All posts tagged Concealed Carry Clothing

Woolrich Elite goodies on clearance

last year we picked up a  ton of discontinued Woolrich Elite products but had a shockingly bad winter sales for outwear.   One of our favorite things about the Woolrich Elite product line is that the fabrics they use are very well made.   For a company that has been around for over 180yrs, they must have some secrets that have kept them in the business for so long.  These were originally marketed as a CCW sweatshirt, but they really don’t have any features that are concealed carry friendly other than the fact they are cut a little long.

We picked up a large quantity of these and since we had such a warm winter, they didn’t sell so good so we’re trying to make room and clear them out.  We have a large international and domestic customer base and these Woolrich Elite sweatshirts are being sold for 50% below what we use to sell them for.  Even though it’s hot as hell here in Pennsylvania, we know there are customers in Canada, Alaska and Afghanistan that might wants these.   Check out or clearance and sale section as well as the new Woolrich Elite Series tactical products like the Twill Jacket.

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Summer CCW options when it comes to wearing shorts

We all know that much of what we see being made by  5.11 tactical and Blackhawk, Woolrich Elite and Eotac are suppose to be concealed carry, but they really are all still tactical looking.   Much of what i have seen that was suppose to be in the Covert Carry products from 5.11 all looked like a Cop should be wearing them and if it’s got 5.11 on them, I don’t think there are too many big time criminals that don’t know what 5.11 clothing looks like.   I’m still amazed at the fact that 5.11 covert carry pants do not work very well with any kind of pocket carry and the inner pockets are practically useless for anything other than a wallet or money.   Woolrich Elite shorts are by far the best,  we’ve carried a few other tactical shorts in the past, but we got tired of the complaints about them riding up and not being true to size.

One thing we have liked about carrying the Woolrich Elite product line is most of our customer base have come over from wearing 5.11 tactical clothing.  We plan on carrying some of the 5.11 tactical apparel in the very near future, but we will be picky about what we carry due to so many complaints about inconsistencies about sizing and shrinkage.   I’ve tossed a few 5.11 tactical shorts because they rode up on me so bad that I was in danger of being cited for obscenities.   Woolrich Elite style 44908 are the lightweight cotton ripstop material that will give you some ability to carry gear or pocket carry

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Woolrich Elite Outerwear

We were really wondering what was going on with Woolrich a few years ago after some of the people that were involved with the company split off and went on and started their own thing.   We were not sure if they were going to survive this bump in the road, but 2011 gave us a glimpse into some original products that are being added to their product line.  We have always had a high opinion of their quality, but some of the designs of their products really needed improving.   Woolrich has gotten the edge over some of the big tactical clothing companies in 2011.

I recently looked up several shirt companies from a few years ago and they were all out of business.   This year Woolrich Elite took the trophy with their concealed carry and tactical shirts.  The lightweight cotton rip stop shirts are much lighter for hot weather and still have the tactical utility uses.  The Woolrich Elite shirts primarily the CCW and Oxford shirts are outstanding.  They truly are concealed carry shirts that aren’t tactical looking at all.  If you want dress shirts that are cut for CCW this is your best option.

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Revival of laser grips?

I think there really has been a change in attitude towards  using laser grips.    Now that police and military are actually being trained to use their weapons and every municipality has a better trained SWAT team than a decade ago, lasers are actually finding a place in the CCW and LEO communities.   When I first saw lasers coming onto the scene in the late 1990s many un trained LEOs got into situations where they would have normally pulled the trigger and taken the first shot, but the lasers slowed their shooting down because they were tracking the dot.

Instinctive shooting can’t be compromised, period.  When you are  in a defensive situation, you are more than likely within 9yds are less of your attacker and there is no need to even look at your sights let alone your laser dot.   Now that we have cleared that up, Crimson Trace laser grips has done a good job as a company of sending out a Free DVD that gives you some ideas on how to deploy a laser in defensive situations where it actually reduces your chances of being shot by helping  you stay under cover.

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Elastic waistbands, it doesn’t feel right without it anymore

I just put in an order for several new Galco holsters that I’m going to try to work with a few regual jeans I own because I recently hurt my side with a kydex holster on a pair of jeans that were suppose to be for CCW but I found them to royally suck because they didn’t have an elastic waistband.   I’m half wondering if this 5.11 tactical jean has been discontinued because I see them being sold at clearance levels of under $20.   I’m still testing out various type of tactical clothing from Tru-Spec and Blackhawk, but I’m a little overwhelmed with what I have being tested out right now.   I had to give up on IWB holsters for these 5.11 pants because they just don’t cut it.   I will be trying a Don Hume Jit holster and see if that works.

I had good luck with the Eotac 502 jeans because they had an elastic waistband, but I actually had issues with the Woolrich Elite tactical pants that were almost identical looking.  The waistband on the Woolrich 44909 seemed to be thicker and my IWB holster from JS holsters had trouble clipping onto the belt due to the thickness….weird.   I personally like the idea of having less tactical pockets on jeans because jeans really can’t be tactical looking if you want them to be CCW.  Most guys are going to want the straight leg pants and a more washed look to them.   I really have limited ways of carrying in the summer because every time I have to walk out of the door at this time of year I have to wear layers of clothing or a heavy jacket and it’s hard to really test out shirts.

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Reducing the chances of slipping and falling

I am not in the military and have never served in Law Enforcement so much of what I may be discussing has already been put into the minds of those that have trained for street work.   There has been a change in our modern culture, I guess it’s partially from the changes that took place after September 11, 2001.   More Americans are being issued gun permits than ever before due to the potential threats of terrorism and an increase in crime due to the bad economy.   The tactical clothing market has been growing every year and there are even some small business that are only putting out pants and shirts for white collar CCW holders.   I’ll leave it up to another time to discuss the clothing, but white collar CCW is the pinnacle of concealed carry.

When I think of the number of times I had to carry a gun in an ankle holster or pocket holster for a wedding, the one thing that I always felt uncomfortable about was that the shoes I had to wear were difficult to run in and very easy to slide in.  I must admit that I along with many of my friends do not pick out our own clothing for these types of events and our wives are very picky about what kind of shirts and shoes we are wearing.  Most of the Original Swat tactical footwear is made for Law Enforcement applications, but I would highly recommend the Oxford shoes for anyone in the white collar CCW arena.   These shoes will look like dress shoes with superior traction.

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Outwear and concealment options

The Seasons ar changing in most of North America and it’s time to think about how we are going to be able to conceal our firearms as the weather patterns change.  The hard part months like October is you never know if it’s going to be 75F or 40F because there are so many fluctuations at this time of year.   You may wake up to frost on the ground and need a warm layer of clothing, but still need to take it off later in the afternoon.   The Eotac 501 half zip sweatshirt is not only warm and comfortable, it is a concealed carry friendly surface layer.   The size vent flaps open up to access gear like your CCW Glock, spare magazines, Surefire G2 or even just  your cell phone.

The problem with putting layers of clothing on is that you are potentially burying your gear.  Now that a boom in gun permits have been being issued around the Country, there has also been a shift in the types of weapons people are chosing for everyday purposes and the demand for CCW apparel.  Rogue Elite is carrying some of the top tier concealed carry vests, tactical pants, tactical shirts and CCW friendly outwear like the Eotac Field Vest, and Field Jacket.

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tactical pants and consistancy

tactical pantsI’ve been wearing Eotac tactical pants and shorts for almost 2 yrs now.   I’ve seen only one real production change since I’ve been wearing them and that pretty much proves that Eotac got it right with their line of tactical pants.  Some of the early production pants were a little tight in the thighs but I never noticed this problem since I’m not a body building (the only people that noticed).   I really like the fit compared to the 5.11 tactical pants I use to wear primarily because they don’t ride up in the seat.   I think that is the most common complaint I get from customers when they call and ask about various tactical pants that we sell.

The Style 202 are my favorite pants to wear for fall and winter weather.   At first glance, most of the tactical pants out there look the same, but just like many of the firearms that we see in the industry, some of it just comes down to preference.   I find some of the tactical pants made by Blackhawk and Proper to be a little overly designed, and I don’t need pockets in many of the places that some manufacturers are placing them.  They Style 202 pants have them were I need them and they are designed to the proper dimensions.   It always bothered me that so many shirts and pants had basically flat dimensions and you couldn’t really fit much in them.   This became an issue with many of the tactical shirts I have worn especially when it came to using notepads.   If the notepad was full, my Woolrich Elite shirt face pockets couldn’t fit it and I’d have to place my notepad in the inner pockets.  All of the Eotac shirts and pants have bellowed pockets that aren’t bulging, but give you about another 30% for putting more in a pocket, without adding more and more pockets to a design.   There can be too many pockets on tactical clothing.

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Hot weather and clothing

tactical shirtsThis summer has already been  hotter than the summers that I remember in the previous decade.  Since I’ve been wearing the same clothing or similiar types of clothing for the past coupl years, I can really feel the changes in seasons.   In New Jersey we get all 4 Seasons, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring.  Good luck in trying to wear the same pants or shirt through all of that!  5.11 Tactical has probable the most diverse product line, but we get an enormous number of complaints from them.   Eotac products have been on the market for bairly more than a year and we’re still hoping for more new products.   In the summer months we can really feel the need for more lightweight products.    The concealed carry clothing that works the best in really hot weather are the Style 403 and Style 404 shirts which are basically as light as a t-shirt, but designed for concealing a firearm, and they allow for easy access under cover.

Eotac has tactical shirts that I would highly recommend for those still wanting a shirt for range use.    The style 401 Eotac shirt is highly recommend by our operators due to the fact that it is short sleeve, vented properly and the shirt has a zipper that looks professional even when zipped down. For the remaining parts of July and August we are running a huge promo on these items.   Considering how hot it’s been in most of the Country and the fact that these are already a big seller for this time of year, they may be sold out before the end of month.   See our sizing guide for the proper measurements and feel free to call or email us with any questions.

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Lighweight vests for summer

Woolrich Elite VestsFor those of us living in the part of the Country where we get all 4 Seasons of weather, our concealment options usually will change atleast 2 times a year.    There are enormous numbers of ways you can conceal a weapon, but for those of us that carry full size weapons, the warmer the weather the fewer the options.   I carry a full size Beretta 92F while at work and one of my favorite ways of carrying this firearm is in a Fobus paddle holster.   For only about $20, I’ve gotten more than my moneys worth and have never broken the holster.   I’d have to say that if I was rolling around in the dirt I would defanitely prefer to have a Serpa holster.

The Woolrich Elite lightweight vest is made of a 100% cotton ripstop material that is identical the the Woorlich Elite lightweight pants and shorts.   These make carrying gear and concealment tolerable in hot weather.   These Woolrich Elite Vests are very popular with the IDPA crowd and being cut generously on the sides give great concealement, especially for those carrying full size autos.   We’ve had a few goofy complaints from customers that have stated that these vests are not good for concealing firearm if you put them in the pockets, and we would agree, these are basically made of the same type of material that your T-shirt is made out of and your gun will most likely print if you put it in the front pockets.   The concealed carry vest is meant to be a concealment garment and not a firearm retention device.   There are other concealment vests out t here that cost 3x’s as much money and can be used to hold firearms, but those are not lightweight.

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