Thunderwear

P

pax

New member
Anyone have any experience with this type of carry?

The web site www.thunderwear.com does a pretty good job of extolling the virtues.

What are the drawbacks?

pax

"One of the annoying things about believing in free will and individual responsibility is the difficulty in finding someone to blame your troubles on. And when you do find someone, it's remarkable how often their picture turns up on your driver's license." -- P. J. O'Rourke
 
Pax,
Thunderwear has worked pretty well for me overall, but it does have its drawbacks. It's basically a denim pouch with elastic straps and velcro, so after a while the elastic stretches and your pistol tends to want to sag too low below the beltline. I found that by wearing it so the grip of my pistol rests just above my pants/shorts, that it is likely to stay put. Also, the holster pouch is fit to the size of your gun, not to the contours, so there is a little more room for movement.

Now the good news. Depending on what I'm wearing, I can carry strong side, small of the back, in front (below the belt line or above), crossdraw or whatever. It's thin enough to not print under light clothing but still supports my pistol. And, the pouch is acually 2 pouches; one fit to your gun, the other for a spare mag. On balance, well worth the 50-60 bucks it cost me.
Anyway, that's my .02...good luck!

LD
 
I use a Thunderwear clone for a lot of daily carry. Personally, I think its a GREAT way to carry. For a small frame SA or revolver, it will NOT print at all and even if it did just a little, most people are not going to be staring at your crotch long enough to notice. It is especially useful for the following situations where any other type of carry is impracticable:

- if you wear dress shorts with a belt and want to tuck in your polo or button-down shirt (a lot of guys just leave their shirt tails out - this usually makes them look like a slob and if you don't have a large frame, the untucked look doesn't necessaily help in concealment)

- working out (I run in my neighborhood with loose fitting gym shorts and no shirt at night and again, no printing at all)

- wearing swim trunks (I kid you not; however, I would not recommend jumping into the surf with a gun - salt water will not be friendly to your weapon)

- wearing business casual (i.e., slacks and shirt but no jacket)

Drawbacks:

- it can be a little uncomfortable, but with proper positioning you won't hardly notice

- for all practicable purposes, you are limited to a small-frame revolver (I carry a S&W 638 .38 Sp +P and fits really well) or a sub-compact SA (I used to carry a S&W Sigma 380 which fit equally well). The ads show full-size 1911's and other medium-frame guns being carried this way, but I personally don't believe most folks can do that without printing.

If you get one, be sure to post about your review.
 
It can work well.

It works best with smaller weapons. J-frames are best (or similar size). Comfort, concealibility. Larger weapons will work, but not as comfortable. The tighter the clothing, the less the level of comfort as far as concealment.

Accessability is compromised. The holster can be adjusted as far as height of carry, but if you want "tucked in" concealment it'll be slow. Loose shirt/blouse, gun butt above pant/skirt line = faster - but then you could be doing OK with clip-grips or an Uncle Mikes IWB with the same results.

Short barrels. If you're male sitting down longer barrels can give obvious problems. If you're female, then there is the "thump" if you sit down abruptly on a hard chair.

Ultimate concealment with reasonable "non-blousy" clothing and relatively small weapons. The larger the person the larger the weapon that is reasonable. If you're 5 feet and 90 pounds you just flat can't do a full sized Desert Eagle. Although if you weren't into to skin tight jeans you could probably do a j-frame or PPK real well.

If you're 6'2" and 220# you could probable do a Colt Commander without problems.

If you're very pregnant or have a good beer gut, then you're back to smaller guns and difficult access.

I'm a scrawney old geezer (6 feet and 180#) and I like mine. But I don't push it with anything larger than a Colt Officers - and I consider that an upper limit.

YMMV.



------------------
Jim Fox
 
I'm in Phoenix, where it is hot much of the time. And, I'm usually dressed in suits, business casual, etc. I carry concealed, and it must be completely concealed.

I've been using Thunderwear for about 14 months, and generally like it. The only other options I see are a belly band (worn so the pistol / revolver would be under my left armpit - thus, a cross draw), or an ankle holster.

I've tried the belly band briefly, and while more accessible, it is too hot. I've passed so far on the ankle holster because ready access requires modifying my pants.

The Thunderwear gives me the ability to carry, but as noted above, it is slow. My last time out at our informal range, my buddy timed my draw - between 2 and 4 seconds. Too slow, really, for some situations. But, if we're talking about a restaurant or office where a commotion starts and I want to be able to defend myself and other innocents, it may very well be sufficient. And, in those rare cases where I've felt the potential for a problem existed, I've pulled the pistol up where it is more accessible.

I use a Kahr K9, and it fits fine. I tried a Paraordnance P-12 once, and it was too big - possible, but not really practical. Besides, I'm not keen on carrying a cocked and locked 1911 between my legs. ;) DAO seems a better action choice.

One other point. I wear it over the tails of my shirt in the front, but under the tails of the shirt in the back. That way, the elastic strap is not visible if / when the shirt rides up a little in back. And, the pistol rides below my belt line. If I was in better shape, perhaps I could keep the butt under my belt, and that would be better, IMHO.

I've tried imitations, and prefer the Thunderwear brand. And, they've treated me right ... I have the very clear impression that putting out a quality product matters to them. Consider the 'Federal' model with the extra compartment (two in front, and another hidden behind them) - can be handy for carrying a second mag, cash and ID, etc.

Good luck. IMHO, this is one of those things you just have to try. Gamble a little money on this, and find what works for you.

Regards from AZ
 
I wore the large Glock and extra mag in the Thuderwear today, and it is the limit of how crowded I want my belly button to be.

It made me look happy to see everyone until I turned the pistol around like Wild Bill Hickhock. That moved the the bottom of the handle to a place that doesn't show
.

A Commander sized 1911 is no problem. I don't think anyone should carry a large Glock in thuderwear unless there is a real need.​
 
Dear Friends,

I use Thunderwear more and more often, for one reason: hugging!

I work at a church, and although most of the people here would not mind the fact I carry, the 10% who would be alarmed could really cause a stink.

No matter how invisible the pistol is in IWB, shoulder, or wherever, it will still be felt by someone giving you a hug.

So where is it that no one is likely to be touching at a church prayer meeting?!?!? I carry (Makarov) with the barrel just alongside Mr. Lucky. I used to carry a Kahr K9, which was slightly shorter but slightly wider than the Mak, but the idea of that smooth, short trigger in that very important place protected by nothing but that thin bit of nylon made me eventually have to go to chamber empty---as if Thunderwear draw is not slow enough.

Speaking of which, I agree that it is slow. It takes me about 4-5 very awkward seconds using both hands, and up to 10 seconds one-handed. But in the Post Office, Luby's, Columbine, Wedgewood, etc., anyone there would have been delighted to have 5 second access to a gun!

A friend asked me once, "What if you reach in there and pull out the wrong thing?" My other shooting buddy quickly snapped off with, "That would scare the bad guy away even faster!"

My Thunderwear has a magazine pouch, and using it gives visual balance to the slight bulge of the pistol on the other side.

P.S. You don't know, since I use a pseudonym, whether or not I might be YOUR minister at YOUR church. So this Sunday, everybody check your pastor to see if he is using this carry method!

JP

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Nehemiah 4:18 " ... and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked."
 
Cpt. John Park, you're a scamp. I bet a lot of ministers are gonna wonder why everyone's so friendly this Sunday.

I use a Bianchi band similar in placement to Thunderwear. Even on my best day I couldn't pull the trigger with Mr. Lucky, so I guess I'm safe with one in the chamber of my .380 or .38.

Regards,

Ledbetter
 
2 days with a large Glock in my thunderwear is like 2 days of my mother in law visiting.

A small Glock 19 and a P32 can fit together and everybody is happy down there.
 
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