CARRY GUIDE
How to Conceal Carry Without Belt Loops
A clip holster on elastic is a picture hung on a rubber band. Give the gun its own anchor: a belly band, a holster tee or holster boxer-briefs.
You're in gym shorts or joggers, heading out to grab food or walk the dog. The holster clips on. By the end of the driveway it's tipping out and dragging your waistband down.
One commenter under a joggers carry video said that without a belt, "my joggers will hit the floor if I rely on them to hold my Glock 19 MOS."
New clips help a little. The holster was never the real problem, though.
You hung it on a rubber band.
This guide shows how to conceal carry without belt loops: why elastic can't hold a clip holster, what other carriers do instead, and three Phantom garments that give the gun an anchor of its own.
What goes wrong when you clip a holster to gym shorts?
The problem
Carriers describe the same failures.
- It tips. One USCCA forum member wrote, "I get a lot of tipping with this too if the draw string isn’t tight enough, which can be difficult to adjust."
- It folds and shifts. A YouTube commenter said "Holster folds inwards from the weight, shifts and moves a ton."
- Tight enough is too tight. Another can't get his joggers right: "it's either not tight enough and will slightly sag, or it's too tight and uncomfortable to sit down".
- The clips wear your clothes. One more found that clips that bite into your pants "will eventually chew holes in them."
Each one makes it easier to leave the gun home.
Can you get by with a drawstring, or a belt under your shorts?
Sometimes. None of these is our gear.
A strong drawstring and good clips
This can work with a small, light pistol. One carrier wrote, "The key for me has really just been to buy pants with strong waistbands and/or strong drawstrings." The Firearm Blog is less hopeful: "Even the drawstrings don’t give support so you oftentimes run into shifting even when it’s tightened down".
A stiff belt worn under the shorts
You don't need loops to wear a belt. Some carriers wear a stiff belt under their shorts and clip the holster over both. This one works because the belt, not the elastic, holds the gun. The cost is one more belt to buy and put on.
Why won't elastic hold a holster? The soft-anchor problem
A clip holster has no grip of its own. It borrows it from whatever it clips to. A stiff belt keeps its shape, so the holster stays put. Elastic stretches and folds, so the holster goes where the weight pulls it: down and out. We call it the soft-anchor problem.
Think of a framed photo hung from a rubber band instead of a nail. And the weight is real. One forum member weighed his setup, an M&P in a basic Kydex holster with a pad: "it’s 1lb 9oz, so it’s not real light, but not a brick." Tightening the drawstring only trades sag for a waistband that digs in when you sit.
The fix is to stop asking the waistband to be the anchor. Give the gun one of its own.
- Wrap an anchor on. A belly band closes on itself with hook-and-loop. Its product page says the band holds everything on its own, so it works whether or not your shorts have loops. A stiff belt under the shorts does the same job.
- Move the anchor up. A holster tee holds the gun in a pocket under the arm, flat on the ribs. The Phantom Carry Tee page says the weight spreads across your torso instead of digging into your waistband. Your shorts carry nothing.
- Sew the anchor in. The Phantom Carry Boxer-Briefs have two holsters sewn into compression shorts you wear as underwear. The fabric holds the gun at your hip, and your outer shorts only have to cover it.
Holsters built into the garment
Neither garment needs a belt or belt loops. Your shorts only have to stay up.
Phantom Belly Band
The anchor you wrap on. The band holds the gun by itself, so your shorts don't have to.
- Wraps flat and closes with hook-and-loop, 4.7 in wide
- One size: fits up to 45 in around where you wear it
- Holster pocket with a closing strap, plus pockets for a spare magazine and your phone
- Soft elastic pocket, not Kydex: for a striker-fired pistol at appendix, the page says use a rigid holster
$39
Get the Phantom Belly Band$39. One size, adjustable.
Which no-belt method fits which outfit?
The first four rows give the gun its own anchor. The drawstring row still leans on the waistband. The last three aren't Phantom gear, and the belt row has an edge ours don't: you keep your usual rigid holster and draw.
| Method | Best with |
|---|---|
| Belly band (Phantom, $39) | Gym shorts, sweats, running tights, a tucked dress shirt |
| Holster tee or shirt (Phantom, $59) | Any day with a looser shirt, overshirt or hoodie on top |
| Holster boxer-briefs (Phantom, $39) | Gym shorts, sweats, jeans or dress pants |
| Stiff belt under the shorts | The rigid holster you already own |
| Drawstring and clips | A small, light pistol and a strong drawstring |
| Pocket holster | A small pocket pistol and shorts with real pockets |
Sources: Phantom product pages for the band, tee and boxer-brief rows. The Firearm Blog and the carrier comments quoted in this guide for the other rows.
How to set up a no-belt carry day
Use an unloaded pistol for every practice step.
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Part of a carry wardrobe laid flat. The black shirt and the boxer-briefs need no belt at all. 01Match the rig to what you're wearing.
Gym shorts or running tights: a band or boxer-briefs. Sweats or joggers with a loose tee: the same two. Any day with an overshirt or a hoodie: a holster tee underneath. A tucked dress shirt: a band, or the Phantom Holster Shirt under it, a V-neck with padded, hook-and-loop sealed pockets.
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A band over gym shorts. The tee drops back down over it. 02Put the holster layer on first.
Boxer-briefs and a holster tee go on before anything else. A band wraps on over your shorts or under a tucked shirt, snug where you'll carry. For band fit and carry positions, see how to wear a belly band holster.
03Cover it with a shirt that hangs loose.
Every option here needs a shirt over it. A fitted tee shows outlines, and one size looser drapes over them. More on that in how to conceal carry without printing.
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Practice the reach. On a holster shirt, the pocket opens under the arm. 04Test it at home before you head out.
With the pistol unloaded, walk, sit, take the stairs, bend over and jog in place. Check a mirror from the front and the side. The band's product page gives the same test, and says not to run with it if anything shifts or works loose. Then practice the reach until it feels boring.
“Yes it definitely isn’t an iwb/owb quick draw. But NO one knows you have it. I like that.”
What carriers say about carrying without a belt: other brands, not ours
“To me, the band does not feel uncomfortable. The sweat does get on the metal, but after years of use I saw no ill effect.”
“I use the comfort tac belly band and it’s amazing. I use it with gym shorts that don’t have the stay up for a regular holster.”
“I don’t like how the trigger can be depressed in a belly band, they can be kind of gross as far as keeping them clean, and I hate that strap that has to be unhooked to draw the gun.”
“I’m concerned that it’s just Velcro over time it may come undone in public while carrying”
“Yeah.... I’m going to wear jeans on a 105 degree day.”
None of these carriers were talking about Phantom gear. Hold ours to the same checks. Will it be hot? Does a soft pocket keep things out of the trigger guard? Will hook-and-loop hold all day?
Alien Gear, which sells a band with a molded holster shell, says most bands are plain elastic with sewn-in pouches that can sag and rarely protect the trigger.
Ours is the soft-pocket kind, and its page says so: for a striker-fired pistol carried at appendix, use a rigid holster. It also warns a band can roll at the top edge on long drives.
Which no-belt option runs coolest in summer?
The heat cost
Every method puts something against your skin. A Florida carrier who cycles and plays tennis put it bluntly: "Belly bands look horribly hot". Here's how we read the heat cost from the product specs.
- Boxer-briefs add the least. They replace underwear you'd wear anyway, in a stretch fabric the page calls moisture-wicking.
- A holster tee or shirt adds one thin layer. You still need a shirt on top.
- A band adds a 4.7 in strip of canvas and polyester all the way around your waist.
The same carrier found no way to keep the gun from getting sweaty, so he cleans it after. The tee and boxer-briefs are machine washable.
Questions about carrying without belt loops
Can you conceal carry in gym shorts?
Yes, once the gun has an anchor that isn't the elastic. A clip holster on thin elastic tends to tip and sag. A belly band, holster boxer-briefs, a stiff belt under the shorts or a holster tee takes the weight off the waistband. Test whichever you pick at home, unloaded.
What's the easiest way to carry in sweatpants or joggers?
For a small, light pistol, a strong drawstring and good clips can be enough. For anything heavier, give the gun its own support: a band, boxer-briefs or a belt under the sweats. In a hoodie, a holster tee underneath keeps the waistband out of it.
How do you carry in a dress or a skirt?
It's the hardest case: there's often nothing at the waist to work with, and a dress is slow to lift. Our guide to concealed carry clothing for women covers the options, from a holster tank under the dress to thigh and bra holsters or a bag.
Is a belly band safe for appendix carry?
Phantom's band has a soft elastic pocket, not a rigid one. Its own product page says that if you carry a striker-fired pistol at appendix, you should use a rigid holster for that position. Our belly band guide walks through the trigger guard check and slow re-holstering.
Will holster boxer-briefs hold a full-size pistol?
The product page says the built-in holsters fit 1911s, Sig Sauer, Beretta and virtually every Glock. Heavier guns pull harder on any stretch fabric, so try yours at home, unloaded, and see how it rides when you sit and bend.
Live in gym shorts and sweats? Give the gun its own anchor.
The Phantom Belly Band is the quickest of the three to put on, and it works with the clothes you already own. Measure around your hips or belly where you'll wear it: the band fits up to 45 in.
- Pick the band if you live in gym shorts, sweats or running tights, or wear a tucked dress shirt.
- Pick the holster tee instead if you'll have a looser shirt or hoodie on top and want nothing at the waist.
- Pick the boxer-briefs instead if you'd rather carry in a layer you already wear.
- Skip the band for a very large frame or a pistol with a mounted light. The page says those may not fit.
Phantom Tactic makes the belly band, tee, boxer-briefs and holster shirt mentioned in this guide.
