We’re all familiar with the myriad ways people conceal — or don’t conceal — their guns in and around their homes or in their vehicles. There are safes, guitar cases, boxes, drawers, mattresses, shelves…you name it, it’s being done somewhere in America. Frequently by a number of makers.
It would be nice to see something unique and that’s where the Skinner Sights HTF Garment Bag comes in.
Skinner Sights is best known for their iron sights, specifically those for levers, but they’ve branched out beyond that (their irons for lever are excellent, though). Their HTF Garment Bag is one such product and is basically what it sounds like: a garment bag…for your guns.
Andy Larsson, the owner of Skinner Sights, sees the garment bag as a logical step because, as he asks, “Who steals clothes?” And he isn’t wrong.
The HTF Garment Bag has room for one long gun up to forty inches long, two handguns, three rifle magazines, eight pistol mags, and a variety of accessories. If your long gun is too big for the bag, you can actually open and extend the center topmost portion of the bag for some added length (just be aware it makes it pretty clear something is in there that isn’t a suit).
The bag is either green or black on the outside, black inside, and zippered. It’s made of Cordura, which is pretty tough material, and has heavy stitching to strengthen seams. The hanger it ships with is heavy-duty, not some flimsy plastic or wire thing that’s going to bend or break the instant any weight is put on it. Just make sure the bar you’re hanging it from is sturdy enough.
You can even fold the bag in half lengthwise, similar to actual garment bags, with guns inside for easier carrying with the attached wrap-around handles. So now you know the basics. How about actual use?
Here’s where this bag comes in really handy for me. I travel with guns a lot, whether I’m going to the range, driving to a hunt that isn’t local, or going to take classes somewhere around the country. Yes, I own an assortment of cases, boxes, and bags, and I use them a lot. When I stop at hotels along the way to or from my destination, my guns always go inside with me. Always. After all, your truck isn’t a gun safe.
But when you wheel a rifle case through a hotel lobby, it’s difficult to pretend it’s something else, even when it’s covered in band stickers. The Skinner Sights HTF Garment Bag is the perfect camouflage. Carrying a garment bag through a hotel lobby? No one notices and no one cares.
Whether or not you choose to hang it in your closet at home fully loaded is a personal preference. If you do, do you put a lock on the zipper? Do you hide it among other garment bags and clothes at the back of your closet?
It’s true that most thieves aren’t going to look for clothes to steal, but they probably will go into your closet looking for a wall safe or other storage for valuables, so keep that in mind when staging guns.
So, what do you guys think?
MSRP: $189.00 in either Olive Green or Black
Check it out here
Ok, I almost like this more than a traditional rifle bag. This is pretty cool. However, the lack of “modularity” kills it for me. I’d rather have something with good velcro and molle. Molle velcro to be exact. If they made one, I’d buy it.
Check out this pic a commenter below found
http://www.skinnersights.com/images/HTF_2E.jpg?544
Check out the Vertx Professional Rifle Garment Bag.
A coworker had as bag of laundry stolen from his company vehicle when we are having lunch some years ago. He planned on going to going by the laundry mat after work.
This is an interesting product though.
I like the idea. I’ve had several cars broken into over the years and thieves always go for the easy/obvious stuff. Once they grabbed a backpack worth a couple hundred dollars, (including contents) and left a $600 guitar in the back seat. Every car break in I was involved in on some level, could have been worse from a loss standpoint.
I’ve had an AR hanging in a garment bag in my closet for years.
Last time I had to deal with a burglary they stole all the bedding and cleaning products and even utensils.
Who the fuck steals a half-full bottle of Murphy’s Oil Soap? Whoever robbed that house, that’s who.
I doubt a garment bag would have been safe. The only things they didn’t take any of were a ginormous CRT TV and large furniture items like beds and couches. Did it in a couple of hours too, impressive hustle on their part. Almost like getting robbed by a moving company.
A few weeks later the guy down the street got rolled. He was home, knocked unconscious and tied up with telephone cord. He awoke to them rolling up his rugs and taking them out the door. He was left with the clothes on his body and a length of telephone cord.
Telephone cord eh? This story has to be two decades old! 😂
Seriously, getting robbed sucks. What your neighbor went through sounds terrible….
What the hell kinda story is this? No thief on earth holds people hostage to roll up carpets, no thief steals soap, I’m calling bullshit, you either are fucking with stazi police, mobsters, or some repo agency.
For home storage, probably not a good idea in a bedroom closet since that’s the first go-to magnet for burglers. That said, in my house my wife has a TON (literally) of clothes hanging in our dehumidified basement that this would be an ideal idea.
People won’t break into a car as fast for a garment bag as they will for a rifle case but they’ll certainly steal a bag laying there if they’re already thieving.
But yeah I really like this as a low-key way to carry guns while traveling through areas where they would otherwise attract attention. Probably would go with the black rather than green though…
Who steals clothes?
No one, BUT, if I were casing a hotel room, I would push back the hanging clothes to see what’s behind them and I think the weight would be noticeable.
Went to the website to see additional pics and this is pretty darned cool. This image likely just sold me a garment bag: http://www.skinnersights.com/images/HTF_2E.jpg?544
This one sucks, there is no place to hang my jacket.
Your jacket goes in the rifle bag hanging next to the garment bag.
will this be acceptable for TSA?
Should be. Try it and report back (Immediately if it goes well. 10 years from now if it doesn’t?)
No, since it isn’t hard sided. Even if it were approved, the baggage handlers would beat up the contents and your rifle would be suitable only for shooting around corners.
My favorite garments all in one place, one would never go out and feel naked.
If you rent (like me) this could be a decent solution in lieu of installing a safe. I considered this product when I got into guns. I opted for an under-the-bed lockbox from SecureIt instead.
As soon as someone is in your closet pushing aside the clothes to see if anything is in the back of the closet they will immediately notice the 10lb resistance of that strangely heavy garment bag….and check it out to see why it is so heavy.
Living here in California there is a REAL need for this. Here people call the cops if they see a person walking to or from the car carrying a firearm, yes legally transported in a case. These people are crazy and I am too for still living here.
“If your long gun is too big for the bag, you can actually open and extend the center topmost portion of the bag for some added length”
thats what *she* said
hey look it accepts 9mm pistol mags
it must be ok then
It might be ok to hang in a basement with other clothes. Trying to use it to transport stuff into hotels wouldn’t be optimal just because it doesn’t fold like a normal garnet bag. You would have to get a baggage cart which can be a PITA.
I don’t transport hunting rifles. But I do often carry guns while traveling. Wilson tennis racquet cases will hold up to a 12.5” barreled AR pistol with a SBA3 brace, full sized AK side folding rifles like the SLR-107, AK under folders or a MP5.
A large wheeled suitcase will accommodate all of the above along with 16.5” barreled bullpups like the Tavor or AUG that are actually shorter than a side folding AK that is folded, but the guns are too tall to fit in a racquet case. Larger rifles like full sized AR15 or AR10 rifles could also be separated and carried in a suitcase.
I haven’t tried the guitar case yet, but that would be another option. I’m hesitant because I don’t know anything about guitars and people will want to ask you about it. I once had to listen to a valet tell me about every tennis club within driving distance when I was carrying my ‘racquet’ out of a hotel.
Get a beat up case and say you picked it up at a garage sale and are just beginning to learn using youtube videos.
“It might be ok to hang in a basement with other clothes.”
Or a hall or bathroom closet…
Get a violin case. That way no one will ask you about violins and everyone will ask you what kind of machine gun you’re carrying in it.
I’ve been using a nice green, paisley ‘Jordache’ garment-bag for a few years now. Transporting an AR in ‘take-down’ mode allows the bag to be folded and it easily goes in my trunk. I keep a towel in the bag to keep metal parts from clattering. Bag was $6 at the Goodwill-store. Similar deals abound at thrift-stores everywhere!
A guitar case is good for carry through a hotel lobby or between house & car. But if it won’t fit in the trunk and has to ride exposed in the back seat, it’s still a thief-magnet!
i put one of their sights on a wrangler and needed no elevation adjustment.
this garment bag as well as some of their long gun storage offerings look really good.
at work some other departments receive many tools; the cases are usually tossed in the dumpster and many are quite adaptable to decent protection and concealment.
Thank you so much for the Hanging bag.
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