The weather is warming and soon we’ll lose easy conceal-ability. As we shed layers so too do we shed the clothing that puts the “concealed” in concealed carry. For some this means moving to a smaller gun, but what if you can’t or don’t want to? One positive of the “tacti-cool” wave that hit us a couple of years ago is the advent of shirts that are both acceptable for daily wear and work well to cover up your carry piece. Wanting to identify what makes one better than another Graham Baates tried on shirts from Blackhawk!, MagPul, 5.11, and Vertx while wearing a double-stack handgun outside-the-waistband at the 3’oclock position. This was far from the easiest combination to conceal, but a good way to measure one shirt against another.
You can see the results here:
If these styles aren’t for you worry not, there are other options. Here are the features you should consider:
Patterns break up shapes and distract the eye.
Matte fabrics reflect less light and so do not highlight edges.
The depth of a shirt from front to rear is important: The deeper it is the more naturally the shirt will hang.
Sometimes “tacti-cool” isn’t the answer: It doesn’t have to be from a pro-gun brand.
Look for something similar to what you normally wear in style. It doesn’t work if you have one “I’m carrying” outift.
Graham’s choice from this lineup is from Vertx and can be found here for comparison and consideration.