Skip the handgun holster & use a tactical vest?

[Fun2Shoot]

I saw the term "5.11" on another post and had no idea what it was. Turns out it is a tactical vest:

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/TAC361-41818-2276.html

So here's my question: Could a light weight vest of this sort be a good way to carry all the various tools that us typical CCW types need to properly carry and store our stuff as we venture out into the urban jungle?

I know that when I leave home, my hands and pockets are full and I am NOT going to carry a "man-bag" to consolidate my tools (CCW, cell phone, pepper spray, knife, etc) on my person.

The 5.11 vest looks like a viable alternative to having a handgun, spare mag, tac light, CCW permit etc stuffed all over my regular street clothing. I could just keep it hanging in the closet and just add my CCW to it's hidden compartment and out the door I go, without having to pack-up and unload everytime I run to the store and return home.

Anybody else have the same idea or use "normal clothing type" tactical vest?

 

[Rumble]

The thing is, to me, it would look sort of odd. My goal with CCW is to not look odd. The fewer things that direct attention my way, the better. Now, this vest looks like a godsend in terms of convenience and pocket longevity, because I carry a ton of stuff, and prefer to keep my Batman Factor low.

But still..I guess the upshot is a 5.11 tac vest doesn't strike me as "normal clothing." At the very least, if I saw it, I'd think, "Man, that dude has a lot of junk to haul around. Betcha he carries a gun in there."

 

[Doggy Daddy]

Rumble

prefer to keep my Batman Factor low.

LOL!!!

 

[Rumble]

Thank you, thank you. I'll be here all week.

 

[average_shooter]

I saw the term "5.11" on another post and had no idea what it was. Turns out it is a tactical vest

Actually, it's a whole clothing and equipment line.

http://511tactical.com/

All sorts of stuff. Just a quick purusal I saw some "tactical" clothing that actually resembled "normal" clothing, though the vests kinda stand out to me, too.

 

[budder]

5.11 makes other items, too

Just for your information, 5.11 also makes other items, most notably "tactical" pants and jeans. I'm not a big fan of the style of pants (I think it screams tacticool/police), but the jeans look really interesting for deep concealment of a pocket gun.

Pants
Jeans
Shorts

And there's a whole site of other goods. Though, of everything I've seen, the jeans are the only thing I'd buy from 5.11.

 

[nwilliams]

Personally I'd rather not dress like an African big game hunter

Its really just not me, some people can pull it off and won't get a second glance, especially around where I live. However for me wearing something like that would make me feel too wannabe tactical and thats not my style. I'm sure it would make a good range vest, or for hiking and such, but not for everyday use. I'll stick with concealed holster and dress like I normally do.

 

[TonyB]

I often wear one insteadof a jacket.I ccw my airweight in it too.Especially at this time,I'm recovering from surgery and can't wear anthing but sweatpants,so I ccw w/ the vest...I may not be a fasion plate,but I am armed



Ho Yeah and Rumble:I AM BATMAN (or at least his fat cousin w/ alot of crap in his vest)

 

[Rattlesnake]

Nothing SCREAMS cop like the 5.11 vest and like products. Unless you've got a high speed, low drag high dollar camera with while wearing that vest, bad people are going to pick you out as being armed. My dos pesos.

 

[BRASSM]

Shoot-Me-Vest

Don't they call that a Shoot-Me-Vest. Concealed means just that, concealed. I just dress in normal attire. If I wear a vest it is a plain leather vest that fits over my IWB. If I wear a sports jacket I wear a shoulder holster.

 

[Geronimo45]

"After all these years, I've only found one case of anyone "getting shot first" because they were wearing vests.
It is found in the very first Star Wars movie. The rebel bodyguards of Princess Leia are all wearing a uniform that includes a black vest which looks remarkably like something from Concealed Carry Clothiers. When the Imperial Storm Troopers led by Darth Vader attack their ship, the Storm Troopers blast every rebel so dressed."

- Massad Ayoob

 

[BOOM-BOOM]

WoW... look at me an Urban Rambo..... no Thanks, I'll keeep doing it my way...

 

[ATW525]

I have one of those vests... it serves the purpose on the rare occasions I choose to wear it, but I'm not a big fan. I suppose if you wanted to camoflage it a bit more you could hang some fishing lures off it. Really, though, it's not needed... in my experience very few people outside of gun community associate the vest with concealed carry.

 

[American_Pit_Bull]

Every time I see someone with a photographers vest on I laugh and I ask my wife "I wonder what he is carrying?"

They stand out like a sore thumb to me. Last week I saw a guy checking out at the grocery store with one on and I would bet dollars to donuts that he was carrying.

 

[psychophipps]

I bought myself an OD 5.11 vest here recently and I love the thing. I can just toss all my usual stuff into the various pockets and go without any hassles of bags, multiple things in each pocket of a normal jacket/vest, etc. Everything in the correct location and easy to get to. The document pockets are great and the inside left pocket is the perfect size for a typical soft-back novel. I would, however, advise still having your weapon in a holster and just using the vest to cover them up. The holster pockets (really just document/map pockets with a large velcro backing to attach a velcroed holster) might be a bit floppy with your typical pistol in them.

The only comments I ever get with it are, "How's the fishing?"
Mark(psycho)Phipps( HAHAHA! )

 

[BullfrogKen]

I'm of the opinion that putting a heavy steel object, full of lead, in a vest pocket makes it awfully tough to keep it put. Not to mean it will fall out, but that it won't be conducive to anything resembling a consistent draw stroke.

Any body movement is going to be transferred and magnified by a heavy weighed object placed in a pocket of a garment not form-fitted and without structure.


Those garments aren't clothing in the sense of attire, I see them as a piece of "gear". I wear a vest, but I avoided that look entirely. They look entirely out of place in any circumstance other than outdoor activities, or on an avid photographer.

 

[inkhead]

I'm familar with 5.11 vests, but went with Blackhawk brand. Check out lapolicegear.com, that is where I got mine, and saw lots of others.

I would never recommend wearing a tactical vest outside of a range, or a serious situation involving killing multiple people.

1. Cops see the vest and think you are either LE or ready to go out in a blaze of glory. It takes them about 1 second to shoot first and find out later.

2. They are nice, but the vest are designed for commited people. For example when you are going to put one on your entire outfit generally gets planned around the vest. The straps hook to your belt, and the shirt you wear underneath is equally important.

3. The idea behind vests is for someone who is engaged in combat all day long.

4. It's not a bad idea to have one. I own two of them, both of them I keep with a loaded firearm as wells as multiple clips/rounds of ammo.

5. Putting them on is not a 2 second affair. It can take 5 minutes to put the vest on properly (even after you've made adjustments in advance)

6. After Katrina, and knowing people were told by LE to 'shoot to kill' and that they couldn't come out to protect citizens, I find it important to be ready for all situations. This would have been one where I would have put the vest on in preparation for all day shooting.

7. Walking around in one will get you noticed, while everyone here will debate if it's 'good or bad' attention, I'll leave you with this. I recommend staying invisible. The former director of the CIA mentions this in his biography. He said the reason he was good at his job was because he could walk anywhere and not be remember or even noticed. Be unremarkable, don't give anyone a reason to look at you. I know it might be tempting and yes you feel 'cool' (I'll admit I feel powerful in my vest, and feel like a movie hero), however most girls won't find it sexy for when you happen to have it in the mall ;-) These are not vest you wear under clothes. They are in-your-face tactical gear.

 

[BullfrogKen]

inkhead . . . . you're talking about an entirely different kinda vest, buddy.


Question wasn't about LBE vests. It was about a cover garment vest. Sorry you wasted so much time typing all that out, but its entirely not applicable to this specific discussion.


OK, since I pointed that out, no one else needs to and completely derail the discussion. OK?


Back to the original topic.

 

[TonyB]

In my present situation,I can only wear sweat pants..so if I don't wear a vest I can't carry.I'd rather look like a tactical fisherman,than go un-armed.Plus I wore vests long before I carried.If someone thinks I'm LE,maybe they'll think twice before messing w/ me......I also read the Ayoob comment about the "shoot me first" thing and I agree.
actually w/ all the crap I carry,even if I didn't carry a gun,the vest would still be worn(weather permitting)

 

[Shadan7]

A related option is the Coronado Leather style (there are other brands out there). I have one of the vests and it is about the most comfortable manner of CCW I've ever tried - and, being a stylish leather vest, fits in with a wider variety of dressing styles than the 5.11 stuff. They're not cheap, though.

7

 

[TimboKhan]

I have three main problems with these types of vests:

1. I don't care what anyone says, they are not "stylish" and they stick out like a sore thumb. Maybe it is true that non-gunnies have no idea, but it's not just non-gunnies I am trying to hide my stuff from. Why people think that bad guys don't read the gun magazines is beyond me.

2. The above mentioned aside, I wouldn't mind one for the simple reason that they can haul a lot of crap. Problem? They don't make them in my size (5XXXL)

3. Just make the darn thing a windbreaker so it is actually a useful (and less obvious) garment. I would kill to have a windbreaker with accessible pockets on the inside. If you can get a decent holster in there, so much the better, but I IWB carry anyway. Seriously though, a plain ol' windbreaker would be fantastic and would be something I could use both tactically and practically for a good chunk of the year.

 

[dairycreek]

A previous poster mentioned Coronado Leather as a firm that makes concealed carry clothing. Several years ago I bought a vest (see pic)

from them and have worn it off and on as a concealed carry vest.

Bottom line is that Coronado makes high quality product for which you pay a commensurate price. Does it work? Absolutely! This particular vest (Safari) will carry just about anything one can put into it. Where I live (western Oregon) a vest is not an uncommon piece of clothing so it does not "scream" gun at all. High quality and effective carry mode - recommend it highly.

 

[TimboKhan]

I have to eat some crow and say that I went and looked at 5.11's online catalog, and by god, there was the windbreaker idea. Still, they don't make them in my size....

 

[gfmun]

Besides looking kinda out-of-place in a lot of situations, carrying a loaded handgun inside that hidden pocket thingy is not real comfortable. First you need the hidden holster that fits in there on the velcro stuff and then you find that the whole thing kind of pulls way down....so you need another handgun and holster, etc for the other side to balance it out. And..............if you really, really need to get that handgun....forget it. By the time you get the velcro opened up ( which is very loud ) you really won't need it anymore! Read the forums and check with people who know and get a GOOD IWB holster and forget the vest.

Thanks, George

 

[cosermann]

"Photographer" vests are nice. But, as people have pointed out, since they're not very common fashion-wise they tend to draw attention - just like a fanny pack. Having said that, I have one and they're very handy in certain circumstances but, they're also very heavy when loaded up. There are better options for maintaining a low profile.