Concealment Concepts - Testimonials

To the fine folks at Pager Pal:

My name is confidential due to obvious reasons. I am an Officer with the Minneapolis Police Department Narcotics Squad. I am writing to tell you how your fine holster worked above and beyond it's call of duty. On August 27th, 1996, I was working in one of our outer metro areas when we saw a narcotics deal in progress. My partner and I gave chase on foot. The whole time I was running never once did my Glock 27 seem to be coming out of your holster. As we jumped fences and ran into backyards, my Pager Pal holster was always secure right where it was supposed to be. When I caught my suspect he resisted, causing me to take him down. At that moment, as I was just about to cuff my suspect, one of our uniformed officers saw us on the ground and thought this was an assault in progress. Not knowing I was a Police Officer he pulled me off my suspect and slammed me into a wall cracking the dummy pager on my Pager Pal holster. Even with my body pinned to the wall and the pager shattered, I was still able to draw my weapon and complete my arrest. We later found that our suspect was wanted on a warrant out of Mexico for killing a Police Officer. It is my opinion that had I not had the Pager Pal holster on that night, me and my fellow Officer may have been killed. Thank you for making such a fine product. I think every Undercover Officer should have one.

Very Thankful,
Still On Duty and Alive

THE LOGICAL SOLUTION

Steve Wiesner will never forget the 1991 massacre at the Luby's cafeteria in Killeen, Texas. It is especially haunting to him because he almost stopped there for lunch--just one hour before the killings. It was a turning point for Wiesner, who immediately decided to carry a concealed weapon.
"But I couldn't find a holster that worked," said Wiesner. "Shoulder holsters were out because they require a coat to cover the weapon. When it's 100 degrees outside, it's ridiculous." Small-of-the-Back holsters didn't require a coat, but they still required at least an untucked shirt, which looks sloppy for businessmen. Wiesner went as far as trying belly bands which didn't offer good access, and even "Thunderwear." The other options were no better: ankle holsters were uncomfortable and awkward, with very bad access and wouldn't allow short pants, the fanny pack was only appropriate for very casual situations and had the drawback of broadcasting that you were carrying something. Wiesner also didn't care for the idea of having to rip his shirt open just to get at his weapon, so the various "undershirt" holsters weren't suitable. What he needed was a way to carry a weapon while dressed casually, anytime, and provide good access with complete concealment.
Unable to forget about concealed carry because of the Killeen tragedy, and feeling dissatisifed with every concealed carry method on the market, Wiesner invented and patented the "Pager Pal®." He slips the Pager Pal®'s small leather holster into the front of his pants and conceals his weapon completely. The pager hooks over his waistband and belt. When Wiesner needs the gun, he pulls the pager up, which gives him access to the weapon. The holster flexes freely, with the weapon resting against the leg, so it's comfortable both sitting and standing. Wiesner used the holster himself for five years and had so many people try to buy it from him that he now has two factories in Texas manufacturing Pager Pals®.
Steve Safran, a Detective in the Hurst, Texas police department bought a Pager Pal® to carry off duty and says it is his favorite holster. "For police officers, it's a great idea. It conceals well and it's not easy to see unless you know what you're looking for. If you're going to be carrying a gun off duty, you're not going to be frightening the public." Other comments about the Pager Pal® have been: "the best idea I've seen in years," and "I've worked carrying for 30 years and this is the best!"
For Steve Wiesner, and thousands of Pager Pal® owners, the Pager Pal® has been the logical solution. The Pager Pal® can carry any of a long list of small to medium size automatics, from .380s to .45s--even J-frame size .38s and .357 revolvers. Obviously, for concealed carry the smaller and more compact the weapon, the easier it is to conceal.
The key to successful "concealed carry" is to have it part of your everyday wardrobe. Since no one knows when a self-defense situation could arise, always being armed is essential. Your build and style of pants will determine the size of weapon you can successfully conceal and carry. Keep in mind that most self-defense shootings involving citizens occur at only three to ten feet and only one or two shots are fired. The important factors ae not caliber and capacity, but possession and access. A small .25 caliber, loaded with today's high performance ammo--with you at all times--is 100% more effective in defending your life than a "drop anything, laser-sighted, high capacity cannon" left in your home or car when you are being attacked in the middle of a dark parking lot.

When the mercury starts to rise, these special methods of carry can keep you safe in the broiling summer heat.

By Massad Ayoob

Readers in the Sun Belt often tell me, "You don't understand us. You want us to carry big fighting handguns, but in our tropical summers, we can't wear concealing garments like you people in the frozen wastelands. That's why we have to carry .25s and .32s."
My heart bleeds. You wanna talk about inconvenience and seasonal garb, do a quick draw-and-fire from under your parka with snowmobile gloves on some time. The fact is, you can carry a serious caliber defense weapon -- 9mm, .40 or even .45 -- with the right holster selection and a little tweaking of the wardrobe. There's no excuse not to carry at least a lightweight snub revolver loaded with .38 Special +P.

Shorts Only
"Stuff it, Mas," you cry. "What am I supposed to do in really casual dress, for instance, shorts of material too light to work for a gun in the pocket, and nothing else?"

"And nothing else," huh? Well, if you're female, go back to the ankle holster. No one will notice it until after you've been arrested. Seriously, though, there are a couple of options.

The Pager Pal is a simplified version of an earlier design that carries a compact 9mm auto below the beltline. A fake pager (or, if you prefer, your own real one) attaches to a hook that suspends the holster from the edge of the waistband down inside the shorts.
The manufacturer suggests a cross draw carry, with the weak hand pulling the whole thing up and free and swinging it forward so the strong hand can draw the gun.

The Pager Pal will also work in the "office dress code environment" we discussed earlier.

Holsters and carry rigs that are discreet but fast into action!

By Dave Spaulding

With the increasing availability of quality compact handguns, it's no longer necessary to wear a coat or jacket to conceal your sidearm. New breed mini-guns like the Glock 26 and 27, Kel-Tec P-11 and Kahr K-9 have joined old reliables like the Colt Officers Model, S&W 3913, SIGSAUER P225 and the various snub-nose .38 revolvers to create a selection of concealed carry guns that should accommodate most any serious social situation.

For their part, the holster industry has also risen to the occasion. Hardly a month goes by where a new product directed at the concealed carry market is not introduced. Let's take a look at some of the new and notable gear that's now available.

The Cell Pal (formerly Pager Pal)

What was once the calling card of doctors and government officials on-call around the clock has progressed into a national obsession. What I'm talking about is the cell phone. The now low cost on these devices has made them affordable for most everyone. I have seen them on young and old alike. Obviously, cell phones are here to stay.

The Cell Pal is a deep concealment holster that uses a cell phone, PDA, or pager to hold the holster on to the wearer's belt. The leather pouch comes complete with a dummy pager, though your real unit can be used in its place. The Pager Pal is the brain child of Steve Wiesner, who decided to carry a concealed weapon after he was almost caught up in the now famous Luby's Cafeteria massacre in Killeen, Texas. The hot, humid Texas weather made jacket carry out of the question, so Steve set out to find the best way to conceal a gun in the type of clothing he was likely to be wearing in Texas. The Pager Pal was the answer.

I was surprised just how comfortable this rig could be. For several weeks I wore this holster with a Kel-Tec P-11 9mm pistol. I found that the best place to wear it was just to the front of my trousers, on my weak side. To access the gun, all I had to do was pull up on the cell phone with my weak hand and crossdraw the Kel-Tec with my strong hand. The rig works quite well! I can be skeptical about something totally new like this, but the Cell Pal does function as advertised. It takes wearing the rig for some time to find the position where it's comfortable and accessible, but the Cellr Pal does deserve a serious look.