Warren
Member
I've tried many types of carry: Smartcarry, IWB, OWB, shoulder rig, pocket carry and a craptacular fanny pack sold by Uncle Mike's.
None of them worked really well for me, some better, some worse and one just sucked.
Finally I ordered up a pack from http://www.kickinapacksnstuff.com/.
I've lived with the Tommy's Gun Pack for over a week now and while it is not perfect is is a great product.
The strap is wide and distributes the weight of my SIG P220, wallet and phone really well. The buckles are huge and easy to manipulate and for being made out of plastic look real rugged. There are two buckles one for belt strap and one for the gun compartment.
The fabric is tough and and well stiched. The zipper teeth and pulls are impressive. Much better than what you find on a "normal" wasit pack. Even then there is nothing that screams "GUN!" Mine is "mallard green" instead of tac black which helps keep the in in incognito.
It is set up with three pockets:
The front pocket is only half the height of the second pocket but runs the full length of the pack. The second or middle pocket is the same size of the gun pocket and has a good amount of room.
The third pocket is where the gun lives. It has two zippers, a horizontal zip and a vertical. What releases those zippers is when you unclick the gun hand buckle. This frees up the zippers to move out of your way so you can draw.
Note you can unzip the zips whenever you want. And through the top zip you can reach the weapon if you so choose.
The draw:
What I do is unclick the buckle keeping ahold of the female end and pushing my hand forward toward my gun. By pushing forward the zips undo and I can get my hand in the pocket and thence onto the gun. By keeping ahold of the buckle I make sure it stays out of my way. On my first draws I would let the buckle go and sometimes it would flop around a bit and hold me up. This is no longer a problem.
I know there are people who do not like gun packs, but for me this method of carry makes the most sense and is the most comfortable. And it is not "off body" as I never take it off when I am out of my house. Also the "dork" factor is minimized as a wear long shirts that cover both the strap and the pack. So it is not immediately obvious I am wearing a fanny pack.
Other reasons I like it is I can shift sides if I need to. When walking about I keep it on my strong side, when in a car I shift it to crossdraw, and if sitting in a narrow chair (movie theater seat, one of those sadist designed restaurant armchairs) I shift it directly to the front of me.
Also if I'm just standing there I can keep my hand resting on the gun hand buckle. So if the situation is a bit dicey (and for whatever reason I cannot beat feet just yet) I can stand there in a natural pose yet be an instant away from pulling the gun if it is called for. It is also an easy-off system, with the gun out-of-sight at all times in case I am going into a no-gun zone. Which are rare here in California.
The only two negatives for me on this pack are:
The gun pocket could be a bit larger as the rubber grip on my SIG is jammed right up against the vertical zipper and can be hard to close unless I do it just right.
It could also use a dedicated cellphone pocket, but that is a minor quibble.
Note I have no financial interest in this company.
Warren
None of them worked really well for me, some better, some worse and one just sucked.
Finally I ordered up a pack from http://www.kickinapacksnstuff.com/.
I've lived with the Tommy's Gun Pack for over a week now and while it is not perfect is is a great product.
The strap is wide and distributes the weight of my SIG P220, wallet and phone really well. The buckles are huge and easy to manipulate and for being made out of plastic look real rugged. There are two buckles one for belt strap and one for the gun compartment.
The fabric is tough and and well stiched. The zipper teeth and pulls are impressive. Much better than what you find on a "normal" wasit pack. Even then there is nothing that screams "GUN!" Mine is "mallard green" instead of tac black which helps keep the in in incognito.
It is set up with three pockets:
The front pocket is only half the height of the second pocket but runs the full length of the pack. The second or middle pocket is the same size of the gun pocket and has a good amount of room.
The third pocket is where the gun lives. It has two zippers, a horizontal zip and a vertical. What releases those zippers is when you unclick the gun hand buckle. This frees up the zippers to move out of your way so you can draw.
Note you can unzip the zips whenever you want. And through the top zip you can reach the weapon if you so choose.
The draw:
What I do is unclick the buckle keeping ahold of the female end and pushing my hand forward toward my gun. By pushing forward the zips undo and I can get my hand in the pocket and thence onto the gun. By keeping ahold of the buckle I make sure it stays out of my way. On my first draws I would let the buckle go and sometimes it would flop around a bit and hold me up. This is no longer a problem.
I know there are people who do not like gun packs, but for me this method of carry makes the most sense and is the most comfortable. And it is not "off body" as I never take it off when I am out of my house. Also the "dork" factor is minimized as a wear long shirts that cover both the strap and the pack. So it is not immediately obvious I am wearing a fanny pack.
Other reasons I like it is I can shift sides if I need to. When walking about I keep it on my strong side, when in a car I shift it to crossdraw, and if sitting in a narrow chair (movie theater seat, one of those sadist designed restaurant armchairs) I shift it directly to the front of me.
Also if I'm just standing there I can keep my hand resting on the gun hand buckle. So if the situation is a bit dicey (and for whatever reason I cannot beat feet just yet) I can stand there in a natural pose yet be an instant away from pulling the gun if it is called for. It is also an easy-off system, with the gun out-of-sight at all times in case I am going into a no-gun zone. Which are rare here in California.
The only two negatives for me on this pack are:
The gun pocket could be a bit larger as the rubber grip on my SIG is jammed right up against the vertical zipper and can be hard to close unless I do it just right.
It could also use a dedicated cellphone pocket, but that is a minor quibble.
Note I have no financial interest in this company.
Warren
