In much of the country, we’re starting to change out our summer wardrobes to prepare for cooler weather. Long pants, jackets, and boots start to become staples for protection from the breeze and increased precipitation. Many of us will carry along the waistband, but some folks will relocate their concealed handguns now that summer is gone. Let’s take a look at some alternative concealed carry methods for use in the fall.

Concealed Carry Methods: Coat Pocket Carry

Stuffing guns into coat pockets is one of the oldest ways of concealing a handgun. From hardboiled detectives in trench coats to petty thugs jamming Saturday Night Specials into hoodies, there’s something for everyone here. Just because it’s so easy a caveman can do it, doesn’t mean that we can’t be intelligent about this method.

How to Effectively Conceal Carry in a Coat Pocket

Are your coat pockets appropriate for storing a handgun? They’ll need to be deep enough not to worry about prying eyes or a gun tumbling out unexpectedly. Likewise, top-opening pockets are suboptimal due to the angle required to access the firearm.

Using a pocket holster will help maintain a consistent orientation of your gun. These also help protect the trigger and prevent the ingress of debris, which could impact reliability.

While there are certainly some lightweight pocket pistols, extra weight on one side still matters. I recommend ballasting the other pocket with your phone, keys, or similar. That helps avoid telltale drooping of your coat. This also helps you perform a consistent draw.

Keeping your coat partially zipped or buttoned can help here, with each side supporting the other. Additionally, zipping your coat can mitigate swaying of the heavier pocket, keeping it closer for access, concealment, and comfort.

Downsides of Coat Pocket Carry

There are some downsides to coat pocket carry. The gun is effectively committed to staying in your pocket until you get privacy. That means the coat stays on to maintain custody over your firearm. This can break social norms depending on your setting, drawing extra scrutiny and potentially causing discomfort on your part.

Next, you’re seriously limiting your ability to access the gun with your non-dominant hand. Think about how you’ll get to your pistol in an emergency and practice with an unloaded or inert gun.

Additionally, ensure there’s no other junk in your gun pocket besides the firearm itself and a pocket holster if you choose to use one. We don’t want anything getting into the trigger guard and causing a negligent discharge or interfering with employing our handgun.

Advantages of Coat Pocket Carry

Most of us don’t walk around with our guns in hand at low-ready. The drawstroke is the most challenging part of the presentation and the most likely to be fouled. It’s not socially acceptable to keep our hand on the pistols in our waistbands. So, significant practice is required. What if I told you there was an easier way?

Cold weather gives us an excuse to keep our hands in our pockets without violating societal norms. That means we can establish a full firing grip while maintaining concealment and the illusion of compliance with an attacker.

When doing this we must be sure to keep our fingers away from the trigger. From here, we’ve already completed half of a drawstroke, significantly reducing the time needed to fire. This also eliminates a major source of problems in getting the gun out.

Furthermore, it is possible to fire your gun through your pocket. However, you’re facing significantly reduced accuracy, a major source of stoppages, a potential for deflection from zippers or buttons, and more.

I personally wouldn’t go this route, but it has proven successful in the past.

Ankle Holster Concealment

More and more people are wearing shorts in their daily lives. Cool weather means it’s time to cover up those legs, and that means ankle holsters are back on the table—or ankle. Ankle carry is a great way to carry, especially for those who spend a lot of time seated.

When looking to explore ankle carry, there are a few things to consider before heading out the door.

Ankle Carry Considerations

As the weather turns, boots become a regular feature of feet from Fayetteville to Fargo. If you normally wear shoes, you may not have considered how the shaft of your boot interacts with an ankle holster.

This extra bit of material can reduce concealment, resulting in a gun-shaped tumor jutting out of your pant leg. In some cases, you may find difficulty in clearing concealment due to this tightness. Changing the cut of your pants can help avoid these problems. Be sure to practice your draw to verify before leaving home.

For those wearing gloves, can you properly draw up your pants to get to your ankle gun? If there’s some retention method, can you defeat retention without doffing your gloves? Test things at home before hitting the streets.

Be sure to regularly inspect your ankle gun. It’s surprising to see how much debris makes its way up your pant legs.

In the summer, you’re mostly worried about dust, lint, and other particulate. However, moisture from rain or snow can wet your pants (if you haven’t done that yourself), then transfer to your holster and gun. That and other chaff can cause corrosion, which may permanently damage your firearm.

Regularly inspect and clean your gun to keep it in safe working order.

Pants Pocket Concealed Carry

Coats aren’t the only garment with pockets you’ll have on this autumn. Traditional pants pocket carry can be a great option year-round. However, there are some specific considerations to take when the temperature begins to fall.

As with coat pocket carry, I recommend using a dedicated pocket holster here. Consistent orientation will aid our draw, and the improved safety margin is always welcome.

Keeping a hand in the pocket gives us an excuse to stage our draw to help reduce errors and time on the presentation. Consider how gloves play into that guise and how they impact your ability to grasp and draw your handgun. Thicker gloves may impede your ability to access your firearm.

Your choice of grips can impact concealment, ease of draw, and access in the pocket. I prefer a smooth, non-textured grip for pocket carry. Rubber likely isn’t your friend here.

Even with good grips, there’s still a chance of encountering snags when pulling your pistol. Hammerless designs help mitigate this issue, and revolvers are especially easy to draw from a pocket. While low-profile sights suck to shoot with, they do help here. Find a balance, as we still need to hit what we’re aiming at.

Consider modifying your grip technique to mitigate snags. I cover the back of the gun with my thumb when drawing, then transition to a conventional grip once the gun has come out.

Wrapping Up Alternative Conceal Carry Methods for Fall

While my carry guns remain the same throughout the year, I do find myself making minor changes as the seasons change. Working around additional layers, adding an ankle gun, and more are things we have to familiarize ourselves with.

Experiment with a few options at home. Maybe you’ll find something that works right for you.