Note how all this rides above the belt. Any shirt will conceal it all.
If you found yourself in the suck, what sort of defensive weapon would you like to have handy? I’m thinking maybe an HK 416 or perhaps an M249 Para SAW with a truckload of ammo. While we’re dreaming, let’s make it a platoon of M1A2 SEP Abrams tanks and Close Air Support stacked up to the International Space Station. However, none of that stuff is terribly practical. It’s tough to conceal an M1 tank underneath a pair of shorts and a T-shirt while out with your best girl on a date.
Reality is that the best defensive firearm is the one you actually have on you. I’d much sooner have a Ruger 22/45 in my hand than that HK416 locked up in a gun box someplace. That’s why figuring out how you’re going to carry your gun is at least as important as the details of the gun itself.
I work in a busy medical clinic, so my daily uniform is basically pajamas. While that’s not THE reason I do what I do, that is indeed A reason I do what I do. Surgical scrubs are the next best thing to being naked, but they’re not necessarily the most efficient foundation for concealed carry.
I’ve tried quite literally everything. Pocket carry, ankle holsters, appendix carry and IWB rigs on a good stiff belt — all have their strengths and weaknesses. The rub is if something is uncomfortable or inefficient, you just won’t use it. The road to Hades is paved with fancy holsters that looked good on the website but rode like a wad of barbed wire stuffed down your Speedos. The Blackhawk Stache N.A.C.H.O. is legitimately different.
The Stache N.A.C.H.O. is like the Bat Belt. Everything you might reasonably
need while out and about rides comfortably in its generous pockets.
Tactical Details
N.A.C.H.O. stands for Non-Conventional Adaptive Carry Holster Option. That acronym seems a wee bit contrived, but the rig it describes is indisputably elegant. The Stache N.A.C.H.O. is a belly band. It comes in five different sizes to suit most any particular body habitus.
The N.A.C.H.O. is formed from wide, heavy-duty, double-ply 4″ elastic. A generous 3D mesh backer cushions the load and helps the rig breathe in hot climes. The edges are intentionally rounded to prevent chafing. Two integral 3″ pockets accommodate spare magazines or a flashlight. Another pair of 3.5″ pockets will carry your wallet and cell phone. No kidding, it’s like the Bat Belt. Just slap this rascal on, and you’re carrying all the sundry gear you might need to stay connected, supported, and safe while you’re out where the Wild Things roam.
The Stache N.A.C.H.O. includes a length of rigid 1.5″ double-layer scuba webbing to accept your favorite IWB holster. The system is really designed for weapons like the GLOCK 19 or smaller. The adaptive bit means the rig can be configured for appendix, hip, behind-the-hip, or mid-torso carry. I used mine with my SIG SAUER P365XL micro-carry gun.
The draw is a bit higher with the Stache N.A.C.H.O. than might be the
case with a conventional belt, but it is easy to master.
Practical Tactical
In case you hadn’t noticed, people these days don’t dress quite like they did back when we were kids. The Stache N.A.C.H.O. is perfect for those times you’re not wearing jeans, 5.11s, or anything that doesn’t lend itself to a proper belt. Sweat pants, yoga pants, shorts and a T-shirt, skirts, dresses, kilts, or most any other sort of truly comfortable attire nicely complement the Stache N.A.C.H.O. This thing is just perfect underneath a pair of untucked surgical scrubs.
For starters, the Stache N.A.C.H.O. really is comfortable. The wide 4″ elastic spreads the weight of your gear out so it doesn’t eat into your anatomy. Pressure always equals force divided by surface area. That’s not just a good idea; that’s the law.
Your weapon is as positively retained as the holster you choose. You can customize your rig to your particular proclivities and circumstances. The Blackhawk Stache IWB base holster is a seamless fit. Even tricked out with my P365XL, smartphone, flashlight, knife and spare magazine, the whole rig still feels more comfortable than my old belt packing just the gun.
My draw was just as fast as with my previous conventional rig. I tried the orientation behind-the-hip, which is my custom, and in the front, both over my appendix as well as covering my belly button. If you can imagine it, the Stache N.A.C.H.O. will put your gun there. I found it fit best riding a bit higher than a typical belt. This changes the draw somewhat, but that’s the reason we train.
So, if you feel less is better when it comes to clothing and the only thing standing between you and that killer loincloth are those antiquated indecent exposure laws, then this is your minimalist concealed carry solution.