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There are holsters that will conceal way better than that one.

Messenger bags are a very old idea.

I suspect they were first used by messengers riding horses, particularly notable in the Revolutionary War. In more recent history they are adopted for frequent use by bicycle messengers and other cyclists. The big advantage of a messenger bag over a back pack is they allow access to the contents of the bag without removing the bag from your person, which IMHO makes them ideal for CCW use. When riding a bicycle, motorcycle (or horse for that matter) you can swing the bag behind your back where it stays put pretty well (I have to reach back and adjust my bag's position if I have to sprint out of the saddle, like from a red light), and it's carried with your CCW available right at the 3:00 strong side position when you are walking. Given that the strap goes across your body, theft of the bag is less likely unless the snatcher cuts the strap. Another reason that a messenger bag is ideal for CCW use is that you can discretely unholster your hand gun while keeping it concealed, or even employ a ruse such as you are looking for something in the bag when you are really preparing for a potential draw, without actually having to draw the weapon out into the open.

IMHO just about the only downside to carrying in a messenger bag is the potential that you may become separated from your bag. If it were not for this drawback, I would carry in a messenger bag 100% of the time. If I am going to a destination where it is impractical for me to constantly keep my bag on my person, then I carry IWB. This pretty much means if I am going to a sit-down affair or if I have to carry other equipment (like a guitar), then the bag won't work.

bryang wrote: But, hey ya'll, I have a question... what is a "messenger bag?" Please don't laugh at me, but I really have no idea what a messenger bag is.

I am a collector of such bags, here are some pics:

Jack Bauer


Hugh Jackman



Or just google "messenger bag" and you'll get millions of hits.

The one I carry most is one I got from Wilson's Leather Outlet.

Keith B wrote: That confirms what my wife and daughter say about me being 'fashion challenged'

Favoring a fanny pack over a messenger bag may also confirm such a charge.

anygunanywhere wrote:

Keith B wrote:

anygunanywhere wrote:Do man purses scream gun too?

Anygunanywhere

Depends on how well it matches your dress Anygun.

You mean shoes. The purse matches the shoes.



Anygunanywhere

Oh, I thought your purse is supposed to match your hat.

anygunanywhere wrote:Do man purses scream gun too?

Anygunanywhere

I guess by "man purse" you might mean "messenger bag", and you intend to disparage the users of such a bag.

I'll refrain from using the common-to-my-generation vernacular for your fanny pack, as if "fanny pack" is a macho sounding name to begin with.

Anyway to answer your question, no absolutely not. I suspect the demographic of people who tend to carry a messenger bag does not heavily overlap the demographic of men who have a CHL. Most messenger bag users I know of fit one or more of these categories:

- they carry something like a laptop or other large-ish item with them nearly all of the time
- they do not like to carry things in their pocket or on their belt, so they put cell phones, keys, wallet, etc. in a bag instead
- their peer group is not likely to accuse them of being feminine for carrying a "purse"

In my case, I fit all of the categories above. I typically have to carry a large collection of stuff with me most of the time, such as my laptop, iPod, portable digital recorder, Bible, couple of pairs of earphones and ear monitors, etc. So given that I have this bag with me anyway, I might as well put my phone and keys in it as well. I don't like having stuff in my pockets other than guitar picks. Have you ever heard of a "key crack"? Suffice to say having objects in your pocket can interfere with playing the guitar, or even make a crack in some high-end acoustic guitars. Just last weekend my pastor stopped me and said "that's a cool bag, where did you get it?". He also carries a leather messenger bag.

So in a certain demographic, a messenger bag is a routine item. It doesn't look out of place for me or the other guys I tend to hang with. However, a fanny pack would stick out like a sore thumb. In this crowd, a fanny pack looks out of place enough that CHL holders will figure you *must* be using it to carry, while a messenger bag looks very normal.

I think non-CHL-holders don't have a clue what's in your bag, no matter what kind of bag it is. Even if you carried a blue Smith and Wesson pistol case around like a briefcase everywhere you went, I don't think 99% of people would ever suspect you might have a gun in it.

I guarantee you every single man at my church under the age of 65 who has a fanny pack on is carrying. They are not even close to being a normal accessory for an 18-64 male, at least not within 50 miles of downtown Austin that I can see. Hawaiian shirts are far more normal for that wide demo around here.

I don't say it "screams" anything.

If you are wearing something like khakis, jeans, cargo shorts, khaki shorts, or dress pants, and a normal T-shirt, logo-T, polo shirt, camp shirt, or normal buttondown-dress shirt (with or without a tie), AND a fanny pack, then the fanny pack is going to look very out of place. CHL holders will know you are likely carrying. Non-CHL-holders will just think you are weird.

However if you are an adult male wearing pale yellow shorts, a horizontal striped polo shirt tucked in with a belt, calf-height black socks and penny loafers, with flip-up sunglasses, AND a fanny pack, then the fanny pack is going to fit right in.

It's kind of like wearing snake-skin cowboy boots with cargo shorts and a T-shirt. Something doesn't fit. or wearing a shirt and tie with gym shorts. Again, it doesn't fit in. Or if you dress like a stock broker and have a 10" high pink mohawk.

I am not denying the usefulness of a fanny pack, but I guarantee you that I would get asked about it constantly if I wore one.

BTW I carry a messenger bag most of the time. Occasionally it has a gun in it.

SlowDave wrote:Still nervous about wearing to church and freaking someone out.

I have been carrying at church for a couple of weeks now. I'm not very fat, wear fashionable (i.e. not loose-fitting) clothes that fit, and I am in a very public position in a very large church. Nobody has noticed, including my own wife.

You won't freak anyone out because nobody will know you are carrying. However if you carry in a fanny pack then I venture that all CHL holders will know you are carrying.