Texas Weather and Concealed Carry

[nuparadigm]

Smartcarry and Crossbreed Supertuck http://www.crossbreedholsters.com/contact_us.html are what I used in the Houston area. They both work well for me.

[Doug.38PR]

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I enjoy watching the Concealed Carry videos for my CHL class, but it always seemed like the best concealment they were showing integrated the wearing of a light or heavy jacket, a blazer sport coat, a men's business suit, or a sweatshirt or sweater....all of which we Houstonians can wear comfortably maybe 1-2 weeks out of the year. 

Sir,
Maybe you should take a look at old photographs, news reels, movies from 60-100 years ago or even photos from men 30-40 years ago and you will see men not just in Houston but all over the South wearing everything from a casual sportcoat and tie to a full three piece suit and fedora (even in the days before air condition came along).
I wear a light color and weight sport coat of one kind or another all the time throughout the summer with no problems. I can walk around outside even in a charcol suit and tie on Sunday in 98% Sunny weather for ten minutes to a half an hour sweating very little or not at all.

In our culture of t-shirts, cutoffs/shorts and flip flops, much of this notion that anything more than beachwear is "too hot" or "uncomfortable" I believe is more psychological than reality. We wear the bare minimum to work and "see what we can get away with" to "stay comfortable." People expect to be uncomfortable and hot and miserable.....so they are.

As said, I've never had a problem. But it's certainly not me talking, it's 200 years of Western Civ talking.

Your body get's used to it once you start doing it.

Try wearing a simple nice sport coat and slacks it really isn't as bad as everyone thinks it is. And you can carry anything you want because a sportcoat will pretty much hide anything and it is much easier to get to than an ankle holster, IWB under your shirt or even inside your pocket.

[Snake Doctor]

People expect to be uncomfortable and hot and miserable.....so they are.

Great point, Doug. Whatever your stance on Western Civ + daily attire, however, there are those hot hot hot days in Texas when (if it is appropriate) wearing shorts and a polo/hawaiian shirt/tshirt makes life a whole lot better. On those days, nothing beats a small revolver or a Kel-Tec in the front pocket. Just my $0.02.

[Doug.38PR]

Even on those HOT HOT HOT 100+ degree days I generally wear a sportcoat. Always slacks or jeans and shirt tucked in. Still I am fine. But still, a sportcoat, particularly on a hot hot hot day is not practical for riding a bike or jogging or a church picnic in the park. In which cases, a D frame snubbie in the pocket or ISWB under my shirt is adequate considering the circumstances.

As far as riding my bike goes, I often wear a fanny pack to hold a water bottle or two...and a side zipper specifically mean't to hold a mid frame revolver.
When I don't have the fanny pack, I use and ISWB holster and tuck my shirt in around and over it. The most you can see is the clip under my belt

[nuparadigm]

If "wearing shorts and a polo/hawaiian shirt/tshirt makes life a whole lot better" for many, many people and they actually wear that sort of attire .... then the person who is wearing a tucked-in shirt and a coat is the one who appears to be very out-of-place.

It's a sad fact that many of our Southern social mores have deteriorated far beyond anything with which our ancestors would be comfortable. Ours is, however, a world in which it's not uncommon to see the untucked shirt. I'm fortunate in that I can dress "Mexican business" style for work: a guyabera. When I wear one, I'll use my IWB. Most of the time though I'm in a polo shirt, slacks and either the Crossbreed Supertuck or the Smartcarry holding my weapon.

[boomerang]

I for one am very happy hoop skirts and corsets are out of fashion.

[Doug.38PR]

If "wearing shorts and a polo/hawaiian shirt/tshirt makes life a whole lot better" for many, many people and they actually wear that sort of attire .... then the person who is wearing a tucked-in shirt and a coat is the one who appears to be very out-of-place.

Not really. It just looks a little more polished and professional. It doesn't really look dressy. Although a handful of hicky or ignorant people make a to do about the sportcoat "oh golly, you must be a senator!" or "are you a lawyer?"
It really doesn't look out of place especially on a week(work)day.

On saturdays a sportcoat even looks good wearing blue jeans and poloshirt or a short sleeved plad shirt. Very casual but still conceals well.

I for one am very happy hoop skirts and corsets are out of fashion.

I'm trying to picture a lady walking into work with a hoopskirt on Although I know girls that love wearing hoop skirts for ball reinactments. Look quite beautiful. [/code]

[Xander]

Not really. It just looks a little more polished and professional. It doesn't really look dressy. Although a handful of hicky or ignorant people make a to do about the sportcoat "oh golly, you must be a senator!" or "are you a lawyer?"
It really doesn't look out of place especially on a week(work)day.

LOL....For a counter-point I've been harassed at work for showing up wearing...Shoes. Yes, shoes. I usually wear flip-flops, (as do most of the folks I work with) so the day I showed up in shoes I got to listen to "What, you got an interview or something?" remarks all day long. A suit would be as out of place in my office as it would be on the beach.

[Liberty]

Not really. It just looks a little more polished and professional. It doesn't really look dressy. Although a handful of hicky or ignorant people make a to do about the sportcoat "oh golly, you must be a senator!" or "are you a lawyer?"
It really doesn't look out of place especially on a week(work)day.

LOL....For a counter-point I've been harassed at work for showing up wearing...Shoes. Yes, shoes. I usually wear flip-flops, (as do most of the folks I work with) so the day I showed up in shoes I got to listen to "What, you got an interview or something?" remarks all day long. A suit would be as out of place in my office as it would be on the beach.

All I know if someone comes knocking on my door with a jacket and tie, its not someone I want to talk too.

[Doug.38PR]

Xander,
Man let me guess, you work for Dell. I went up to their tech support office in Austin when a friend of mine worked there, with the exception of my friend and his then roommate every warm body in that building looked like they just fell out of a garbage dumpster out back and got hired. Seems some these days actually go out of their way to be as flippant as possible. It's the 1960s hippie counterculture all over again. It's not just them wanting to do what they feel comfortable doing...but they have to hound you for being different from them in the least "you're the establishment dude."

For myself I've never been one to follow what other people are doing. Since I was 8 years old, I have never liked wearing flip flops sandals or shorts. I used to wear T-Shirts all the time, but stopped about the time I got to college. The only time I wear T shirts now is going swimming, biking or running.
I was taught it important to take a little pride in your appearance. It truely does make a difference to you and to those around you and those you work for and those you are serving. It shows things matter to you. If I could, I would wear at a minimum a tie with my sportcoat if not a full suit to work...but that REALLY would look out of place these days. But you can still look nice and well kempt and not look odd. (does that last sentence sound funny to anyone else?)


I am just about the only guy my age that still comes to church wearing a suit. Everybody else wears polo shirt and slacks at best, flip flops shorts and t shirt and unkempt hair at worst. Now there I do look...I wouldn't say out of place...just exceptional....and DO get guff about it. Of course these same people who give me guff about wearing a suit are the same ones that turn around and preach "oh it doesn't matter what you wear, I gotta be me." If it really doesn't matter as they say, then why do they care what I wear?



Since we are discussing what's out of place and what isn't, casual, formal, counterculture etc., here is an interesting article: http://jobs.aol.com/article/_a/are-you- ... NLprim0001

[Xander]

Xander,
Man let me guess, you work for Dell.

LOL...No, but I do work for a software company, and Dell is one of our clients, so not far off enough to matter.

As I sit and contemplate, I'm thinking that one could turn the subject of individual appearance into a fascinating subject of study for a doctoral degree in psychology.

But, back on subject...I absolutely agree with your original point. You acclimate to the clothes you wear. I hardly ever wore shorts or short sleeved shirts until just a couple of years ago. I thought nothing of running around in the middle of summer in a flannel shirt and jeans, or even driving when my air-conditioning was broken, because that's all I wore. Today, I'd be sweating immediately, but only because I don't dress that way in the summertime anymore. I don't have any doubts that if I wanted to go back to wearing heavier clothing, I'd quickly acclimate to it again.

[Doug.38PR]

I didn't start regularly (except to church) wearing a sportcoat until after I got a CHL. I always kind of liked the idea. But getting a CHL kinda made it a necessity to me.
I got a CHL 3 years ago in late November and regularly wore a windbreaker or jacket as it was at least cool most days. The first time I wore a gun though was on a Sunday afternoon. I still had my suit on and was going to 6:00 service. I put my service 4 inch .38 on 4 o clock on the hip and stopped to get gas. A breeze slightly blew my coat open. I felt all eyes from 5 miles around on me and in the back of my mind instantly heard sirens coming and expected someone somewhere around to scream "OMGsh HE'S GOT A GUN". After a day or so, wearing a gun became as natural as pocketing a cell phone or wallet.
Once summer rolled around, the windbreaker was out. I thought about getting a smaller gun to carry in my pocket....but wanted to carry the larger gun. It was easier to get to on my hip anyway. Sooo, I went down to Dillards and got a few nice and casual sportcoats.

[BadCo45ACP]

On Sundays, I wear my p11 in an OWB w/ a black suit coat. With jeans, I wear the same w/ some type of untucked square cut shirt, or 2x (somtimes 3x) t-shirt. With shorts, I wear my pt111 IWB w/ a 2x (sometimes 3x) t-shirt, sometimes w/ some other collared square cut over shirt unbuttoned. I'm 6-2, 215 and have no problem concealing in any of these manners. I've found that alot of the worries of concealing are due to self conciousness. I have LEO friends and/or aquaintances that know I have a CHL and carry most of the time that assumed I wasn't carrying when dressed in shorts & a T.

[austin]

If I can, I go AIWB aka Mexican Carry with no holster most of the time. Its the fastest draw for me and I don't have to worry about printing.

[nuparadigm]

I haven't had a hickey since I was a teenager .... but I guess that I'm a hicky person.

"Buy the ticket; take the ride" - Hunter S. Thompson.