A few weeks ago, my wife went to a high-end pop-up clothing consignment store. It’s one of those places that’s only up for two weeks, and then it moves elsewhere. She and our daughter made out like bandits on Lululemon attire. However, she also stumbled on some pants that were ideal for concealed carry.

Picking the Right Concealed Carry Pants

While at the consignment store, my wife found two pants from 5.11 Tactical that caught her eye. She jokingly texted me about them and said, “I think I have to buy these because I’m married to you.”

They were a pair that must’ve been discontinued because I couldn’t find any current SKUs that look like them. They have rifle mag pockets on the fronts of both thighs and pistol mag pockets on either side, near the waistline.

What I found particularly interesting about them was their construction; it was really good! In fact, it was a major leap forward from what I used to buy, from 5.11, as a cop. In times past, I have not been particularly impressed with clothing from 5.11 Tactical. However, clearly, they’ve made changes.

In looking over their website, I ordered a pair of their Defender-Flex Jeans for an upcoming article. These jeans are made from a mix of 76% cotton, 24% polyester, and what they call Lycra T400 Tough Max fabric. This creates a mechanical stretch denim that lets you move more readily than the legacy jeans of your childhood.

Tactical jeans have been a new animal in recent years. Clearly, the art form has been perfected. These jeans address real problems, rather than offering solutions, looking for problems. What’s the problem, you may ask? Read the next chapter heading.

Hiding in Plain Sight: Altering Your Pants for Utility

The 5.11 Defender-Flex Jeans are the next evolution of something I’ve been doing for about a decade. I repurpose jeans by making some slight alterations to them that require no more skill than the ability to pass a needle and thread through fabric. Yes, you can do this; read on.

I used to buy tactical clothing and was never really impressed with the quality of any of it. Tactical clothing is like anything that is purpose-built. Once you give something a name that denotes its ability to solve a problem, you raise its market share value. Subsequently, its price follows.

That’s sort of what I wanted to cover for you today. There are two things that I’ve done over the years that have made a big difference in how I carry firearms, magazines, and other items in a manner that allows me to still look stylish.

Even if you work hard to not look “tactical”, bulges in your pockets still make you stand out. I have often said that a Tier 1 Citizen needs to be Clark Kent rather than Superman. Both are the same guy. However, when Clark Kent walks into a room, he can be easily ignored. If Superman walks into a room, everybody’s looking at him.

It is the same effect if you are the guy who’s wearing tactical clothing and a T-shirt that has some kind of “bad ass” message on it that identifies you as a sheep dog. I’m not mocking it. I’m just saying that the bad guys aren’t stupid, and we must step up our “common dude” look.

The Load Out: More Than Just Concealed Carry

I’m going to assume that you’re like me and have already made changes and choices that have reduced the number of items you have on your person at any given time. After years of being overly “tactical” and “packing my fears,” I dramatically toned down what I carried daily and distilled it to some key items.

They are:

• Glock 17 with RMR in an AIWB holster
• Spare Magpul Pmag 21 GL9
• Cold Steel Voyager folding blade
• Shivworks Clinch Pick
• Small lighter
• Lip balm
• Streamlight: Protac 1L-1AA handheld light
• Money clip with “throw-down cash”
• Ranger band with my cards
• Small iPhone SE
• Apple Watch
• AirPods
• Key fob with a Tier 1 Citizen: “IMPROVE BEFORE FIGHT” Pull Tag on it.

For those who know, that doesn’t sound like a lot of stuff. For those who don’t know, that sounds like a lot of stuff, but it’s actually not. However, it is a fair amount of lumps in the wrong places if you’re not adept at hiding in plain sight.

Breaking Down My Carry Load Out

Let’s go back to the top of the list and break it down. The gun and holster are a pair that have to be very good at their job of hiding in plain sight. If I have a gun-shaped bulge underneath my shirt, I’m toast!

Even though I live in Tennessee, it is safe to say that there is no corner of America that is bereft of silly people who would cause trouble for you if they realized you had a concealed gun. My holster was custom-made by a friend who doesn’t want to produce holsters en masse. So, I’m gonna leave his name out of this.

This rig has Discreet Carry Concepts: 1.5-inch Monoblock clips that are amazing. The Monoblock clips are what we’ve all been waiting for for a long time. They hold fast like the Ulticlip but are way more user-friendly to don and doff. This particular holster sits very low on the belt line and tucks right into the inguinal notch, just left of midline, because I’m a lefty.

My belt, as of late, is the Groove Belt from Groove Life. These folks are based out of TN and make the best silicone wedding bands on the market. My wife and I have several. We also have several of their Groove Belts.

They stretch but stay rigid under load and won’t collapse on you. The neodymium magnet belt buckle snaps in place and does not come loose, no matter what you’re doing. I’ve worn these to multiple tactical firearms training classes and have never had one come apart.

Making My Jeans Work for Me

Now that we have the gun and holster out of the equation, what do we do with the rest of the stuff? The watch is on my left wrist, and the phone is in my left pocket with the screen facing inwards. The fixed blade is on my Groove Belt and is tucked in behind it. Likewise, the folding blade is clipped in my right pocket.

That leaves my AirPods, handheld light, lip balm, lighter, money clip, credit cards, and spare mag. 

This is where we pause briefly and talk about the two directions I have chosen that do not require the outlay of big bucks for tactical clothing. The first choice I lean towards is a pair of stretch jeans.

Typically, these are American Eagle: AirFlex+ Athletic Fit Jeans. You can go with whatever brand you want. My only advice is to make sure you’re choosing a cut that is slightly on the tight side. Also, try to stick with something with a low waist. High-waisted jeans put your pistol in a position where it can print badly.

I have tried your basic wranglers from Walmart, and they work. However, the waistline is a little flimsy. I’ve found that the jeans from American Eagle are made a little more stout along the waistline.

You want them tight-ish because a snug fit offers more stability to the clothing against your skin. This translates to better load management when you have to move quickly.

Modifying Your Pants for Tactical Utility

Most jeans that are not of the tactical persuasion are equipped with five pockets. The fifth one is the coin pocket just above the right front pocket. This is where your AirPods go. The lip balm, lighter, and key fob drop into the right front pocket. I’m with you. I wish proximity key fobs were smaller, too.

This leaves the ranger band “wallet,” money clip, handheld light, and spare mag. This is where you have to do a little bit of work to modify your jeans.

Before there were “tactical jeans,” I was stitching up my American Eagles to make them more suited for carrying tactical gear. Shortly after I released a video showing the modification, I noticed “tactical jeans” hitting the market from 5.11 and Vertx. I’m 100% for it! The mods that I do are different than what they do, and honestly, their mods are better than mine.

My mods are across the back pockets. I bisect each pocket by scribing a line from bottom to top with a pencil or fine Sharpie marker. Then, I stitch along the line with a regular needle and polyester thread. I triple-stitch the last inch near the top of the pocket so that it is reinforced against fatigue. You’re going to use this mod every day.

Now, what you’ve created are four separate pockets across the back of your jeans. I jokingly call it my butt rig rather than a chest rig. In a pinch, you can carry four 21 round magazines in your back pockets, and no one would be the wiser, because they hide underneath a shirt. I only do that if I attend a class with an extremely high round-count drill.

Newly Tactical Pants

What you have now done is turn your five-pocket jeans into sevens. Your rear pockets are now useable for keeping things stationary and upright. They are also extremely pickpocket-proof.

Drawing from the pockets is relatively easy because objects remain vertical and don’t tend to bind when coming up and out. Magazines like the 9mm Magpul PMAG 21 rounders I carry are an exact fit, lengthwise. Likewise, they are easily drawn out by hooking the bottom of the mag through the fabric and scooping upwards into your hand.

When I do this at the range, people often go, “Wait, where did that mag just come from?” I’ve even had instructors look at me when I’m on the firing line and ask, “Are you ready to go?” The understated look of this setup cannot be emphasized enough.

Going from left to right, my load out is as follows: a handheld light, my money clip, ranger banded cards, and my spare 21 round magazine. When you do this hack, you will find that your loved ones will have difficulty seeing what is on you due to how well things hide in their respective pockets.

And yes, have your loved ones intentionally look for bulges and printing. My wife gives me the top to bottom on this and will let me know if I’m printing.

Know Your Load Out

The reason this hack is so important is that indecision kills. You will know what goes where by carrying the same things in the same predictable pockets every day. Likewise, you will know where it all is when you need to reach for it.

When you do have to reach for it, it will appear in your hand with a mere thought. Analysis paralysis occurs in people who carry a lot of weapons and gear but seldom train with them.

Having too many items in too many unfamiliar places puts you in a position where you will know you need to do something, but, will do nothing. “Let’s wait and see what happens” becomes the default position for those who didn’t think beforehand about what needs doing.

I’ve even seen it in cops. Remember, I used to be one. I’ve seen cops pick around their duty belt because they’d never made it a point to practice drawing, deploying, or pulling out/off items from their belt or pockets. Don’t be that person! Train, train, train!

As always, God Bless you all. Get those guns out and practice.