el_chupo_ wrote:Great topic, with some good insight!
A couple thoughts - regardless of how you feel about him, Nutnfancy has a decent video about a small fanny pack that he uses. He does not carry a gun in it, but the product did not look as cheesy as some of the other fanny pack options I have seen, and with a small pistol, it may still work. Or they may make other sizes. I think its a company that makes hiking/backpacking gear. I also carry in a hydration pack when riding a bike, keeping it right next to my wallet in the front of the pack.
FWIW, when I see a fanny pack, I generally assume gun. Some exceptions based on how the person looks, but that is my general POV...
As to your situation - I put a lot of credence in how one "feels" about a situation, so I wont question that part. But to play the devils advocate - the bus may be more than a couple blocks away, and the gym was the first spot they saw when walking. It may also be parked inside a building. A lot of those party bus type places dont leave stuff outside - too much vandalism temptation. I drive by one of those businesses every day, and they put the limo's and bus in a back lot or inside late each night, bring it back out for advertising during the day. I have also learned through a late teen/early 20s acquaintance, there are lots of young, stupid/thug/odd looking kids working as "promoters" or the like for party companies and clubs. Im talking kids not old enough to get into the Sat. Night party at the clubs due to the age limits, but they still "promote" the place to get in on the "scene" and the 18+ nights on thursday or sunday nights. Seems odd to me, but...
Also, based on your postings, there is rarely "strangers" at your workout time, and for the time being, a small duffle bag with a water bottle, towles, and gun inside may be a viable option for you. IF it were a more busy gym time, or you were around a lot of people, it wouldnt be a good idea, but it may work in your situation.
NutNFancy has some good reviews, although I can't say that I agree with him in all things. Obviously, I bought a Ruger Gunsight Scout despite his negative review of the same. I think that he mostly doesn't get or see the need for the scout rifle concept. That's OK....not everybody is going to agree on all things. He did one review on different "tactical" gloves that I thought was interesting. Anyway, all of that is besides the point.
Regarding fannypacks as a dead giveaway, I honestly don't care what the other person is thinking. Like I said, at my gym, a few guys have glanced at mine, and then made eye contact with me, and no words were exchanged. I'm assuming that
they assumed it contained a gun, and they made eye contact with me to try and judge for themselves if I was someone they should be worried about. I also assume that they decided I was no threat to them. I have no idea if they themselves are CHLs or LEOs—the two categories of people besides criminals who would be most likely to notice something like a fannypack and wonder what's in it. Whatever they were thinking, I don't care, because, since I am generally aware of my surroundings and try to live in Condition Yellow when I am out and about,
I had already appraised
them and viewed
them as no threat to
me.
All I
really care about is whether or not I am in compliance with the law. The fannypack should be regarded with the same attitude as "printing." Other people may have their suspicions about what's in it, but they don't
know what's in it.........just as with that bulge under your jacket.....they may
think they know what it is, or be curious about what it is, but they don't
know what it is....and I can't be bothered about what I think someone else might be thinking because it is not something over which I have any control. For all I know, they may be looking at me and thinking, "boy, that old guy sure is fat." It may have nothing to do with the fannypack. In fact, the fannypack in all likelihood isn't even registering with most people because most people just aren't that observant......just like most people won't even be aware that you are printing, even if it is fairly obvious that there's something under your shirt.
I'm not advocating for fannypacks as a primary means of carrying. There are much better alternatives. All I'm saying is that in the environment of some place like a gym where it is very difficult to go strapped, something like a fannypack is a viable alternative.
When I was living in NYC as a young man, I went drinking in a bar in a really funky part of Harlem with a black friend of mine. He was laughing at me because I was apparently acting a little nervous. He said, "now you know how
I feel when I walk around in white neighborhoods." That's why I speculated in my previous post that perhaps these young men were simply displaying nervousness because they felt like they were outside of their ethnic/economic/racial comfort zones. The OP has asserted that he is pretty sure that this was not the case and that his spidey sense was really tingling. I have to take that at face value because I have no reason to doubt him. All I know is that I learned a lesson from both my friend in NYC, and from having been a white homeowner in an almost entirely black neighborhood, and that is that people sometimes mean no harm, they're just scared; and treating a scared person like a criminal is not a good way to advance the cause of social harmony. So again, I'm not saying the OP was wrong in this case; I'm only saying that if I were in his shoes, taking the things I've mentioned into account would be part of my judging whether I thought the other person was up to no good or not.