Women's Style Guide: How to Conceal Carry in Cute Summer Clothes

How to Conceal Carry in Summer

Summer is my absolute favorite season! It brings more outdoor activities and a boost in my energy. Plus, what’s not to love with the extended daylight hours, BBQs, and adorable summer dresses? I always look forward to bringing out my summer wardrobe, though I’ll admit, that the lighter, more minimal clothes can make it challenging to conceal a firearm.

Still, concealed carry in the summer is achievable with the right techniques and a little pre-planning. And I promise, you don’t have to resort to wearing unflattering or baggy clothes.

My approach:

My approach to dressing for concealed carry is to build a concealed carry capsule wardrobe for each season. This involves selecting clothing that you can mix and match to prepare a group of outfits that are sure to conceal your firearm.

What to expect:

Of course, everyone is unique so your capsule will look different from mine. The purpose of this blog is to help you select wardrobe essentials that will work for you.

In this article, I’ll share some of the challenges of “summer carry,” a few tips and tricks I’ve learned, a list of summer wardrobe essentials, types of holsters to include in your capsule, and how to make concealed carry work with current fashion trends.

Challenges

Hot summer weather can pose a challenge when it comes to dressing for concealed carry. Due to the increase in temperature, women tend to wear less clothing made from lightweight material and we typically don’t need as many layers.

The goal is to style an outfit that is comfortable, conceals your firearm, and won’t make you perspire. Finding the right balance can be tricky but it’s not impossible!

Here are a few tips for addressing the most common challenges.

Heat

In my experience, the best way to beat the heat is to choosing material that is breathable. When that material is also structured, it will make summer concealed carry a lot easier. The structured fabric helps conceal the firearm, while the tiny holes in the material allow airflow to keep you cool. Linen and cotton in a Poplin weave are my favorite examples of this.

Sweat

The salt in sweat will corrode metal, which is the last thing you want for your firearm. (Trust me, I know from first-hand experience).

In my first year of carrying, I would go running with my Ruger LCP tucked into my Undertech Undercover running shorts or my Alexo Athletica leggings. Sweat made its way through the material to my firearm and my half-hearted effort to wipe the gun down with a dry rag wasn’t enough. The salt from the sweat ended up rusting the barrel of my gun.

It may not be practical to do a full clean where you’re taking the firearm apart every day, but at least wipe the gun down with a clean cloth AND rub some lubricant on it to prevent it from rusting.

At times sweat is unavoidable, but there are a few things that can help protect the firearm like choosing a holster with a sweat guard, tucking a tank top in between your skin and the gun, avoiding clingy tops, and selecting breathable material.

Printing

In cool seasons, we can often fall back on bulky material and layers to conceal our firearm, but when the weather is hot, concealment efficiency and proper placement of the gun become much more important. Making a few tweaks to your holster can help you conceal more efficiently.

Concealment Efficiency – To reduce imprinting as much as possible, all four sides of the gun should be close to your body. However, it’s not uncommon for parts of the gun to angle away from your body. Thankfully, there are helpful tools to prevent two of the most common versions of this. A holster wing presses against your belt to tuck the grip closer and a holster wedge angles the top of the gun closer to your body.  

Proper Placement – Holster placement is important for concealment and won’t be the same for everyone since we’re all unique. Consider a kydex holster attached to a belt. I recommend sliding the holster along your beltline to discover the placement that allows all four sides of the gun to touch your body.

For some women, that may closer to the bellybutton, while others have more luck placing it further from their center, or even on the hip. You might also find that different waist heights affect your ability to conceal. For example, a pair of high-waisted jeans are a lot easier (and more comfortable) to conceal my firearm than a pair of low-rise jeans due to the placement of my hip bones.

*If you have difficulty concealing with a certain holster, try tweaking the placement to see what you learn.


Creating a concealed carry capsule wardrobe will save you money and precious time when getting ready in the morning, all while providing a sure way to conceal your firearm. Here are a few essentials you may want to include in yours.


Linen pants – Easy-going, wide-legged linen pants are on trend this summer, and for good reason. The breathable material and roomy pants give a “barely-there” feeling that helps you keep cool. My recommendation is to find a pair that works with your body type. For example, when this style of pant has a drawstring or elastic band, it can look sloppy on my petite frame, but one with a tailored waist is more slimming and helps me look more put together. With this type of pant, I would use a bellyband or ankle holster.

Jeans- Even in warm weather, let’s not forget about jeans. Jeans are great for concealed carry due to their supportive design and belt loops. Plus, summer denim is made from lighter-weight material than denim woven for fall/winter. Just be aware that stores tend to release their summer jeans in early spring and may sell out by early to mid-June. If you wait until the end of the season, you’re likely to find some great deals, but if there is a specific pair you want, don’t wait too long!

One of my favorite ways to conceal carry in a dress is to use a thigh holster, but depending on the cut and length of the dress, a bellyband or ankle holster may also work.

Sundress / T-shirt Dress - This category includes your most comfortable dresses, which you can throw on easily and without much fuss. When styled with sneakers an a belt bag, you’re ready to run errands. When paired with leather sandals and gold accessories, you look cute for date night.

Midi/Maxi dress – What I love most about a midi or maxi dress is that they easily cover my thigh holster. While it’s possible to conceal with a shorter dress or skirt, it can require a concerted effort to keep the gun concealed – keeping your legs together when sitting down, making sure not to bend over, etc. In my experience, midi dresses (hemline at the calf) and maxi dresses ( hemline at your feet) allow for more ease.

Occasion Dresses - Are you invited to any weddings, baby showers, birthday parties this summer? Perhaps your anniversary is coming up or maybe you’re speaking at an event this summer. Its nice to have a few dressier options in your closet for occasions such as these.

You’ll need different shoes for various occasions. To cover your bases, you might consider the types below.

Sneakers - Great for athletics and casual attire.
Flats - for example, ballet flats or loafers. Try to choose a pair with a rubbery/grippy bottom for better quick movement.
Wedges - A great summer alternative to heels.
Sandals - You may want a casual pair for the beach or pool and a dressy pair for a night out.

When building your capsule wardrobe, I recommend prioritizing the holster you perform best with, and then styling as many outfits around that holster as possible. If you’re not sure what holster you perform best with, there is a rule of thumb- generally, people draw quickest from a Kydex or leather holster clipped to a concealed carry belt.

From there, you may discover types of clothes that won’t work with your primary holster. You can fill in the gaps by adding other holster types to your capsule such as a bellyband, thigh holster, ankle holster, or concealed carry purse.

Please note, your primary holster for summer may differ from your primary holster in cooler seasons, but it should always be easily accessible and have a hard trigger cover.



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