[HTML1]

Have guns changed your style? To accomodate concealed carry, I’ve had to give up my fashionably sleek belts for a thick strap lined with beryllium. I now choose trousers based on belt loop placement and the way the front pocket accommodates a Smith & Wesson 642 in an Uncle Mike’s pocket holster. Shirts are either tight (to go under a sweater) or baggy (for summer). I’ve added a flashlight. And a knife. And a spare magazine. And pepper spray. More than that (yes there is more), I have this ridiculous new love of all things tactical. I don’t even shop for glasses cases like I used to. You?

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

27 COMMENTS

  3. Yes. Living behind enemy lines (i.e., NY) where we can’t CC, “tactical” EDC items become even more important. As a technical writer by profession, I have carried a pen in my shirt pocket my whole life and would feel naked without it (even though almost none of my “writing” is done with a pen anymore). I carry a Smith & Wesson SWPENMPBK.

    But WTF is a tactical watch? One that slows time for everyone except me, would give me a decided tactical advantage.

  5. My EDTP (every day timepiece) is a sea-blue Raymond Weil Othello. It’s about as tactical as my BVDs.

    This reminds me of Derek Flint’s tactical cigarette lighter. It had 82 different functions – 83 if he wanted to light a cigar.

  7. When I think of a “tactical” watch, the old Casio G-Shock digital watch immidiately comes to mind. I think most guys in the military wore those, followed by those simple green Timex watches they sold at the PX. Besides being rugged, the best feature for a military “tactical” watch is to display local time and Zulu time on the same face without having to press any buttons. A good watch band with cover is a great thing to have as well.

  8. I wear a 25 year old G-Shock that also spent a decade in the military.
    Keeps great time and is built like a tank.

  9. “I have this ridiculous new love of all things tactical. I don’t even shop for glasses cases like I used to. ”

    *cough* NERD!

  10. It’s like a domino effect: Get gun, need new belt. Fancy tactical belt leads to carrying more items on saud belt. This adds weight. Added weight hurts my feet, so the loafers are out and the Merrells are in. Gosh these white socks and dress socks stink. Switch to smartwool. Man, these khakis look rediculous with Merrels, time to switch to either 5.11, Kuhl or Kavu pants….
    This goes on and on. Now I have a trunk locker with nothing but magazines. Sigh.

  11. Wow…just wow…I couldn’t finish the video. The whole “I don’t even shop for glasses cases like I used to.” screams tactiCOOL, not tactical. You have officially bought into the whole “you can be more badass with this widget then that widget” scene that has been becoming more and more common in the shooting community. The gear only matters insomuch as to be reliable. other then that, its personal taste.

    My EDC list:
    S&W M&P .40c
    Galco M7 Matrix holster
    Columbia leather belt
    Zebra 701 pen
    Sharpie
    Maglight XL50
    cheap $20 Leatherman knife…

    Everything in that list works, does what it needs to do. I don’t care how many rails stuff has, what a youtube gun star says about something, I am going to buy stuff I like, and use what works.

    • Methinks you doth protest too much. You act you’re above all the “better widget” stuff, but yet you list your Columbia leather belt, and your Zebra pen. If you really didn’t give a damn about “better widgets,” you’d have simply said you always carry a pen, and you wouldn’t have even mentioned your belt. I mean, seriously, your belt?

      • Just making a statement of fact, Columbia is like S&W, its a brand, I also have other belts, and other guns, and other pens. I’m not going to go out and buy a $50 “tactical” belt, when a $20 Columbia belt will do the same thing. I’m not going to go spend $45 on a S&W Tactical Pen, when my $3.99 for 2 work just as well. The point I’m making is that just because a company like Armourlite makes a “tactical” watch, doesn’t make it better then other non “tactical” black watches that are made by quality shops, and to warn others of buying into the tactical hype engine that is in high gear.

        • I wear a belt most days. It holds up my pants, and my holster. It probably had a brand at some point, but I’ll be damned if I can tell you what it is. I use a pen most days too. I like the Pilot G2, but I’ll use whatever is handy.

          You completely missed my point, which is that you even mentioned your belt, or your pen, at all, and you did it after ranting that RF’s “glasses case” comment was over the top. The statement that your $20 belt or your $2 pen is “just as good” as their more expensive counterparts leads to my next observation.

          There is a certain kind of arrogance that is shown by the “I don’t need that much” people. Some people take pride in their frugality, e.g. “Why does anyone really need a Mercedes-Benz? I have a Camry, and it’s got just as much room, and the same number of doors, and it was half the price!” Those people are generally insufferable to be around. Most people who buy the Camry, whether due to desire or budget, do so and STFU about it.

          Don’t you see that the pride you show in your “does the same thing” $20 Columbia belt is no different than someone else’s pride in the tactical watch, or the glasses case, that you so loudly decry? The guy who proudly brags on his $50 tactical belt is no more irritating to be around than the guy who insists that his $20 belt is “just as good, and that nobody really needs a $50 tactical belt anyway.” Both are insufferable, and I say to both of them, “It’s a friggin belt, get over yourself.”

  12. Pepper spray AND a heater? If you are ever involved in a DGU, the prosecutor will eat you alive for not using the pepper spray instead.

    • There are situations where I may need the pepper spray, but not the gun. For example, walking my dogs. They’re small Schnauzers, one of which is stupidly aggressive (always kept on the leash).

      We walk in the woods. While I try to avoid big dogs, it’s not entirely possible. If a large canine or pack of canines tries to sink its canines into my best friends, I can pepper spray the big dog or dogs—rather than watch my Schnauzers die as I try to separate them from their attackers (risking my own physical well-being).

      Also, pepper spray allows me to have a response to a threat of human-on-human violence that doesn’t necessarily end in providing the perp with a new hole. I like having that option. It’s worth the legal risk.

      • All points agreed upon. I have and carry mace pepper gel when I’m in a gun-free zone (I work in one…). I would carry it with my gun as well for the humane aspect of the whole thing. I don’t want to kill anyone if I don’t have to. But lawyers. Damned lawyers.

  13. I just picked ordered a ‘tactical’ watch off of eBay. A nice Casio Pathfinder.

    Because a watch that only tells the time is LAZY.

    • A casio pathfinder, black or silver! 32 world times, solar powered! Altimeter, barometer, temp, compass, stop watch, count down timer! It receives a signal from the closet nuclear clock in the area that ensures it is always on time! I have had mine for almost five years! All over the states, Europe, and A-Stan! Great watch! It was a toss up between this and the sunto. I went with this for the band and the solar power! The sunto’s battery life is short and it has a big black rubber watch band, and I wanted something for both environments, civilian and tactical (Silver band)!

  17. I own a G-Shock Riseman, which is a bit more than I need. The meters/functions do not work very accurately, it’s more of a far off guess. The only pro is that G-Shocks are reliable and extremely durable.

    I just purchased a Suunto Core (Military/all-black) watch for my brother, I would assume that would be tactical.

Comments are closed.