I’ve decided to start out with a Galco Underwraps Belly Band. The belly band is typically a wide band of elastic material that fastens around the torso with Velcro. It has built-in pockets for the handgun and often pockets for extra magazines or other items too. The belly band seemed like a good option for me because I don’t often wear belts. Since the belly band uses the tension of the elastic to stay put, it should (theoretically) be useful under many different types of clothing, and doesn’t require a belt.
I like the design of the Galco because the actual gun pockets are leather. Should be pretty sturdy. It has one pocket designed to fit revolvers and one for semi-autos. I chose the tan color so that it will be less likely to show under lightly-colored clothing. It also comes in black.
Reminder: When trying out a new holster of any type, ALWAYS become familiar with it and do any fiddling while the gun is EMPTY. Do not use a loaded gun until you are confident about where you will wear the holster and how to safely put the gun into and take it out of the holster. Finger off the trigger! (I need a graphic here of a smiling 50s housewife shaking her finger at you…)
To start out, I am wearing the belly band low on my hips, so it sits mostly below the waist of my jeans. It took a few minutes of wondering why the pockets seemed to be going the wrong way before I realized that right-handed users wear it with the leather pockets facing in, left-handed users wear it with the pockets facing out. (Yes, reading the directions is a good idea!)
After a bit of experimenting with positioning, I think the most concealable position is placing it so that the gun is in the middle of the small of my back. I positioned it there wearing jeans and a form-fitting top, and did some modeling for my hubby.
“Oh, is that a new shirt?”
Success! (Seriously, that’s exactly what he said. I was quite pleased.)
So, first impression, I would say the belly band is pretty comfortable and very concealable. Of course, wearing it around the house is not exactly the same as wearing it in the real world. I’ll spare you all the details, but I have so far worn it in the low-on-the-waist position on several occasions, with several different types of outfits. Here’s what I think:
Comfort: Overall, the belly band is quite comfortable in this position. The elastic is soft, and the Velcro is sewn in such a way as to avoid scratching. My only complaints are pretty minor. First, when worn low on the hips like this, I did experience a bit of chaffing against my hipbones. Second, I did occasionally feel some poking from the corners of the Velcro. Both problems were easily solved by wearing a thin tank top under the belly band, putting a softer fabric against my skin. The tank top did cause some minor difficulties in the Confidence category, as you’ll see below, so it’s a bit of a toss up.
The belly band was also very comfortable while out and about. Walking, standing, sitting in an overstuffed armchair, and sitting in a chair at a restaurant were all just fine. The only time I encountered a problem was while driving. With the gun positioned right in the small of my back, sitting in the driver’s seat of my car was not great. I did notice that having the gun slightly lower was better than slightly higher. While not terribly comfortable, I was able to wear the belly band this way for short trips. I would not, however, wear it with the gun for long trips. If the situation allowed, it may be easier to put the gun in the glove box for the drive, then return it to the belly band at the destination.
Overall, I’m giving the belly band a 6 for Comfort when worn below the waistline. On the whole I am quite pleased with the comfort of it, but the driving issue could be a big one depending on the situation.
Concealability: (Microsoft Word informs me that I have made up a new word here. Oh well, so did Shakespeare, right?)
As mentioned above, the Concealability of the belly band with my Ruger LCP is quite good. It fit nicely in the waistband of all of my jeans, and disappeared under most types of tops. I was able to wear it with a form fitting jersey-type top, t-shirts, and flowing blouses. Any type of jacket or cardigan is also great for concealing a lump on your back. There are definitely some outfits that won’t hide a gun in the belly band, such as tops that are skin-tight around the waist, or anything made out of thinner fabric. But, of course, not every method of concealment will work with every outfit!
Most of the time, I’ve worn a tank top under the belly band. This does a lot for the comfort. I also found it did not inhibit the concealability. As long as the tank top isn’t bunchy and doesn’t have embellishments, it shouldn’t show under other shirts. Plus, layering is a great look, so you can totally make it work!
I’m giving the belly band an 8 for Concealability worn below the waistline. It was pretty darn easy to make it disappear with most types of clothing!
Confidence: Ah, confidence. Turns out, confidence is trickier than I expected it to be! It is very difficult to tell whether a problem with confidence is due to the particular product, or simply because I’m not used to using said product. Because, let’s face it, having four inches of elastic strapped around you and a gun to boot is not easily ignored!
My problem here is that I felt like the belly band, and my LCP in its pocket, were riding up. I especially felt this when standing up after sitting. However, when I checked, they really didn’t seem to have moved much. I think I was a little paranoid because I am not yet used to wearing the belly band. It would make sense that there is some riding up occurring. The elastic band is not contoured at all, and when putting a straight band around curved hips, it’s naturally going to want to ride up. But, I don’t think it ever moved enough that it would cause a real problem. Being nervous the whole time I’m wearing it is a problem, but again, that may just be me.
I’m not sure whether or not the tank top I’ve been wearing under the belly band may have contributed to this problem. It did seem like I experienced more riding up on the days that I was wearing the tank top. I think it affects how tightly the elastic is able to hold on to my waist. Clearly, some more experimentation with different types of tank tops is in order. That and working on my nervousness…
The other half of Confidence is whether you can confidently access your weapon if you needed to. Here, the belly band does well. Positioned on the small of my back, I am able to reach for the gun and naturally and easily find it. It slips in and out of the pocket smoothly. It’s a good idea to do some practicing of drawing your weapon, finding your grip, and acquiring your target, all of course while the gun is unloaded and in a safe direction.
On the whole, I give the belly band a 6 for Confidence when worn low on the hips.
So, the belly band, worn low on the waist, gets a 6 for Comfort, 8 for Concealability, and 6 for Confidence. Average score: 6.7.
Keep in mind, this is just my experience. Next I will be reviewing the belly band worn higher, on the natural waist. Could turn out to be totally different!
Have you tried a belly band for carrying? How did you like it?
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