Conceal Carry: Comforting or Comfortable? Why Not Both? 

Back in 2022 I wrote a series of articles titled “How to Choose a Good IWB Holster“. Over the course of several articles I covered just that, with the first two in the series using the framework set by Tom Givens. These criteria are Comfortable, Concealable, Secure, and Fast. For the first section, Comfortable, I largely described how to create or improve comfort with your chosen holster. The “why” behind that was left fairly simple, generally being that something uncomfortable won’t be carried.

After some reflection, I think that deserves to be expanded upon. Sure, we tend to avoid uncomfortable things, but that is often met with the old trope of “it should be comforting, not comfortable!” I understand the sentiment here, but I don’t think these are exclusive ideas. Here are a few specifics as to why we should value comfort when strapping a gun on when we leave home.

Unnecessary Movement and Fiddling

One of the most common things we do to remedy discomfort is to move. “Sitting like this is starting to hurt, lets try this other way instead”, as we begin adjusting from side to side, scooting up and down in our chair, or shift our weight from one foot to the other. It’s normal to move around slightly from time to time, we aren’t statues after all. However, as discomfort increases, so does the frequency and degree of our movements in an attempt to remedy our situation. These motions don’t go unnoticed, and over time will start to draw unwanted attention to ourselves. Extra scrutiny is not what we want when we’re concealing a firearm on our person.

Some people will take these adjustments a step further and start making (theoretically) subtle tweaks to their holster while in public. These can range from hiking up pants, to grabbing the gun through clothing to wrench it from side to side. This is suboptimal for concealment, and will draw more attention than you’d expect. Not only that, but you may be reducing your actual concealment without an option to verify how hidden your gun actually is.

Situational Awareness

Discomfort causes more than just some wiggling on the part of the wearer. Over time, irritation is going to drain your situational awareness from the environment around you and shift your focus to your discomfort or pain. We don’t want to give potential threats a leg up against us. From cellphones to the weather, eye-catching passerby and more, there’s already enough out there to deviate our focus away from managing unknowns.

If we rely upon “comforting” holsters rather than comfortable, our likelihood of needing to defend ourselves with force will go up. When this happens, we’ll be further behind the power curve than we would otherwise, reducing the likelihood of our success further.

Comfort and Convenience

It’s no secret that many people quickly stop wearing their guns after an outing or two. Comfort and convenience are paramount for the modern American, and strapping a pound or two of steel and plastic on our bodies isn’t congruent with those ideals. A needlessly uncomfortable holster will only serve to expedite the expulsion of equipment from our EDC. At best someone may shift from a service sized pistol to a mouse gun. “Rule One” of a gun fight is to bring a gun, but an LCP in your front pocket isn’t a recipe for success when the situation allows for more. Simple holster selection has made a Glock 34 more comfortable for me than a Glock 26. That may not be the case for everyone, but a good holster can make a surprising amount of difference.

If you decide to stick with your uncomfortable holster for extended periods, you may encounter more than just discomfort. Over time your setup can create hot spots. Eventually, these can turn to abrasions and cuts. When this happens, you may be forced to carry in different positions, or forgo carry entirely until your body heals. I’ve had rear sights and optics cut my skin on my stomach, and blisters form from extended rubbing over long periods of time. Luckily at these times I was able to stay home while healing, only leaving home and strapping up for brief periods. Most people don’t have redundant methods of carry for these situations, and may opt to stop carrying to avoid repeat injury.

Wrapping Up Conceal Carry: Comforting or Comfortable? Why Not Both?

We’re in a golden age of conceal carry right now. With dozens of quality options at our digital fingertips, there’s no reason to choose a subpar holster. Not only that, but with social media, we have instant access to experts who are able to help us troubleshoot our personal concealment to make subtle tweaks to improve how our guns and holsters interact with our bodies and clothing. Harry’s Holsters, JM Custom Kydex, KSG Armory, Milt Sparks, and Tenicor are just a few stellar options out there that I personally use with great success. If someone tells you “Holsters should be comforting, not comfortable!”, you’ll know better, and maybe you can help them see the light for themselves too.

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