I think I'm out of options....

[urnoodle]

Ok I have been carrying for about 2 months now and I'm struggling with concealment. I'm not sure if it's because I have an odd bodyshape or something but I'm having a really hard time concealing unless I wear something super baggy. The most comfortable so far has been appendix carry, however, I have this bulge sticking out in an inappropriate place that can be seen easily from the side. My shirt seems to fold and rest on the butt of the gun. Same issue anywhere on my waist. I've tried a shoulder holster which is comfortable but not easy for me to access and I still have a weird bulge. On cold days I can wear a baggy sweater or hoodie which helps me conceal better but now that its getting warmer it's going to make things more difficult. I really don't want to purse carry but it appears to be my only alternative. I don't always carry a purse. I'm not carrying a big gun, it's a 3" 1911 style with a short grip. Are there any woman who have this same issue? Did anyone find a unique solution to it?

[SewTexas]

Ok, don't give up, but without us having to go through all of your posts let me ask you a few personal questions.

height / weight (just round it, not exact) / basic body type

What style of clothing do you prefer? maybe we can help you stick with that with only slight modifications.


Here is what I do. I carry an LCP, iwb, cross-carry at 10-11. I'm a 47 year old mom, and I help care for my in-laws, I am a wee bit fluffy in the middle so I tend to wear full/loose tops, then if I see a bit of a lump I pull on a light vest (I have several pretty ones). Another thing I do is I will wear scarves or necklaces, this brings the eye up and away from the waist. Also, ask someone you trust if there really is a lump...you actually might be the only one who sees it.

[urnoodle]

I'm 5'7" about 150lbs plus or minus about 5. As far as shape goes lets just say thicker on the bottom than on the top . I work from home most of the time so typically I can be found sporting jeans or cargos and a womans style t-shirt. On the occasions that I do go into the office then I wear business attire from dresses to fitted suits. I'm not a diva and prefer to be comfortable so loose is fine but I don't want to look frumpy. I haven't found that right combination.

[Jumping Frog]

Every person's body is unique. That, combined with other unique factors such as the type of gun, holster selection and holster setup, support gear and clothing, will mean significant differences in how one person can or cannot conceal, versus another. Something that totally disappears on one person may well print very badly (i.e. shape of a gun) for another, even if they're wearing the same outer layers.

Have you visited the Cornered Cat website? http://www.corneredcat.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; She talks a lot about clothing. Long and short of it is there are style adjustments that need to be made to carry on body.

- The Cornered Cat ( http://www.corneredcat.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; )
- faliaphotography's YouTube Channel ( http://www.youtube.com/user/faliaphotog ... sults_main" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; )
- limatunes's YouTube Channel ( http://www.youtube.com/user/limalife?ob ... sults_main" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; )
- and Stephen Wenger's DUF website all offer some holster guidance ( http://www.spw-duf.info/holster.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ), with specific consideration to women's needs.
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Of these resources, The Cornered Cat has a special sub-section devoted to "Curves," in the "Holsters" section, and limatunes - also known as limalife on the DefenseiveCarry.com Forums - can be reached directly for advice. One thing to remember for both faliaphotography and limatunes is that lima's current physical shape notwithstanding, these two women are both of the smaller-frame/slender-built body style, regardless of how curvy they are otherwise: so what applies to them may or may not apply in the same degree as they apply to you.

In The Cornered Cat website, she speaks specifically of cross-draw, inguinal/appendix, as well as "behind the hip"/iliac holster placements. Of the latter, if you can find a clip of Magpul's The Art of the Dynamic Handgun DVD, on Disc 3, the instructors dedicate a segment to their sole female student for the day, who happens to be slim, but curvy at the hips, and wore tight jeans with a tighter-fitting tank atop. I don't completely remember what pistol she pulled, during that session, but I *believe* that it was a Glock G19, and it rode in a Comp-Tac Minotaur MTAC holster behind her iliac crest, on the strong side. The instructors' specific concern was two-fold: one, that with such a form-fitting and thin shirt, while the setup offered the student good concealment when she was standing straight, as soon as she bends over, it was quite obvious what was printing through (here in Ohio, printing is more of a concern for the person carrying, in terms of maintaining a low/unarmed profile, more than anything else; also, if you learn to move your body differently, to accomplish daily tasks, printing can also be minimized), and two, that she has to move her support/reaction/"weak" hand differently, to accomplish a draw with that hand. Again, though, she is small-framed and otherwise slender - so once again, what applies to her may apply more or less, to you.

Also, the gun you're trying to hide is a concern. No matter how you look at the picture, it is one of the variables. If you can switch down to the sub-Compact without losing your shooting and manipulations skill-set, that may be worth it if it can help you conceal, as you can easily bring up the gun's ammo capacity by carrying a full-sized magazine on the off-side (which can also help better distribute the weight of your carry setup). Nevertheless, even with just that little step-down, many will find that they have to re-train to the pistol (I know I did), and there is also an undeniable advantage in having a physically larger gun, otherwise - again, you'll have to ask yourself if this is something that you can reasonably pursue. Alternatively, can you dress more to the gun?

Remember, regardless of how you select to carry, what you're going to compromise concealment -versus- accessibility (from either hand) -versus- draw-speed. This is the same, between men and women. An OWB on your strong-side, neutral or only a slight cant, can conceal decently well, with the right clothes - and it will offer a lightning-fast draw (particularly if it doesn't have any secondary retention devices...but does it conceal as well as a 3SpeedHolster/ThunderWear/SmartCarry? Alternatively, can those deep-concealment holsters be as fast to access as the former? There's *always* a compromise.

Don't get too hung up on what everyone else is telling you is the perfect concealment holster/setup. EVERY person is different, and what works great for one may be the same, less-so, or completely horrible for another. Find what works *for you,* and don't be discouraged if it takes a time and trial-and-error to do so. The Cornered Cat said it best - don't give up, *something* will work. You just have to have the intestinal fortitude (and, in some cases, the bankroll, since good holsters don't typically come cheap) to stick through it.

[discoqueen]

Subscribing to read additional responses..... keep working on it, you'll find a solution!

[speedsix]

...most factory IWB holsters ride a bit high in the belt...I've worn IWB for 40 years+ and do something different...whether a leather or nylon soft IWB clip-on holster, I cut the stitching and lay it out flat...pluck the threads and move the clip up on the holster 1-1 1/2"...then sew it back on with carpet thread and a big needle...needlenose pliers help, and re-stitch the holster...
...this lets the butt of the gun sit lower in the belt, which pulls it in closer to my ample body...my shirt doesn't hang on it, and it's every bit as fast to access it...hides much better and is more comfortable, because the butt being pulled in keeps the barrel from gouging my gut...I carry a full-sized .45 that way all of the time...comfortably...and a pocket Tshirt a size larger hides it well (it's a bit longer)...

[SewTexas]

true, many IWB holsters carry high, I have a kusiak, that I carry my LCP in, it carries lower that most I've seen and is sooo comfortable! much nicer than the one I used for my little revolver!

another site I might suggest is http://thattexaslady.blogspot.com she is a member here just not real active anymore and has reviewed a ton of holsters! She's also looked at websites and such.

I think that given your height and weight you should be easily able to carry, I'm guessing you just haven't hit on the magic combination yet.

[DocV]

I am also prepping for summer time. One option I am considering is a Wilderness Safepacker Mustang for my P238.
I am not much for fanny packs and, not being prone to wear a kilt, I will avoid getting a thigh holster

[Excaliber]

I'm 5'7" about 150lbs plus or minus about 5. As far as shape goes lets just say thicker on the bottom than on the top . I work from home most of the time so typically I can be found sporting jeans or cargos and a womans style t-shirt. On the occasions that I do go into the office then I wear business attire from dresses to fitted suits. I'm not a diva and prefer to be comfortable so loose is fine but I don't want to look frumpy. I haven't found that right combination.

You might look into the LadyFist Holsters. They're specifically designed to solve the kind of problems you're describing.

They're OWB and easily concealed under a semi loose button front blouse or a light vest. You'll find that pattern print blouses will conceal much better than plain colors because the pattern breaks up the outline of any contact with the gun. In solids, dark colors hide better than light colors.

I've got several of the guy versions of this company's holsters and can vouch that they're top quality products that provide excellent concealment without compromising comfort.

They're not cheap, they're all custom made and there's a 4 - 6 week wait, but they're worth it.

The maker likes to talk to his lady customers before making the holster so he can make any adaptations needed for individual challenges.

I think you'll find him worth talking to if you give him a call.

[urnoodle]

Thanks so much for all the info! I'm going to look at each one of the suggestions one by one. It's encouraging to know that I'm not the only one struggling with this. About the only method I haven't tried is OWB. I didn't think it would be easy to conceal. I have watched Limalife and Faliaphotography videos but their body types are not as curvy as mine. They seem to be able to conceal with any holster and in any style of clothing. A fanny pack isn't really my thing but the safepacker looks more streamlined. I would never have guessed that it's a holster. I like that I can still attach to my belt if I want don't want to carry it, and it can be seen and no one will be the wiser. Definitely on my buy list. I also quickly glanced at the Ladyfist website and that holster is intriguing too because it seems to position the pistol away from the body and straight up and down. All my IWB holsters seem to hug the butt of the gun tight against my ribs while the barrel pushes out which is what I think is causing the very noticible bump. Same thing occurs anywhere on my waist. Maybe my next business venture should be to invest in a shop where CHLs can be professionally fitted for concealed carry according to their body type and dress style using both readily available manufactured holsters as well as custom holsters. There is so much experience out there, it would be nice to compile it and make it accessible to everyone. It would save the CHL money which could be put to better use for such things as more ammo and firearms.

[JustMe]

also check out the new pin-up line from Looper--same people that made the flashbang(and before you laugh! I am a grandmother and yes, I sometimes use the flashbang)--The Betty is my fav so far. It is an iwb with enough of a gap that you can actually tuck over it if you want. I wear it at about1:30 and cant the grip toward my hip bone. You order it by the gun and it is kydex and really is molded to that gun. AND-it doesn't make me look like I have parts I wasn't born with!

[Divided Attention]

Trust too that the bulge that is so obvious to you is really not to everyone else. Keep at it! Good luck.

[SewTexas]

If you're fluffy around the middle, one of the best ways to dress a woman's body to look good is fitted at the top and full at the waist and hips, this work perfectly for hiding a gun! It's very feminine and lovely, most of these styles have prints and don't look "old lady" or frumpy.

[bnc]

I'll second Excaliber's recommendation of FIST holsters. I have a couple of them; they are good quality and the ultra thin kydex is truly quite thin (yet strong). FIST makes some models with infinately variable cant which will allow you to experiment with all sorts of posistions. http://www.fist-holsters.com/vm.html?pa ... egory_id=1

When you mentioned appendix carry I assumed you meant carrying the gun on the same side as your strong arm, so if you're right handed that would be carrying it around 1:30 (with 12:00 front and center) with the butt facing to your right. If that is true, you might try moving the gun over to 11:00ish, or just left of the zipper. I find carrying in this position with a bit of cant (butt towards the left, or what would be forward cant if carrying on the strong side hip) conceals well and is easily accessed with either hand; weak hand draw is a bit weird, but possible. The one issue I have with it is making sure the gun is not on top of the hip bone since it will then swing back and forth with each step.

[urnoodle]

I've bought a 2 new blouses today and ordered 2 holsters, the LadyFist and the safepacker. I'm excited to try them out. I let you all know how it goes. In a few weeks I'll be trying it out on my sister who doesn't know that I have a CHL. I haven't seen her in a year so if it holds up to her scrutiny, I'll know I'm good.