Photographer's vest - good or bad idea

[orangevol]

Do you think it is a good idea to wear a Photographer / Safari vest for concealment? Is it a neon sign that I'm wearing it to conceal a gun?

Back at the end of the summer, I was waiting at the airport gate in Billings, MT to board my plane when I noticed an average looking, middle aged gentleman wearing a khaki photographer's vest over a short sleeved casual shirt and khaki pants. I observed him as he moved around and could tell he was "packing" a full size auto from the occasional print. No one else in the boarding area seemed to notice.

A few minutes later I noticed a 2nd younger gentleman wearing a fleece vest, tee shirt, 5.11 style pants and an instructors nylon web belt. It didn't take long to notice he was also carrying a full size auto at 4 o'clock. To me his dress screamed, "I'm wearing a gun"!!! more so than the other gentleman with the photographers vest.

The dead give-away these 2 guys were either air marshalls or feds was that they got to board the plane several minutes before anyone else. When I got on the plane the younger guy was sitting in 1st class and the other guy was seated near the rear of the plane, both aisle seats, of course.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[bonehead]

Think you answered your own question. If their attire drew attention to themselves, then not a good idea.

[nosights]

I would agree that it drew attn BUT whos attn did it draw? Yours! You are not a so you are being more aware of your surroundings. I don't think that it would draw anyones attn other than a BG thinking you might have a camera of value worth steeling!

[C9H13NO3]

I'm 23...couldn't get away with it if I tried. I just carry IWB in whatever clothes I always wore before I started carrying. Haven't had any problems with printing yet. The only part of my wardrobe I had to change was my belt. Couldn't live without my beltman.

[TN_Mike]

I think the Photog vest has become so linked tohaving a concealed gun on that it is pretty much useless to wear one. You may as well open carry. Honestly, I do open carry and I think people notice that a lot less than they would notice the out of place Photog vest on someone.

Besides, I think they look dumb.

[Captain Crunch]

No one else in the boarding area seemed to notice.

There you go. The average air traveler wouldn't give these guys a second glance. You did because you are pre-conditioned to think of vests as concealed carry garments. That's not a bad thing, just good S.A.

So I don't think it's necessarily a bad idea to wear a vest. The only people likely to notice it are gun carriers. John Q. Public will remain oblivious.

[Paco]

I would not wear one myself, but then again I won't wear a Hawaiian shirt to conceal either.

In my opinion unless you are carrying a camera or chasing a talking gecko, the camera vest looks out of place, might just be my observations though and like Capt. Crunch said the general population may not notice at all.

[HKinNY]

Slighty off topic but I like to watch people board the plane also when they call 1st class boarding. Then like to see who gets on and not sitting in 1st class. Also like to see who was on the board that did not board with the rest of the poeple. 2 signs of Air Marshalls. Also they will not nap on a long flight from NY to Vegas. And No booze.

[orangevol]

I'm 23...couldn't get away with it if I tried. I just carry IWB in whatever clothes I always wore before I started carrying. Haven't had any problems with printing yet. The only part of my wardrobe I had to change was my belt. Couldn't live without my beltman.

The difference is I'm 55 years old with a few extra pounds. So I look like I'm printing even when I'm not carrying.

[Double Naught Spy]

As with the rest of your clothing, you have to make it work for you. You can't wear a photographer's vest or safari vest and not use the pockets. I found that they worked very well along with 5.11 vests as the best form of baby/diaper bag you could have. I could go to the mall with my infant daughter and carry everything I needed in my vest. It was cool!

The same sort of concept holds for a fanny pack. A person who has their phone on their belt, their keys hanging from a pocket, and their wallet in their back pocket obviously isn't wearing a fanny pack for normal items. When I wear a fanny pack, I use it as a fanny pack to carry things I normally carry. It just so happens that it also carries a pistol.

The thing with vests is that you have to make them part of your regular wear. If it is part of your regular clothing, people come to expect it from you and not question it. Your vest needs to be worn and get worn spots on it just like your other clothing (unless you are one of these overly prim and precisely clothed individuals with pressed jeans, shirts, etc., then it needs to fit your 'style').

It also helps if you wear other types of vests as well, to help round out your appearance. You don't want to always be in a photographer's vest. Similarly, having different colors helps. You don't have just one pair of pants in one color and you should not have just one vest in one color.

[havegunjoe]

Being a slave to fashion I don't like the way the vests look. Most of the time they are a wrinkled mess and I try to be a little neater than that so they wont work for me. I don't think to the average citizen anything shouts gun. They just don't care, think about guns and they don't look.

[rokclmb]

I've had a 5.11 vest for many years and never even carried while wearing it. I mostly used is while being a tourist. Most of it's use comes when I wear it over my insulated flannel jacket.

[Paco]

Slighty off topic but I like to watch people board the plane also when they call 1st class boarding. Then like to see who gets on and not sitting in 1st class. Also like to see who was on the board that did not board with the rest of the poeple. 2 signs of Air Marshalls. Also they will not nap on a long flight from NY to Vegas. And No booze.

Ah, you play Find the FAM too huh? Fun game, but I wonder who seems me looking around and thinks I'm a FAM, or a BG, I'd better not play that game anymore

[CPTMO]

The 2 biggest give aways for me are the photographers vest and the black fanny pack. Both of those scream, "I AM PACKING".

[HKinNY]

It seems they like to put the FAM it first 4 rows after 1st class or in the last couple of row for the rear of the aircraft. Always isle seat. It is always fun to people watch. John Q Public is amazing. It is fun to catch somebody else people watching too.