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I guess I should apologize in advance, but today is the first day that I've 'carried' almost all day, and like so many other men my age, I have a late-life, mid-body bulge. Because of that and the added weight on my belt, it seems like I spent most of the day pulling my pants up. Short of suspenders, getting into shape, and/or dieting, what do you experienced CHL folks do about this problem? I'm really serious here, guys.

phototex wrote:Because of that and the added weight on my belt, it seems like I spent most of the day pulling my pants up. Short of suspenders, getting into shape, and/or dieting, what do you experienced CHL folks do about this problem? I'm really serious here, guys.

This is your answer.

Do you have a good quality gun belt and holster?

Suspenders, Shoulder holster, Vest

Phototex what is your current carry set-up? There are several options available depending upon not just body composition, but also on size and weight of gun and type of holster. I have experimented with lots of different options over the years and I currently have two normal carry configurations, depending upon what I am wearing.

Normal configuration:

I carry an M&P Shield (.40) in a Foxx IWB hybrid holster with the gun positioned at about 3:30.

Ultra-light configuration:

When necessary, I carry a Kel Tec P-3AT in a pocket (inside a minimal holster).

Get a quality gunbelt.

Not a heavy belt. Not a farm belt, or an Amish belt, and anything else. Get a belt that is manufactured and sold as a gunbelt.

Nothing else comes close to the impact a good quality gunbelt has on comfort.

A quality gunbelt can make a crappy holster feel comfortable, but a crappy belt makes a great holster uncomfortable.

Do a forum search on "gunbelt". It's been discussed a million times for brand recommendations.

As above. Quality gun belt & quality holster. Add quality suspenders & You can carry anything you want to.
Suspenders need to be all elastic & 1 1/2 inches wide. If your gun is concealed so will your suspenders.
In class:

Me - Suspenders are are the best friend Conceal Carry every had.
Imaginary student: I aint wearin them dorkie suspenders.
Me - If your gun is concealed so are your suspenders. No one will know.

I have worn suspenders all my life even before CC. I am built like a coke bottle so belts are only decoration on me. Cant tighten one up enough to stop the down grade slide & ad did not allow sags as a kid before sags were the fad.

Yep a good gun belt makes a world of difference. No one has specified why, and this is just my opinion, but for me the stiffer, normally reinforced, gun belt spreads out the weight over a much larger area helping to reduce sag as well as having less tendency to twist and bend where you might have your gun or gear mounted. Now if you pants tend to sag without a gun then they will still do so with but there are also many ways to carry besides strictly waistband.

First of all, thanks to each of you for your very rapid responses. Today, I was wearing a pair shorts, held up by one of these bullhide belts:

http://www.bullhidebelts.com/Black-Doub ... p_286.html. I don't think it's a gunbelt, just a nice, heavy belt. In my right pocket was a Talon Cargo Pocket Holster with my Ruger LC9 and LaserMax. In my left pocket were one full single-stack magazine and my (ton of) keys. I have also used this belt with a DeSantis IWB holster for the same firearm. Both 'rigs' are quite comfortable.

Thanks again, Guys.

Tom

A picture is worth 1,000 words:



Most common mistake most noobs make is figuring out which holster they're going to use for their precious, without considering a good belt to hold it all up with. A good gunbelt will make all the difference in the world.

It is all about the gun belt, I'm big. My gun belt fixed my sag problems, ven with ultra light weight shorts (summer)

There is a very good reason everyone is giving you the same answer... It is the RIGHT answer.

If spending big bucks on a good leather gunbelt gives you pause, you can also go with something like the Wilderness Tactical Instructor Belt. It costs much less, but you will get to experience the difference the belt makes.

I have leather gunbelts, but my Wilderness Tactical did just fine all day today while wearing shorts.

Expanding on the gunbelt issue, I took a couple of pictures of me holding up a loaded 5" Govt model on various gunbelts I own.

Each persons preference for stiffness with be different from another, so make your own choices. Personally, since I always carry full-size hand-guns, I like a very stiff belt for the support. I do not even own subcompact guns, because I do not want to be tempted to carry them instead of a full-size handgun. I'd even be willing to try steel barrel hoops if I thought they would work.

The one is my stiffest belt, from TheBeltman.net. It is a dual-layer bull-hide belt without added stiffener. It costs $80.


At the other end of the value scale, I picked up a bunch of 5.11 gunbelts on clearance about 4 years ago for about $2 bucks apiece. They are still stiff and work fine, but the 5.11 gunbelts are known for having the finish scuff off the belt.


A mid-price point was the Dual-layer with stiffener from Daltechforce.com. This belt was $65. It is not quite as stiff as either the Beltman or the 5.11, but it still does a really good job. I wear this belt to work most days.


Another Daltechforce choice is this single-layer bullhide belt for $46. The stiffness difference is obvious. It is "OK" for an IWB holster, although it still sags. I would never wear it with an OWB. It may be sufficient for people with smaller guns.


The last Daltechforce is their "SuperBIO" belt. It is not leather, but is pretty indestructible, for $47. It is stiffer than their single layer belt, but not as stiff as their dual layer belt.

Being a *GOM/TOG fashion is NOT a high priority for me. I have three Instructor style belts and two Frequent flyer belts. I wear these with everything but dress pants. My Instructor style belts are: a Black 1 1/2" Uncle Mike's belt has "shrunk" a little, an OD 1 3/4" five stitch Wilderness belt and a reinforced 1 1/2" Wilderness belt in Coyote. All are excellent platforms for carry the reinforced belt seems to be the best followed by the five stitch and Uncle Mike's that are about equal.
My two Frequent Flyer Belts are an OD,and a Coyote one is three stitch,and one is five stitch the only complaint I have with these is the Delrin rings are too slippery if the velcro isn't holding right the belt loosens itself. For "dress" use I have one of the $2.00 511 belts like JF has.

Just as you wouldn't build a house on a skimpy foundation you should not carry with a skimpy belt.


*Grumpy Old Man/Tough Old Guy

I use the Kangaroo carry for my S&W 9mm. Very comfortable. I have a similar problem with belt and waist band carry.

http://www.kangaroocarry.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Phototex, if I read you correctly, you carried everything in the pockets of your shorts and nothing was actually on the belt? That will change things drastically. The belt isn't actually supporting anything and is just keeping your shorts from sliding down. In that scenario things are just going to flop around when you walk. That's a lot like getting a $40k four door pickup truck and then never carrying anything in the bed or using it as an actual truck. I think you will find carrying for long periods would be much more tolerable if you also get a quality holster for your gun and spare mags.