My experience open carrying in Montana

[nitrogen]

Witnessing Open Carry in Phoenix (and then freaking the heck out) was one of the steps to my reformation as a pro-gunner.

[mgood]

It is a liberating feeling. You don't have to go all the way to Montana, though. You can enjoy OC in New Mexico or Louisiana, too.

True. I work in New Mexico and open carry daily.
It is not very common, but it is legal. Lots of people there don't know it's legal, so I get occasional questions about it. I see someone giving my pistol a strange look at least once a day, but I think most of those people assume I'm a cop or something.

With a CCL put on a coat your legal… take it off, your still legal.

YES. Open carry is legal in NM without a permit or anything, but concealed requires a license. (I too thought that was a little backwards at first.) I understand however, that in NM, if you're caught carrying concealed without a license, it's a very minor offense, along the line of not using your turn signal. So if I need to put on a jacket and that happens to conceal my pistol, I don't worry too much about it.