Lighweight vests for summer
For those of us living in the part of the Country where we get all 4 Seasons of weather, our concealment options usually will change atleast 2 times a year. There are enormous numbers of ways you can conceal a weapon, but for those of us that carry full size weapons, the warmer the weather the fewer the options. I carry a full size Beretta 92F while at work and one of my favorite ways of carrying this firearm is in a Fobus paddle holster. For only about $20, I’ve gotten more than my moneys worth and have never broken the holster. I’d have to say that if I was rolling around in the dirt I would defanitely prefer to have a Serpa holster.
The Woolrich Elite lightweight vest is made of a 100% cotton ripstop material that is identical the the Woorlich Elite lightweight pants and shorts. These make carrying gear and concealment tolerable in hot weather. These Woolrich Elite Vests are very popular with the IDPA crowd and being cut generously on the sides give great concealement, especially for those carrying full size autos. We’ve had a few goofy complaints from customers that have stated that these vests are not good for concealing firearm if you put them in the pockets, and we would agree, these are basically made of the same type of material that your T-shirt is made out of and your gun will most likely print if you put it in the front pockets. The concealed carry vest is meant to be a concealment garment and not a firearm retention device. There are other concealment vests out t here that cost 3x’s as much money and can be used to hold firearms, but those are not lightweight.
I’ve heard that line asked about 5 times a month. You have to realize the number of people that carry guns in our society vs. the number that don’t. I’d say that in most cases, 98% of people in our society aren’t looking to spot a CCW holder and won’t suspect that are unless that are sloppy at concealing it. I highly recommend that most gun carries consider atleast 3 ways of carrying a firearm concealed. In most parts of the Country people have to consider a warm weather and cold weather method, then there is always a reason to consider what method one could carry a full size auto.
When a CCW carrier is carrying a firearm in the winter, we can understand why they may want a firearm in a pocket outside of their body, but I recommend putting some thought into how you wear your clothing and how a firearm can be reached in when wearing heavy clothing. Jackets that hold firearms will have to come off if you’re in a house or building that gets hot, so then what do you do with your gun? The Eotac Style 102 CCW Vest is cut very long and is great for concealing in warm weather, but not a firearm retention vest.
Open carry isn’t stopping Police Officers in Philadelphia from being shot at. Wearing a blue uniform in that City and wearing body armor meant over 6 police officers being killed at more than double that being shot in the last 2yrs. If you are that concerned about being “Made” with a firearm, carry a different gun. Pocket and ankle carry are suitiable for white color environments and I don’t know any BG that wants 5 or 6 shots of 32acp-44 Special in their chest from a well trained law abiding gun owner.
One of our biggest selling apparel item is the Eotac Style 102 Vest. This vest is very similiar to the Woolrich Elite vest, but they are outselling them 3 to 1 these days. The only real difference we see is the lack of a pen pocket on the upper left pocket which means absolutely nothing to our customers. These have very low below the belt line and are a great OWB or Paddle holster CCW vest. You will easily be able to conceal a full size auto with one of these. The Style 102 vest is made of 100% cotton ripstop and is a very, very lightweight concealment garment.