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- Erin Crooks: Everyday Carry (EDC) For Women
Erin Crooks: Everyday Carry (EDC) For Women
The everyday carry (EDC) setup for a woman is important for safety and utility. Women have different EDC options than men. Women wear different clothes and carry different items, like concealed carry purses and concealed carry leggings. While guns for women can be the same as men, they might need to carry it in different ways. Should you conceal carry in your purse? What's a safe way to have a handgun around the house? What gear should a woman carry? Erin Crooks, Owner of Raise Em Outdoors, and Arica Johnson, Director of Marketing & Creative at GoWild, cover all the questions above and more on this episode of Gearbox Talk.
Gearbox Talk is brought to you by GoWild
Download GoWild™ today. Join a community of shooters, hunters, anglers and outdoor enthusiasts.
Gear Mentioned:
Glock 43
Glock 19
Glock 17
Glock 19 Black Point Holster
Glock 43 G Code
Glock 43 G Code Mag Pouch
Blade-Tech Knife
Surefire EDCL1 Flashlight
Biolite Headlamp 330
Gun Tote'n Mamas Concealed Carry Handbag
Sticky Holster Small Pocket Holster
5.11 Tactical Double Duty Pen
Vaultek Lifepod - Safe
GunVault Minivault
Episodes Mentioned in this Show
- Wes Robinson's EDC Everyday Carry
- Mike Larsen: Concealed Carry and EDC For Beginners:
- Mike Larsen’s Holster episode
Other Gearbox Talk Episodes with Erin Crooks:
Full Transcription:
Brad: Today's Gearbox Talk guest hails from the firearms industry she's worked with brands you may know such as daniel defense and she hosts her own camp where she teaches kids and their parents to shoot let's just say Erin Crooks knows her stuff and she's back on Gearbox Talk we're gonna look at Erin's edc gear dump her location of choice for conceal why she rarely carries in a purse which has a funny story with it summertime concealment and home storage to keep your little ones safe Erin's edc advice is really applicable for guys and guys alike and she has some specific advice for women who are just learning to carry this could also be good for guys who are looking for gifts for that special someone in your life yes we are talking about your mom or your wife daughter or sister whatever before I go on though please just subscribe to the show every week I launch a new show with an incredible guest where we do gear dumps and discussions just a few weeks ago the tim kennedy came on the show and dumped his gear bag now he didn't specifically have any advice for your mom but she would like the show as well so go ahead and have her subscribe too alright back to today go out team member Arica johnson is gonna join me for this chat Erin's gonna give some guidance on Arica's first concealed carry purchase let's pull the trigger on this conversation this is Gearbox Talk with Erin Crooks
Erin Crooks welcome back to Gearbox Talk how are you
Erin: good how are you guys doing
Brad: doing well
Arica: good
Brad: I am glad to get you on here and I've got the assistance from Arica johnson today because she's got some questions that I wouldn't even know to ask in terms of female carry but I'm excited to pick your brain on this I want to talk about the edc items that you have it's funny because we started talking about doing the show together and you're like I don't know what I would talk about and then you're like no I have a gun knife flashlight case like you had everything so I'm excited to hear about your edc pocket dump first and then we'll get into some of Arica's questions but let's just talk about it first starting with your firearm what's your everyday carry
Erin: Okay so typically my everyday carry is a Glock 43. recently I've switched to Glock 19. there's something to be said this is the 19. it's a full size but compared to the gun that I shoot recreationally this is a 17. you can carry a 19 it's not as easy to conceal as a 43 but this is going to carry 15 plus one rounds or your 43 I believe that's six plus one there's just something to be said for you know having a nine extra rounds having as much as many rounds as possible because if you're gonna have to use your gun it's just it's
Brad: It’s nice to have extra yeah oh there you go that's alright i'll either cut that out or it'll be funny I alright so that's got your firearm I know you have a couple different holster options that you like what are you using for your holsters
Erin: So for my 19 I've tested out different things this is inside the waistband I just got this one this is a black point holster it has these how these clips are I don't have to doesn't have to go on a belt so I can actually even I do wear a belt every day but I can put this inside on my pants and you can't see it behind the belt I always wear I usually appendix carry like this depending on my clothes I like to tuck in my shirts a lot I will if I have a jacket i'll put it in my back because it definitely imprints for me and that could be a female thing just a lot easier on my back than on the front of me so but for my 43 I have this is a g-code holster I believe I got this from my husband and I carry an extra mag pouch with it as well that's because of the six rounds at least I can have an extra magazine to back up for that
Brad: Yeah and i'll mention it while I'm thinking about it if anybody wants a a really deep discussion of the types of holsters our episode with Mike Larsen really goes into the the different types of releases and different types of holsters so we'll put a link to that in the show notes alright Erin what else is in your edc
Erin: I always have a knife and honestly so as being a military spouse I go on and off base a lot I have an eight-year-old I'm in the school a couple times a week so if you guys don't know you can't bring a gun onto base so I don't always have a gun and you don't even want to have a gun in your car and drive on the base because you will get a bed if you if they do a random check and they find a gun in your car you're going to get arrested so it's not even worth it luckily I live by base I can stop off at home if I remember but there's been a few times going on and I've had a heart attack like oh my god yeah I need to turn around before I get on so i'd always carry my gun but I always carry a knife this is just a blade tech I honestly use this at work because I have to open boxes all day so that's how I'm started carrying it and now that I can't carry I've gone on base I make sure I always have my knife on me it's small it's easy to carry I can put that in my pocket
Brad: Yeah is the clip is the quick release on the back of that one or is it on the side you flip that up pretty quick
Erin: It's on the side yeah
Brad: I have one that's on the back too which is actually really nice for how fast I can get to that versus on the side
Erin: Yeah I think the back is actually nicer because sometimes i'll have my finger on this side blocking it and I'm trying to press press that release with this side and then it won't open because I'm blocking it with my own camera so yeah then besides that I always have a flashlight this is a surefire I think they say this is the most underrated everyday carry most people don't carry a flashlight and I guess ever since I started hearing that I started doing low lighting low light shooting at work as well I started carrying flashlight and I always have one and honestly I always have I just brought this because we always have this in my car so I always have a headlamp
Brad: You and Tim Kennedy he pulled out the headlamp as well he's the first person I had seen to pull that out of his edc
Erin: Yeah yeah I if we I usually have it in my backpack as well and I always have one in my middle console
Brad: I always have a headlamp until I need a headlamp and then I don't have a headlamp anywhere right like I'm a mile in the woods and I'm like oh I have to hike out of here I guess I'm using my cell phone light
Erin: I think it's nice to have a backup light too just because you know you run across a dead battery or something like that
Brad: Yeah and some of the led well the I think all the leds like you don't really get that warning of it looking low it's just going to go out so
Erin: It's just not yeah not going to turn on all of a sudden
Brad: Right Arica i'll hand it over to some of your more direct questions since I think Erin did we get through everything that you wanted to cover in your basic edc
Erin: so that is my that's what I have on me every day so that is that's it
Arica: That's awesome so yeah I'm I haven't purchased my handgun yet but I've been doing a lot of research you can ask Brad I've been asking him a lot of questions and I want to make sure that the one I buy is the one that I want to do a lot of going to the range this and that stock isn't not a lot of handguns in stock lately but so I have some questions they're more beginner you said that you did the appendix carry and then the holster in the back is that what you prefer how to carry how to conceal carry or I know like when I've been researching people are talking about on the thigh or like there's belly bands there's even things being attached to your bra like is do you prefer the appendix and then in the back
Gearbox Talk is brought to you by GoWild
Download GoWild today. Join a community of shooters, hunters, anglers and outdoor enthusiasts.
Gear Mentioned:
Glock 43
Glock 19
Glock 17
Glock 19 Black Point Holster
Glock 43 G Code
Glock 43 G Code Mag Pouch
Blade-Tech Knife
Surefire EDCL1 Flashlight
Biolite Headlamp 330
Gun Tote'n Mamas Concealed Carry Handbag
Sticky Holster Small Pocket Holster
5.11 Tactical Double Duty Pen
Vaultek Lifepod - Safe
GunVault Minivault
Episodes Mentioned in this Show
- Wes Robinson's EDC Everyday Carry
- Mike Larsen: Concealed Carry and EDC For Beginners:
- Mike Larsen’s Holster episode
Other Gearbox Talk Episodes with Erin Crooks:
Full Transcription:
Brad: Today's Gearbox Talk guest hails from the firearms industry she's worked with brands you may know such as daniel defense and she hosts her own camp where she teaches kids and their parents to shoot let's just say Erin Crooks knows her stuff and she's back on Gearbox Talk we're gonna look at Erin's edc gear dump her location of choice for conceal why she rarely carries in a purse which has a funny story with it summertime concealment and home storage to keep your little ones safe Erin's edc advice is really applicable for guys and guys alike and she has some specific advice for women who are just learning to carry this could also be good for guys who are looking for gifts for that special someone in your life yes we are talking about your mom or your wife daughter or sister whatever before I go on though please just subscribe to the show every week I launch a new show with an incredible guest where we do gear dumps and discussions just a few weeks ago the tim kennedy came on the show and dumped his gear bag now he didn't specifically have any advice for your mom but she would like the show as well so go ahead and have her subscribe too alright back to today go out team member Arica johnson is gonna join me for this chat Erin's gonna give some guidance on Arica's first concealed carry purchase let's pull the trigger on this conversation this is Gearbox Talk with Erin Crooks
Erin Crooks welcome back to Gearbox Talk how are you
Erin: good how are you guys doing
Brad: doing well
Arica: good
Brad: I am glad to get you on here and I've got the assistance from Arica johnson today because she's got some questions that I wouldn't even know to ask in terms of female carry but I'm excited to pick your brain on this I want to talk about the edc items that you have it's funny because we started talking about doing the show together and you're like I don't know what I would talk about and then you're like no I have a gun knife flashlight case like you had everything so I'm excited to hear about your edc pocket dump first and then we'll get into some of Arica's questions but let's just talk about it first starting with your firearm what's your everyday carry
Erin: Okay so typically my everyday carry is a Glock 43. recently I've switched to Glock 19. there's something to be said this is the 19. it's a full size but compared to the gun that I shoot recreationally this is a 17. you can carry a 19 it's not as easy to conceal as a 43 but this is going to carry 15 plus one rounds or your 43 I believe that's six plus one there's just something to be said for you know having a nine extra rounds having as much as many rounds as possible because if you're gonna have to use your gun it's just it's
Brad: It’s nice to have extra yeah oh there you go that's alright i'll either cut that out or it'll be funny I alright so that's got your firearm I know you have a couple different holster options that you like what are you using for your holsters
Erin: So for my 19 I've tested out different things this is inside the waistband I just got this one this is a black point holster it has these how these clips are I don't have to doesn't have to go on a belt so I can actually even I do wear a belt every day but I can put this inside on my pants and you can't see it behind the belt I always wear I usually appendix carry like this depending on my clothes I like to tuck in my shirts a lot I will if I have a jacket i'll put it in my back because it definitely imprints for me and that could be a female thing just a lot easier on my back than on the front of me so but for my 43 I have this is a g-code holster I believe I got this from my husband and I carry an extra mag pouch with it as well that's because of the six rounds at least I can have an extra magazine to back up for that
Brad: Yeah and i'll mention it while I'm thinking about it if anybody wants a a really deep discussion of the types of holsters our episode with Mike Larsen really goes into the the different types of releases and different types of holsters so we'll put a link to that in the show notes alright Erin what else is in your edc
Erin: I always have a knife and honestly so as being a military spouse I go on and off base a lot I have an eight-year-old I'm in the school a couple times a week so if you guys don't know you can't bring a gun onto base so I don't always have a gun and you don't even want to have a gun in your car and drive on the base because you will get a bed if you if they do a random check and they find a gun in your car you're going to get arrested so it's not even worth it luckily I live by base I can stop off at home if I remember but there's been a few times going on and I've had a heart attack like oh my god yeah I need to turn around before I get on so i'd always carry my gun but I always carry a knife this is just a blade tech I honestly use this at work because I have to open boxes all day so that's how I'm started carrying it and now that I can't carry I've gone on base I make sure I always have my knife on me it's small it's easy to carry I can put that in my pocket
Brad: Yeah is the clip is the quick release on the back of that one or is it on the side you flip that up pretty quick
Erin: It's on the side yeah
Brad: I have one that's on the back too which is actually really nice for how fast I can get to that versus on the side
Erin: Yeah I think the back is actually nicer because sometimes i'll have my finger on this side blocking it and I'm trying to press press that release with this side and then it won't open because I'm blocking it with my own camera so yeah then besides that I always have a flashlight this is a surefire I think they say this is the most underrated everyday carry most people don't carry a flashlight and I guess ever since I started hearing that I started doing low lighting low light shooting at work as well I started carrying flashlight and I always have one and honestly I always have I just brought this because we always have this in my car so I always have a headlamp
Brad: You and Tim Kennedy he pulled out the headlamp as well he's the first person I had seen to pull that out of his edc
Erin: Yeah yeah I if we I usually have it in my backpack as well and I always have one in my middle console
Brad: I always have a headlamp until I need a headlamp and then I don't have a headlamp anywhere right like I'm a mile in the woods and I'm like oh I have to hike out of here I guess I'm using my cell phone light
Erin: I think it's nice to have a backup light too just because you know you run across a dead battery or something like that
Brad: Yeah and some of the led well the I think all the leds like you don't really get that warning of it looking low it's just going to go out so
Erin: It's just not yeah not going to turn on all of a sudden
Brad: Right Arica i'll hand it over to some of your more direct questions since I think Erin did we get through everything that you wanted to cover in your basic edc
Erin: so that is my that's what I have on me every day so that is that's it
Arica: That's awesome so yeah I'm I haven't purchased my handgun yet but I've been doing a lot of research you can ask Brad I've been asking him a lot of questions and I want to make sure that the one I buy is the one that I want to do a lot of going to the range this and that stock isn't not a lot of handguns in stock lately but so I have some questions they're more beginner you said that you did the appendix carry and then the holster in the back is that what you prefer how to carry how to conceal carry or I know like when I've been researching people are talking about on the thigh or like there's belly bands there's even things being attached to your bra like is do you prefer the appendix and then in the back
Erin: I prefer the appendix and a lot of people I feel like they'll say something negative about carrying the back just because it's a vulnerable spot for somebody to come around you and take your gun and I practice drawing from concealment from an appendix carry more than I ever practice drawing from concealment from the back as a female at least for me I have really big hips so it just doesn't it I can't carry on the side of my hip I know a lot of guys at my work I work at a gun range everybody carries for the most part everybody's carrying outside the waistband at work but a lot of guys will carry inside but you guys tuck in your shirt so you can still see it and they all carry on their hip I just can't do that as far as a belly band I've tried those the bra thing I don't think I could do the belly band you just have to think of it as it's one step higher so your shirt's gonna come up much higher your hands gotta come up this much higher to get your gun out of your holster so you're still gonna have to wear a loose shirt with a belly band it's just like you are gonna have to wear it the one thing is you can tuck your shirt in I guess had a belly band or something like that and but if you wear a loose shirt you're over if you're going to appendix carry it's not going to imprint for the most part yeah if you have a compact gun
Arica: Yeah the the appendix is the one that seems like you would be able to get to it quicker than raising up your shirt or like up your thigh or all kinds of stuff what about a purse do you use a purse I know there's I've heard some debates about putting one in your purse can you or can you not get to it quick enough there's holsters for them what what's your take on that