CCW Friendly Winter Coat

[Heffay]

A nice wool overcoat can go a long way. They usually have deep, deep pockets, are warm, and style? Let me tell you about style! Not to mention they usually have access ports so that you can get to your belt from the outside, big enough to pull a gun through.

http://www.brooksbrothers.com/Wool-Coun ... &cgid=0222

Here's a nice 3/4s trench coat that will also work for the cold, cold winters.

http://www.brooksbrothers.com/Wool-Twil ... &cgid=0222

Heck, my old Navy officer's trench coat (or the nice thick wool bridge coat) fills all those needs as well, but the quality isn't the highest. But if you aren't ballin' and need something more reasonable, any port in a storm. It's on sale right now at Orvis for just over $500. And it'll last you a lifetime.

http://www.orvis.com/store/product.aspx?pf_id=4y0r

The nice thing about wool overcoats is they can fit in just about any social situation, from the formal dining to boozing at the Mudduck in Odessa.

[ktech]

Heffay makes a good point, otherwise I just wear a leather jacket which I can "sweep" up similar to a shirt or any other garment that's in between me and my firearm.
ETA: I prefer that to a side zipper or something else because I don't have to retrain myself to access my carry gun in the winter.

[Seismic Sam]

Here you go:

http://www.scottevest.com/v3_store/Tactical_Concealed_Carry_Clothing.shtml

I lucked into one of these in size XXL at 65% off during a clearance they had, and it was a combination fleece inner coat attached to a full nylon CCW/Operator outer coat, so it's a 4 season coat. I WILL take the 5-11 holster and mag holders with the Velcro back, and has load bearing panels to attach these items. At the front of these load bearing pockets is a zipper that opens FROM THE INSIDE that's located in a nonobvious seam in the coat, so if you want you can draw the gun out of the holder, stick it out the front of the coat, and fire without ever taking your hand out of your pocket. These aren't cheap at all, but they are flat out the best garments I've seen for global travel, and the sleeves zip off and you can stow them in the back of the jacket. This allows you to handle quick changes in weather, like going from sunny and 75 in San Francisco near the bay to windy and cold as hell up by the Golden Gate.

[farmerj]

http://www.thetoolstore.ca/viewItem.asp?idProduct=6231

I want to say it was this coat. They had slits in the sides made it NICE for carrying.

I put it on my truck one day and ran home forgetting that the coat was on the truck. Never saw it again.

[connsolo]

Good morning everyone.

I'm in the market for a new winter jacket. I was thinking this weekend it would be nice to have a winter jacket that was a little more convenient when carrying; I'm thinking maybe a zippered side or a breakaway side for access to holster, a couple inside pockets for either backup or extra mag/flashlight, etc.

I have looked at the 5.11 jackets, but they scream gun in my opinion. Anyone have any other ideas?

My advice is to get a coat you like with the pockets you think you need, then if the breakaway side is that important for you take it to a tailor and have him customize it.

[cobb]

Make sure you can access and draw from any coat you choose. The elastic string with the plastic barrel type adjuster on them that are inside some coats can catch on your carry weapon during the draw. So do some practice with what ever you get, at least sweep or lift the cover garment to make sure you can acquire a full and proper grip every time. For pockets on a coat, I like zippers on them when carrying compact handgun in a pocket holster. Make sure the zipper opens the same as the main front zipper, that it opens when pulling the zipper down. When pulling a zipper down it pulls the material against the shoulder so the zipper can be opened using only one hand and allowing a one hand draw. If the zipper opens when pulling up, kinda tough to get many open without using two hands and there can be other uses for the second hand such as pulling or pushing a loved one out of harms way among other things.

[plblark]

The elastic string with the plastic barrel type adjuster on them that are inside some coats can catch on your carry weapon during the draw.

Also be careful when holstering. I've heard of at least one incident where someone was careless and got the plastic part in the trigger area and ... BOOM ...

[cobb]

The elastic string with the plastic barrel type adjuster on them that are inside some coats can catch on your carry weapon during the draw.

Also be careful when holstering. I've heard of at least one incident where someone was careless and got the plastic part in the trigger area and ... BOOM ...

Some training organizations will not allow them for that exact reason, can cause one of the loudest noises in the world when holstering.

[stormhawk]

I just picked up a Outback Trading Pathfinder oilskin jacket today was pleasantly surprised to find it has an inside pocket with elastic sewn in in the shape of the front of a pistol ( trigger guard forward) looks like my cw9 will fit perfect . It also has cut ups on each side at the bottom with 2 snaps right where they should be for me and my holster........almost Like it was intended for that purpose.