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Here in Texas hill country, the thermostat seems to have a permanent love affair with triple digits. To avoid doing my Wicked Witch of the West death scream every time I leave air conditioned sanctuary I’ve had to rethink my clothing and carry method. Or not. My RKBA outside-the-waistband holster and Caracal C combo still beats the alternative (pocket carrying a Smith & Wesson 642). At least until I fix my Kahr Arms PM9 (it doesn’t like cycling Hornady Critical Defense) and test-schlep an inside-the-waistband solution. Or check out Adam’s advice to appendix carry a SIG P224. Right after I give up the idea of having more children. And lose ten pounds. I’m not the OFWG I use-ta be, but carry comfort is still as elusive as Texas arm candy. For me. But enough about me, how about you? How do you carry in the summer heat? Do you change guns/holsters?

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117 COMMENTS

  1. Here in the Sacramento valley – I roll remora clipless with an LC9 all year long. It’s pretty comfortable all things considered even when I’m sweating to the 105s.

    • A Glock 23 in a Remora IWB worn at 8:30. Impervious to sweat, and tacky material continues to “stick” to clothing and skin when wet.

    • A word of caution. I got a Remora for my Ruger SR9c and I really find it comfortable and easy to conceal. The caution is to pay attention to the little thingy that ejects your magazine! Because the Remora is so flexible I found that when I wore it behind a very sturdy pistol belt and then accidentally bumped my hip against a hard object it would (sometimes) depress the magazine eject and leave it loose in the well. This presents two problems: 1.) the Ruger SR9c WILL NOT FIRE without a magazine seated in the well, and 2.) When you draw the weapon and point at the target the magazine rather embarrassingly falls straight to the ground and then the pistol fails to fire. Just a word to the wise.

  2. If it’s finicky, ditch the PM9 and replace it with an MK9, all-steel version of same. A bit heavy for pocket carry, but much better for IWB or even OWB under a t-shirt, and it was dead-on reliable.

    • I’ve found the mk9 pretty finicky too. Well past the recommended 200+ round break in it has failed enough to be relegated to range/safe queen status.

    • We have a CW45 that would not run Critical Defense either, nor cone-shaped lead reloads.

      Anything round nosed it will eat just fine.

    • Ain’t nothing beats pocket carry for convenience. I’ve got a .380 pocket pistol, but if you can afford just a little more size you can get vastly more power and still fit it in your pocket. Sig P938 is barely bigger than a Taurus TCP but it’s a 9mm. And the XDS needs slightly big pockets, but it’s a .45 that fits in a pocket.

  3. Here in southern AZ, it’s summer most of the year. I carry a Kahr P380 in a pocket holster, and a backup NAA .22WMR Ranger in another pocket.

    • This is one of the perks of open carry – hot weather doesn’t force you to dump a sound weapon/holster combination.
      Glock and Safariland ALS all year round here in TN. I used to live in San Antonio – summer could be a little harsh, and Texas doesn’t even allow “printing”. The gun has to be totally concealed. Here in TN I rarely “fully” open carry – but I can be fairly lax in my concealment.

      • FYI Texas just fixed the CCW law so that brandishing is defined as intentionally displaying a firearm with the intent to intimidate, harass or generally scare people.

        • Actually they took the scare language out and now it’s just intentionally fail to conceal. And remember not until September 1, 2013. Cheers. And Glock 19 in Desantis Mad Max IWB.

        • Just read up on this. Cops would actually have to prove intent to not conceal. Thats pretty awesome. Though I am still holding out hope for Texas to get licensed open carry in the 3rd special session.

  4. Standard summer wear for me are baggy T-shirts, shorts and flip-flops. One can work up a sweat, and if I use a standard belt holster, that puts my gun against skin. This isn’t all that uncomfortable, but when you take it off at the end of the day, pull the mag and notice that your sweat has gotten inside and left beads of moisture all over the mag, not to mention corroding the nice, shiny copper jacket of the top round into a greenish nasty looking object one might find diving on the Titanic, you start to wonder about the guns internals. So… after a spring job, I changed my tactics.

    I got a carpenter’s web belt from my local Home Depot. Total cost: $2.65. I then used my Galco IWB holster with the high leather flap that fits between skin and gun, and sliding the bottom of the IWB into my shorts (elastic waist), the belt supports both shorts and gun quite nicely. (A few stays are nice, though, if you’re out doing any actual activity, as shorts and belt can part company. Neither will fall, but it feels weird.) The best advantage is that I never need to actually unholster the pistol! You put the holstered gun on when getting dressed and dump it in the safe before bed. Simple. (Make sure to clean it once a week, though. It’s amazing what gunk STILL finds its way into a gun carried daily!)

  5. G19 IWB Galco kydex at 8 o’clock. or if I’m going somewhere that I’d be more comfortable with deep concealment, a soft KNJ IWB.

    I don’t see what the weather has to do with protecting myself.

  6. In the high heat, I pocket carry a PPK/S in a front pocket. It IS doable, and it doesn’t scream “gun” either.

    This gives me more flexibility with lighter weight t-shirts to stay cooler-ish instead of needing a t-shirt under a work shirt.

    I will switch that PPK/S carry to an XD-S when funds allow.

  7. Here in Oklahoma we all carry government model 1911s in plain view because unlike our southern neighbors we have open carry. /snicker

    But in truth during the summer it’s a commander model 1911 while the weather is warm enough for shorts. When the winter rolls back around I’ll probably switch back to my government model but I’m enjoying the balance of the 4.25 inch barrel so I cannot say for sure if I’ll swap them out.

    • Here’s a question for any other Okies who visit this site; has anyone else noticed a change in what is being carried since last November? I’ve seen several people carrying full size pistols either openly or only partially concealed.

  8. Fanny pack and/or that ‘mans purse’ you suggested earlier. The latter, with mods, works great for iPads, wireless keyboards, bottles of water, snacks and other items of use.

    Plus back-ups that I won’t talk about…..

  9. Robert, first the bad news…we’re having a pretty mild summer so far in the Hill Country (I’m just up the road from you in Leander). Seriously. In the summer of 2011 I was glad to be in Iraq because it was cooler than Texas.

    I carry my Glock 30SF pretty much the way I do in the winter. Crossbreed Supertuck IWB in a pair of babby cargo shorts with a loose t-shirt to cover it up. In the winter I normally carry the same way but in jeans with either a tucked dress shirt or tucked long sleeve polo shirt.

  10. I switch to the lc9 in a holstersmith iwb (highly recommended) when it gets to be tshirt weather. P239 in grandfather oak kydex iwb in the winter.

  11. Iwb barsony holster, feg pa-63 in summer. Owb fobus or blackhawk holster with either a 1911 or deagle in winter

    • Its great man, the only way I carry now. A good tuckable holster and a loose pair of shorts go with a t-shirt great. But a tight shirt will always print so I normally wear a large but alot of my carry t-shirts are XL.

  12. I wear shorts and a light t-shirt with NO problems with my Beretta Nano carried IWB. The Remora holster conceals the best, but the Foxx Mini works very well also and I like the kydex/leather style better — just the belt clip will print a bit. If I’m wearing a shirt that is too tight or short to conceal the Nano, I carry my Taurus TCP (review on TTAG here) either IWB in its Sticky Holster or in a front pocket in the same holster. Great either way, just not all of my shorts/pants pockets work well for it. Oh… I do carry it in the cargo pocket of one of my shorts. I like that. It’s like a wallet but just a bit heavier. Only issue with pocket carry for me is that I can’t access the gun quite as quickly as I can when carried IWB.

  13. Found myself needing to carry my Keltec P3AT enough this summer to warrant looking at a different pocket pistol. Purchased a used Kahr PM9 and took it out for the first time yesterday, put about 100 rounds through it… 50 hollowpoints and about 50 of my own FP reloads, which have a propensity to jam occasionally even in my M&P. Flawless performance out of the kahr… was anticipating worse.

    Now I just gotta purchase some Speer 9mm 124gr +p short barrel GoldDot rounds for testing/carry use, sounds like an ideal load for the weapon based on the testing at mousegunaddict. That and a spare recoil assembly to set aside for “carry use”, so I can practice every range trip with it… something I was hesitant to do with the KelTec, due to expense of 380 and a perceived lack of quality. That being said, Keltec just sent me out a new set of recoil springs 7 years after my purchase, no questions asked… gotta give them credit for that.

    • Same here, except I carry a 442 Pro (unlike the 442 but like the 642, it has a stainless steel cylinder vs. carbon steel, although like the 442 the cylinder is of course also black).

      Five-for-[almost]-sure and never ever having to worry about printing or an accidental gun reveal or sweatyness or discomfort like I’d have to with IWB/OWB for the win.

  14. Sometimes I say “screw it” and carry openly. If I feel compelled to conceal, I carry on my hip under a thin and loose-fitting button shirt with a collar and a flat hem at the bottom. Such a shirt is designed to NOT be tucked in your pants and looks fairly nice in such a manner.

    Here is a huge concealing tip. Use a thin/pliable outside the waistband holster and put your belt outside the holster. In other words sandwich the holster (with your handgun) between your pants and belt. When you do this, only the topmost part of your handgun could ever contact your skin in your midsection and yet your belt holds your handgun in tight like an inside the waistband holster. (This minimizes contact between your gun and your sweaty skin!) If you have never done this, try it. It works amazingly well.

    If you don’t have such a holster and want to test this method, unload your handgun (the chamber as well as the magazine) and try simply placing it between your pants and your belt and see how well it disappears under a shirt.

    • I wonder if my CB supertuck will fit between the belt loops when on the outside. If you’re not hiding an IWB works just fine as an OWB. US, Excelent idea

      • I have one or two pants or shorts where one of the belt loops gets in the way. I simply omit that belt loop when I wear those pants or shorts. I have never had any trouble.

        If you tuck your shirt in, then obviously you are carrying openly. If you untuck a nice button-up shirt with a collar, you still look nice and are completely concealed.

  15. At work when possible…Ross leather ankle holster, Rossi .38 snubbie and long pants. I don’t wear shorts at work. Outside work owb 5″ 1911 under an XL t-shirt. If it prints it doesn’t matter because I live and work in mostly gun friendly, free states(IN,KY) with reciprocity of my CCP.

  16. The same way I do all year in TX, with a t-shirt on wearing my xd .40 subcompact with the full size 12 rnd mag. Appendix carry is the only way I do it however, just got a new crossbreed holster and its very comfortable but prints a whole lot more than my tiny little blackhawk belt clip. My wife is much happier that I dont ask her if im printing when we go places also.

  17. Glock 23 in a Desantis Speed Scabbard (leather, OWB, pancake) at 3:30-4:00, tank top tucked in, t-shirt over the gun. Sometimes I OC with the same method but it looks tacky with the shirt bunched up because the gun/holster hug me pretty well.

    • Nice.

      Check out Underwood Ammo if you want some serious zing for that .40. My 23 loves the 165 grain +P bonded.

      • Thanks for the reccomendation. If I can find any, Ill give it a try. Im carrying Critical Duty right now but most Of what I can find at this point is Winchester WB JHP.

  18. Cargo shorts and t-shirt under camp shirt or a short-sleeve casual collared shirt, with either a standard-size M&P 9mm in OWB carry with 2 reloads or a Walther PPS carried in an IWB holster. With either set-up I look like every other western WA guy.

  19. Concealed Carry
    Spring S&W Sheild/Comp-Tac IWB Infidel 3:00-4:00
    Summer ”
    Fall ”
    Winter

    Camping:
    Open Carry /No cover shirt
    XD-40 Crossbreed Super Tuck 4:00
    Even though the Super Tuck is IWB, it is way more comfy with all that contact area than a OWB hanging on a belt. Looks more Detectivie.

  20. I also live in Austin and would not be considered “thin”. I find IWB to be the only viable way to carry in the summer given the way I typically dress.

    I carry an M&P 9c quite comfortably in a CBST. Honestly, I carried a full size M&P for about a year this way and it is just as comfortable to carry. I switched to the compact not for reasons of comfort but because it is a lot easier to conceal.

    • Same. I bought my CBST for my fullsize M&P9 but the grip was a pain to conceal no matter where I put it or how I canted it. The M&P9c on the other hand is super comfortable to carry and conceals with ease.

  21. Off duty I switch between Glock 23, Glock 27, or Smith 340 PD in olde school Aker leather OWB pancake holsters in the 8′ o clock position. If its really hot, the lightweight .357 doesn’t weigh down shorts and flip flops. If I going to anything in the vicinity of a bad area, the 23 or 27. With reloads.

  22. M&P shield 9mm in Comp-Tac Minotaur IWB. The Glock 19 fits the same rig but I’ve kept it in it’s Galco summer comfort rig. I find in t-shirts I’m more comfortable with the Shield not “printing” but I’m convinced nobody notices either one.

  23. In the summer, I carry a sub-compact, Israeli-style, in a belly band. It allows me to wear summer clothes and carry. Yes, it is a compromise, but that way I make sure that I carry ENDO.

  24. Walther PPS in an IWB holster. Cargo shorts, tucked in t-shirt, decent (dare I say “hip”) button down. My parents say I’ve started to dress nicer since I’ve started to carry.

    Contemplating appendix carrying a G19, though… We’ll see. Gotta get a good holster for that one.

  25. Hawaiian shirts: fashion for middle-aged men. Hides my commander-sized 1911 or my Sig P228 easily. When wearing shorts and a tank top, I pocket carry my .380.

  26. As a fellow Austin resident I can tell you that you’ll never get used to July, August, and early September. It’s the other 9.5 months you’ll love.

    I don’t change up my carry method with the weather. In fact you’ll usually find me sporting shorts 365 days a year. If it’s cold out, I throw on a sweater and/or jacket. The only time I’ll pull on a pair of long pants is for church or when meeting clients. Long pants are so pre-climate change.

    I rotate between between two carry guns depending on my mood. Either my HK2000sk 9mm or my HK45C. Despite their differences, they both fit in the same Stickyâ„¢ holster. I carry IWB canted, between 4 and 5 o’clock. It doesn’t shift around and I find it to be fairly comfortable.

    As for sizing clothes. There’s enough room in the waist band, but nothing that puts my shorts in the baggy category. I’ve yet have anyone tell me I’m printing. An untucked black t-shirt or patterned button up shirt works to hide the grip above the waist band.

    Find something that works year round for you and stop agonizing.

  27. since I am relatively new to this whole CCW business, I’ve been pretty much pocket carrying everything unless I go into the office. Now that I have some pretty good IWB holsters, I’m doing more of that, but summer or winter hasn’t really mattered to me up till now.

  28. same as the the winter only my XDS .45 is open carry in a custom OWB and either a bodyguard 380 or NAA .22mag in my pocket. depends on if I’m going to town or working around where there are snakes of the no legged kind.

  29. Just upgraded from a Keltec P11 to a S&W Shield 9. Have a cheap Uncle Mike’s neoprene IWB holster I’ve used for years with the Keltec, S&W J-frame .38, and now the Shield. In AL so printing isn’t a huge deal here but it looks like I have a cell phone in a belt clip or something under a thin shirt (Under Armour charged cotton Ts mainly, most comfortable shirt made)

    I have a Crossbreed Supertuck for my CZ P-07 and need to order a Minituck for the Shield; great holster.

  30. Good thing you don’t have the East Texas humidity. I use a Bullard ‘Body Guard’ for a G26. Wear a Hawaii cut shirt with the tail out…
    Everywhere…
    Including church…
    And Work.

  31. I carry in Texas heat. 3x shirt (I normally wear 2x if I wasn’t carrying), baggy khaki pants, A Glock 20 on my right, a FNX .45 on my left, and a Taurus TCP pocket pistol as my SRO (sitting room only) backup.Of course backup magazines in my other spacious pockets. And no, I’m not joking.

    I stay about as cool as anyone else. Plenty of air flow amongst the bagginess of shirt and pants. The only discomfort I have is that if I put on my holsters wrong they will jut into meat. O and if my magazines shift before I sit. Both easily remedied.

    I have hybrid holsters, but soon as I get my paycheck I’m gonna try kydex only holsters. Leather has a way of getting funky and messing with my skin.

    If I’m gonna be super active I carry my P-07 or Taurus Judge/TCP. That or tighten my belt with regular equipment and say FIDO.

  32. I don’t usually have a problem carrying my Glock or HK USP Compact in any temperature but when it gets oppressively hot and humid I’ll carry either a Sig P938 or a Springfield XDS .45 in a White Hat IWB holster. Then printing isn’t as much an issue with the thinnest of tee shirts.

    • “…Sig P938 or a Springfield XDS .45…”

      Envy. Want both of those. Have neither. All extra money currently going to home improvement.

  33. Winter -G19 or G26 IWB Desantis, if its cold enough for a jacket, OWB Fobus Holster w/ Sig 228
    Summer – PF9 pocket carry w/Desantis Nemisis Pocket Holster or IWB Desantis for work/going out.

    I need to find a way to carry comfortably when out running though, I usually run 25-30 miles per week and feel naked on 10 mile runs without protection…

  34. G17 or Sig C3 in Incog AIWB for typical EDC, winter or summer.

    G26 in Raven OWB at 4:00 if I’m going to be working outside much (St. Louis summer + AIWB = sweaty gentleman’s sausage)

    Kahr CM9 or S&W PC327 in front right pocket gym shorts carry. Although the 8-shot .357 is somewhat obvious.

    • You 1911 guys are crazy 🙂 I suppose I am a creature of comfort. If I had to carry a 1911 I’d need a thigh rig. I won’t even carry my CZ-75b…drags my pants down too much. I’m sure if God intended for me to carry a 1911 he’d have made me with an ass that can hold up pants.

  35. Sig Ultra 1911 + Galco KingTuk at 3:30 or a LC9 + Comp-Tac Two O’Clock or CrossBreed MiniTuck. I’ve even used the SmartCarry holster without a shirt.

  36. Well in summer I can ditch the chest rig under the parka I use in winter, and go back to having my full sized 1911 in a Blackhawk! SERPA out side the waist paddle holster, concealed by a loose fitting polo shirt and leather jacket. On very hot days, like above 60 degrees, I ditch the jacket and cool off by wearing shorts instead of long pants.
    Backup gun is usually a weak side carried pocket pistol (.380) in a fully enclosing pocket holster- I know some people think its redundant for pocket carry but I want nothing near the trigger till I choose to make it go bang.

    Honistly for me winter carry is harder. I went with an “Alaskan Guide” chest holster for winter that I can slip off when ill be inside for long periods of time. The reason is, at -50F I want my all metal fraimed gun well insulated from the cold, and with my winter gear it would take a good 10 to 15 seconds to draw from a hip holster, inside or outside waistband. Whereas, with a chest rig I just unzip three or so inches of my parka with my weak hand and draw with strong hand… An the gun doesn’t give me contact frostbite.

    Backup in winter is that same .380 in a pocket- usually one I can get to with or without parka.

    And as always, a critter gun (12ga w/slugs or better) is in the trunk of the car if I break down on the way to the next nearest city (75 miles)

  37. while I live on NH, we’ve had some consistent temps in the 90’s. I routinely carry wearing an untucked Polo type shirt. I carry a G26 in a Crossbreed Supertuck with a spare G19 mag (with A&G adapter) on the off-side. No problems.

  38. On a related note, which the hornady critical defense reminded me of, test your ammunition. Many of us may be inclined to always practice with cheap ammunition and save our pricey stuff for our carry ammo. This is a horrible idea. I had a box of hornady critical defense, and when I finally bothered to shoot one after a year, came up with 9 failure to fires in a row. Do bear in mind that this is not a rebuke of hornady, but rather a reminder to test a few rounds out of each box. It was just a bad lot with bad primers. My rule now is to shoot a fifth of every box. In the unlikely event that you actually need to use your carry weapon, going click, rack, click, etc. is not so great a situation to be in.

  39. A Colt New Agent in a snap on OWB holster takes care of me year round in Phoenix. I work in a casual office and my relatives and friends long ago realized the only time I will tuck a shirt in is when they bury me in it. If I am going somewhere less gun friendly a J frame or my XDS ride in my front pocket.

  40. Here in Phoenix I vary between a g-19, P228, or a USP compact in a Sparks VM-2, with a x-large Hawaiian shirt all summer….till it drops below 80 and I can wear a jacket.

  41. Here in Phoenix, a Glock 20 in a Glock Tech MIC at about 2:45 with a t-shirt and shorts. The gun goes against all that is holy for concealed carry but it works for me.

  42. Tagua holster that can be iwb or owb though always iwb with an M&P 9c. Comfy as can be. The clip on the Tagus is an EFFING bear though. Kind of a pita to put on the belt. But that means its not king anywhere.

  43. Small gun (PF-9 size), dark T-shirt, IWB, canted position at 3:30, makes a very good conceal in my experience.

  44. Since it is still illegal, officially I do not conceal carry at all. Unofficially, if I could conceal, perhaps when I have to go into the city, it would be a Ruger LCP in a desantis pocket holster. Mind you this is all conjecture at this time since I still have at least nine months before this state of mine will issue it’s first ccw license.

  45. Hey RF,
    I love my Kahr PM9 but started out with FTF issues when I first got it. I worked with Kahr on it including them sending a new spring. In the end I polished the feed ramp and ditching the 7rnd mags for 6 rnd mags. (something to do with the leverage I was putting on the extended portion with little finger). I was disappointed to have to have jump through those hoops with a new gun and factory mags but in the end I am very happy with it and how it shoots and feel it was worth it. I can forward you my correspondence with KAHR if you wish.
    Back on topic, the PM 9 disappears in a pocket holser but my favorite is this universal inside the waist holster. http://www.gunnersecurity.com/shop/ccw-in-the-pants-belt-holster/

    It fits my Glock 26, 19 and PM9 fine. I have even carried a PM9 in a shorts and t-shirt in the summer in Austin.

  46. I’m in the same area, and I’ve been carrying under a lightweight vest. It’s hardly the ideal solution, but as Texas explicitly disallows open carry and I’m too skinny to carry under an untucked shirt without really obvious printing, it’s what I’m stuck with.

  47. Where are my women at?! 🙂

    As a woman, I find CC challenging during anytime of the year, but Summer is really hard. I live in a state with new, super restrictive gun laws. Mag caps, the whole deal. We can open carry but it’s not worth the headache. CC for me is especially hard b/c of women’s fashion. I tend to wear fairly fitted clothing. My biggest issue is dealing with the weight of a loaded firearm. Fitted, lightweight women’s clothing does not usually have belt loops. I’m tall and on the slim side. I carry appendix b/c it conceals really well and it’s awfully hard for anyone to get anywhere near it without me knowing. I’m a single mom and have my 2 little girls with me almost all the time. IMO, I have a lot to protect. Before our new law, I never left the house with anything less than 10 rounds (easier to CC) in my firearm and a 17 round backup mag.

    These are my current hot weather options:

    Jean or cargo shorts with beltloops: Gunbelt and my Ruger SR9c in a Desantis Insider in the appendix position. This is my favorite way to carry. Even with very tight jean shorts and a fitted tank top, even my gun buddies never realize I am carrying. It is the easiest and holds the firearm very securely but is the most uncomfortable in hot weather.

    Skirt with no waist band: My Ruger SR9c in a SmartCarry holster. (This is fairly comfortable. But. It rides really low, so I can ONLY wear it with a skirt b/c the barrel rides lower than the crotch of any pants or shorts I own. And, IMHO, you must do a LOT of unloaded drawing practice at home. I have to pull up my shirt, pull down the waistband and then draw. That’s a lot of planning. Pro’s: even my hardcore EDC male gun buddies never know that I’m carrying. And that, again, is me wearing a stretchy fitted tennis skirt and a fitted tank top.

    Hottest possible weather here (high 90’s with 90%+ humidity), skirt with no waistband, but has to at least have a draw string: My Ruger LCP in a Betty IWB kydex holster. That set up disappears under anything. I rarely go this way b/c of the limited stopping power of a .380 and the small mag capacity.

    Home carry, shorts with belt loops: My Glock 17 in my DSG Alpha OWB. *sigh* what a pleasure to carry this way. Or if I’m in a really good mood, I’ll clip a Magpul MS3 sling on my AR and throw it over my shoulder.

    Hope this helps some other gun girls! 🙂

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