5.11 Holster Shirt

[NcongruNt]

So I made a trip over to GT Distributors today and bought a 5.11 Holster Shirt today. So far I am satisfied. It will actually hold my Hi-Power and conceal it sufficiently underneath a dress shirt. I imagine a 1911 would conceal even better with its thinner grip. My PA-63 simply disappears into it. It is very comfortable, and the terrycloth cushioning is more than sufficient to keep the gun from digging into your side.

Here are pictures me and mine under a dress shirt:

[locknload]

Does it come in pink?

Seriously, I like it, but it would only work in the winter here, because you'd die wearing a terry cloth undershirt in the Texas heat!

It is a great sign that mfg.'s are thinking out of the box about different ways to carry. That's a good thing!

[NcongruNt]

Does it come in pink?

Seriously, I like it, but it would only work in the winter here, because you'd die wearing a terry cloth undershirt in the Texas heat!

It is a great sign that mfg.'s are thinking out of the box about different ways to carry. That's a good thing!

No, just black or white.

It's not completely lined with terrycloth, only on the inside of the pockets to cushion your gun/mags. Just the two patches of terrycloth underneath each arm. The rest is a breathable polyester/spandex, similar to an UnderArmor shirt.

[locknload]

Good deal. Now, if it will fit the female figure ............

[k6gixx]

Maybe this is an oversight but...........where is your booger hook at in the pic???

[NcongruNt]

Maybe this is an oversight but...........where is your booger hook at in the pic???

I can assure you, it is not on the bang switch. The angles in the photo just make it appear that way. My index finger is considerably shorter than my middle finger - if it were inside the trigger guard, the bent index finger would appear shorter than the bent middle finger wrapped around the grip. It is straight and extended over the trigger guard.

[Rokyudai]

NcongruNt,

In your experience, do they run large, small, or fairly comparable to tshirt sizes?

[CodeJockey]

That looks pretty cool. I've seen those but they seem outrageously expensive. Do you mind telling me where you got it from, and if you thought it was worth the money?

[fenster]

alright, N,
what's the 1 week review?

I was thinking of getting one of those 511 shirts to wear while I mountain bike. in cooler weather, I wear a Kangaroo holster under a vest. works pretty good, nice and secure as I bounce over roots and rocks. with the warm weather cant wear the vest anymore. my shorts have a built-in belt and I tried my IWB. it's ok, but the posture while riding makes the grip hang way out, and prone to show if my shirt rides up any at all.

think that shirt will keep my piece secure in vigorous activity? is it hot to wear?


on an unrelated note, we're about due for another 3-man austin get together at lonestar. I just picked up .22 soda-can-killer and a brick of ammo.

[oilman]

The holster shirt hold my PM 9 more securely than the kangaroo.

[fenster]

well, I picked one up today. I'll give my review after I give it some usage.

I'll but carrying a XD40-sc. ..maybe a xd45-compact if it isn't too heavy.

[Rokyudai]

Just picked one up for myself and one for the old man. So far no problem fitting a Kimber Pro CDPII, or my SigP229 into the velcro'd pockets. Good product for occasional or everyday especially if you often wear a dress shirt. I usually IWB the 1911 and wear a shirt untucked but this may be a good opp. to pack a BUG. The other pocket is good for a spare mag or 2 I suppose. Yeah spandex! Now I really feel like a super hero! Actually, it just reaffirms my body needs to get to a gym pronto.... I look like the Adam West 'Batman'

[Tactical_Texan_CHL]

I always wear an Under Armor shirt as an under shirt now. It keeps the butt of the gun off my skin. I've got Houge's on my 1911 and once, when I carried that before the undershirts, it rubbed a raw spot on my side! The 5.11 shirt really wouldn't be a big change for me. I'm thinking about it too, now. Just be glad it doesn't make you look like the Val Kilmer Batman.

[NcongruNt]

OK - as requested, here is my review after some experience with the shirt.

While I haven't had a lot of opportunity to wear it for extended periods of time, so far I have been satisfied. I've had no event to dress up and walk around all day with it, but I've worn it around the house for the good part of a day and out and about for shorter trips.

I tried wearing it for a while with 2 guns at once, and this seemed to put a good balance on it. I imagine putting a spare mag or two opposite your gun would give the same effect (as it does with my OWB belt holster). I wore it for a bit with my Hi-Power under my left arm (strong hand cross-draw) and my PA-63 under my right arm and it was quite comfortable and stayed in place.

I wore it out to do some laundry for a few hours on two separate occasions with only my Hi-Power under my left arm. This is usually a situation where I'm at somewhat at a loss for a good carry position, as I'm generally dressed in shorts and a t-shirt. In the past, I've put my PA-63 in a Galco 100 IWB holster inside the elastic band of my shorts and thrown a vest over that for concealment. This time around, I opted for the holster shirt, the same shorts, and my normal work shirt attire as cover (the red one that I wear more seldom and was still clean). I certainly knew the Hi-Power was there, but it stayed put and was well concealed. It is certainly preferable to the IWB setup I had used previously.

The Hi-Power is an all-steel gun, and has quite a bit of weight to it when loaded down with 15+1 rounds. It has bigger difference in slide width and grip width, so it opens up more of the pocket towards the top and moves a little bit in that open space. With such a weapon, I would probably not go mountain biking with it... not that I'm worried about it coming loose - it seems to be pretty secure. I just wouldn't want the gun bumping me in the side from the slight lateral movement that occurs because of the difference between slide/frame and grip width. The PA-63 (a lighter aluminum-framed copy of the Walther PPK - same size and roughly the same weight as a Bersa Thunder .380) rides much steadier, and I imagine even a 1911 would do well with this shirt due to its thinner grip making the pocket a more uniform thickness. Unfortunately, I don't have a 1911 to test with (yet), but I will give a report when I do get one. I've read of people carrying service-model Glocks and XDs in this shirt with no problem.

As far as sizing goes, the chart on the 5.11 site seems pretty accurate. I have a 52" chest, and purchased the 2XL shirt. It fits me nicely. The shirt is a spandex material and is quite stretchy. I imagine if you wanted a snug fit, you could probably order a size down and have no issues. I may try this and see if it eliminates the small amount of movement I get with the Hi-Power at a later date.

Overall, I have been very satisfied, and believe that the purchase was $40 well spent. Once I get some dress-up experience with it, I'll give a review of my experiences then. Perhaps I'll dress up for church this Sunday.

[NcongruNt]

on an unrelated note, we're about due for another 3-man austin get together at lonestar. I just picked up .22 soda-can-killer and a brick of ammo.

I'm down for another get-together. We have more Austin folks again, so maybe we'll break our record of 3 attendees.

As soon as the gubmint sends me my tax refunds, I'll probably be getting a Ruger LCP, so everyone can see what they are like. I'm very tempted to order a RIA Tactical model as well, but I'm not sure if I'll do it yet. I've also got my eye on the Walther P22 for some plinking goodness.