If you carry a concealed weapon, fashion should be a subject on your mind, especially in winter. There are a number of things to consider and plan for throughout the year, but sorting out your winter wardrobe is the most important. This is a subject that requires experience, planning, and practice. Your carry style will either be dictated by the changing temperatures, or you can compensate for them with your wardrobe choices. I prefer the latter. TEMPERATURE/STYLE VARIATIONS We know that the winter time causes us to need to add layers for comfort and elemental protection, but this is not always the case. Some people may spend only a couple minutes in the freezing cold before immediately going inside to a comfy 70 degrees. Now, if the extra cold weather gear is taken off indoors, you may feel comfortable with having a year around ‘system’ underneath. In my case, I merely wear clothing that keeps me warm for longer, but still affords me the same draw and carry style. This is where the complexity starts showing itself. Whether you intend to dress for short exposures or for long exposures, your wardrobe has to accommodate your method of carry. Some people just decide to ‘make it work’ and carry however they are able to most comfortably at the time. These people may decide to carry in the pocket one day, IWB the next, and OWB the day after. This is flexibility indeed, but not without sacrifice to readiness and technique. If you change your carry style just for convenience, it’s going to get expensive for gear, but also it leaves you less capable of staying proficient for whatever method you are going use next. Many of the best fighters will echo this in telling you that it is best to master a certain style that works for you, but be familiar with others at least on a basic level. Mastery takes nothing less than time to establish, but even more time to maintain it. GARMENT TYPES Hoodie- This light garment is really only good for the early fall, but has been extended for use throughout the year, and even the summer time. You won’t be very comfortable in the cold weather, once it gets down to 20 degrees. But this simple garment is easy to draw from and conceal a compact or full-size pistol.
Dense Jacket- Dense jackets are a great option for a step up from the simple hoodie or light jacket. It may have a thick set of twill as a sort of temperature regulator, but it isn't just for cold weather. This may require you to modify your draw style. It is pretty easy to do, but some people may dislike the need to adjust to a new challenge. Lined- Whether it is fleece, quilted, or flannel lining, I find that lined clothing relieves the burden of needing to add on too many layers in the cold. The only thing that throws a wrench in this idea is if you are dealing with a lot of wind. Other than that, I am just able to throw on a fleece-lined or flannel-lined top or pants, and I am good to go without needing to where any base layer. I do not add any bulk to my usual clothing and I stay warm. It is the best way to adapt for the cold weather. However, this is only good for a few minutes down to about 0 degrees, depending on your cold tolerance. Layered- In the Alaskan winter, you may find yourself out in the elements waiting in -35 degrees for some time. Having a lined shirt on will do little, and you will have little choice but to layer up. This may mean wearing a T-shirt, sweatshirt, and then a Carhart style heavy padded jacket. This can be very cumbersome and bring up questions about how you will carry. Or you could invest in a jacket that is layered with a system of insulators so you only have to put on a single outer garment. For instance, it could be setup with an internal fleece liner, padded mid-layer insulation, and a windproof/waterproof outer shell. All you would need underneath is something like a long sleeve cotton shirt. CARRY POSITION Careful consideration of the details is very important here because this affects time of draw and concealability. Though some people consider appendix to be adequate or even advantageous, this becomes absolutely untrue when you throw on a big coat or a longer lined shirt. Few shirts allow you freedom of movement for the appendix, but rather are flexible enough on the sides to accept a strong side draw. Also consider the fact that big bulky jackets will conceal a full-size pistol much better on your strong side, even when open. GARMENT FEATURES There are a few features that I like to look for in any garment in order to give me maximum confidence that the garment will suit my needs. Fitting- I like to make sure that the garment is not too tight or loose. It needs to be loose enough in the right spots such as around the waist in order to facilitate an easy draw. The wrist cuffs will be an area that you want to either be elastic or able to be buttoned snug. I hate when they slip down and impede my ability to get a good grip. Snag-Free/Relieved- This is a two-part feature for me since it considers the draw. The importance of not having elastic bands or strings hanging from the bottom of your top garment is obviously to prevent snagging on the trigger or gun during drawing and holstering. A relieved garment with V-cuts on the sides tend to really help with moving the garment out of the way so it doesn’t easily snag on my ass or side. Also, I recommend cutting off the strings that adjust your hoodie hood. I have had those things whack me in the eye during draw and fight practice. Appearance- It is important to me that I do not dress like I just walked out of a 5.11 magazine. However, sometimes the best gear for your situation may make you look like the stereotypical tactical dude. I also don’t recommend wearing political clothing either. These are things that lower your profile and also don’t make your life harder when you have to defend yourself in court for using your firearm. STORAGE CAPABILITY This can be quite a touchy subject depending on who you are talking to. Some people feel that you should carry essential items only and learn to live without others. Then there are other people who lecture that you should literally dress around your carry system and if you can't carry four extra mags, a full mass casualty kit, and a ham radio, you are setting yourself up for failure or death. I have been around long enough to know that the people who claim to have a rigid carry system without flexibility tend to actually leave their guns behind often. Eventually they only end up carrying a knife, a smaller gun, and a spare mag. Why? Because that is easy to put on and carry everyday as Joe Shmoe. Personally, I am the type of person who wants to be prepared, but also comfortable. I want the best of comfort, convenience, and preparedness. Depending on the garment types I am having to use, I will be able to increase my preparedness with certain types of gear. For instance, in the summer time with the 24 hour sunlight, my wardrobe rarely accommodates or necessitates more than a small handheld light. The opposite is true in the winter where you are lucky to see 2 hours of sun and 2 hours of twilight. Also, when you add layers, those layers would theoretically hide more gear, or facilitate storing it. However, this just means more things the practice with and memorize the location of stuff. Simplicity is key in my mind. Having the room doesn't always necessitate you using it. PRACTICE ROUTINE How the heck does practice have anything to do with your wardrobe? Simply put, without practicing regularly with these new layers and garments, you won't know what needs to be changed, or if there is anything that actually needs to be changed at all. Plus, the fact is that more layers and bigger layers equals more time on the draw. With practice, you will shorten that time, which should be your ultimate goal since the point of carrying a gun is being ready. You can't claim that you are armed and ready if you can't say that you are 100% sure that you can get to your pistol at any time and any position. i can't tell you how many times I have dressed up for a date or a long event in the winter, practiced for just 2 minutes on my draw, and found that my clothes need to be changed due to printing, obstructed draw, or snagging. It takes very little time. Do your practice from draw to fire with a snap cap in for a few minutes. Once you are super confident that the clothing combination works, then that is an acceptable dress. If not, you reselect from your bat-closet and practice again. This is also why time management and being early is important, just in case of traffic, emergency bathroom breaks, or sorting out your concealed carry fashion. WRAPPING IT UP I know that this blog has revealed how detail-oriented I can be, but it is for good reason. My experience has taught me that I need to carefully consider so many little things and prepare for things ahead of time. Brainstorming, practicing, researching, and getting experience are all essential in finding a winter carry system that fits all three points of comfort, convenience, and preparedness.
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