I carry a Glock 17 every day nearly, along with at least 1 spare mag. When i'm lazy, i'll throw the extra mag in a Remora magazine holster in my pocket, but most of the time I carry 2 spare mags in a carrier on my hip. I don't use any fancy equipment and I dont wear anything special. I wear regular clothes.... t-shirt and shorts most days. Occasionally I will wear jeans or whatever--it really makes no difference in my case.
Here are the required materials:
-Full Sized Handgun
>In my case, a Gen4 Glock 17
-3 Magazines
>Standard 17 round G17 9mm mags
-Double-mag holster
>Bianchi Accumold Triple Threat II
(http://www.bianchi-intl.com/product/Pro ... delID=7320" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;)
-gun holster
>Blackhawk Nylon Pancake Holster
(http://www.blackhawk.com/product/Pancak ... 787,34.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;)
-gun belt
>Wilderness Original Instructors Belt --5 Stitch, no kydex reinforcement
(http://www.thewilderness.com/storepinna ... parent=142" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;)
I'm not a big believer in expensive gear--not because I don't think it's worth it--but because I can't afford it.
All of my gear is on the cheap side. The holster, belt, and mag-holster all run around $30. I will say that while inexpensive gear is great, it pays to do your research. For example, I had an Unkle Mikes pancake nylon holster before this one, and hhhaaattteeedddddd it. That thing was equally priced, but was a piece of junk. I did my research and found this holster for the same price, but much better quality. Great gear doesn't have to cost a ton of money, but if you are going cheap will cost you if you don't put in the legwork before buying. Lastly, you have to figure out a way to wear it all. I can wear 95% of my pre-CHL clothes with this setup and do just fine. There are a few shirts that just don't hide the gun and mag combo though, either they are too short or not wide enough. Fortunately, the belt really snugs everything in really close and I didn't need to purchase a lot of new clothes. It took me a while to find the correct clock position for the gun and mags though, so prepare to spend a good amount of time in front of the mirror. Working in the mirror doesn't necessarily translate into working in real life--so further prepare yourself for a lot of frustration while you are working out the kinks in regard to getting in and out of cars, etc.
You CAN carry your full sized gun--it just takes some getting used to. With winter coming, you have a good opportunity to figure out all the details while still having the ability to cover up everything with a jacket. Give it a shot.
Up and down between 185# and 195# the last few years.
