Holster Concealment
Holster Concealment. On the face of it, it seems simple, but it can actually be one of the harder elements to master of concealed carry. Concealment is a very big deal here.
It’s called “concealed carry” for a reason. Failure to properly conceal can be considered a crime unto itself, depending on the area. Even if it’s not a crime, you can end up causing a ruckus. You can attract official attention. And you can just plain end up making the concealed carry community look bad. We have enough issues with the the populace already. They can be afraid of us simply because we actually chose to take responsibility for ourselves and our loved ones. Lets not give them any reason to think about us any further, especially in a negative light.
The rest of the package
Think hard about the true concealment of your weapon, not only the holster concealment, but also the “rest of the package”. You, how you dress, how you act, even what weapon you pick to carry affects this. Larger weapons are harder to hide, all other things being equal. Plus, how you act is very important as well… the best concealment in the world can be blown by absently putting your hand on your weapon and/or rig to adjust it while waiting in line at the grocery store. Get a good rig that doesn’t need adjustment. Don’t adjust it in public, at least not where people can see it.
Try it on if you can
It’s vital that you try on a holster before you buy it. See if it actually concealed on your body frame. What conceals for your buddy, or the magazine writer that penned that wondrous write up on the XZY 2000 holster, or the mega-sporting goods store clerk, may or may not conceal on you the same way. TRY IT FIRST! If in doubt about how well it conceals, ask a friend, a passerby, the store clerk, find a mirror, whatever. Make sure that it hides properly.
Realistically Hidden
Now, there’s a fine line between “realistically hidden” and “vanished into thin air”. If you can see it, knowing where to look exactly because you just put it there, that doesn’t mean that every person passing by is gonna start bleating “Gun!”. If you can see a small telltale, realize that it’s because you know where to look and why to look. The vast majority of the population doesn’t. However, the fewer tells you can give off, the better. Aim to have fewer tells whenever possible within reason.
Different Situations
Also keep in mind that, unless you wear the same set of clothes all the time, the holster that works so well with what you had on when you tried it on, may or may not work as well with your “Sunday go to meeting” clothes, or your “working on the lawn” clothes, or your “taking the spouse to the grocery store” clothes. I’m sure you get my drift. Not everything works with everything all the time.
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