And here we go again.
1. The Classic Concealed Carry Fishing Vest
The classic concealed carry vest is a classic staple of the old-school concealed carriers. I can’t tell you how many guys I have met over the years at the range who religiously wear their carry vest all the time. Back in the early 2000s, when carrying concealed was relatively new, it was a great way to conceal a medium to large handgun on your body. The concealed carry fishing vest was really a victim of its own success. So many people used them early on that it became the trademark look for someone concealing a firearm.
Concealed Carry Corner: Top 4 Carry Items To Quit Using -The Firearm Blog
I guess I keep repeating till I go facial purple that non-gun people simply do not understand or figure out that a carry vest indicates somebody carrying concealed. That you as a gun person figure it out is irrelevant unless you are an asshole that for shit and giggles are going to call the cops on a fellow gun owner.
And I can repeat myself once again saying I have been using a vest since I started carrying over 2 decades ago without being challenged about it other than asking me if I am going fishing (answer always was “Yes!”) and I usually spent half my hours away from home in rabidly anti-gun Broward County.
But I got the the best way to describe how people truly do not care or notice the carry vest when I moved to Tennessee and saw Open Carry folks mingling around the public and nobody noticed! Somehow the non-gun people that is absent minded enough not to observe a big honking 1911 strapped to the side of a person standing in front of them at the register in the local Kroger’s is gonna is crap a brick if they see you wearing a vest.
And I guess we shall revisit this issue again in the future. Probably after Winter.
Yeah, the vest critique took some flak on the original article too.
In my case I don’t wear them because I don’t wish to be mistaken for John Candy’s ghost going fishing.
LOL!
We have the police dispatchers trained pretty well on how to explain to California Karen that open carry is completely legal.
Two words on vests: Duluth Trading. I’ve been mistaken for a contractor more than once. Some years back a guy at a restaurant asked me if I was hiring.
Been wearing a vest for 25 years, frequently get the “fishing” question/comment. I know what the vest is for, and so do most of the gangbangers, so we both notice vests, but everyone else? Nope.
If the question/comment isn’t about fishing, I’ll pass it off as “lotsa pockets, my wife calls it the man’s version of a purse.” I don’t intend to give up The Vest, those pockets hold all my EDC gear, especially the trauma stuff.
FYI, useful camo for a vests’s true purpose is a folded full color Cabela’s, Bass Pro or Academy Sports ad sticking up out of a side pocket. I always grab some spare ad flyers when I’m in one of those stores.
There is an old Yiddish expression: To the worm in horseradish the world is horseradish.
If you live in the gun community, every vest is a cover garment, because that is your horseradish.
I carry most often in a fanny pack. Other gun guys say the same thing about the fanny pack as the vest.
To the rest of the world, I’m just a nerdy dad with no fashion sense.
To paraphrase Cats: “or would you believe that it mightn’t be both!”
A bad start of a good day going to the range for the monthly IDPA match was forgetting to bring my 511 concealment vest. Then followed by a miraculous save by the Match Director saying it’s too damn hot to wear concealment; no concealment required on any stages.
Head on up to anywhere that is cold in the winter, and cool in the summer, and any number of fleece or soft shell vests are normal. Look around any office, and 30-50% of the people in there are wearing their vests all day.
Will definitely look stupid below the Mason Dixon line, but get closer to the Canadian border and it is quite regular.
I live in 5.11s year round. Long in the cool weather, shorts in the warm weather. The pockets are my “purse”. I typically carry OWB.
I have a Tilley vest for airplane travel, but have not used it for CC. While I frequently OC in warm weather, I have had to adapt and conceal at times. For that, I’ve have gone with a T shirt and open front sport shirt (like the kids wear). It works for me. If I need to dress better, my sport jacket has room for my OWB carry.
If I have to disarm (like at the PCP’s office), I have a small profile IWB holster and my fat just has to make room for a little while. 8>)
No no no, the vest means you are a boomer carrying a gun.
No shade but it is the truth 😛
Pretty much the same reason why i wear a button down shirt all the time even if it doesnt get buttoned.
If you’re concerned about a tell tale vest – get a classic jeans vest with patches of your favorite metal bands 😀