Warmer weather cover garments.

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eveled

Hawkeye
Joined
Apr 3, 2012
Messages
5,606
The season is changing. Warmer weather makes it harder to conceal a gun.

Dickies has an Eisenhower Jacket. That is unlined. It works very well for me.

What do you all do?
 
Joined
Nov 15, 2005
Messages
10,430
Location
Greenville, SC: USA
I do the fishing vest thing too... my only complaint is who are the idiots in china (I'm sure that's where they are made) thinks we need 18 pockets? I have both a heavy cloth one as well as a mesh one. But you have to find the right kind with the mesh that still has solid cloth at the waste line.

I was at Contender's at one of our Ruger Forum gatherings and he commented on my vest and that it was a sure sign of someone carrying....
 
Last edited:
Joined
Dec 25, 2007
Messages
9,934
Location
missouri
I have one vest that's more of what I'd call a 'waistcoat'. It's fine for spring/fall but too much for summer. My aging (and tattered) Cabela's vest is perfect for warm weather but I simply can't find a replacement like. MO is OC so I just go 'nekked' in really hot weather.
 
Joined
Jan 2, 2005
Messages
3,951
Location
Northern Illinois
During hot weather I mostly wear short sleeve button shirts from L.L. Bean. They are a fairly heavy cotton so even if it is really hot and sweaty weather the shirt doesn't become uncomfortable as would a polyester material shirt. Wearing these shirts untucked with jeans or shorts allows me to easily carry in an OWB holster, or a pocket holster, with nothing showing at all. And wearing an untucked shirt is a lot cooler than having it tucked in. Sometimes I just wear an untucked t-shirt with jeans and shorts, but when I do so I pocket carry exclusively.

FWIW, when I first started carrying concealed many years ago I was pretty obsessed with making sure I did not print or otherwise show that I was carrying a gun. It took me awhile to realize that people do not notice pretty much anything and that they will ignore even obvious printing of a firearm. Either they are so wrapped up in themselves or their cell phones that they don't see the printing, or they just assume it is something big in your pocket or whatever. What really convinced me of people's blindness was an occasion many years ago when I was at lunch with my wife at a restaurant and had to use the restroom. Somehow when I finished using the restroom, my untucked shirt ended up behind my holstered gun on my belt, rather than over it. I essentially was open carrying, something not legal in this state. I returned to my table, finished the meal, we left and walked out to the car, all with my gun fully exposed until just as we reached the car my wife said "Fix your shirt, your gun is showing". I must have walked past 30 to 40 people with the gun in this condition and no one said a word nor apparently called the police or anything else. I learned that I did not have to be so scrupulous about trying not to print.
 

Ka6otm

Blackhawk
Joined
Dec 21, 2002
Messages
753
XL T shirt with lots of pictures on the back as a distraction. Works fine here in Sunny Arizona
 

Mike J

Hunter
Joined
Aug 5, 2007
Messages
4,204
Location
GA
As hot as it gets here I don't usually do anything past a loose fitting t-shirt or polo type shirt. I do have a couple of fishing shirts that are loose fitting & conceal well. Of course carrying at 3:30 to 4:00 just about anything I wear is going to print some if I bend over. I'm really thinking about getting a smaller double stack 9 & going the AIWB route. I've just been putting it off. Trying to get some other things taken care of.
 

diyj98

Single-Sixer
Joined
Jan 26, 2000
Messages
257
Location
WV
According to Mas Ayoob, no one that they can find has been shot wearing one of those vests. I'm looking for one in my size and for a long torso.
I'm not saying to not wear the vest, but I wouldn't put much faith in that Ayoob statistic. I don't they document the clothing of shooting victims where it's easy for Ayoob to access. How many were wearing cowboy boots, how many had NRA hats on, how many had booty shorts, etc. Again, I say wear whatever you want, but it I think he was giving a b.s. statistic.
 

Biggfoot44

Blackhawk
Joined
Sep 6, 2009
Messages
829
A button shirt . with some body to the fabric , and decent shirt tails

Classic Dickies brand work shirts are ideal , but plenty others .

Most " Hawaiian " shirts are made of very thin , supple material . The same thing in medium weight cotton would be good
 
Joined
Nov 15, 2005
Messages
10,430
Location
Greenville, SC: USA
I will point out that last year for a while I was wearing my nice sear sucker (?) short sleeve shirts out of my pants and then one day I tried my dry fire exercise with one of these shirts on and realized I had a problem clearing the holster... you need a much more aggressive move to pull up a shirt than to just flip back a vest to safely clear the holster.....

I'm just saying it is a good idea to check and do some practice with your cover garment.
 

dstegjas

Single-Sixer
Joined
Feb 9, 2008
Messages
198
Location
Ohio
As the weather starts to warm up I usually start wearing an old barn coat. There is no lining in it and it hangs down to about mid thigh. That makes it easy to hide anything I'm carrying. Once it get too warm for the jacket. I'm usually wearing a Dickies long sleeve work shirt with the sleeves rolled up. I order the tall version and don't tuck them in. That takes care of concealing my pistol I wear on the outside of my waistband. If it needs to be more concealed than that. I switch pistols and it goes into the front pocket.
 
Joined
Oct 20, 2022
Messages
714
Location
Oregon
I have found that a Carhartt brand t-shirt is the perfect cover shirt. I buy the heavyweight ones. They are still cool in summer, and come in a wide variety in color. The fabric is thick enough to provide good concealment. But best of all, they were designed for "men of stature"- in other words a 2XL is sized as stated. I have gotten so tired of ordering interesting graphic T's only to find that they are going to this new "unisex" design with a larger neck opening with a thinner collar and sleeves. And that their supposed 2XL is no where close to what it should be. Carhartt still makes a "man's" shirt. And- added bonus- they have pockets!

For dressier occasions, a Hawaiian shirt, a fishing shirt, or a western plaid all work well.
 
Joined
Dec 19, 2001
Messages
10,107
Location
Alaska, Idaho USA
I'm not saying to not wear the vest, but I wouldn't put much faith in that Ayoob statistic. I don't they document the clothing of shooting victims where it's easy for Ayoob to access. How many were wearing cowboy boots, how many had NRA hats on, how many had booty shorts, etc. Again, I say wear whatever you want, but it I think he was giving a b.s. statistic.
That wasn't a statistic. It was an impression. Over the years Mas has made several comments, or statements that he has caught heat on, and challenged, that he is apparently backing away from. If you choose to cling to the one about the vest, that's up to you.
 
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