Question for you TALL LEAN folks about your concealment

[03Lightningrocks]

Techniques. My son in law is 6'4" and has a lean but muscular build. His body is long. What I mean by this is a shirt that fits him properly, always seems to be on the short side when it comes to length. I am trying to help him figure out the best method for carrying a 4" 1911. His issues when trying on my holsters with my 1911 seem to involve his shirt always popping above his grip and snagging. The grip also seems to show through the shirt as the shirt try's to "form fit" around it.

Any suggestions would be appreciated... Pics would be great also. The more detail, the better. He really wants to carry a 1911 style so suggestions for other carry choices, while appreciated, won't be of much help.

I think it is easier to carry concealed when overweight.... LOL. At 5'10" and 250 lbs... I could hide a 12 gauge shot gun under my shirt....

[MoJo]

Buy the next size larger shirt in a long cut. The secret to carrying concealed is to dress around the gun rather than fitting the gun to your current clothing. There are other options like fanny packs, shoulder holsters, pocket carry but, all of them require a wardrobe adjustment.

Oh I wish I had your SIL's problem. I too am a bit too robust for my height and can conceal three handguns on my person and still have room for an AR15 and 200 rounds of ammo.

[gringo pistolero]

Has he tried the big & tall clothing stores? In addition to clothes for NFL linemen, they often have clothes sized for NBA centers.

[03Lightningrocks]

Thanks for the help. I will make these suggestions to him. Any other input is more than appreciated. I try to get him to come to this sight but the Internet is not his "thing".

He just finished his class but his birthday is November 11 so he is waiting before turning the paperwork in so he can gain the extra year. LOL... My daughter carries and I carry, so he said he will just count on us to have his back for a couple months.

[jocat54]

Has he tried the big & tall clothing stores? In addition to clothes for NFL linemen, they often have clothes sized for NBA centers.

Do have him try the big & tall shops...I'm 6'3" 190lbs, but have really long arms so I have to buy tallmens long sleeve shirts and that in turn makes the tail of the shirts longer...works out well.

[NordicTexan]

I lot to times I carry a 4" springfield XDM in a kangaroo holster under the arm pit. I generally wear fish shirts and the left breast pocket keeps you from seeing any imprint. Its not for everybody, but its an option and there made here in Texas. I like my IWB holster, but sometimes if I want to tuck in the shirt, I prefer the Kangaroo.

[ske1eter]

Some good suggestions here but seem to be stuck on "buy bigger shirts". AndyC is the closest to the way I carry. IWB is pretty much what I rely on as a shorter shirt won't show the muzzle if the shirt rides up.

The way I normally carry is to put on a tucked in tshirt, then wear the gun in a IWB, with an unbuttoned camp shirt over the outside. (I'm 6'5", 225 lbs) Of course, this set up depends on the environment one carries in but it's perfect in casual surroundings. For a bit nicer look, a camp shirt w/ a pattern on it while wearing an IWB works well, too.

[RPBrown]

Buy the next size larger shirt in a long cut. The secret to carrying concealed is to dress around the gun rather than fitting the gun to your current clothing. There are other options like fanny packs, shoulder holsters, pocket carry but, all of them require a wardrobe adjustment.

Oh I wish I had your SIL's problem. I too am a bit too robust for my height and can conceal three handguns on my person and still have room for an AR15 and 200 rounds of ammo.

I agree. When I first started carrying I was 6'4 and weighed 170 (man that seems like a lifetime ago). I wore 1 size larger shirt and I always wore "tall" anyway so that didn't change.

I quit smoking several years ago and the tall and thin went away. Now I am tall and well lets just say a little larger

[SQLGeek]

There's always this option...maybe with the britches a little higher.

[fickman]

6'5" and 225 lbs. here. . .

I worked hard to lose 125 lbs., so I'm wanting to wear some more fitted clothing because I spent my 20s in XXXL-XXXXL shirts after being thin when I entered college.

A few tips:
- Long sizes for ALL long sleeve shirts

- I can wear L or XL now. Consider buying a little looser and having a tailor bring it in with consideration for the gun. I love Dillard's and Penney's Big & Tall clearance sales. . . if I get a shirt for $5-20, adding $10-15 for it to be tailored seems reasonable. I won't wear a non-tailored XXL (or some XLs) because of the way they hoop out and float around my midsection. Even when I was big, my shoulders and chest were still large enough that I had to wear a size larger and have the belly brought in. Tailoring off-the-rack clothing can make a regular shirt look an expensive designer shirt.

- IWB is easier to conceal with the shorter shirt tails.

- Subcompacts or snubbies riding high are the best firearm options to avoid ludicrously long shirt tails. When I was bigger, I could conceal a longer barrel more easily because I wanted my clothes to drape a little more without contouring.

- Don't reach for the top shelf and you can get away with even more than you think.

- Don't neglect ankle or pocket carry as an alternate for certain outfits.

- I also still use laptop bag carry from time to time.

[talltex]

There's always this option...maybe with the britches a little higher.

That looks like the old "Dorf" character Tim Conway did....be hard for this guy to carry stuffed down back of jeans...lol

[03Lightningrocks]

The scary part is that one does not have to look hard to find a person wearing their pants like that.

I really appreciate the suggestions. Don't be bashful about throwing any other ideas out there.

[92f-fan]

Cabelas has some good options for TALL shirts that are REALLY longer
And dont cost a ton
Im 6'3" and most of the height is in the torso - so I have similar issues


or just buy him a murse
http://www.maxpedition.com/store/pc/FAT ... K-4p31.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[fickman]

The frustrating thing is that 99.9% of the time, when you DO find tall clothes off the rack, the option is "tall" or "not tall".

So L goes from S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL, 4XL, etc.

But there's only one T option?

I don't have the problem with Dillard's or Eddi Bauer, but at Penney's I often would really need an L2T or an XL2T. Before I lost weight, I used to be hoping to find a 2XL2T or 3XL2T, but alas there were none.

I guess I'm grateful that I don't have to have things made from scratch by a tailor. And don't get me started on car shopping or public (plane / theater) seating!