Everyday Carry
By Robb Manning
To Vest, or not to Vest
The concealed carry vest. I’ve heard them referred to as “shoot me first vests.” I don’t know if that’s true or not, but I can tell you one thing for sure – one of the best tools for concealing your handgun, is a good concealed carry vest.
I got mine a couple months ago, and despite my excitement, my wife’s body language – crossed arms, cocked head – as she looked me over and said, “You’re not really wearing that when we’re in public together, are you?” showed that she was less enthused. “It looks like you’re going fly fishing.” OK, so I’m not the most fashionable of people. But that is OK with me.
I use the vest as a sort of “catch-all” in concealing what I’m carrying. If I have on a shirt and I feel like it’s printing, I’ll toss on the vest. If none of my concealed carry shirts are clean, I’ll toss on the vest. If I want to wear a T-shirt around the house, when I go to leave…you got it…I’ll toss on the vest. The vest covers all.
What I like most about it -- a vest allows you to carry a full size handgun, and a large one at that. I carry the full size Glock G20c – the large framed Glock, and the vest makes concealment easy. In an incredible show of coincidence – as I’m writing this I took a break to do a little reading. I’m currently reading the “Gun Digest Book of Glock, 2nd Edition” by Patrick Sweeney. In it he states, “A big gun, with big recoil, the G-20 is suitable for a lot of things, but daily concealed carry probably isn’t one of them.” I’ve been carrying my G20 since I’ve gotten it – approximately 3 weeks ago. And, I can tell you, he’s right for the most part. But if you have on a proper CCW belt, a good holster, then wear a good CCW vest – even big guns like the Glock G20 are no sweat to conceal.
What’s more, the vest is easier to clear if you have to draw. With shirts – depending on the shirt and how you’re carrying – you could have buttons, or have to un-tuck it, or have to pull it up far enough to clear the gun. A good CCW vest is far easier to clear from your draw path. My vest has a zipper, but I use the one strip of Velcro. It’s strong enough to keep the vest closed even in a strong wind. With just that Velcro strip – I find it very easy to clear the vest. With most shirts you’re going to have to clear it with your off-hand by lifting, but with a vest you can clear it with your strong-hand as you reach for the gun.
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| “With a vest you can clear it with your strong-hand as you reach for the gun” | |
As I referenced before, some people say the “shoot me first vest” makes you stand out like a sore thumb, as a gun carrier. In my experience, which I admit is circumstantial; I don’t think that is necessarily true. I’ve been wearing my vest for almost three months now, and as far as I can tell, I haven’t had a second look from anyone. To be honest, I don’t really think anyone outside of Law Enforcement and other concealed carry licensees are going to know the purpose of the vest. As far as bad guys knowing; I don’t think anyone could ever really say bad guys will know what the vest is. How could they? It’s not like a bad guy has ever been asked his opinion on CCW vests. For one, as you walk through the public, you can’t tell from looking at people who the bad guys are, and two, if you could tell, how would you know what they’re thinking as they look at you with your vest on?
The biggest critique I hear people say about the CCW vest is that it looks like you’re going fly fishing, or that you’re a photographer. Honestly, I see that as a perfect opportunity for cover. Stick an “Orvis,” “Canon,” “Nikon,” etc. patch on your vest and no one will know otherwise.
I have a CCW vest made by Woolrich, and I have also gotten to put my hands on one from 5.11. Both are excellent. A quick internet search will point you in the direction of many vests from many manufacturers.
For me, the concealed carry vest is the perfect accompaniment to my CCW rig – it more perfectly conceals what I’m carrying, and more importantly, it allows me to carry a full size handgun.