There are a lot of ways to carry a concealed pistol. Everyone has their favorite pistol and carry holster, and their own reasons for using that holster and weapon. I have had a concealed carry permit for close to twenty years and I have tried a lot of different holsters. Inside The Waistband, Outside The Waistband, Belt holsters, Pocket carry holsters and even a Fanny Pack type holster. (As silly as it sounds, the Fanny Pack Holster was not as bad as it would seem, as long as you didn’t mind wearing a fanny pack)…
Of course the holster you carry and where you carry depends on a lot of things and the biggest factor is usually personal preference. Sometimes you might have to adjust your preference to your situation. I have almost always worked in an office setting so I had a few options. If I wanted to wear a suit jacket all day I could carry almost any holster rig I wanted and not worry about people seeing it. Once in a while I was able to not work in the office and get out where the work happens and depending on the weather, I might have on just a T-shirt and jeans which limited my holster options.
My favorite pistol caliber is .45 ACP. I am not sure when it became my favorite, but I like the idea of that big fat slug heading down range. I qualified with a 9 millimeter in USMC Law Enforcement School but I always come back to the 45. Carrying a full size 45 in a concealed holster usually requires some bulky clothing like a jacket or a sweatshirt. That’s just not an option in 80 plus degree weather. The 45 pistol I bought to carry was a Kimber Ultra Carry. There are plenty of holster options for compact 45s, paddle holsters, IWB holsters, OWB holsters and ankle holsters. They all have their pros and cons, depending on your point of view.
I settled on an ankle holster from a brand name holster company. The main reason I settled for the ankle holster was comfort. I didn’t get poked in the side or back when I got in and out of a truck or piece of equipment (the Bobcat was the worst). I could spend hours sitting on a bull dozer and not have to worry about my pistol poking me the entire time. I know “carrying a gun isn’t supposed to be comfortable, it’s supposed to be comforting” but I still want it to be comfortable.
The ankle holster worked for a while but then even that started to get uncomfortable. The pistol only weighed about 2 pounds loaded, but sometimes it felt like it got heavier and heavier as the day went on. Then I noticed that because the holster wrapped around my leg, it was like wearing a brace all day and my Achilles tendon started hurting. I had look around for another option…
