As we continue to push for more discreet methods for carrying concealed one often overlooked is being able to tuck your shirt into you pants. This method while very effective is also pretty easy if you choose wisely.
Running the gauntlet
We have had a lot of interest from the casual/business field who are trying to find the best method for carrying concealed while at the workplace. The two major obstacles to overcome is whether it is prohibitive and you are risking your career and your uniform requirement forces you to have less than optimum clothing options. We’ve addressed the first concern and the bottom line is choose wisely and be mindful of the consequences should you be discovered. As far as carrying while in business or casual attire many of the options limit what you can carry and how you can carry.
Casual Friday
You can play with your clothing options, but if the uniform of the day is a suit and tie then you may find it more limiting than you think. If the only break you have from the monkey suit is Casual Friday you still have to deal with khakis and polo’s, but here is the kicker. They are usually tucked in! One of the protocols we encourage students to follow is avoid drawing attention to yourself. If you are the only one who sticks out in the crowd that will draw attention to yourself and the opposite of what you want. Tucked in is how to blend in.
The how and what of things
The how you carry will dictate to some degree the what you carry. There is a consideration of having to downgrade your primary carry platform to a subcompact or mini in order to effectively conceal the platform. While there are methods to carry compact frames such as the Glock 19, you have to keep this in perspective if you effectively try to carry concealed everyday in this “tucked manner” it will become very problematic. The biggest problem is most folks have already thousands of dollars into their wardrobe and trying to shove a compact into your pants and tuck your shirt in adds a bit of girth and the size of your slacks or khakis will probably be a bit tight on you and that will get old…fast.
Finding the balance
The thinner and smaller frames make it more doable without having to invest in a whole new wardrobe or tailoring if possible. I have compromised on magazine capacity to increase my stealth. It’s a trade off for sure, but for consistent carrying it is well worth the effort. The best method I have found to support tucking your shirt into your pants is a “tuckable” clip holster attachment. Here is where I deviate from our standard protocol of two attachment points and “non-clip” as the primary attachment system. I don’t like clips because we see them fail in our classes. However, if we can carry two it makes it a little more secure. The tuckable type clips allow your to slip the platform into your pants and the tuck your shirt between your pants and the clip.
Blending in
The one down side is you are still “printing” you are carrying. The clip is exposed to the public’s scrutiny. What you have to worry about is again drawing attention, which draws more scrutiny; which can lead to discovery. These clips are typically smaller or thinner helping to cut the profile and my advise is wearing a dark colored belt to help conceal the dark colored clip. I would even encourage the holster market to make these tuckable clips in a few other colors such as grey and khaki providing the consumer with a few more options.
Carrying concealed is a constant journey. You will have to diverge outside of the norm to truly find the balance you may need.
