Ok, two things I want to say up front: 1. Below is a picture of a very white, and very hairy mid section, if you offend easily, please click away now! And 2. This may be long, but if you are "husky" like me, then you may get something from it. Also, I'd love to hear some tips as well.
So my journey to appendix carry began a few months back as I began to lament my normal 4 oclock carry in the heat of Alabama. It sticks to me, it pulls my undershorts into weird places, and the hotter I get, the more angry I become with the whole thing. I traded the G19 for a G26, but still had the same complaints. So I went back to the 19 and just on a whim one day tucked it in the front of my pants. Hmm......the weight became a LOT less noticeable. I unloaded and walk around the house with a full mag (empty chamber) for a while and it was nice. But obviously, I am not going into the real world with a gun stuffed in my trousers and no trigger guard and no way to hold the gun to me. So I've been researching on and off ever since. And finally, last week I bought a cheap $25 straight drop IWB kydex holster made for AIWB (don't yell at me yet for buying cheap, I have reasons).
So today, while browsing the local store, I noticed they had a bunch of new stuff from Raven Concealment......so I bought the Vanguard 2. I figure, for $34 I can risk it, and in case the "full holster" I ordered doesn't work, I know that just a gun stuffed in my pants was pretty comfy, so this is the closes thing to that I can get. Because I wanted to try driving more than anything, I unboxed in the car, put the gun (my G19) in the holster first, then attached it to my belt. And low and behold, driving was not the torture I thought it would be. That said, it wasn't perfect either. It seems the VG2 has a second hole for adjusting ride height and it was digging in to sensitive parts. But even so, I drove the 45 minutes home very aware I had a gun in my crotch, but not so uncomfy I took it off.
Once home I removed the offending piece with my Spiderco (see pic with my finger for what I removed) and played with the height some more. Here is what I found. Higher ride is more comfortable when sitting, but due to my aforementioned "fluffiness", The gun pushes away from me and prints more than I like. Enough that when I walked downstairs my wife said "what is that?". Dang! So I went upstairs and lowered it some, and voila, it hides pretty well. Or as well as "mr. fluffy" can make it hide. One thing is for sure, if all the walking and changes in my diet start to work, this mode of carry will only get more comfortable and print less (sucking in produces a temporary (albeit slightly painful) "unfluffy" condition for a moment before I need to breathe again :danceban which is great because now I have a great reason to stick to the fitness stuff.
So for the last 2 hours or so I have been sitting at my desk working (from home) and it is actually starting to not be noticeable. I have the gun in the 1pm or so spot, and when I sit I slightly push the butt down which pushes the barrel slightly left and it tucks right into my leg joint. Nice!
Here are a couple observations about the VG2 from Raven that I'd like to share, again from a "fluffy" perspective.
1. The price is nice, real nice. And for those who don't want to fully commit for fear of comfort (like me) this is a good way to dip your fat little foot into the pool cheaply.
2. The design is good, offers adjustability, and has a nice loop for solid retention on the belt (no way you end up with the trigger guard still on the gun with this thing)
3. The snap on the belt loop is one of those one way kind, and is a HUGE pain to snap. So much so I leave it snapped, insert my gun, then thread it through my belt. Big FAIL!
4. Because of the above, a lot of live fire from the holster drills will take the better part of eternity to do
5. Reholstering is a challenge and scary. I don't think I will ever reholster with a live round in the gun, not with my Glock.
6. It is light, minimalist, and fairly comfy, even with my HD sights everyone complains about with AIWB carry, I have not had an issue yet.
So, the good news is my other holster (a FULL holster) arrives Thursday. I will update then. Assuming it is even reasonably comfortable, I will probably invest in the G-Code Incog or T-rex or something like that. If I hate it, then I only blew $25 instead of $100.
Below are some pics. I would love tips, tricks, and feedback from other "Fluffy AIWB" guys (and even you skinny folk too!)
Thanks!
So my journey to appendix carry began a few months back as I began to lament my normal 4 oclock carry in the heat of Alabama. It sticks to me, it pulls my undershorts into weird places, and the hotter I get, the more angry I become with the whole thing. I traded the G19 for a G26, but still had the same complaints. So I went back to the 19 and just on a whim one day tucked it in the front of my pants. Hmm......the weight became a LOT less noticeable. I unloaded and walk around the house with a full mag (empty chamber) for a while and it was nice. But obviously, I am not going into the real world with a gun stuffed in my trousers and no trigger guard and no way to hold the gun to me. So I've been researching on and off ever since. And finally, last week I bought a cheap $25 straight drop IWB kydex holster made for AIWB (don't yell at me yet for buying cheap, I have reasons).
So today, while browsing the local store, I noticed they had a bunch of new stuff from Raven Concealment......so I bought the Vanguard 2. I figure, for $34 I can risk it, and in case the "full holster" I ordered doesn't work, I know that just a gun stuffed in my pants was pretty comfy, so this is the closes thing to that I can get. Because I wanted to try driving more than anything, I unboxed in the car, put the gun (my G19) in the holster first, then attached it to my belt. And low and behold, driving was not the torture I thought it would be. That said, it wasn't perfect either. It seems the VG2 has a second hole for adjusting ride height and it was digging in to sensitive parts. But even so, I drove the 45 minutes home very aware I had a gun in my crotch, but not so uncomfy I took it off.
Once home I removed the offending piece with my Spiderco (see pic with my finger for what I removed) and played with the height some more. Here is what I found. Higher ride is more comfortable when sitting, but due to my aforementioned "fluffiness", The gun pushes away from me and prints more than I like. Enough that when I walked downstairs my wife said "what is that?". Dang! So I went upstairs and lowered it some, and voila, it hides pretty well. Or as well as "mr. fluffy" can make it hide. One thing is for sure, if all the walking and changes in my diet start to work, this mode of carry will only get more comfortable and print less (sucking in produces a temporary (albeit slightly painful) "unfluffy" condition for a moment before I need to breathe again :danceban which is great because now I have a great reason to stick to the fitness stuff.
So for the last 2 hours or so I have been sitting at my desk working (from home) and it is actually starting to not be noticeable. I have the gun in the 1pm or so spot, and when I sit I slightly push the butt down which pushes the barrel slightly left and it tucks right into my leg joint. Nice!
Here are a couple observations about the VG2 from Raven that I'd like to share, again from a "fluffy" perspective.
1. The price is nice, real nice. And for those who don't want to fully commit for fear of comfort (like me) this is a good way to dip your fat little foot into the pool cheaply.
2. The design is good, offers adjustability, and has a nice loop for solid retention on the belt (no way you end up with the trigger guard still on the gun with this thing)
3. The snap on the belt loop is one of those one way kind, and is a HUGE pain to snap. So much so I leave it snapped, insert my gun, then thread it through my belt. Big FAIL!
4. Because of the above, a lot of live fire from the holster drills will take the better part of eternity to do
5. Reholstering is a challenge and scary. I don't think I will ever reholster with a live round in the gun, not with my Glock.
6. It is light, minimalist, and fairly comfy, even with my HD sights everyone complains about with AIWB carry, I have not had an issue yet.
So, the good news is my other holster (a FULL holster) arrives Thursday. I will update then. Assuming it is even reasonably comfortable, I will probably invest in the G-Code Incog or T-rex or something like that. If I hate it, then I only blew $25 instead of $100.
Below are some pics. I would love tips, tricks, and feedback from other "Fluffy AIWB" guys (and even you skinny folk too!)
Thanks!