Not so concealed carry--the fanny pak (Rant)

Gee LawDog, pink huh. I hope you mean "partner" in the female patrol partner sense. ;)

Citizenguardian, stainless is the answer for a gun carried next to a sweaty hide; although, I did carry a blued S&W model 49 in a bellyband and IWB holster for a couple of years. I had to clean it EVERY DAY, no exceptions. Used BreakFree, the only CLP I have found that sweat won't wash off in 8 or 10 hours. The finish on my 49 is still good. the only wear is on the barrel and caused by holster friction.

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"I don't believe in individualism, Peter. I don't believe that any one man is any one thing which everybody else can't be. I believe that we are all equal and interchangeable."--Ellsworth Toohey
 
I carried a Sig P220 in pistol waistpacks in San Juan for the past ten years, wrote a comprehensive tactical review of all the waistpacks on the market for Guns & Ammo Annual (I think '94), and am doing another similar article for this year's G&A Annual. I've used and/or tested everything on the market. Couple of thoughts:

1. Lots of waistpacks are available in colors. Bagmaster, Coronado Leather, CW Cases, De Santis, Eagle Industries (a nice one), and Galco, for example.

2. Although after plenty of practice one can develop a quick draw from virtually any waistpack, there are huge differences in draw speed among the various designs if you don't practice that much. The ripcord types--Coronado Stealth 2000, Eagle Industries, Galco Escort--are clearly faster draws.

3. For any vigorous activity, the best place to wear the thing is actually on the butt rather than in front. The Bianchi Top Secret II is heads and tails better for exercise use than any other model--it bounces less. Action Direct ActionPac--a strapped chest pouch rather than a waistpack--also works great for exercise.
 
I visited several stores last week looking for a fanny pack for my USPc .45, and they all required a large pack for this gun. Large is huge! Some packs had different colors, and one had a Patagonia patch sewn on it :). I decided to stick with my IWB blade-tech for now. Someday I'm going to get a Kahr MK9, which will be easier to carry.
 
:D She carried a bigger gun than I did. :D

Someday I'll tell you about the pink orang-utang suit we used to get doors open for warrants. ;)

LawDog
 
i carried an uncle mikes gunrunner fanny pack for two years while i was in xray school. i carried it every day while in school and at clinical in a major hospital. you see we wore scrubs and as many of you know the pockets are either non-existant or poor. i carried my wallet, keys, pocket knife, change, ect. in it on duty and my handgun in the velcro back section while i was off duty. during thoose two years i never even got a second look. reason--many hospital personnel carry fanny packs of all colors. when the uncle mike's broke i bought a galco and started carrying it. same thing i have gotten zero feedback from other hospital staff, security, or the numerous LEO's that come to the emergency room. having said that i have gotten stares when i wear the galco with civilian clothes. i was stopped at going into a harris teeter store that has a bank inside and questioned by a uniformed LEO as to if i had a gun in that pack as he considered the entire grocery store a bank (something to watch). i feel that these packs need to be matched to your clothes. if you are wearing sweats or jogging shorts they fit in. if your are hiking or biking likewise they don't stand out. however a young male wearing street clothes and a fanny pack will always attract my attention and the attention of knowledgeable others. i treat them as armed and observe them as such. the same goes for the guys wearing cargo or photographers vests. my current fanny pack is light blue and has an orvis patch on it. my old black galco pack has several micky mouse patches and a cannon camera patch. it still looks like a gun patch to me but if i wear either with the right clothes nobody seem s to mind.

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Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what is for lunch.
Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the outcome of the vote.
Let he that hath no sword sell his garment and buy one.--And they said. Lord here are two swords. And he said unto them. That is not enough. Luke 22-36,38
They all hold swords, being expert in war: every man hath his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night. Song of Solomon 3-8
 
Every time I see a fanny pack, the first thing I think is "Oh, they have a gun." I can't prove it, and I am not going to ask, but the fanny pack is the most common method of carry. It is so common as to almost be a dead give away. Just like the baggy pants with big pockets that are worn by gang bangers. ;)

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Glocks may come, and Glocks may go, but WALTHERS are FOREVER!!!


Off my meds (quit smoking), armed to the teeth, and loose on an unsuspecting society!!!
 
Hmmm. Fanny packs - Pro or Con?
Pro:
1)Will keep your gun and necessary accesories with you.
2)You can run, climb, hang upside down and other dynamic things and it will probably still be with you.
3)Even if you don't carry a gun in it, many people will think you do. Maybe the BG will find soeone else, maybe others will envy you ;)
4) Some people tend to get rather huggy at social occasions, Do you really want to push them away so they don't feel that belly band or IWB?
Con:
1) Well, maybe the BG thinks you got a gun in there (whether you do or don't) and decides to eliminate a potential problem before he/she carries out the rest of their plan.
2) Some people think fanny packs scream (yikes!) GUN. So what, you have a permit, right?
Some great ideas from previous posters to this forum.
 
Fanny packs have come a long way. The original square numbers had function before appearance. Today's pack are tough to discern from hiker's packs. Shop around and choose a color other than black.

People that carry tend to be more observant than the majority of folks. Just because you think every fanny pack screams gun doesn't mean that other people will think the same. To this day not a single one of my non-gun owning friends knows what my fanny pack contains. It's none of their business so I don't plan on telling them.

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So many pistols, so little money.
 
MRW or others: Do you have any experience with The Wilderness "Safepack?" (www.thewilderness.com) Regards. Dennis

[This message has been edited by DennisE (edited March 12, 2000).]
 
If you see a clean-cut guy, wearing jeans/slacks, a polo shirt (or similar), and a heavy-looking fanny pack, he'd might as well wear it unconcealed. The same goes for the photo-safari vest.

It makes me laugh when gunwriters recommend wearing this crap.
 
I have an inexpensive pack I got at WalleyWorld (Walmart). It is actually a camara bag/fanny pack. It has a real wide band and two pouchs on either side of the main compartment for rolls of film. It is black with "Eastern Sports" written across it. It doesn't look at all like a gun pack. I had my wife sew a cheap nylon holster in the main compartment against the front side. I carry my Taurus UL85 or my Kahr 40 very easily. The beautiful part is the film compartments hold two speed-loaders. There is a front compartment that holds a spare mag for the Kahr. I don't even take the speed-loaders out when I carry the Kahr.
I like the way my wife put in the holster. I can unzip the top a little and get my wallet and the material hides the gun from
cashiers and others standing in front of me. If I unzip it all the way I get a good grasp for a quick draw. The whole set up cost about $25. No-one, Leos included, never gives it a second look.

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"You can't build a reputation on what your going to do."
H. Ford
 
Have one that I bought at a gun show, and that I wear whenever in impractical for my Galco CCP. Oh, and it's black.
But people really don't give it a second look, unless it is a peace officer, or maybe security guard (I guess having a USMC regulation high & tight and a "horse shoe" doesn't help either) :D
Just try to look normal, and act responsible, and a fanny pack is another tool in your arsenal that adds versatility when other options are not viable.
Cowboy
 
Small camera cases attract no ones attention. Think about the last time you looked sideways at a camera case, but those big black with no manufacturers name or worse yet, with the manufacturers name on it(yes they are out there) with a big velcro pull handle is like an advertisement. I guess it goes back to the arguement of marked vs unmarked police cars. If you really want to deter crime, high visibility is the way to go. I guess if the bad guy thinks you have a gun, then it is a deterence. The problem with concealed carry is not to appear to be carrying and therein lies the dilema. You do not want to alert the general populace, but you do not want to antagonize the local constable either. I guess I have to go with the unmarked car theory this time just to avoid the hassle problems.
 
DennisE,

We're in the process of evaluating Wilderness Tactical's SafePak, which for those who haven't heard of it, is an unusual pistol belt pack designed originally for high angle mountain rescue teams--it's part of a modular system that straps onto almost anything. It's well made, simple, and doesn't look at all like a pistol waistpack. It's slower to draw from than the best of the pistol fannys. However, the thing is versatile, bombproof, and I kinda like it. Comes in a bunch of sizes and protects the firearm extremely well.

Destructo6,
You're probably right for those who know firearms--waistpacks of a particular type scream out gun. But this definitely isn't the case for the average person, at least not in warmer climates where everyone uses fanny packs. And it's definitely not the case also for a number of waistpacks which look particularly like the fanny packs that the non-carrying public wears by the score--I do not include here anything large enough to carry a 5" 1911 or similar full sized autos. These things look absurd. Even if no one thinks you're carrying, they'll think you're the geekiest looking bloke on the planet.

Pistol waistpacks are a tradeoff. They are bad in the sense of requiring carry off body. Being more obvious to part of the public. But they're good in the sense of allowing one to carry a decent defensive pistol more easily and more comfortably--that is, carrying the gun with which you are the most familiar, and shoot the best. And for certain activities--bicycling, running etc.--nothing works better.
 
I also got mine at Wally World. It's looks more like a small blue canvas purse. It has a quick clip front pocket for my wallet and several top zipper sections behind that. I wear it on my right hip. My P97 fits perfectly in the middle zipper compartment and my spare clip sits in a pouch in the last compartment closest to my hip. I prefer this because it's a common pack that everybody has seen. What's important is to keep your wallet there also. A dead give away is when you have this nice fanny pack and reach for your pocket to get your wallet. The only people who see a fanny pack and say "GUN!" are other carriers, which is fine. That show's we are alert. Other normal sheeple don't know. Some LEO's recognize it.
The only thing I don't like about a fanny is if I were robbed, the first thing they will want is my bag. Assuming the BG has a gun there is not much I can do. I would try to reach in my bag after removing it from my hip telling him I'm giving him my wallet and fire through the bag. Of course this depends on the situation so for now I just run scenario's through my head.
If it's any cooler then 70 I use a belly band from Action Direct.

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"It is easier to get out of jail then it is a morgue"
Live long and defend yourself!
John 3:16
 
I'm torn...

On one hand there is the argument: concealed means absolute concealment. Fanny packs violate this because anyone with any amount of gun savvy knows what is in them.

On the other hand: Fanny packs conceal to the sheeple, and advertise to the BGs to stay away. LEOs expect guns in fanny packs, so are less likely to be alarmed because they are prepared for it.

I prefer the first hand for me- but am not so closed minded to not entertain the arguments of the other.

Erik
 
MRW: since you're looking at all of 'em, please let us know if you find one that's big enough to hold a S&W 629 Classic with 5" barrel. i've already called all of the companies i know that make fanny packs, and none of them make them that big. thanks.
 
I think that some of you are over reacting to the thought that people will think that just because you are wearing a fanny pack you are carrying a gun. Many people use these things for purposes other than CCW. Even if some people do think you might be carrying, so what. Those who might suspect it are going to be criminals, police, or other CCW's. Either way, who cares! The rest of the sheeple are blissfully happy in their ignorance.
 
When I am out for 30-40 miles on my bike in my skin tight lyrca a pack is the only place to put my G-26 along with my wallet keys knife. It's red neck protection, dog repellant and just makes me feel better. I have had beer cans thrown at me at worst. but what if they stop you can't run in cleats. Other wise a pack just looks like a gun bag and that might not allways be all bad.
 
Mountain Man,

The only one I know of large enough for your S&W is made by Second Chance. It's huge--shaped kind of like a big diaper, and looks like one to wear--no kidding. It has the added feature of a bullet proof chest cover that you can pull up at moments of danger. I cannot say that I recommend it, and needless to say, it's the reverse of stealthy--NO ONE would ever wear such a thing without an ulterior motive that has nothing to do with carrying a wallet and cell phone. Personally, I might consider finding a slightly smaller defensive pistol.
 
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