How do you Conceal Carry inside of a Bag? The Essential Gear Guide
Concealed carrying is tough enough already. Unless you dress in winter clothing all the time, off body carry might become necessary at some point in your life and concealed carrying inside of a bag or fanny pack is one of the next best things you can do to stay armed while remaining inconspicuous. Today we’ll go over a few methods of off body carry as well as what kind of gear you’ll need to keep your firearm hidden but also accessible and in a safe condition.
Off Body Carry Bags
Fanny Packs
There are a number of different types of bags you can use for off body carry, however, my favorite has to be concealed carrying inside of a fanny pack. The fanny pack might be a relic from the 80s and 90s but I still think it holds up today and anyone born before the 2000’s won’t bat an eye at someone wearing a fanny pack in a public place.
With a fanny pack you have near direct access to your firearm with usually only a Velcro or zippered flap to keep the gun concealed and while this is less optimal than having your gun on your hip I still feel like it gives you fast access to the firearm should the need arise. As opposed to uncomfortable and rigid CCW gun belts, a fanny pack still remains comfortable and doesn’t require pants with large belt loops to wear.
Backpacks
Less optimal than a fanny pack is the backpack. My main issue with concealed carrying inside of a backpack is the propensity for the backpack to be usually left on the ground or in a location where it won’t be accessible to you right away. Not only can your firearm get stolen from you this way but it also further increases your response time should a threat arise. However, it does have a few advantages.
The first major advantage that a backpack would offer you is the ability for you to pack more guns and ammunition. For example, a standard sized backpack like the Grey Man Tactical Stealth 20L can fit an MP5 Pistol inside of it or even something like a Glock 17 with a Flux Raider chassis. These options increase the amount of force you can bring to bear in an emergency and the backpack also gives you access to more gear other than guns and ammo like first aid kits and radios.
Purse Carry
For the ladies out there, a purse can probably be the most discreet carry option available to you if you do it the right way. While I’ve had the displeasure of seeing the inside of some women’s purses which are filled to the brim with all manner of disorganized items, some dedicated concealed carry purses exist that have a completely separate and concealed compartment meant for carrying a small handgun. With this option, a well-dressed woman in a form-fitting dress can still pack heat with her purse while still maintaining a ladylike presence right under the noses of the public eye. Falco Holsters sells a very good lineup of CCW purses and G100 versatile gun platform perfect for this job.
Honorable mention are also unique concealed carry bike bags such as G125 & G126
Belt Pouch
A belt gun pouch is a specially designed carrying pouch that attaches easily to a belt, providing a secure and discreet way to carry a firearm. These pouches blend the practicality of a holster with the concealment of a concealed carry bag. Falco Holsters belt pouches are always equipped with detachable elastic multi-fitting Velcro holster that is also compatible with handguns equipped with tactical lights or lasers. This holster assures your handgun stays in its place and is ready for your draw. Another special feature is the quick-release strap. Each Falco pistol pouch features this nylon cord that when pulled allows rapid unzipping of the whole front portion of the pouch revealing your handgun in a matter of seconds. The time of reaction after training with these pouches should be similar to the use of an OWB holster with a thumb break. From concealed carry pouch holsters to tactical belt pouches, there's a design for every need. They cater to various sizes, and various body types including plus size concealed carry, ensuring everyone has access to this essential tool.
Gear You’ll Need for Concealed Carry inside of a Bag
Properly fitted holster
Just because you’re concealed carrying inside of a bag doesn’t mean you should just toss a pistol in there and forget about it. It helps to still have a solid and reliable way to cover the trigger of your firearm so it doesn’t inadvertently discharge. This is probably the biggest risk of carrying a concealed pistol inside of a bag without something to cover the trigger as there is the possibility of other objects entering the trigger guard and setting off the gun.
For example, revolvers largely do not feature manual safeties and therefore a concealed carry revolver holster can be tossed inside of any of the bag options above to make it much safer while still giving you quick access to the gun. Some of the bags above will also have dedicated internal pockets that do this job for you. This concealed revolver holster method of carrying inside of a bag is a must have if you’re carrying a double or single action revolver even if the chance of the gun going off is minimal. The same applies to safe action pistols like the Glock 19, Glock 17, Smith and Wesson M&P series as well as Taurus striker fired guns.
A Method to Secure Said Holster inside of the bag
While a few methods do exist for securing a holster inside of a bag. One of my favorites are the bags that already do this for you. For backpacks I prefer the Rigid MOLLE Panel setup where you can attach a holster directly to the panel. This keeps your firearm in a consistent place and will retain the holster inside of the bag as you go to draw it.
For purses and fanny packs, I would recommend a bag or fanny pack that has an inside material that can be used with Velcro hooks so that you can apply the Velcro to your holster to keep it secure and once again in the same place so that it does not change orientation or move around with your other items inside of the pack or purse.
One of my favorite concealed guns, the SIG Sauer P365 is often carried in a dedicated P365 concealed holster inside of my range bag which is fastened to its own set of loops I sewed in there to allow it to stay in place as I draw the gun. Most CCW gun holsters will have hooked ends on their clips which will allow you to attach the holster to an interior strap similar to the way you’d attach one to a gun belt for ccw.
Final Thoughts
Concealed carrying inside of a bag isn’t my favorite method of carrying. I’d much rather be carrying with a proper holster or my favorite method a belly band. If you’d like to try out the belly band method which is far more versatile than carrying in a belt, you can check out the Falco Holsters Belly Band B105. It features a Kydex holster which makes it safer to carry with the breathable elastic band. That being said, if it came down to it and neither of those options were available to me then the above methods and equipment would be the way I would conceal carry inside of a bag.
