If you have been carrying a concealed handgun for any length of time, you probably have it down to a science. If you are like me, each gun has a holster that fits it perfectly for retention and ease of access, and you have different guns and holsters for different carry situations and modes of dress, whether you are doing yard work or wearing a suit. However, cold winter weather and the need for heavy clothes can throw our usual concealed carry methods right out the window.
Winter Concealed Carry Challenges
Most challenges associated with winter carry revolve around access. Your gun will not do you any good if you cannot access it in time to use it. Heavy clothing makes clearing your cover garments preparatory to drawing slow and cumbersome, especially if you are wearing a long coat that is zipped up on a cold or windy day. This makes relying on an IWB holster more difficult, especially if you wear it at the 3 or 4 o’clock positions.
Gloves are another limiting factor. While it is usually fine to go gloveless in marginally cold weather or for short periods in cold weather, gloves are almost a necessity in very cold weather. Not wearing them will make your fingers numb, which creates its own set of problems. However, gloves also make it more difficult to get a proper grip, manipulate controls like a manual safety and magazine release, and get your finger into the trigger guard.
Making Winter Concealed Carry Work
Fortunately, there are ways to work around winter clothing so that your gun is available when you need it.
Layers
Dressing in layers can provide better access than wearing a long, heavy coat. Wear a long-sleeved T-shirt as your bottom layer and tuck it behind your gun. If you need more, add a sweatshirt or sweater, also tucked behind your gun. That way, your jacket will be your outer layer and can be worn unzipped. It will also be your only cover garment and can be swept aside quickly to access your gun, which will be on the outside of your other layers.
Special Clothing
More and more tactical clothing companies are making clothes specifically designed for concealed carry. These include jackets and coats that have features like reach-through side pockets that allow you to easily access your gun, side vents that unzip to provide faster gun access, and even large built-in pockets that can be used to conceal a holster for a compact handgun. Jackets that offer these modifications include VERTX jackets, the VIKTOS Men’s Gunvent Tactical Concealed Carry Fleece Hoodie and the Rothco Concealed Carry 3 Season Jacket. For colder weather, check out the 5.11 3-IN-1 Parka 2.0. Most of these companies also make concealed-carry clothing for women.
Carry Positions and Holsters
You can also adapt to winter carry by modifying your carry position and/or holster. For example, appendix carry makes it easier to access your handgun in the winter than most other holster positions. So, even if you normally prefer to carry your IWB holster at 3 or 4 o’clock, you may have to switch to appendix carry when you must bundle up for especially cold weather. Alternatively, when you are wearing a large coat with big pockets, you can mount a holster in a pocket and pocket carry. Most winter parkas have large enough pockets that you can easily pocket carry a compact handgun, as opposed to a micro-compact that would fit in a pants pocket. Of course, one drawback is that when you arrive at your destination and want to take your coat off, you will need to find a way to transfer your gun to a different holster.
Gloves
Sometimes, you can just keep your hands in your pockets during cold weather, but there will be times when you must wear gloves. As I mentioned earlier, gloves can be a problem in getting a solid grip on your gun quickly and getting your finger on the trigger. Fortunately, there are some excellent gloves on the market that are designed for use while shooting a gun that offer a good balance between warmth and dexterity. Some of the best gloves available, and my personal favorite, are Mechanix Wear Original Covert Tactical Work Gloves. Another good option are the Magpul Patrol Glove 2.0 Lightweight Tactical Leather Gloves. They are warm and still offer excellent dexterity. Of course, no tactical glove will be as warm as heavy-duty outdoor gloves or ski gloves, so in some conditions, wearing heavy gloves may be unavoidable. In those cases, it will be important to exercise heightened situational awareness to give yourself time to react and get your bulky glove off.
A Bigger Gun
While it almost sounds comical to say it, carrying a bigger gun is a practical way to mitigate winter carry challenges. A bigger gun is easier to find when wearing heavy clothing. It is also easier to get a good grip on when you are wearing gloves. Finally, a bigger gun will often have a bigger trigger guard than a smaller gun, making it easier to get your finger on the trigger.
Full-size guns are easier to shoot, generally have greater ammunition capacity, and are much easier to conceal when wearing heavy clothing than in the summer when you are wearing a T-shirt. Depending on what you are doing that day, there could even be situations where you can use an OWB holster under a winter coat, which will greatly simplify access.
Practice Makes Perfect
Whatever techniques you adopt to make it easier to carry your gun in the winter, you must practice while using them. Drawing, presenting, and even getting a shot off quickly can all be practiced at home with dry fire or a laser trainer. As always, when practicing, ensure your gun is cleared, then simply dress as you would when you are out, and practice accessing and drawing. If it is too hot to do it indoors with warm clothes and gloves on, go into your garage or backyard. If you live in an apartment and don’t have someplace, you can practice outdoors, then run multiple short practice seasons so you can get out of your warm clothes and cool down between them. Either way, practicing for winter concealed carry is an absolute necessity because you will not know what kinds of problems you will have to adapt to unless you do some hands-on training.
Summary
Criminals do not take a vacation just because the weather is cold. In fact, there will be times when the risk is higher because criminals like to take advantage of people who are preoccupied or otherwise unable to react quickly. Next time you go out shopping on a cold or wintry day, take a moment to watch the people moving through the parking lot or on the street. Many will have their heads down and their hands shoved in their pockets. All most people want to do in bad weather is get into the building or their car and out of the weather. Situational awareness suffers under those conditions, but you do not have to be one of those people. By planning ahead, practicing, and being aware, you can be prepared to defend yourself no matter the weather or how you are dressed.
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