How to Choose a Concealed Carry Holster for Running and Jogging

Most traditional concealed carry setups involve a gun belt, an appropriate holster, and matching cover garments. While they can keep your handgun out of view, they restrict your wardrobe.

Running and jogging clothes are designed to be as lightweight and comfortable as possible, limiting the weight they can support. Fortunately, holster companies have designed solutions to help you keep fit while exercising your rights.

Learn about concealed carry holsters for running and jogging, and master the art of selecting the optimal gun and holster pairing to ensure maximum comfort during your carry.

Why Concealed Carry for Runners is a Challenge

Carrying a concealed firearm means considering how to keep your gun, holster, and extra magazines concealed while going about your daily life. This generally means knowing how to fit and draw a gun from under regular street clothes, balancing discretion with ease of access.

Adding to the existing challenges, runners must also navigate these additional difficulties:

• Keeping the gun secure. Typical concealed carry equipment assumes that the shooter will be standing, sitting, or, at most, walking. However, exercising activities like jogging and running introduce constant and heavy motion. It can cause items worn on the body to be jostled out of position or even dislodged and fall off the wearer’s body.
  A concealed-carry firearm that might feel secure while walking may shift out of position or even fall out of its holster while running. Consequently, runners must ensure their holster is extra secure, keeping the gun on their body with minimal risk of loss or discomfort.
• Protecting the gun from sweat. Exercise should make you break a sweat. However, when sweat and its salts come into contact with a concealed carry gun, they can damage its finish and even lead to rust. Therefore, an efficient concealed carry holster for running or jogging should adequately shield your firearm from sweat.
• Achieving proper concealment. Sportswear tends to be thin, lightweight, and form-fitting, which enhances comfort during running but can pose challenges for concealment.
  Wearing heavier street clothes while running isn’t just uncomfortable; it can attract unwanted attention and potentially reveal that you’re armed, defeating the purpose of concealed carry. Joggers carrying a concealed pistol or revolver must ensure it stays hidden, even when wearing running attire.

Ways to Carry a Gun While Running

Carrying a concealed firearm while running presents challenges but is feasible. An effective concealed-carry setup must meet three vital criteria: concealment, security, and accessibility. Simply put, your firearm should remain hidden, securely attached to your body, and easily accessible for quick retrieval whenever necessary.

Methods to Consider

The conventional concealment belt holster remains the safest and most secure choice for joggers and runners. However, if you prefer the comfort of running clothes over typical pants, here are some alternative methods to safely carry your gun and holster:

• Consider jogging pants with belt loops. Certain models of athletic pants, such as golf pants or specially built athletic pants with belt loops, allow you to wear a concealable gun belt. They offer a convenient solution for carrying your regular belt-mounted holster while ensuring comfort during running and jogging. Additionally, concealed carry-specific jogger pants and tactical leggings provide another viable option when paired with a low-profile gun belt.
• Wear a quality belt under your pants. While this approach may seem unconventional, it is a great do-it-yourself solution if you don’t have athletic pants with belt loops. Consider wearing a low-profile everyday carry (EDC) belt to minimize printing.

Methods to Avoid

Many alternative solutions are often advertised to joggers and runners who want to continue carrying a concealed firearm. While they appear beneficial initially, the cons outweigh the pros, meaning they are not recommended over a regular belt and holster. Here are the most common recommendations and why you should avoid them:

• Pocket holsters. When made with quality materials, a pocket holster usually offers convenient access and is simple to conceal. However, it requires pants with adequately sized front or rear pockets, like those commonly found in jeans. Jogging pants often feature looser side pockets, which aren’t ideal for holstering, and many styles lack pockets, rendering pocket carry unfeasible.
• Shoulder holsters. A shoulder holster offers a classic and efficient method for comfortably concealing a firearm without needing a belt. Positioned on one side of your upper body, it can provide comfort in various stances.
  However, concealing a shoulder holster while wearing running attire is challenging. Even if running in a jogging jacket is feasible in warmer weather, the bulk of the gun and shoulder holster can result in noticeable printing, making it difficult to maintain concealment.
• Fanny packs. The iconic fanny pack, popularized in the 1980s and early 1990s, also served as a concealed carry option. It’s easy to wear, conceals a range of handguns, and can blend relatively inconspicuously with a runner’s attire.
  However, fanny packs are considered off-body carry, similar to carrying a firearm in a handbag. This means that, like a handbag, losing control of the fanny pack could result in losing access to your gun. Consequently, it poses a potential safety risk and is not advised as a carry method.

Choosing the Right Concealed Carry Gun for Running

Before selecting a concealed carry holster for running and jogging, consider whether your current carry gun is appropriate. The heavier your handgun, the more it will bounce and move around in the middle of a run. The weight makes it uncomfortable while running. Plus, a heavier gun, such as a full-size pistol or revolver, is more challenging to keep secure, increasing the risk of losing your weapon.

Fortunately, the lightest concealed carry handguns on the market are also among the smallest and most concealable.

• Semi-automatic pistols: If you prefer semi-automatic pistols, consider a subcompact or micro-compact model, such as the SIG P365, Glock 43, Smith & Wesson CSX, Smith & Wesson M&P Shield Plus, Springfield Hellcat, or the Ruger LCP.
• Revolvers: If you prefer revolvers, snub-nosed models such as the Ruger LCR, Smith & Wesson Model 642, Kimber K6s, or Colt King Cobra Carry are an ideal fit for runners and joggers.

Find the Best Concealed Carry Holster for Running

Selecting a suitable concealed carry holster for running and jogging can be challenging. Besides considering weight and printing, you must also ensure you can safely carry your gun and holster. While specialized options, such as ankle or belly band holsters, can solve the concealment and printing problems, they might not offer the safety or retention you need. Secure concealed carry gun holsters for running include the standard IWB holster and the paddle holster.

Standard IWB Holster with a Discreet Clip

If you already carry a compact handgun in an IWB holster, you can use a discreet monoblock IWB clip to use them in your jogging concealed carry setup.

The discreet clip securely retains a lightweight gun and holster to your waistband, even without a gun belt. The monoblock clip design can also help secure your holster to your running pants, even during an intense exercise session.

Another advantage of using the monoblock clip is that it works regardless of whether you use a men’s or women’s gun holster for running. If your handgun is light enough, the monoblock clip can keep either one secure on your waistband.

Paddle Holster

Although paddle holsters are primarily designed for OWB carrying, they are a surprisingly capable option for concealed carry for runners.

The paddle attachment on a quality paddle holster is designed to grab the inside of your pants, securely retaining the gun and holster shell without needing a gun belt. This design also has the advantage of compatibility with larger handgun models, allowing you to use your standard daily carry gun instead of a dedicated subcompact.

The primary disadvantage of a paddle holster is its size. The shell and paddle attachment combination presents a taller profile than a traditional OWB holster, making it more difficult to conceal effectively. This disadvantage is not unique to concealed carry for running; shooters opting for paddle holsters face the same issue.

Fortunately, the same solution to conceal one effectively also applies to running and jogging: wearing an additional layer of clothing. If you usually wear a sports jacket or vest while running, especially during colder or wetter months, the paddle holster may be one of the best concealed carry options for runners.

Holster Accessories to Consider

While selecting a quality concealed carry holster for running and jogging is essential, a gun and holster combination alone may not solve all your concealment issues. Specific accessories can help you balance your layout and carry as comfortably as possible.

Holster Modwing

A modwing is an accessory attachment for traditional IWB gun holsters. Its purpose is to apply pressure to the back of the waistband, acting as a lever that pushes the holster shell and the handgun’s grip toward the wearer’s body.

This accessory is designed to combat holster sagging, causing the holstered handgun’s grip to tip forward, making it harder to conceal. If you use an IWB holster and experience holster sagging while wearing running or jogging pants, a modwing may be an ideal solution.

Magazine Carriers

Minimizing weight is critical when concealed carrying while running. However, even the smallest and lightest possible handgun and holster combinations can result in discomfort if the weight is concentrated on one side of your waistband.

One of the best ways to balance the weight is to attach other accessories on the other side, and the natural choice is the magazine carrier. Besides helping you improve the comfort of your running concealed-carrying setup, magazine carriers also provide access to extra ammunition, bringing peace of mind when carrying a smaller, lower-capacity handgun.

Find the Best Holsters for Running and Jogging at Incognito Concealment

As an American citizen exercising your Second Amendment rights, you shouldn’t have to choose between carrying and living a healthy lifestyle. Incognito Concealment produces a wide range of highly dependable, 100% hand-crafted concealed carry holsters for running, jogging, and everyday carry applications.

Our commitment to quality is unwavering: All our holsters are backed by our limited lifetime warranty. For additional details on our products or concealed carry tips, connect with us on Instagram or follow us on YouTube and Facebook. Browse our inventory and find the perfect holster for your firearm.