Designer purses suitable for CCW?

[beanz2]

Excuse my foray into the Ladies Forum please. I'm looking into a medium sized designer purse for my wife for Christmas now that she has her CCW. Unfortunately she is very picky when it comes to purses, so the traditional CCW purses are not what I should pursue. Are there some designer purses with side facing outside pockets big enough to conceal a small handgun such as the Glock 43, the Shield or the Ruger LC9? If not, are cross body purses great for CCW?

Brands she is into currently is Ferragamo, YSL, Burberry, etc. but we're not at Hermes level (yet, LOL)

[38Special]

Excuse my foray into the Ladies Forum please. I'm looking into a medium sized designer purse for my wife for Christmas now that she has her CCW. Unfortunately she is very picky when it comes to purses, so the traditional CCW purses are not what I should pursue. Are there some designer purses with side facing outside pockets big enough to conceal a small handgun such as the Glock 43, the Shield or the Ruger LC9? If not, are cross body purses great for CCW?

Brands she is into currently is Ferragamo, YSL, Burberry, etc. but we're not at Hermes level (yet, LOL)

I can't give you a brand suggestion but I would suggest going to a shop that handles the brands your wife likes and check them out.
I will say I have used a cross body bag and they work well.

[71MUSTY]

Also check out Montana West. My wife was the same way until she found them.

https://www.montanawestusa.com/

[TKM]

Carried by a lot of Navy wives on the island.

https://coronadoleather.com/collections/women

[pluke the 2]

Check with a knowledgeable Calgunner who runs a CCW store:

http://packinfurdefense.com/

https://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=1303806

[BonnieB]

Check with GrantAR2, he and his wife have a shop in SoCal that specializes in women's carry, among other things.

Also, "Roma", makes a nice CCW handbag, decent leather and cable-reinforced straps, which is very important, so that thieves don't slice the strap and steal your handbag AND your gun.

I don't know of any designer brand names that do specialty CCW bags, but there are a lot of nice carry bags around. Any handbag can be adapted by having a velcro strip sewn into the lining and adding a soft holster with a velcro backing.

[baranski]

Personally I believe off body carry is a poor choice.

[71MUSTY]

Personally I believe off body carry is a poor choice.

I tend to agree, however my wife had to get comfortable with off body carry before she would attempt on body. Now she does on body 90% of the time but still uses a carry purse that she can disarm into.

Unlike most guys women need different carry methods depending on what they are wearing that day.

[BonnieB]

It's sad but true, that women's carry often (always) forces us to choose between fashion and utility. We have discussed at length various carry methods, and on, and on and on.

Personally I favor IWB carry on a theoretical basis, but there is just no room in my jeans for anything but me. Even my keys live on a carabiner. And I don't like my shirt-tails hanging out, so OWB is a problem in the summer too. Women have asked how to do IWB or OWB with yoga pants and I cannot see how that could work, never mind printing.

So, it may be a devils bargain between fashion and function....

[38Special]

It's sad but true, that women's carry often (always) forces us to choose between fashion and utility. We have discussed at length various carry methods, and on, and on and on.

Personally I favor IWB carry on a theoretical basis, but there is just no room in my jeans for anything but me. Even my keys live on a carabiner. And I don't like my shirt-tails hanging out, so OWB is a problem in the summer too. Women have asked how to do IWB or OWB with yoga pants and I cannot see how that could work, never mind printing.

So, it may be a devils bargain between fashion and function....

I recently got a bellyband from Daltech.
I carry a Glock 19 and fits nicely in my jeans. Granted I don't wear size 2 skinny jeans. Being full figured I wear jeans by Just My Size since they allow for a little more give on waistband.

[71MUSTY]

I recently got a bellyband from Daltech.
I carry a Glock 19 and fits nicely in my jeans. Granted I don't wear size 2 skinny jeans. Being full figured I wear jeans by Just My Size since they allow for a little more give on waistband.

My wife just added bellyband too. Says she likes it for dress pants and skirts which don't have belts. She also likes Dene Adams Thigh Carry Tights under light tee-shirt type dresses.

In jeans she is IWB 4:00.

On very rare occasions she will use a flash bang and her P380 (EDC is a PM-9) but being a C she says it makes her lopsided.

[38Special]

My wife just added bellyband too. Says she likes it for dress pants and skirts which don't have belts. She also likes Dene Adams Thigh Carry Tights under light tee-shirt type dresses.

In jeans she is IWB 4:00.

On very rare occasions she will use a flash bang and her P380 (EDC is a PM-9) but being a C she says it makes her lopsided.

Good for her!
I don't do dresses but her system sounds like good options.
As for the flash bang...Glock 19 and DD....not going there.

[grantar2]

I realize this is an old post (Thank you BonnieB for the recommendation). I would like to remind people that like a briefcase, backpack or sling bag, for men, the choice of carry is not digital. Most of us have more than one gun on the permit. You can chose to carry a P238, Snubbie, or similar on body, and fight back to a larger gun carried off body.

Carry is situational and it's not always driven by fashion. It's not uncommon for me to help fit three weapons on some LEO's, often a pair off duty, same for VIP escort, or PI"s. Financial advisors who specialize in precious metals will carry more than one location.

Purses have their place, they may not be a first choice, but someone with skin conditions, hip injuries, or other maladies might not want to carry on body. Certain adult undergarments can complicate IWB, mobility can make ankle carry impossible. Arthritis can impact the ability to draw from some locations, as can torn shoulder muscles. I have dealt with all of these and so many more.

For the person who wants to carry in a designer purse, Coach, Michael, Kors, Gucci, etc (assuming they are not around children, people with mental issues, such as dementia, Alzheimer) Packin Neat makes a very nice product. Essentially a purse organizer with a dedicated and concealed holster. So there are solutions to safely use what you have in your wardrobe.

It is for these reasons that I wince when I see someone ask about carry, and not discuss, style, physical limitations, environment, etc.

Were always here for consultation, you can ask questions, discuss without worrying about pressure to buys something. We recommend bringing your gun to one of the gun shows we attend (Orange County, Del Mar, Ontario) and trying a few different styles. Trying, being coached, is always better than guessing and trying to figure it out on your own.

Stay safe

[movie zombie]

.......It is for these reasons that I wince when I see someone ask about carry, and not discuss, style, physical limitations, environment, etc.

........

Stay safe

very good point/observation. and physical limitations can worsen or improve over time so possibly there is no one fix.

[jeremiah12]

very good point/observation. and physical limitations can worsen or improve over time so possibly there is no one fix.

Because of shoulder problems, bursitis in my hips, and complete loss of the three lowest discs in my back, any kind of carry around my waist is out of the question. I either cannot reach the gun or if I can I cannot pull it out of any type of holster with a retention system because my shoulder is already near its limit in its upward motion.

There are times that off-body carry means the difference between a gun I can access if needed vs a gun that is on body that I cannot access if needed.