Other than 511 is there any other concealed clothing out there?
Blackhawk and LA Policegear make basically the same shirts. I have a couple of the 5.11 shirts and one from LAPG. The LAPG shirts run small compared to the 5.11.
I've found that these aren't any better or worse than normal shirts. All of the extra pockets and stuff are really kind of useless to me. Anything you put in them bulges and if you actually try to put a gun in the gun pockets, you'd better have something of equal weight to put on the other side or your shirt's going to look funny. Either way, it's not comfortable with anything in the extra pockets.
I know I came to the right place. I'm looking for a shirt to wear in the summer. I'm not looking for a police shirt. I'm looking for options in just wearing a t-shirt and over shirt. I like the 511 shirts with the side slits. Any ideas will help. I'm still new to conceal carry.
The side slits, in my experience, pull apart (they're velcro) whenever I sit down. They're also not placed all that well for where I wear my gun, which is at about 4 o'clock. If I have to draw when I'm wearing one, I'll be pulling it up, not popping the side slits.
Also, these shirts are
not suitable for wearing open over a t-shirt. They have a combination of buttons and snaps (behind fake buttons) down the front and velcro tabs at the bottom, so if you wear it open (they don't fall correctly when open either) you're going to either get weird looks or be explaining why your shirt has snaps and velcro. It's that obvious.
I have a 5.11 TDU belt (
http://youtu.be/BKZqGJONH68) which is very comfortable, won't stretch, and supports all the things I carry on my belt (gun, spare mag, light, multi-tool, cell phone). Your regular shirts will probably work just fine if you aren't too tall. I find the most likely time for my gun to become exposed is when I lift my arms over my head or when I bend over to pick something up. That's why I prefer to buy shirts in tall sizes when I can.
I also have modifed by normal behavior to accomodate the guns concealment. For instance, I no longer bend my back to lift things. Instead, I bend at the knee to ensure the gun stays covered. I also pay attention to my concealment garment when I'm sitting in public. It's not unusual for your shirt to ride up a bit when you sit in a booth at a restaurant. It's a good idea to check your clothes quickly (but discreetly) when you get out of your car or a seat in public. Plus, my wife has a code word for me if she happens to notice that my gun is visable. Her saying, "I can see your gun," in a public place could cause some problems. Instead she says, "Krispy Kreme," which doesn't arrous much suspicion.
The 5.11 belts, IMO, are the best value out there. They're equal in quality to any other, including Wilderness, and don't cost nearly as much.
I have two of their leather belts in addition to the TDU, and they're fantastic. They're two layers of thick leather with a stiffener in between. You can find them on sale often and I found some on eBay that had been discontinued for $15 each! These are $50-60 belts!
With a 5.11 belt and a good holster, I can conceal my 29SF under a 2XL t-shirt, which is what I normally wear anyway. I used to carry IWB, but once I realized that I can conceal equally well OWB, which is 300% more comfortable, I switched. I remember when I first started carrying off duty a guy in a gun shop said that anyone who carried a Glock IWB was insane. I blew him off, because obviously, I knew best. Now that I'm older and heavier, I understand what he was saying! I use a belly band if I'm in gym clothes, since there's no belt, or sometimes a pocket holster, if my pockets are big enough.
I've tried a number of options over the years, but it comes down to the fact that you can conceal equally well in regular clothing as you can in specialized stuff, which can be telling on its own.