Can off body carry be done right?

Looking at their whole line it may be them.

5.11 Tactical (great gear) also makes them.

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I’d consider my truck holster off-body. When travelling long distance, and especially through IL where I have to lock my gun in the vehicle before I get out to pump gas or visit the lady’s, I pop my firearm in the Jotto holster. I travel with it there, unlocked, if it’s not on my person. It’s a vertical mount, right next to my right knee, with a lap-blanket laid over it.
Other than that, I don’t off-body carry. I’m not a very social-event kinda gal, can’t remember the last time I need to dress in something that didn’t have pockets and a belt with a shirt over.

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That’s what I thought you were saying @iamteeg, but with how many different ways someone can interpret it I was hoping you’d explain in a little more detail for your own personal online safety.

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Here’s a blog about some other options for off body carry - along with a great list of reminders:

https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/blog/ruck-race-shoulder-bag-concealed-carry/

Here are the reminders from the article by Ed Combs:

Caution: Think Twice

As convenient as off-body carry can be, there are several important realities to remember:

  • People sometimes forget that they’re wearing guns that are attached to their pants, let alone tucked into a backpack. Always be conscious of the fact that it will be even easier for you to forget that you’ve got a gun in your bag than it will be to forget that you’ve got one in your pocket.
  • Bags and luggage of all kinds are prime targets for thieves. If you set a bag down, you’re setting yourself up to lose it.
  • Kids go through bags, so act accordingly.
  • Carrying a pistol or revolver in the dedicated pouch of a concealed-carry-oriented bag does not release you from the responsibility of using a holster of some kind. That trigger and trigger guard need to be covered, even with just a snap-on Kydex unit like those available from Clipdraw.com.
  • If you ever carry in a bag of any kind, and if you ever also use that backpack or bag for travel, you will need to completely unpack and inspect that bag before bringing it into a TSA-controlled area. No fair losing that Pre-Check status because you forgot to remove your spare magazine.
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The straps on the well made dedicated carry bags are reinforced to prevent an easy cut and snatch so If anyone intends to carry in some sort of bag I can’t caution them enough to be sure the purchase a bag that has cut resistant straps.

All of your points are well made Dawn. The problems with any form off off body carrier are that 1} delayed access and usually requiring two hands to access your firearm. 2} It’s way too easy to lose control of your firearm, and 3} as you point out none of us is perfect and bags get put down and forgotten on a daily basis. Millions of people have lost very expensive laptops, cameras, high value merchandise etc over the years due to simply forgetting they were carrying it.

If you’re going to use any sort of off body carry other than a locked box in or on your vehicle I can’t stress strongly enough the need to only use a bag that has shoulder straps and to keep one strap over your shoulder at all times.

What I mean by that is if your bag is carried on the left, the strap should be over your head resting on your right shoulder and if it’s carried in front or behind, at least one strap over the shoulder in the same manner.

One carried in typical fashion for purses, laptop bags etc with the strap only over the shoulder on the side it’s carried on is far too easily snatched off of your shoulder even without the strap being cut.

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I’ll agree with two of three on this one, @Wildrose. I think you can actually have your hand on your firearm much earlier in a situation as people don’t realize your hand is on a gun when it’s inside a bag. IMO, there’s less attention to a woman putting her hand in her bag than there is to a woman reaching to a 4:00 carry position.

That being said, unless it’s secured to your body (my bag has multiple attachment points to me), I can see someone putting their bag down and walking away from it. That happens with on body carry firearms in the restroom sometimes as well.

Very true - no matter how you carry, your head should be on a swivel, right @WildRose? We don’t need to let anyone sneak up on us in any situation.

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True on access depending on the situation. If you’re trained to keep your bag in you lap when seated at the office, driving, eating out etc. Few do though, the bag will usually be in another seat, on the floor or in a desk drawer. Done right it can be a benefit in concealing your draw.

Situational Awareness is always a benefit but the typical purse snatch happens when women are walking in crowds or walking alone at night and with very few pre attack indicators to even lock in on.

Good example of a purse snatch donating guns to bad guys here.

Note, she only has about 1 second from the time she recognizes an approaching threat to him having control of her.

Many purse snatchers won’t even attempt to fight for the bag anymore, they’ll just use a razor, knife, or seat belt cutter to instantly slice through the strap and be gone in a flash.

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Food for thought

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