradise were so common in guayaberas years ago that I'm pretty sure their set designers and dressers on Miami Vice had no trouble putting their actors in them... Back then I was carrying an old European model Beretta 92 (a seized weapon converted for City use...). A bit of history... those early Miami Vice episodes (the very first ones...) actually did depict what was really going down in south Florida back then... Once the show got established it turned into the usual entertainment stuff and got a lot less interesting.... I knew many guys that I worked with who picked up a bit of off-duty work when the show was filming in our area.... I'm sure that Miami and Miami Beach got a lot more than we did...

And for anyone else that fishes Marco... I work out of Everglades City / Chokoloskee - as well as Flamingo if you're headed my way... Anyone interested, check out my Instagram site under lemaymiami...

 

[Pistolay]

Baggy colored t-shirts or Hawaiian shirts in the summer, sweatshirts (not hoodies) as soon as the daytime temps go below 70.

 

[CapnMac]

Y'all really are enablers, y'know []
Just bought one of these (like I need another [] )

 

[Roknstevo]

Yep. Hawaiian shirts and fishing shirts are the trick in SoCal. They hide the guns, keep the wearer comfortable, and - importantly - don't stand out. The guayabera may be the East coast version. I rarely see them in my neighborhood and while I'm sure they are comfortable and conceal the gun, they might be unusual enough here - at least on a fat white guy - that they'd attract too much attention.

We well endowed old gentlemen attract attention, anyway....with the crowds of young ladies following wherever we go.......hahahahaha!!!

 

[JR24]

I live in an area with a huge number of Yankee retirees so my Hawaiian shirts blend right in.
Locally, only Hispanic small shop owners wear guayabera shirts.

Locally it's Dickeys or some form of flannel most of the year. I've never seen a Guyabera and rarely see Aloha shirts. Very rarely. And I assume the wearer is probably carrying.

I'm lucky enough to still be able to conceal a Glock 19 just fine under a plain ol t-shirt even though I'm still 15 lbs over where I want my weight to be. Not bad but I'm only half way to there.

 

[Old Dog]

I always wear a Guayabera when smoking a Cuban cigar...


Seriously, though, since I married into a Miami family from a Cuban neighborhood, I've been onboard with the guayabera shirt since forever -- not only do these shirts look totally sharp (for formal or dress-down occasions) they hide one's tactical girth fairly well and conceal even a full-size handgun in a quality pancake or IWB very effectively.

Up here in the PNW, though, the stores call the square-cut (no tails, designed for un-tucked wear) shirts "camp shirts."

 

[Demi-human]

Up here in the PNW, though, the stores call the square-cut (no tails, designed for un-tucked wear) shirts "camp shirts."

In Michigan too. But it sounds so much cooler calling them Guayaberas!
And all my Hawaiian shirts actually come from Hawaii. (At least the tags do…)

 

[lemaymiami]

I’ve lived and worked down here in south Florida for right at fifty years now. I landed here three days after leaving the service (from Da Nang)….

Along with liking Guayaberas I really like Cuban cuisine and always miss it whenever I travel…

 

[CapnMac]

when smoking a Cuban cigar

Well, if one comes into possession of contraband, one must see it properly destroyed []