First carry experiences, IWB question...

[WSimons]

So, I'm new to the whole CHL game, I've only had mine for a week and have carried while out shopping and running errands a few times now, as well as out to lunch at a local Chinese buffet. So far so good.... buuuuuuut.

I was in Target yesterday and nature was callin' so I ducked into the bathroom, thankfully at the time it was empty. I ducked into the stall at the far end of the bathroom and immediately stopped. I have a fully loaded SR9 on my belt, and need to make with El Numero Dos. What to do, what to do? Eventually, in order to keep the holster from flopping about without anything to stabilize it on my belt, I unbuckled my belt, held the ends of it against my jeans, and unbuttoned, then slid the whole affair down in one go, maintaining tension on the belt. Got my pants down with a little creativity but no real trouble, so far so good.
Enter the maintenance guy, sweeping up the bits of paper towel and TP on the floor. At that I tensed up; his attention was on the stuff lying on the floor, and at that point my holster and gun were probably visible to anyone looking under the stalls. I shifted position to try and reduce my weapon's visibility, and in doing so banged the butt against the toilet with a loud "Clunk!"
Well, crap. No pun intended. The maintenance guy just said something along the lines of "dang, dude, what have you been eating?"
Humiliating, but I suppose that's the lesser of two evils...
So, I go about my business and use the same procedure as before to bring my pants, belt, and gun up without any issue, and rejoin my wife in the store. As fate would have it, in a relatively crowded aisle, my dear wife bursts out "Sweetie, are you okay? You spent an awful long time in the bathroom!"
At this point I figure I have four options. Either broadcast I was trying to figure out how the heck to go to the bathroom with a gun in my pants, announce that I was ill (and in doing so probably ensure that the restroom remained vacant for a while...), pretend I didn't know my wife and look at her like she was crazy, or continue praying that the ceiling would collapse at that moment, distracting everyone. No such luck on the latter, and I knew better than to embarrass my wife in public, so the only real choice here was to embarrass myself. Points to the lady for the assist, though!

So, ladies and gents, what's the procedure when you've got your gun on your belt and need to make a run for the potty?

[speedsix]

...I wear a Wilderness Products belt...velcro closure...loosen it...mount the throne, tighten it at the knees...voice your political opinions, and reverse the process...it's easy to adjust quickly and you don't have to hobble yourself at the knees to keep it up...a good time to inspect for lint and blow out the crevices...check for rust, etc...

[Teamless]

I have always been able to draw from holster and set it on top of the TP holder, or on the baby changing table which is normally in the larger stall.

[Divided Attention]

Being a "girl" - and not having the" handy little picnic thing for necessities" I had to giggle when I read this! We always have to 1/2 disrobe every time nature calls. I have developed a method that works with either my .380 or .38 or 9mm. I appendix carry, so may not work where you carry. I can "pinch" the grip and holster between thumb and finger while moving britches down. The knee on my gun side stays out a bit to increase waistline tension as the pants go lower. I do not let my pants go all the way to the floor because that heebs me out regardless of if I am carrying or not but that way I also do not have to worry about it being visible below the stall wall. I have learned to try to plan ahead as the only 2 times my gun has hit the floor is my .380 which rides higher in its holster and flipped when I forgot to hold the holster and waist band as I was rushing.

Now, I have not had to, but just picture trying to do this with a loud, curious, youngster accompanying you and tip a hat to the ladies with preschoolers that do this daily!

Practice at home,

[C-dub]

Yeah, I will rarely leave it in the holster. It just makes putting everything back together again and getting my shirt tucked in too difficult. I will unholster and set it on something stable enough to hold it and then reholster when ready.

[Blindref757]

Don't worry about it...anyone who cares that much what is going on in my stall is putting me in fear for my life!!!

[RoyGBiv]

You might have some luck with an open belt, holding the gun as you lower your trousers, then folding the holster inside the trousers. Assuming the holster has good retention and the gun won't fall out. Keeping your trousers at/above the calf is also helpful for blocking the view under the stall door. I find that releasing my belt to the last notch and lowering to just below my knees works best for me..

Suggest you practice at home a few times with an unloaded weapon until you find what works best for you..

[johnson0317]

Several options:

1) Hold it...meaning the call of nature. I am pretty sure my 16 year old daughter has never had a BM outside of our house...unless in a motel. She can play a 90 minute soccer game, and survive a two hour ride back to school, and then home...with miserable stomach cramps because she refuses to use other facilities.
2) Put it in a pocket in your pants...very carefully.
3) Get lucky enough to find a stall with a coat hook...and be very careful.
4) Pull it out of the holster and drop it into your underwear and pants.

RJ

[The Annoyed Man]

Yeah, I will rarely leave it in the holster. It just makes putting everything back together again and getting my shirt tucked in too difficult. I will unholster and set it on something stable enough to hold it and then reholster when ready.

This.

[Divided Attention]

http://jerrythegeek.blogspot.com/2008/0 ... t-iii.html

Please don't hang it by the trigger guard on the coat hook

[Excaliber]

Yeah, I will rarely leave it in the holster. It just makes putting everything back together again and getting my shirt tucked in too difficult. I will unholster and set it on something stable enough to hold it and then reholster when ready.

The best method I've found:

1. Remove gun from holster
2. Sit and spread knees slightly to keep waist from sliding to floor
3. Place gun in "pocket" created by pants and underwear

This keeps the gun safe and in reach.

I don't recommend putting it on some surface while you conduct your business. That's a well proven recipe for leaving it behind with nothing good happening afterwards.

I find it's OK to put on a surface (toilet paper holder, toilet tank, etc.) while resecuring pants, but mental focus has to be maintained during that short period to make sure it goes back in the holster. (This step is crucial - the mind naturally wanders to what you were doing before your pit stop or what you'll be doing immediately afterwards and it's easy to just button up and walk away. Lots of otherwise competent folks have used this method to embarrass themselves or worse).

This is followed by a double check before leaving the stall to make absolutely sure nothing (like a spare mag, cell phone, etc.) gets left behind.

[Excaliber]

http://jerrythegeek.blogspot.com/2008/0 ... t-iii.html

Please don't hang it by the trigger guard on the coat hook

That's a classic!!!

I'd pay money to read the mandatory "Dear Chief" memo that followed that incident....

[Jumping Frog]

Yeah, I will rarely leave it in the holster. It just makes putting everything back together again and getting my shirt tucked in too difficult. I will unholster and set it on something stable enough to hold it and then reholster when ready.

I must be naive or a simpleton because it never occurred to me that leaving my gun holstered would be a problem.

I carry IWB. Unfasten the belt and lower pants with the holstered handgun still on the belt. Lean the grip inwards in front of my ankle so the holstered handgun is sitting inside my pants, not flopping outside.

When completed, place on hand on the holstered handgun + belt, other hand on the weak side belt, and pull trousers up into position. Secure trousers/belt appropriately.

If I have a choice of having my loaded handgun in a holster -- trigger covered -- or having it unholstered, I'll choose holstered every time.