Packing 101: Outside the Waistband

Gould & Goodrich B802

Many people believe that the only way to carry a pistol is to use a holster designed to be worn inside the waistband of their pants. This method of carry conceals the longest part of the pistol or revolver inside the pants of the carrier, allowing that person to wear a shorter shirt. I used to be of that mindset. I only carried inside the waistband and hardly ever carried outside the waistband.  Many people feel more confident carrying a pistol inside the waistband. I used to be one of them.

I carry a Glock 23 inside the waistband in a Nick Mathews #1 holster. Before that I used a Comp-Tac MTAC. Both are great holsters, and both hide that pistol very well. Recently I started carrying a Smith and Wesson M&P 40 in a Gould & Goodrich B802 thumb-snap pancake holster designed for the Glock 23. The B802 is an outside the waistband holster that carries the pistol in a mid to high ride position with a slight forward cant. I have never considered that holster to be a very concealable design, in fact it sat in my holster bin, only coming out when I was venturing into the woods with my pistol. I still don’t consider that holster to be very “concealable”. The truth is that holster has been getting the job done for a month now. It is not as concealable as my inside the waistband holsters, but I can still hide a full size pistol with it by only using a size large T-Shirt as cover. (I am six foot, two hundred and five pounds)

People will make claims that carrying a pistol inside the waistband is just as comfortable as carrying outside the waistband. I have to disagree. Carrying a pistol inside the waistband is not uncomfortable with a good holster, but there is still a large piece of metal inside your pants. Carrying a pistol outside the waistband is hands down more comfortable.

Carrying outside the waistband will not make you stick out or increase your chances of being “spotted” by a concerned citizen. You are just as likely to be “spotted” carrying inside the waistband as you are outside the waistband. The difference is how you carry yourself. Everyone has seen or been at one point a newbie to carrying a pistol. The newbie is nervous, paranoid, and always fiddling with something on his side. That person will be “spotted”. Being confident in yourself is more important than the design of your holster.

So many people walk and drive on the streets of America face planted into a smartphone that they don’t notice anything going on around them. In the age of smartphones and all sorts of electronic gizmos that people carry with them, slight bulges at the waist area are normal. Your gun bulge is just your work cell phone. Your spare magazine bulge is your personal iPhone. Buy some good leather or kydex, practice with it, be confident and don’t worry about the small things.