How to Dress for Concealed Carry

Just as women often have difficulty with concealed carry, men who regularly or from time to time wear formal and business wear have trouble with how to arrange good-looking clothing around a definite bulge of a handgun and holster.

Let’s face it. Not all men can wear holster-forgiving clothes to work. As a matter of fact, a whole range of men including police, security guards, business men, those who travel for companies into dangerous lands, and some American civilians who choose to conceal carry for work, or leisure have the dilemma of concealed carry and what to wear.

The mere fact that it is “concealed carry” means that no one is supposed to see that you are carrying a weapon on your person.

You want to have easy, quick access to your firearm. At the same time, you want it to be discreetly hidden but accessible. This can be a tall order in some clothing.

Any jacket sufficiently long that it will hide a holster works. But, that type of jacket does not always fit social or work occasions.

Let’s take the case of out-of-uniform men. This would include plainclothes police, business men, attorneys, judges, private security guards, those who work in banks and other financial institutions. These people are expected to dress in suits or blazers.

Financial, government, medical, and education institutions prefer that even their security detail and certainly their direct customer relations employees wear professional attire that does not hint of their concealed carry.

Armed civilians do not want to look as if they are armed. In many cases, being obvious about this would be bad for business.

To that end, those who are expected or choose to conceal carry for work or leisure need to choose their firearm with an eye to its being able to be concealed in the clothing they will be wearing.

Next, you need to give the same consideration to your holster and the method of concealed carry you’re going to be using.

Depending on what societal and employer expectations are about attire, you’ll need to choose clothing with an eye to concealed carry. You may even need to discuss your needs with a tailor.

Choosing a Suitable Weapon

You want a handgun that is small and light enough for concealed carry. However, you also want one that will adequately protect you. More on that in future articles.

You also need to consider ammunition. It adds weight and bulk. Again you need to strike a balance between appearance and purpose. A single-stack magazine is twice as easy to conceal as a double-stack.

Considering the importance of concealing your weapon, the safest choices might be low caliber weapon and a single-stack magazine. The fatter and longer the barrel and the grip the harder it will be to hide that bulge.

Of course, there are disadvantages with a smaller grip and single-stack magazine. Your shots are limited. Smaller grip results in larger recoil. Aiming is trickier.

Choosing Attire

There will be limitations on what you can and can’t wear given the occasion, employer or social expectations. Beyond these constraints, the trick is to find a style that accommodates your weapon and holster and a method of concealed carry that best conceals while still giving you immediate and easy access to your weapon.