Summer is either already here or well on its way for most of the country and that means that your concealed carry options and habits are going to change if they haven’t already. Everyone knows that the largest limiting factor to concealment is the relationship between the size of your gun, the size of your body, and the type of clothing you can practically wear given your specific area and activities for the day. Today we’ll give you some quick hot weather concealed carry tips that should help you stay cooler carrying during the summer, and keep you comfortable all day long.

 

Clothing and Holster Selection

No matter what you’re wearing, whether that be shorts, pants, shirts, or tank tops, wearing the wrong fabric can do a lot to heat you up unnecessarily. You should optimize for fabrics that don’t hold onto moisture - this means things like cotton and denim. Stretchy and breathable fabrics, like those found in sportswear, do a lot to wick away moisture from your body.

 

The color of your clothing also plays a critical role in the amount of heat your body will absorb when exposed to direct sunlight. Darker clothes like black and grey will absorb much more heat than yellows, light blues, and white.

 

If your only carry option is a strongside OWB or IWB holster that pokes out too much with a regular t-shirt or tank top, consider adding an additional lightweight “concealment garment” to your dress code - something like a Hawaiian shirt. It’s both situationally appropriate and provides you with a good level of concealment that doesn’t arouse suspicion.

Consider Adopting an Alternative Carry Style

 

Your gun belt and holster should also be the correct size for your firearm and your body. You might have to make very small adjustments to your EDC belt setup or use an entirely different holster and carry position depending on the clothing you’re wearing. I’m a huge fan of wearing shorts and a plain T-shirt in the summer.

I’m not a tall individual and therefore my carry options are already sort of limited with the Glock 19 being an obnoxiously huge carry piece for me even though it’s a “compact” handgun. Smaller handguns like my Glock 48 fit perfectly when carried at the appendix position and this allows me to stay relatively unencumbered by clothing while still having a reasonable amount of concealment.

Although it’s not a popular opinion, I’m also an advocate for off-body-carry when the situation dictates it. Take for example the beach or pool. While belly band holsters are a great option for on-body carry, you’re quite limited in the size of the pistol you can carry.

An off-body solution like a properly equipped fanny pack, can give you a compact-sized or smaller handgun in a convenient and inconspicuous carry solution that is technically off-body, but as about as close as it gets to being on your body. I would still avoid carrying in something like a backpack if you plan on leaving it anywhere though.

Buy A Smaller Gun

The cool thing about today’s concealed carry market is that we’ve got a lot of really small and very high-capacity firearms available to choose from. While my go-to carry piece is usually a SIG P365 or a Glock 48, smaller pistols like the Glock 43 and 42, as well as the Ruger LCP MAX, are even smaller and still pack a punch while giving you even greater flexibility in the concealment department. Generally the smaller the gun is, the greater your clothing options will be.

 

As always, before going out in public with your new carry setup, it’s best to test it at home to make sure it's truly concealed, reasonably accessible should you need it, and safe to carry in that particular manner. Holsters that feature wings and have smaller adjustments to ride height, cant, and placement on your gun belt or waistline without a belt do a lot to help you get that perfect fit that won’t print in your favorite summer clothing. Feel free to let us know what your hot tips are for concealed carrying in the summer heat!