The Simplified Art of In-Hand Carry For Self Defense

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Ihave previously written about “off-body carry” in this column, dealing with carrying a gun in backpacks and bags and purses, but I’ve become aware of a few recent products that have made me want to address a subset of off-body carry—I guess I’ll call it “in-hand carry.” Occasionally, you’ll find backpacks and purses swinging from your hand, but mostly they are bigger bags and will be slung across your body. However, there are a number of smaller cases that aren’t meant to hang from anywhere on your body but your hand. I want to talk about them, as well as a few dos and don’ts.

A bag/case in your hand means the gun inside it will be quicker to access than a gun in a backpack, but you will likely want/need to set that case down at some point. As I’ve said before, treat that container holding the gun like it’s full of cash. If you’re going to be setting it down, don’t ever walk away from it.

That brings us to the nylon cases Springfield Armory supplies with a lot of their carry-sized pistols. These cases are zippered and just large enough to hold the pistol and maybe one spare magazine. They don’t look like gun cases at all, and would be a great, discreet way to carry your pistol in one hand, especially the smaller cases meant for the Hellcat. They would be perfect—except that the black cases are plastered with the white crossed cannons Springfield logo. Gun company logos and discreet carry do not mix. Springfield, I’m begging you—remove the logo, and then a lot more people will actually use these cases.

The idea for this column actually came when Crossbreed Holsters (CrossbreedHolsters.com) sent me one of their new Range Defender range bags. This is a premium range bag that is shockingly nice and well made. It is constructed of ballistic polyester, with a small Crossbreed logo on a piece of leather stitched down in one corner—but it’s black-on-black and hard to see even if you’re looking, so it is discreet. And that’s part of why I’m talking about this bag—it’s meant as a small range bag/fancy pistol case, but it doesn’t look tactical at all—in describing it to someone I called it “a business casual range bag.” It looks like a small briefcase, something big enough to carry around a tablet. What it doesn’t look like is something meant to hold a gun. Which means its utility extends beyond simple trips to and from the range.

The bag is roughly twelve inches long, ten inches tall, and four inches wide, with dual leather-trimmed handles at the top. It’s got a full-length zipper so you can flip it open and lay it flat if you want. Inside the Range Defender, you’ll find six elastic loops for holding magazines inside the front. The inside of the padded back is one solid sheet of Velcro, for attaching a holster in just about any position angle you want—so it is designed for discreet carry while out and about. Crossbreed’s modular holsters have Velcro hooks on the back of them, to mount on the loop-covered panel of the bag.

In the middle of the bag is a zippered pouch with a plush velvet-like lining, big enough for a full-size handgun with an optic and extended magazine. And that center premium plush pouch is removable, if you want to carry it separately or make room on the inside of the case. There are also two other large pouches/pockets inside the case, plus one on the outside, so it is very functional, but like I said—I think one of the best things about this gun case is that it doesn’t look like a gun case. If you saw this sitting in front of someone on a table at Starbucks, you wouldn’t give it a second look. Personally, I think they should also offer it in a non-black color, perhaps gray or a medium brown with darker brown leather accents. It would look sharp and in no way would look tactical. MSRP is $89.95, but Crossbreed currently has it on sale.

Any bag/case that is the right size/shape to carry in your hand will work, but you need to protect the trigger of that pistol, so it can’t accidentally get pushed. If there isn’t a dedicated holster for the gun inside the case, covering the trigger guard, make sure there is absolutely nothing in the chamber/pocket with the pistol, as you don’t want any keys/pens/whatever getting wedged inside that trigger guard.

You should also check out the Magnetic Bag Company (MagneticBagCompany.com). This is one of those products I stumbled across and use regularly in my personal life. I saw ads for this on Instagram, took a chance, and have been very happy with the Crossbody Bag, which I’ve been using for at least six months now at the gym, as my gym has a “no bags on the floor” policy. I don’t use the sling which gives it the crossbody name, I just carry it in my hand.

It seems very well made, strong and appropriately priced for what you get—$79.99, although it seems to be permanently on sale for $10 off that. They don’t market it toward the CCW crowd, but it sure seems well made for the job, and doesn’t look tactical or like a bag which might contain a gun, which is exactly the point. There are two very strong magnets at the rear of the bag, and I don’t think you could fill it with enough weight to pull it off something it’s attached to. It clanks loudly into place if you even get it near metal, and I stick it to whatever machine I’m using at the gym.

The bag is available in black, green, and pink. This bag is roughly rectangular, and maybe smaller than you might think, which means it is not too big to just carry around if you so desire. It has two zippered pockets, one behind the other, as well as a slim external pouch in front where I stick my phone when I’m at the gym. The internal dimensions of that back pocket are 6.5 inches by 4.5 inches, and a SIG P365 with an extended 12-round magazine fits in there perfectly. A Glock 19 won’t fit, it’s too big. Nobody at the gym has given this bag a second look, and it wouldn’t 
attract any attention sitting on the table at the coffee shop either.

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