Every person's body is unique. That, combined with other unique factors such as the type of gun, holster selection and holster setup, support gear and clothing, will mean significant differences in how one person can or cannot conceal, versus another. Something that totally disappears on one person may well print very badly (i.e. shape of a gun) for another, even if they're wearing the same outer layers.
It is harder to put things together for a woman, as the increasing differences in body-shape/anatomy and the clothing variable both explodes exponentially. For a woman, even the time-of-month, according to their natural cycle, can impact the comfort and even practicality of certain manners of concealed carry.
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The Cornered Cat (
http://www.corneredcat.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; )
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faliaphotography's YouTube Channel (
http://www.youtube.com/user/faliaphotog ... sults_main" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; )
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limatunes's YouTube Channel (
http://www.youtube.com/user/limalife?ob ... sults_main" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; )
- and Stephen Wenger's
DUF website all offer some holster guidance (
http://www.spw-duf.info/holster.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ), with specific consideration to women's needs.
Of these resources,
The Cornered Cat has a special sub-section devoted to "Curves," in the "Holsters" section, and
limatunes - also known as
limalife on the DefenseiveCarry.com Forums - can be reached directly for advice. One thing to remember for both
faliaphotography and
limatunes is that
lima's current physical shape notwithstanding, these two women are both of the
smaller-frame/slender-built body style, regardless of how curvy they are otherwise: so what applies to them may or may not apply in the same degree as they apply to you.
In
The Cornered Cat website, she speaks specifically of cross-draw, inguinal/appendix, as well as "behind the hip"/iliac holster placements. Of the latter, if you can find a clip of Magpul's
The Art of the Dynamic Handgun DVD, on Disc 3, the instructors dedicate a segment to their sole female student for the day, who happens to be slim, but curvy at the hips, and wore tight jeans with a tighter-fitting tank atop. I don't completely remember what pistol she pulled, during that session, but I *believe* that it was a Glock G19, and it rode in a Comp-Tac Minotaur MTAC holster behind her iliac crest, on the strong side. The instructors' specific concern was two-fold: one, that with such a form-fitting and thin shirt, while the setup offered the student good concealment when she was standing straight, as soon as she bends over, it was quite obvious what was printing through (here in Ohio, printing is more of a concern for the person carrying, in terms of maintaining a low/unarmed profile, more than anything else; also, if you learn to move your body differently, to accomplish daily tasks, printing can also be minimized), and two, that she has to move her support/reaction/"weak" hand differently, to accomplish a draw with that hand. Again, though, she is small-framed and otherwise slender - so once again, what applies to her may apply more or less, to you.
Also, the gun you're trying to hide is a concern. No matter how you look at the picture, it is one of the variables. If you can switch down to the sub-Compact Glock without losing your shooting and manipulations skill-set, that may be worth it if it can help you conceal, as you can easily bring up the gun's ammo capacity by carrying a full-sized magazine on the off-side (which can also help better distribute the weight of your carry setup). Nevertheless, even with just that little step-down, many will find that they have to re-train to the pistol (I know I did), and there is also an undeniable advantage in having a physically larger gun, otherwise - again, you'll have to ask yourself if this is something that you can reasonably pursue. Alternatively, can you dress more to the gun? You've mentioned summer comfort as an issue, and I definitely agree, but modern textiles may be able to help you there, to at least a certain extent. The other question regarding this particular idea would be whether or not it would send up red-flags in your life, social questions that you will have to address - to some, this may actually be more of an ideal, rather than an idea.
Remember, regardless of how you select to carry, what you're going to compromise concealment -versus- accessibility (from either hand) -versus- draw-speed. This is the same, between men and women. An OWB on your strong-side, neutral or only a slight cant, can conceal decently well, with the right clothes - and it will offer a lightning-fast draw (particularly if it doesn't have any secondary retention devices...but does it conceal as well as a 3SpeedHolster/ThunderWear/SmartCarry? Alternatively, can those deep-concealment holsters be as fast to access as the former? There's *always* a compromise.
Don't get too hung up on what everyone else is telling you is the perfect concealment holster/setup. EVERY person is different, and what works great for one may be the same, less-so, or completely horrible for another. Find what works *for you,* and don't be discouraged if it takes a time and trial-and-error to do so.
The Cornered Cat said it best - don't give up, *something* will work. You just have to have the intestinal fortitude (and, in some cases, the bankroll, since good holsters don't typically come cheap) to stick through it.
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Speaking of "stick."
If you, your family, or a friend has something like the Remora or the "StickyHolster," one of those miracle-fabric friction-fit holsters, see if you can't play around with that, at various positions and angles along your waistline, to figure out what carry position work best for you. This way, you can essentially place and re-place the holster as many times as you like, to try to find what works, without having invested significant money in a more rigid setup that cannot be manipulated so easily. After you find what may work for you, then look for holsters that match that carry profile (or simply stick with the Remora and the like).
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