Pocket Carry – 5 Things You Need to Consider

Like most any other industry, there are certain trends in the holster industry that are tied to the season. Over the years, we’ve noticed that in the spring months just before summer, there’s always an increased interest in pocket holsters. Being a pocket carry fan, it makes perfect sense to me. Warmer weather means less clothing, which, for most people who carry concealed, means it becomes harder to hide a gun on your person. This leads to the increased research and interest in pocket carry.

Having been in the holster business for some years, we’ve had the chance to observe both success and failure with pocket carry, and come up with 5 things to consider with pocket carry. Keep in mind, these are basically just some observations based on experiences.

#1 – Pockets come in many different sizes – There is no standard that the clothing industry follows for pocket sizing and the differences between pocket sizes and shapes can be huge. Those variances exists even in the same clothing styles between brands. For example, there’s a significant difference in the size, shape, and depth of pockets in blue jeans as compared to pockets on cargo style shorts. The cargo pocket is much deeper and would most likely be able to carry a slightly larger pocket gun as compared to the blue jean pockets.  The point being made is pocket carry may work better for one style of clothing as opposed to another, and may not work universally well across your wardrobe. On a personal level, my favorite styles of pants are blue jeans for the cooler months and khaki style shorts for the warmer months. My preferred pocket gun and pocket carry holster were selected because they work well in conjunction with the pockets on those 2 pant styles that I prefer (and that’s the operative phrase).

#2 – Just because a holster brand offers a “pocket holster” model for a certain weapon, doesn’t mean it’s going to work – Throughout the years, the staff at Gunner’s Alley has been surprised at the size of some of the weapons that holster makers and holster brands offer for pocket carry. For example, at one point in time, Don Hume offered a front pocket holster for a Glock 19, H&K P2000SK, and Taurus PT-145 Millennium Pro (and the last 2 are still offered by Don Hume). Although I can only speak for myself, there’s no way I could ever carry one of those 3 models in a pocket holster. They are just way too big for my own personal tastes. Again, just because it’s available for pocket carry, doesn’t mean it’s a good choice for pocket carry.

#3 – Front or Back Pocket Carry? – One common question we hear about pocket carry centers around the choice of front or rear pocket carry, and which is “better?” There really is no “better” as it depends on the individual and their own personal preferences. For me personally, the answer is simple as I much prefer front pocket over rear pocket carry. Front pocket is easier to conceal, easier to access, and easier to maintain control of should there be a physical attack or incident. Some people love rear pocket carry, but I’m not one of them.

#4 – Gun choice matters – Based on our experiences in the business, the single biggest reason that people are not successful with pocket carry boils down to one thing: weapon choice. I completely understand the desire to carry a weapon with decent capacity along with a powerful caliber, but, that usually leads to weapons that are really on the big side for pocket carry. Successful pocket carry may require a change in that thinking, because most weapon models that are going to lead to successful pocket carry are going to be smaller guns with a lower 5-7 shot capacity. And let me define “successful pocket carry” as a situation where the weapon is successfully concealed in the pocket, and is able to be drawn from the pocket in a relatively quick manner. Over the years, I’ve tried carrying a wide variety of different guns in my pocket with a mix of good and bad results. These days, my go-to pocket gun is a Kahr P380, but there are others on the market that work great for pocket carry as well.

#5 – How to carry a spare magazine? – Given the number of people who pocket carry, I’m always surprised by the small number who carry a spare magazine as well. That seems to be a forgotten concept with pocket carry, when it really should be a major concern, given the smaller round count associated with most pocket guns today. Rather than carry a spare magazine in a mag carrier on my belt while I pocket carry, I prefer to slip one in my left rear pocket. There are some mag carrier options on the market designed to carry a spare mag in the weakside pocket, but I need somewhere to carry all my other important stuff as well like keys, etc.

Like I mentioned before, these are just a few things to think about with pocket carry and they might help make your pocket carry a more successful experience.

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