Is a fanny pack a joke?
I would have to put the fanny pack in the same category as a CCW Vest. People think wearing a vest is a dead giveaway that you are carrying a gun, and the same goes for a fanny pack. One question I’d have to ask you, though, is do you think wearing camoflauge pants means you are also carrying a gun? I did a mental tally of how many times I saw a leftist liberal College student wearing camo, and I thought, naw, there’s no chance he’s got a CCW. There seems to be an age group that wear vests and just because you see an old guy wearing a vest, doesn’t mean he’s got a 1911 under it. There are also plenty of people that can get away with wearing a fanny pack is the situation and environment will allow it.
One good suggestion for those that are travelling on a bike, be it a motorcyle or a regular bike. A fanny pack won’t get as uncomfortable on you like an IWB holster if you are bike riding and it also may allow you to get your keys and wallet out of your pockets. Ankle carry is not a very practical way of carrying so I’d have to say that would be my last option for CCW as opposed to fanny packs. A purse for women can be a great weapon to beat down an attacker so always being aware of your environment and knowing what your liabilities are in carrying in that fashion is important. Blackhawk gun cases makes a inexpensive option for various sized firearms.
The organized gun owner is the guy that shows up at the range and never says, “aw frack” I forgot fill in the blank. Some people may think that carrying their sight in tools is pointless if the gun is already sighted in. I’m sure some of you reading this chuckled when they read that, but the reality is the serious shooter knows that even though he’s tightened everything down, stuff comes loose. If it’s got a screw in it, it will come loose unless regular checkups are peformed. I read a good write up by Pat Rogers where he suggested marking the tops of everything that needs locking down with a market of some sort. Probable the best advice I’d pass on to friends.
With the advent of the accessorized rifle or carbine, people are putting so many things on rifles these days that need to be screwed on, locked in, and battery operated that Murphys law has some really cold things to say about this. Every screw on your carbine is going to come loose at some point and every battery operated device will fail at some point. I’ve seen a lot of accessories that fit in the pistol grip, buttstock or other areas and this is nice for some purposes, but any of those operators were spending more than a day with their setup, they find that they aren’t carrying enough tools sand gear on their guns to get through 48hrs of hard use.
There area a lot of good upgrades one can do to a firearm, a fighting rifle should be customized to fit an operator. Advanced Technology makes some quick and easy upgrades for your shotgun or carbine that can give you better grip or balance. Shotgun shell holders on the buttstock or riding side saddle is a practical tactical upgrade you can do on your remington 870. The fiberforce stock for the MAK90 is a way to legally get around some firearm bans and are a big step up compared to the stupid thumbhole stocks. Attach a rifle sling that fits yoru purpose from Blue Force Gear, they come in 1 point, 2 point and 3 point attachements. Minor firearm modifications make need to be done to attache rifle slings, but do some research on various rifle sling configurations to see what works for you.