Appendix Carry for Big Guys
- Nov 10th 2024
- By
If you’re a big guy struggling with appendix carry, you’re not alone. We'll discuss the major problems and solutions unique to gentlemen of stature, and give you five simple carry tips you can try at home. Since this guide is based on principles rather than purchases, you can use this knowledge for a lifetime, even as your body changes. We'll cover concealed carry positions for big guys, comfortable carry skills, holster adjustments, wardrobe, and more.
While the concealment principles we use are universal, there's no denying that fat guys have different struggles than skinny guys. Issues like printing, uncomfortable muzzle pressure, and poor holster placement are common. We break down the root causes of these problems and offer multiple solutions to try. While appendix carry does not work for everyone, with a little knowledge and some practice, the majority of folks can do it successfully.
At PHLster, we're committed to helping people learn concealed carry, starting exactly where they're at. No shame, no hype, no salesmanship. Just solid, practical advice based on thousands of case studies. This isn't a forum post full of unhelpful advice to "jUsT LoSe wEiGhT." It's not a sales pitch stuffed with keywords. We're serious concealment nerds, and we want to share what we've learned in over a decade of holster making and fitting.
Some of the graphics and photos below are exaggerated to show the concepts better. Your body is unique. The pictures may not match your body shape or gun size, but the principles are universal. Beware of so-called "fat guy holsters," because no one product will work the same for everyone. Don't choose a holster based on marketing or hype. Learn the principles, assess your body, and make an educated choice based on your needs.
In Pictures: Appendix Carry for Big Guys (Scroll Through)
NOTE: We're not calling you fat, and we don't do body shaming here at PHLster. We use terms like "fat guy carry" because we know that's what most people are searching when they're troubleshooting a concealed carry problem. If we use exclusively professional language, unfortunately no one would find this information. With that in mind, here are some alternate terms for the things we'll discuss in this article:
- Muffin top
- Gut
- FUPA
- Dunlop/dunlap
- Pannus
- Pot belly
- Tactical shelf
- Husky guys
Why Appendix Carry Doesn't Work for Fat Guys (At First)
It's true that appendix carry doesn't work for everyone, but a lot of guys give up too soon. They buy a holster someone else recommended, and it doesn't work immediately, so they throw up their hands and say appendix carry isn't for them. But let's dive a little deeper into some common concealed carry problems. By identifying the root causes, we can find solutions that will work for a majority of husky guys (but still not everyone).
Problem 1: Wrong Carry Position
For many big guys, abdominal fat forms a sort of rounded trapezoid shape, making it challenging to carry a gun comfortably up front. We typically tend to grow our weight forward and down, rather than simply getting uniformly wider. If you place your pistol directly on your center line, then it sits on the roundest part of the belly, making it push out against clothing, which leads to printing.
Additionally, the peak of the belly tends to drop off sharply at the belt line, leading to either a steep angle, or an overhang (we sometimes refer to this as the tactical shelf, or dunlap). That pushes the belt line lower, so the pants belt ends up far below the belly button. The combination of steep angles and too-low belt lines leads to major printing issues.
HOWEVER, that doesn't mean that appendix carry won't work for you. There are a lot more options than just plopping the pistol directly on your center, at the peak of your belly. Before you give up on appendix carry, use the tips below to fine tune your carry position to work with your body's natural shape.
Figure 1 depicts a common first attempt at appendix carry gun placement: front and center and relatively low on the abdomen. Since this is roughly at the “peak” where the belly projects, a cover garment will be at its tightest there, with the least amount of space between the garment and body. Also, the muzzle winds up sticking out underneath the peak, where the belly begins to descend into the pelvis and groin, so the belly will tip the gun outward.
Problem 2: Gun Too Low
Fig 2 shows how most people try to correct the printing problem -- by moving the gun lower. This carry position can also happen accidentally when you try to carry a holster on your pants belt, if your beltline is under your gut.
The next most common concealed carry problem for bigger guys is carrying the gun too low. This usually happens when the pants beltline is too low, underneath the gut (see previous). Or when you're deliberately moving the gun lower because you're trying to correct a printing problem.
If you put your holster on your pants belt, and your beltline is too low, the holster will jab you in the leg when you sit down, or will jab you in the gut when you stand. Either way, it's going to be very uncomfortable, and it's one of the biggest problems that make people give up on appendix carry. This low position also makes the gun tilt inward, pointing the muzzle into the body, which may lead to unsafe reholstering.
Many people try to solve this issue by adding a wedge to the holster. While this is generally a good idea, when the pistol is this low, the angle can be quite steep, and it requires a LOT of wedge to act as filler and counteract the extreme angle of the gun. We can do better!
Figure 3 depicts a common step in the right direction, although it’s incomplete. In this position, the pistol rides a less than ideal abdominal curve, but it could be mitigated with the correct wedge shape and size, if it’s not possible to raise the pants or belt ride height beyond this point.
Comfort and Concealment Solutions for Big Guys
Now that we've identified the problems, let's look at some simple solutions that will work across a range of different body fat percentages, shapes, and carry gun sizes. Remember that while your body may not look exactly like the pictures, you can use these steps to find your own ideal carry position.
Start By Finding Your Comfort Boundaries
The first step toward successful appendix carry for fat guys is to find your comfort boundaries. If you place your gun in the wrong spot -- i.e., near your steepest angles -- you'll get jabbed in the thigh when you sit, or jabbed in the gut when you stand. So the simple solution for this is to find where your body hinges FIRST, so you can avoid putting your gun there.
Start in a seated position, and move your unloaded, holstered gun around your stomach, in small increments, paying attention to where your legs bend. When the gun touches your thigh, that's your boundary. Your ideal carry position will be a bit higher than that. Most people's boundaries form a V shape across their pelvis, but since all bodies are different, you'll need to try it for yourself to know exactly where your boundaries are. Watch the Concealed Carry Comfort video below, starting at 5:46, to see how to do this.
Move the Gun More Toward Your Strong Side
What we refer to as "appendix carry" is a flexible definition. It typically means anywhere on the front of the body, from about 9:30 to 2:30. The shape of your belly dictates where exactly you should place your gun. The process of finding your ideal carry position is called finding your concealment Sweet Spot, and it's a foundation step for successful concealed carry.
Generally speaking, most fat guys need to place the gun further to the side than skinny guys do. If your abdomen is uniformly round like a beach ball, you may have luck with a carry position closer to the center, perhaps around.1:00. If your abdomen projects forward and down in the classic trapezoid shape, you'll probably need to move the gun further sideways, more toward your strong side, towards 2:00 or even 3:00. Look for areas where your shirt drapes naturally, leaving an envelope of space between the body and the clothing. Avoid areas where your shirt is already pulled tight.
As you try these carry positions, make small adjustments and test the results. Keep in mind, the composition of your belly fat matters, too. If your fat is soft and squishy, you'll likely have an easier time with appendix carry. Squishy fat means the gun can sink in and hide easily, making it easier to conceal in tighter clothes. If your belly fat is hard, your gun will tend to print more, and you may need to wear more structured fabrics to help skim over the gun and minimize printing.
Try a Higher Ride Height
Figure 4 illustrates what winds up being the optimal pistol placement for many husky guys with typical abdominal fat distribution. At the correct ride height, there’s generally enough clothing drape on the side plane of the belly. The pistol is not riding the steep downward angle into the groin, and it doesn't hit your leg when you sit. From here, a smaller wedge is needed to fine tune concealment, since more of the gun is already parallel to more of the body.
The vast majority of big guys who struggle with appendix carry have the gun too low. So the obvious advice is to move the gun higher on the body. Try pulling your pants up. This is especially true if you're wearing a holster that attaches to your belt. If your belt runs under your gut, and you stick a holster on said belt, it's not likely to work well.
If you pull your pants up and they give you a wedgie, you might need pants with a higher rise. You may also find you need a bigger size when you wear pants at your natural waist rather than under your gut. This is a normal struggle for folks when they start carrying a gun, and you may want to consider some wardrobe adjustments if your regular clothes don't work well for concealed carry.
If revamping your wardrobe isn't in the cards right now, one workaround is to use a holster that doesn't attach to your clothing, which gives you the freedom to position the gun where it's best for your body, rather than being restricted by the location of your pants. Many bigger guys are able to carry their gun at the natural waist using the PHLster Enigma, or a similar holster. This often works great in sweatpants or basketball shorts with a stretchy waistband. However, changing holsters isn't a magic solution, and some big guys run into the same problems when they try to wear their Enigma with jeans and a belt. This happens because the jeans and belt press in on the muzzle, which counteracts the concealment gains of the Enigma.
Make Sure Your Pants Belt Doesn't Interfere With Your Carry
If you're using a holster that doesn't attach to your pants belt, you gain the freedom to position the gun independently. However, you can still run into problems depending on how your clothes interact with your carry gun.
Even if you divorce your gun from your waistband and carry higher, you may still find you need higher rise pants that don't interfere with your gun placement. Elastic belts (such as the Arcade belt) can also help with this quite a bit, as well as being more comfortable overall. Keeping your gun off your pants belt also means you can use a lot less belt pressure, since your belt only needs to hold up your pants, rather than carrying the full weight of your gun. For some folks, this is more comfortable than a regular holster on a gunbelt. But everyone is different, and some folks find a higher belt line annoying, even after giving themselves a few weeks to adjust to the new sensation.
No one solution will work for all bodies, so it's normal to spend some time experimenting to see what's right for you.
Add a Holster Wedge
Once you've found your Sweet Spot, the next step is to make adjustments to your holster to get good concealment. Most big guys benefit from using a holster wedge to improve grip tuck, as well as enhancing comfort. Keep in mind that for big guys, the wedge serves two roles. One is to give you grip tuck. The other is to fill in any gaps between the muzzle of the gun and the body. This is critically important for fat guys -- and be aware that wedges made for skinny guys may not be big enough. Depending on your shape, you may need an inch of wedge, or you may need three. You can use a folded sock to test how tall your wedge needs to be.
It's very normal for bigger guys to need big wedges. You'll know if your wedge is too big because it will distort your belt line and make your gun look like a tumor. And keep in mind that you don't want your wedge to come up too high on your holster, or it won't be able to do its job as a pivot point.
You'll also want to make sure your wedge is shaped correctly. For big guys, the wrong shaped wedge can fight with your holster's wing and lead to broken holsters. Watch the video below to learn how to shape your wedge intelligently to support the concealment you need, rather than just plopping on a fat wedge and hoping for the best.
Join the Community To See How Other Big Guys Appendix Carry
Join us in the PHLster Concealment Workshop group to see how other big guys are carrying. With over 35,000 members, you're sure to find someone shaped like you. Before posting, take a moment to read the group Guide posts and search the group for your questions. You can also scroll through the group pictures and media files to see examples of big guys carrying. We've had a number of great discussions about various aspects of concealed carry on larger bodies - it's by far the most common question we get!