Plan9

Howdy there, my fellow TFP gun nuts! As you may know, I'm a skinny bastard and have a hard time with concealed carry due to my narrow physique making any hidden firearm appear like some kind of giant tumor. Belt holsters? Forget about it (though I found a high ride one that is promising). Shoulder rig? Too cumbersome and too obvious. Ankle holster? Too awkward, maybe for a backup gun. Fanny pack? Great way to broadcast "man with a gun" to the room. Frustrating!

One solution I've found to my problem has been the T-shirt holster made by 5.11 Tactical.

Oh, good website design gives me a warm 'n fuzzy. Their site does a great job detailing the product and their movable zoom window is really useful for examining the fine details of the product for yourself. Check it out:


Here is their "oh, sell-it-to-me" description for those of us too lazy to click on the link:

Holster Shirt Description:

* Designed for concealed carry or work out wear
* Securely stows compact handgun and magazines/speed loaders or mp3 player
* Opaque outer mesh layer obscures profile of handgun
* Mesh shoulder yoke supports the extra weight of a concealed handgun and eliminates sagging
* 80% polyester, 20% spandex
* Moisture wicking technology
* Flack-lock seams reduce friction and prevent chafing
* Velcro pocket locks to keep hidden gear secure
* Antimicrobial material
* Black and white

If you are looking for the perfect concealed carry shirt, here it is. The 5.11 Holster Shirt is designed to carry a compact handgun and associated equipment such as magazines, handcuffs or speed loaders. Worn under our new Covert Casual shirt, the two concealed compartments are even more accessible when it’s time act. You won’t be caught off guard with this great system.

Functionality
It’s not always practical to carry a handgun in a holster on your belt. The 5.11 Holster Shirt is a great alternative to conventional concealed carry methods. Designed for quick access, the Holster shirt has two concealed carry compartments that can accommodate a compact handgun and associated gear. The 5.11 Holster Shirt has all of the features of our undergear line which includes moisture wicking technology, antimicrobial fabric, flat-lock seams and a printed label to prevent chafing. An inner padded terrycloth layer lines the concealed carry compartments to provide a protective surface against your chest. You won’t even know you have your work tools stowed so close to your body. This padded layer also protects your handgun against moisture. The Holster Shirt also doubles as a great workout shirt. With its two carry compartments you can put your keys in one pocket and your mp3 player in the other. You won’t have to worry about sagging or bouncing as the mesh shoulder yolk and spandex fabric keeps the entire shirt and its contents close to your body under any type of activity.

Durability
Made with high quality fabrics, the 5.11 Holster Shirt will hold up washing after washing. Designed with heavy use in mind, we have reinforced the concealed carry compartments, used flat-lock stitching on all inner seams and ensured that the shirt stays tightly fitted to the body during all physical activities.

Hardware
The 5.11 Holster Shirt is constructed of moisture-wicking, antibacterial and quick-drying fabric. Made of 80% polyester and 20% spandex, we use quality materials in the construction of this important piece of equipment. Just as with any holster, this shirt has to be comfortable, be able to secure the handgun and provide immediate and easy accessibility when the handgun is needed. You can count on the 5.11 Holster Shirts to be ready when you are.

Fit
The 5.11 Holster Shirt has a great athletic fit. A mesh shoulder yolk has been built in to carry the weight of the gear and prevent any type of sagging even under strenuous activity. It clings to your torso and arms and which allows our unique fabric blend to wick moisture away from the body and allow the moisture to quickly evaporate away. Whether worn under a shirt and used for concealed carry or worn on its own as a workout shirt, you’ll be comfortable with this shirt now matter how long it is worn.

Value
The value of the 5.11 Holster Shirt is exceptional. With the equivalent of two shoulder holsters this shirt provides you with great functionality at a very reasonable price. Its versatility and durability make this shirt an absolute necessity for any police officer who is considering concealed carry. It is also a great value as a work out shirt because of the storage compartments for your workout necessities."

Here's my personal review of the 5.11 Tactical Under Armour-style concealed carry holster T-shirt:

=== Basics ===

As described, product is basically a spandex Under Armour T-shirt with twin underarm mounted holster pockets. Price range is between $40-50 from online vendors.

=== Pictures ===

I usually carry a S&W 37 .38 Special or a Kel-Tec P32 .32 ACP. The largest gun that I've hidden in this thing comfortably was a Sig P232 .380 Auto. You're not going to put anything bigger than Glock 26 (9mm) or Glock 36 (.45 single stack) in this rig. The idea is to have a small gun close to your chest in a concealment rig that is more comfortable than other options.

=== Personal Experience ===

Thanks for all the descriptive crap, but can I really draw from this thing when I need to?

Turns out you can! Practice makes perfect. This isn't a quick draw holster, it's designed for concealed carry. Wearing a loose fitting overshirt is key. You have to be able to accurately snake your firing hand up to nipple level. Your firing hand's index and middle fingers can easily break the Velcro on your way in and down to the grip. When I'm practicing, I lift my cover T-shirt up with the thumb of my non-firing hand to where it's about armpit level while my firing hand retrieves the weapon as described above. It isn't as fast as a hip holster, but its carries a lot better for me.

Another option would be to wear the holster shirt under a jacket that featured armpit vents. Military-style winter jackets often feature lengthy armpit zippers. Simply leave the zipper open on the side you need and go for it. I've seen this done before with shoulder holsters and I'd imagine this rig would work even better seeing as the gun doesn't move in the vacuum-sealed-to-your-torso shirt.

A word on revolvers: Any hammer-equipped snubnose revolver represents a snagging risk when drawn from a closed-top or fully-enclosed holster such as this. Techniques vary depending on where you went to gun-school, but I was taught to draw from said holsters with a modified basic firing grip: instead of wrapping my thumb around the grip as I would when drawing from a belt holster, I set it high and to the rear on the left side of the frame so as to make a smooth "speed bump" higher than the hammer. This prevents snagging as my thumb is covering the hammer from the left side. Obviously a hammerless gun or smooth-backed auto would be preferred for this type of rig.

Does the gun move?
No. I've run and jumped with it and stood upside down and the gun didn't move a bit. The tension of the spandex shirt and the complete encapsulation of the gun in the triangular holster pocket keep it from budging.

Does the gun print?

Like any holster, the bulge shows if you don't wear a T-shirt large enough to obscure it, but the gun shape is really broken up well by the outer cover of the holster. It works better on flat-sided autos than tumor-shaped revolvers, of course. There is a little bit of back-and-forth motion that you can use to adjust the butt of the gun while it is the holster to better hide under your arm.

How is it temperature-wise?

Thing is a fleece cap for your armpits. I didn't think such a creature as a spandex sweater existed, but occasionally this thing feels like one. The cushy terry-cloth underarm pads lining the holster will get you nice and toasty rather quickly. The sweat-wicking aspect of the black polyester is nice on the chest and back, but your underarms and ribs will get sweaty.

Okay, so I'm getting sweaty... will my gun get sweaty, too?

Nope. The gun is protected by a water-resistant layer. Despite the fact that I've been out and about in the middle of summer with my sweat glands going full steam, my snubnose didn't get the slightest bit wet.

Are the seams itchy?

No. They did a great job with the seams. The stitching on the product is top notch.

Does the shirt stay put?

The bottom portion of the shirt tends to climb up to your navel during the course of a day from normal sitting and standing activities. This gets really annoying as you have to either settle for it sitting on top of your belt line or have to push it back down by your crotch. I was thinking about taking it to get tailored at a sew shop and turn it into a 3/4 length shirt.

Is it too tight?

I wear a size medium (16.5 neck, 39.5 chest, 29 waist) and the chest and waist measurements fit snug but not too tight. I didn't get any red "squeeze marks" thanks to the proper fit and flat seams. Sadly, I had a huge problem with the neck on the round neck model being all choke-me-gently and had to have the neck enlarged by removing the additional band they had sewn on it. Major measurement flaw. I don't know what kind of audience they expect to wear this thing, but I'd imagine the guys wearing it in M and L sizes are going to have similar size necks if not larger. I don't know about the fit of the V neck but the round neck was literally rubbing right below my Adam's apple at times and irritated the beard hairs on my throat. In my opinion, the neck on this thing is too tight and sits too high. Easily fixed at your local sew shop.

What about extras?

Speedloaders would be stupid. A single stack magazine or a speed strip (for revolvers) would be an easy do but such items would probably be accessed faster from hip pockets. The sweat blocking layer makes it viable for a lot of things: You could keep cash, credit cards, IDs in it to prevent theft when traveling and it would be a great shirt for runners if you don't mind looking a little weird.

Overall?

Best T-shirt holster on the market. I've gone through a couple brand-name variants and the 5.11 Tactical product is the best.


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__________________
Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

PonyPotato

Bonus: It makes you look totally hot.

If you're Crompsin, anyway.

__________________
"Without passion man is a mere latent force and possibility, like the flint which awaits the shock of the iron before it can give forth its spark."
— Henri-Frédéric Amiel

MSD

It looks like it's at the top of it's class,but I can't see myself feeling comfortable with a holster position that offers the options of either lofting my off hand over my head or sweeping my a with the muzzle. It looks like it takes care of bunching shirt or a shoulder holster sliding if it isn't circulation-stoppingly tight, though. I'm glad I'm big enough to carry anything short of a full-size rifle IWB

JStrider

Looks like a good setup... I run into the same kind of problems being pretty skinny and trying conceal. I've found a couple waist holders that work well if I position them on my back below my kidney.

Don't know how well that setup would work with my full size 1911... need to look into getting some smaller guns for concealing.

__________________
-=JStrider=-

~Clatto Verata Nicto

Plan9

You mean belly bands? Woman has a cheapo bellyband for her J-frame. They're okay but I worried about retention.

I reckon it wouldn't. You might be able to get a low profile 3.5" Officer in there, but that would be pushing it in the capacity realm as well as the speed-of-draw realm (bigger gun means more up-then-out right angle motion instead of the smooth diagonal draw you get from a S&W snubbie.
-----Added 10/11/2008 at 09 : 52 : 13-----
What IWB do you use?

...

Ya know, they make the 5.11 Tactical shirt in your size.

__________________
Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

Plan9

Are you referring to draw options? I can post a little slide show of the draw method I use if you feel it is unsafe. I haven't had any issues with this type of holster over a normal shoulder rig.

__________________
Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

telekinetic

Worst case, you sweep your arm. Big deal. Aim low and/or act like you're in mid chicken dance with your off arm and that's avoided.

I <3's me some 5.11...currently wearing one of my two pairs of TacLite pants, and will be ordering this as soon as I've got a handgun that fits in it!

__________________
twisted no more

MSD

I don't carry anything outside of the house on account of not having my pistol permit, but I showed almost no printing and nothing that wouldn't be hidden under a shirt with a friend's holster (don't know what brand) and full size 1911 at 2:00 or 4:00 in jeans that fit quite snugly. For comedy's sake I proved that I can walk and sit without looking unusual with a 26" shotgun tucked into my waistband and a big shirt.

And when you say they make them in my size, but I see no "tall" option.

JStrider

I do have a bellyband, but wasn't impressed.

I meant a couple Inside Waist Band holsters

__________________
-=JStrider=-

~Clatto Verata Nicto

Plan9

Oh, think of it like a sexy belly shirt with a lethal surprise.

Actually, the shirt length is rather long. I can CC my balls in the bottom hem along with a .38 under my left arm.

...

You can hide a Remington 870 duck gun in your pants? Jesus.

Remind me not to piss you off and get poor Tokyo stomped again.

__________________
Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

MSD

Hmm. TFP is too mature for "pics or it didn't happen." And I used my cut down single-shot to test (26 overall, not barrel length!) If it weren't PGO, the stock would probably break my ribs and collapse one of my lungs when I sat down.

Brewer

NRA store has the best price I've found.
White ones itch, black ones don't

Plan9

...but they're made out of the same material.

Racist.

__________________
Whatever you can carry.

"You should not drink... and bake."

Brewer

I think there's a slightly different thread used to put them together, but, who knows. Anyhoo, my white one is much itchier.