While most of us swear we’ll never off body carry, are there times when it makes sense to off body carry? How do you carry off body the right way?
When would you off body carry?
I can’t come up with a rational reason why or where i would off body carry. Let alone do so in a large, shoulder slung bag. I’m sure there may be a reason…i just cant come up with one.
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Oh wait…to the range? Not ideal or practical…thats all i got.
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The only reason to carry off body in a sling bag is if you are carrying your Desert Eagle 44 Mag or your Mossberg Shockwave. I’ve tried off-body carry occasionally and just can’t get comfortable with my weapon not in immediate reach.
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Agreed, Mikentexas. The only time that I carry ‘off body’ is when my gun (and other gear) is in my ‘range bag’ (an old laptop case-yes, I’m cheap) when I am on the way to the range. The rest of the time it resides in my holster (IWB) on my hip.
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You’re also not drawing attention to yourself. I’d call you resourceful, not “cheap”. 
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I’ll chime in here for my fellow females who have to dress up for different events. If I’m in a dress and heels, it’s next to impossible to conceal anything on me. So I would off-body carry in a clutch which would never leave my hands.
A lot of the time when dressing up like that there will be alcohol offered where ever I’m going. So at that point thought has to be given to how much other people are drinking around me and if I feel comfortable having a firearm with me around possibly drunk people.
Granted, the alcohol thought comes in whenever I carry anywhere there may be alcohol served (think church festival in summer).
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Now THAT’S a rational reason why someone would off body carry.
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A few people have mentioned fanny packs and sling bags for carrying. Do you consider that “off body”?
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I guess i consider anything secured to your body in such a manner that does not require constant or sporadic physical manipulation to keep it secured as “on body”. But thats just what i think…I really don’t know the exact definition of. Off body/ on body.
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I would like to correct my original post. While i dont see a practical reason for ME to carry off body, I do see rational and practical reasons for others to do so. Thanks @Dawn for giving me a bigger picture to look at. Learning is great!
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I have a shoulder bag that is nice but a bit on the small size and not something I would carry inside. That bag is too pricey for a bag.
I cant think of a reason I’d ever use an off body carry…
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I would say no, unless you take the sling bag/waist pack OFF. A holster that clips to your belt is ‘On Body’ and these bags/packs are attached via the shoulder/waist so I think of them as the same as a holster. Once you take off your holster, doesn’t that make it ‘Off Body’?
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That would be correct by every definition I understand.
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It can be done right but except for individuals with physical limitations or build issues I won’t recommend it.
There is no off body mode of carry that as secure as on body utilizing a good holster. In most circumstances they also reduce your ability to access the gun in an emergency and most off them require the us of Two hands for a safe and reliable draw. That slows you down, makes it much harder to conceal your draw, and ties up your non gun hand which could otherwise be used to keep an attacker at a distance out of reach of your gun.
Like the argument on retention vs non retention holsters, there’s always a trade off between speed and ease of accessing the firearm and security.
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There are obvious “Gun Free Zones” that I avoid carrying in: government buildings, anywhere with metal detectors, …
But my latest reading on PA & Gun Free zones is that PA tends not to recognize gun free zones in the context of Pennsylvania NOT saying “Hey, you saved the day… but, that was a Gun Free zone, so we will be locking you up/slapping you with a Felony conviction…”
In this case, I might off-body carry. I haven’t yet, but if more research confirms this, I may look into a good way to secure a firearm in the backpack I typically wear, hopefully so that it would go undetected by someone (security/bouncer) probing with a ruler/stick or giving that 5-second feel-around in the main pocket.
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There was a company at the shot show this year that previewed a new line of “tactical backpacks” specifically designed for concealed carry of everything from sub compacts to AR Pistols and folding stock SBR’s.
I can’t remember their name but a little googling should bring them up for you. I watched several video reviews on them and all were very positive. One of the biggest positives is that they offer a pretty much unconditional lifetime warranty on everything including the zippers.
They would definitely be worth looking at if that’s your plan.
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I would definitely NOT recommend carrying where it’s illegal to carry, we already have enough of a stigma from the criminals who are associated with us due to the fact they used a firearm to commit a crime. Willfully ignoring gun-free signs that have the force of the law behind them is a crime and I don’t know about you but I don’t want someone claiming to be a responsibly armed American committing a crime.
I also don’t want to give my hard-earned money to someone who doesn’t believe in my right to defend myself.
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Let me clarify! I wouldn’t do or propose to do anything illegal (on purpose)… hence NO gov’t buildings, etc. I was saying that I read a graphic a few weeks ago about carry laws in different states (I wish I had it saved or something… but I don’t) and the accompanying text seemed to imply that, for instance, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (prosecutors) would NOT press charges against those entering establishments (restaurants? private houses? non-government museums?) while carrying, whether those private properties post “No Firearms” or not. Meaning none of the privately posted signs have any force of the law behind them…
I’m not even sure I’d do that anyway, but if I were, that’s probably the most clear time I’d carry off-body.
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Was the company VERTX? I have a Sling Bag Backpack that is perfect for commuting or everyday outings and has a quick unzip rear pouch that when you slide the backpack to the front and unzip it, your holster velcro’d inside is ready to draw your firearm.
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