Tactical Vests: Is there a discreet model for CC

[noshow]

I love vests for easy and effective concealment nine months a year. I wish I could get one that didn't scream combat, but offered several inside pockets and looked less military. Does anyone know of such a garment, if so please share. Thank you!

 

[ContinentalOp]

A little pricey, but you may want to look up SCOTTeVEST. I've never used them, but they seem like they'd suit your needs.

 

[fatcat3]

Duluth trading co., Carhartt, Filson

 

[BB57]

Choose something that blends where you live and with how you dress. In the fall, winter and spring, I'm generally found in western boots, blue jeans and a western hat. A western style leather or denim vest fits well with that an it's not out of place where I live now in NC.

When I lived in northern VA I had to choose differently, as western boots, hat, and other stuff I normally wore in South Dakota stood out.

 

[gnystrom]

The word "tactical" always amuses me. I have a 5.11 "tactical" and threw it on this morning for a walk and I could feel that there were a pair if gloces in there somewhere but it took me a while to get into the inside of the inside hidden pocket to finally dig them out.
I have had it with the multi-pocket creations that scream you are an old fool that is trying to hide a gun while looking like someone who retired from the SWAT team or think you are a cameraman on safari.
I love vests and have now settled on the simplest design's possible. My only must have is a chest pocket zipper because it is a great place to keep a cell phone within hearing range and it needs to be long enough to cover a OWB high ride pancake holster.
My 2¢

 

[1911haulic]

NRA sells a couple of leather vest that are nice, they are western cut.

 

[Muss Muggins]

I always assume anyone wearing a vest that isn't carrying a fly rod or doesn't have a big camera around the neck is carrying a pistol. Most of the time, you can see the pistol . . .

 

[OKFC05]

As part of carry class, I demonstrated effective concealed carry. I had a Walls jacket that contained a revolver. The I pulled out the other 4 (empty) pistols I was carrying. I invited the class to guess before I demonstrated, and they always just focused on the vest and never guessed the rest.
People mostly see what they expect to see, if they look at all. Just wear something that fits into normal for your area.

 

[robertrwalsh]

Maybe it is just me but I react to vests the same way I react to fanny packs. I figure there is almost certainly a gun in there somewhere. That being said the ScottEVest mentioned earlier in the string looks intriguing, though I don't know that I have ever seen one on the street.

 

[Ziggy2525]

The ScotteVests and other travel vests don't look tactical. But, IMO they are too hot to wear in the summer and they add one too many layers to draw a pistol from in the winter when you already have a coat on. They're really only good for two seasons.

If you're OK wearing a vest, would you be OK wearing a work shirt like a Carhart or a Dickies instead? Short sleeve or long sleeve. You could wear it unbuttoned like a vest or buttoned like a shirt.

 

[dwh]

I have a Noble Outfitters ranch tough vest I’ve been wear for years. Their owned by 511 tactical. It’s has plenty of pockets, side snaps for outdoor open carry and its beaver tailed. The interior pocket and chest pockets are big enough for a sig 365 or a 442.

 

[geeollie]

Where I live a Carhartt vest fall to spring looks just right and fits in with my rural area. A friend of mine works in a bicycle shop in an urban setting. He wears a "lab coat" multi pocket about mid thigh length. One pocket is cut to allow a grip on a belt holster firearm. This looks much in place in his setting, even when he leaves the shop no one notices just another person wearing what they wear. He would look ridicules in my rural setting.

 

[Loyaljeeper]

I have been wearing vests from about October through April for several years now. However, my vests come from regular stores and are not made by tactical apparel manufacturers. I hope they stay in fashion a lot longer. It’s not that I care about fashion but it allows me to blend in better.

My favorite has been a five pocket Carhart but it is a little on the warmer side. I often carry loads of stuff in the inside pockets and a can of OC in the hand warmer pocket. I wear some fleece vests with nicer clothing but only carry a can of OC in the hand warmer pockets.

 

[johngross]

SCOTTeVEST makes a featherweight model with 16 pockets. But even their "middle weight" vest isn't bulky. I live in Vegas and wear them in 100+ degree heat with no problem. Nor do I feel out of place or that people are staring at me.


Here's a picture from their website.

Me and the wife from a few months ago on vacation in Arizona in July.

On the USS Midway in San Diego in August.

 

[fredj338]

A tactcal or photo vest screams gun. Look at western wear if you want a vest.

 

[199]

Use the Columbia Sportswear Men's Silver Ridge Vest myself.

Lots of pockets, but very light and not suitable for carrying a lot of weight.

Back in the day, folks wore Hawaiian shirts.

 

[Echo40]

You could always go for something that looks less "tactical" and more outdoorsy like a hunting vest, especially if you live near a more wooded area where nobody would blink an eye at a hunter's vest.

That being said, unless you're talking about a vest that looks like something S.W.A.T. or Military would wear with all sorts of pouches, straps, bandoleers and a plate carrier on it, then it's most likely that the only person who is going to think you look obvious is yourself.
Honestly, I see folks obsessing all the time over their attire, thinking that certain styles or even brands of clothing along are somehow tipping folks off that you're carrying a gun, if not outright telegraphing it to everyone in a five block radius.

Believe it or not, ordinary people don't go actively scouting everyone around them, attempting to determine whether or not they are armed. That's an overly self-conscious if not outright paranoid way of thinking.

Personally, I wear 5.11 Tactical Pants, one of the brands that so many folks insist might as well be transparent because apparently everyone, including folks who have no interest whatsoever in firearms or mountain climbing is aware of the brand and instantly recognizes it at a glance, then automatically knows that you're carrying a firearm.
Meanwhile, despite the fact that I've been wearing 5.11 Tactical Pants for over a year now, I've yet to have anyone eyeballing my pants suspiciously, much less confronting me about how my pants or the gun they have ascertained at a glance based on style/brand is tucked inside the waistband.

Realistically speaking, 5.11 Tactical Pants look no different than any other style of heavy duty cargo pants, and normal people don't survey everyone around them, taking note of their clothing, or attempting to figure out who might be carrying a concealed weapon based on said clothing.
Don't get me wrong, I'm sure that there are paranoid folks who do that sort of thing, but then again, they're probably the same sort of folks who believe in all sorts of conspiracies ranging from the world secretly being ruled by an advanced subterranean society of humanoid reptiles to the sadly common belief that the average inept, out-of-touch, anti-gun politician is some sort of evil genius who has formulated an elaborate, long-term plan to systematically rob all citizens of their civil rights and rule the nation by force, even though they cannot possibly achieve their goals within their own lifetime.
But again, people who aren't paranoid don't think that way, ergo the probability of the average person you pass on the street figuring that you're armed based on your attire within reason, is extremely low. Just don't go around dressed like you're part of a S.W.A.T. Team or an actively deployed Soldier and you'll be fine.

Honestly, the sort of folks who think that styles or brands of clothing are an infallible indication that someone is carrying a firearm is most likely into firearms themselves, and is probably the sort who also thinks that anyone who wears clothing with Military Logos on them is in the military themselves, or that anyone who wears a baseball cap must be a hardcore fan of baseball.

 

[HardToHandle]

I am just young enough to regularly pull off Patagonia fleece vests. Both my brother and I spend at least six months a year wearing those, usually concealing a smaller handgun. If you look inside mine, there is pronounced wear on the gun side, but well concealed.

The popularity of nylon sun/fishing zip shirts has been great this summer. They don’t conceal great, but better than a polo or t-shirt.

Reference the ask, a few questions:
What is the carry gun?
What is the holster type and location on body?
What is your normal style of clothes? Do you dress to a certain age?
What is your general location, weather wise?

 

[Inusuit]

I like my Filson Travel Vest, but it does have a tactical/photographer edge.

 

[mscampbell2734]

As some have pointed out have you considered some sort of button shirt instead of a vest? Tommy Bahama, while expensive, can and does blend in anywhere.

Also while slightly expensive Vertx has a line of both polo and button shirts with built in half undershirts. The button shirt is actually a pullover because of the built in part.

vertx guardian 2.0 long sleeve - Google Search