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I areceived my CHL not long ago and have attempted to carry whenever possible. Restrictions such as work, location and weather have had a large effect on what, when and how I carry. I've found that above all, It's more important to carry the firearm you shoot well and can conceal the best. Its been a merry go round trying to get that worked out since I had purchased a full size for daily carry.......just not a smart thing on my part.

I didn't want to sacrifice caliber, so I went with a 9mm Kahr CW9. I shoot it very well and it's fairly comfortable as far as compacts go. I decided to carry it religiously so in order to do that, I realized there's no magical holster that will work EVERY DAY for concealed carry.

Currently, I've got 6 different carry options for my Kahr CW9:

Maxpedition bag
PROS: You can carry a full size pistol, 4 mags and a box of ammo. Also throw in OC, flashlight, knife and kitchen sink. Plenty of room for tons of stuff and allows you to be free in your movement and is 100% concealable with latching/zipper pockets
CONS: Ok, as soon as I passed up my purse-phobia it was great. Only problem is you're trapped with carrying this bag around and can't exactly take it off and leave it anywhere. Makes draw very slow and carrying "bulky" with this bag bouncing off your hip.

Galco Sky-Ops IWB:
PROS: Extremely concealable. You can tuck your shirt into the holster or wear inder a T-shirt. The hold is low so the grip as slightly above your waistband and is fairly comfortable for all day carry
CONS: No shirt guard in an IWB is slightly uncomfortable sometimes.

Milt Sparks VMII:
PROS: This holster is the ultimate in comfort. Great IWB and holds the pistol perfectly. The shirt guard is a welcome sight and the design of the holster allos the holster to conform to your body making it cozy for all day wear.
CONS: Rides a little higher above the waistband than the Galco and a T-shirt is pupshing it a little for concealment. Might wanna grab a cover shirt for this one.

Galco Belly Band:
PROS: Great for carry no matter what you're wearing! Holds the pistol tight to your side and has a mag and wallet holder. Carry is left or right handed and the adjustable band is very comfortable. A great carry option for those who wear sweatpants or nothing at all.
CONS: Slight bit of roll when seated (might be my gut). The mag pouch is pretty short. Expect to be poked by your mag when seated.

Fanny Pack:
PROS: FAnny pack holster is easily worn and removed if needed. Makes the pistol accessible fairly quickly and can hold additional mags, wallet and others. Very comfortable all day wear
CONS: CAN be bulky depending on what you carry. Obviously a Kahr isn't going to bounce off your rear as much as a 1911 would. Accessing the main area for storage may cause you to "flash".

5.11 Vest:
PROS: Good concealment and easy to wear. Lightweight and lots of pockets for storage.
CONS: Putting in the 5.11 holster, the pistol would pull the vest down, causing it to sag. Not a great cary option in my opinion and in my opinion, a waste of money. Good thing I use it in IDPA..........

For the most part, I've been carrying IWB in the leather holsters. Fortunately, if I ever want to carry I don't have to worry about what I wear. I just change my method of carry. I've found it easier to change HOW I carry, rather than change WHAT I carry. Just makes more sense to me.


...............and that's my two cents.

Nice report age_ranger. Good info.

I'm trying to work out a usable rig for the BHP, but haven't found it yet. Just ordered a small of the back holster from Fist, Inc. and an IWB from 5shotleather. Neither one is here and I can't carry farther than the house anyway yet.

Nice report. I've never been a fan of "off body" forms of carry and the fanny pack thing, ain't gonna happen.

Never tried the SkyOps but if it doesn't have a piece of leather or kydex that will keep the hammer and grip safety from punchering my Michelin then I'll pass on that one too.

Got a belly band around here somewhere and I recall it worked pretty well with a small pistol but it's been many years since I saw it and even if found, I'd probably need help getting it on and then it'd be a safety hazard to anyone within 10ft.

The VMII is great but wish it was canted more.

The holster that goes inside the 5.11 vest is great if you've got a super lightweight gun. My SW 642 rides along in there and doesn't weigh the vest down at all.

I'm wearing a Milt Sparks SSII at 3:30 with a full size 1911 and I'm quite comfortable and a T-shirt hides it easily.
In the summer I use a Blade-Tech kydex copy of the SSII and it works just as well, not as soft as leather but doesn't absorb sweat.

I don't know if you're married but the how and what thing can work in your favor to get more guns into the safe if you can convince the wife that depending on what you're wearing you might need a different gun.

HighVelocity wrote:I don't know if you're married but the how and what thing can work in your favor to get more guns into the safe if you can convince the wife that depending on what you're wearing you might need a different gun.

Hey HV...I see - that's like the old home-project corollary: "Honey, if you want me to fix the _________, I'm going to need a new ___________ from Home Depot."

I am very good at that and have picked up some nice tools over the last 18 years.

Oh yeah, the wheels are turning!

Thanks!

Shaun that is an excellent report. There is a lot of great information here. I am also one who does not like off the body carry. I tried the "fanny pack" one time and got a lot of looks. 400lbs carry a "little purse" well . . .
Thanks

Guess it would have helped if I typed the title correctly to begin with, but the info is what counts, right? I think the VMII would be perfect if it sat slightly lower and did cant forward a bit more. That would be a great change. If printing or flashing weren't an issue, I'd wear OWB all the time. Of course, I'd still attempt to conceal it but it wouldnt' be as much of an issue to make sure it was totally hidden all the time.

age_ranger,
I checked the title & dont find a thing incorrect on it.
grammar is good, everything looks fine to me.

I personaly have 3 main methods of carry, an under arm rig with a glock22 which I wear mainly on the bike and during cold weather when I am wearing a jacket, a thin holster with a subcompact XD9mm which fits in the l/h fromt pocket of my jeans and with my shirt untucked is very well hidden which I wear in warm weather. I just have to make sure my shirt tail stays down, and I also have a fanny pack which I am not fond of that I wear sometimes on long bike trips and also worked well after my knee surgery when the only pants I could get over my bandages had no pockets. The fanny pack has posed problems in some convenience stores when the clerk tried to make me leave it on the counter with them while I got my soda and snack and of course considering it's contents I just went to another store.

glocklvr wrote: The fanny pack has posed problems in some convenience stores when the clerk tried to make me leave it on the counter with them while I got my soda and snack and of course considering it's contents I just went to another store.

Wow! Do they collect the ladies purses at the door? It would be very hard to take someone seriously while telling me that. I am glad you went to another store!
Jason

I haven't looked at the 5.11 vest. Does the 5.11 holster fits inside the vest pocket?

Nice review of a variety of carry methods.
I am not too keen on carry methods that allow the holster to move around,ie fanny pack or bag.

I have a 5.11 & like it for cover. I do not have the velcro holster. The pockets are very heavy & will conceal most anything you put in them.
Weight does make it sag on the side you carry on. Need a counter balance on the other side.

The only thing I use the 5.11 vest for is concealment. I've found a little bit of "stuff" in the pockets makes it easier to sweep the garment over for a nice, fast draw. The holster has proven to be a waste of money but I'm sure I can find a way to sew it into a pair of jeans for a nice hidden holster option.

You might sew, fasten/clip it in the pocket of a heavier jacket or coat for pocket carry.

jbirds1210 wrote:

glocklvr wrote: The fanny pack has posed problems in some convenience stores when the clerk tried to make me leave it on the counter with them while I got my soda and snack and of course considering it's contents I just went to another store.

Wow! Do they collect the ladies purses at the door? It would be very hard to take someone seriously while telling me that. I am glad you went to another store!
Jason

Considering I had my 9mm in that fanny pack I counldn't legaly let it out of my posession plus I hate being treated like a criminal especially when I am spending money at a business