If you carry a weapon, you may prefer to carry it in a concealed carry crossbody purse rather than on your body. There are many benefits to using a purse to conceal and carry your gun. However, not all purses are the same. They have different features and are made from different materials.
In this buying guide, we look at five of the best purses to carry and conceal your gun. And we provide top tips about what to look for when choosing a gun purse.
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In a hurry ? Here are our top picks
- Jessie & James 2 Toned Belt Concealed Carry Crossbody Bag Our #1 Pick
- Ambidextrous Roma Leathers 7082 Gun Bag
- Bulldog Cases Small Crossbody Concealed Carry Purse
- Purse King Colt CCW Concealed Carry Handbag Conceal Crossbody & Shoulder Bag
- Leather Crossbody Bag Collection Concealed Carry Bag For Women Western Shoulder Bag
What Are Concealed Carry Crossbody Purses?
A concealed carry crossbody is a type of purse or small bag that you can wear while carrying a concealed weapon inside it. It has a long strap that fits over one shoulder and hangs diagonally across your body. It’s actually a very comfortable way to wear a purse. Because it hangs securely on its own, you can walk around hands-free and there’s less risk of losing or dropping your purse.
One of the main reasons for using a crossbody purse is to be able to conceal a weapon inside. While this is a functional attribute, that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice style. In fact, there’s a wide range of crossbody purses that are elegant, stylish, and fashionable, while also being functional.
To conceal the weapon inside the purse, most of these purses or bags have a dedicated concealment compartment, and some also have a lockable gun compartment. That ensures that your gun is easily accessible and also secure. Many bag designs also incorporate an integrated holster or have space for adding a universal holster inside.
Reasons to Buy a Concealed Crossbody Purse
With growing support for gun rights and people wanting to be able to protect themselves, many folks decide to carry weapons for self-defence
If you own a gun or a weapon that you want to carry around with you for protection, then you probably also want a safe and secure way of carrying and concealing it. One way of carrying a gun is to wear a shoulder holster or a body holster. But it’s not always easy to conceal a weapon this way. Also, it’s not always super comfortable to wear a holster.
That’s where the cross body purse comes in. You can wear it like a fashionable handbag, and even use it to store your wallet and keys, while at the same time being able to conceal your weapon safely inside.
Best Concealed Carry Crossbody Purse: A Curated List
1. Jessie & James 2 Toned Belt Concealed Carry Crossbody Bag
There’s sufficient space, with two main compartments, to carry a few small items like a cell phone and keys. An attractive feature is that it has a lockable concealed carry compartment with a zipper. Plus, it comes with a removable holster.
Pros
- Dedicated concealment compartment
- Vegan leather (this might be a con for you)
- Multiple compartments and pockets
- Removable holster included
- Adjustable leather straps
- Lockable zippered gun compartment
- Right vertical access to gun compartment
Cons
- Not genuine leather (this can be a pro, depending on your preferences)
- No ambidextrous access to gun compartment
2. Ambidextrous Roma Leathers 7082 Gun Bag
This Leather Concealed Carry Crossbody Purse – YKK Locking CCW Ambidextrous Gun Bag Roma 7082 is manufactured by Roma Leathers and is 100% real leather (made from cowhide). Not only does it offer quality, but it also has multi-pockets, a built-in organizer, and a cell pouch. Most importantly, it features a gun pouch that’s accessible from both sides, to suit left-handers and right-handers.
It also comes with two lockable YKK zippers for the gun compartments, which helps to ensure gun safety. Importantly, it has an adjustable shoulder strap which makes it easy to wear as a crossbody bag. The bag also has a front half length zipper compartment for extra storage.
Pros
- Genuine leather (might be a con for you)
- High-quality leather strap
- Ambidextrous access to gun pouch
- Lockable zippers for gun compartment
- Lots of pockets
- Adjustable shoulder strap
- Quality zippers
Cons
- Not vegan (but maybe you prefer genuine leather)
- No holster included
3. Bulldog Cases Small Crossbody Concealed Carry Purse
The Bulldog Cases small crossbody concealed carry bag is a discreet way to carry a weapon, while at the same time looking fashionable. The purse allows for quick access to your firearm and also protects and conceals your gun or pistol.
It has two separate compartments, as well as various inner compartments. It comes with a universal holster that can fit the majority of small automatic guns and revolvers. The purse is designed to be used by left-handed and right handed people.
Pros
- Sturdy
- Durable
- Ambidextrous design
- Universal holster included
- Multiple inner compartments
Cons
- May not have enough space to conceal a larger gun
- Not much space for anything other than a gun a few essentials
4. Purse King Colt CCW Concealed Carry Handbag Conceal Crossbody & Shoulder Bag
The Purse King Colt CCW Concealed Carry Handbag is made from durable vegan leather and/or blue denim, making it soft and durable. The bag has an elegant design and is made using synthetic leather and high-quality YKK zippers. It has a gun pocket that has a high-strength interior liner and is designed to fit a variety of holsters.
This bag houses various compartments, with 2 pouches that have magnetic button clasps, a front zippered pocket, and the main compartment features an interior zip pouch. That means you can fit your gun, cell phone, wallet, and keys in the bag and take it along, whether you’re shopping or for weekends away.
Pros
- High-quality YKK zippers
- Dedicated gun compartment
- Sturdy strap
- Vegan-friendly (this might be a con for you)
- Suitable for a range of pistol sizes
- Stain resistant leather
- Zipper pocket
- Gun pocket fits a variety of holsters
Cons
- Design with right-handed concealed compartment (no ambidextrous access)
- Holster not included
- Not genuine leather (may not be a con for you)
5. Leather Crossbody Bag Collection Concealed Carry Bag For Women Western Shoulder Bag
Made from high-quality water resistant vegan leather, this Montana West Concealed Crossbody Bag for Women is stylishly designed for carrying your pistol. The soft leather texture makes it easy and comfortable to carry. Plus, the fashion accents, like the flower poncho and leather stitching with fringe, makes it a fashionable, fun, western-style accessory for any occasion.
It has two separate zippered main compartments, ideal for holding smartphones, a wallet, and keys. The bag has an accessible handgun compartment which is concealed with a dual zipper for easy access. It also has velcro inside the gun compartment which is accessed by means of a zipper.
Pros
- 90-day warranty and replacement
- Multiple storage compartments
- Vegan leather (this may be a con, depending on your preferences)
- Dedicated gun compartment
- Velcro included in gun compartment
- Ambidextrous access to gun compartment
Cons
- Not genuine leather (unless you prefer vegan bags)
- Holster not included
How to Choose a Concealed Crossbody Bag
There are a range of different styles and designs when it comes to crossbody purses. Some have adjustable straps, lockable zippers, magnetic closures, and multi pockets. Some are made from vegan leather, Buffalo leather, genuine leather, or Roma leather.
Other bags have numerous pockets, a cell pouch, but many have none. And some will boast a built-in holster, a handgun compartment, gun storage compartment, or a dedicated gun pocket, while others may merely have one velcro pocket or just a zip pocket.
Remember: even if your purse has concealment bag holsters, it may not have an adjustable purse holster, a velcro positioning holster, a zipper closure or a removable holster.
When choosing a crossbody purse to conceal your weapon, it’s important to consider which factors are most important for you. We’ve listed some of these below, to help you decide which type of crossbody bag to buy to conceal your gun.
Crossbody Purse Style
There are so many different handbag styles. Concealed crossbody bags and purses come in a range of fashion styles, too, so you can select the one that suits your own unique taste. Bags also come in a range of colours to match your outfits and preferences.
Dedicated Purse Compartments
It’s very important that, if you want to carry concealed weapons, there’s a dedicated purse compartment for your gun. You don’t want to be carrying a gun or pistol in the main compartment of your bag because this could lead to a negligent discharge. You also want to be able to easily and quickly access it without having to search through other items.
In addition to a dedicated gun compartment, it’s also useful to have various other compartments in your bag where you can carry extra magazines and ammo. Having an extra compartment pouch is therefore very useful, providing access to gun accessories.
The Size and Shape of the Purse
A cross body bag should be large enough to accommodate your gun, since you don’t want to struggle to pull it out because the bag is too small. Many small bags can easily carry a small automatic weapon like a Glock 43, but you may struggle to fit larger guns in a small bag, like a Smith and Wesson M&P.
The shape of the bag is also important – some have an ambidextrous concealment compartment while others are only for right-handed access. If you’re left handed or ambidextrous, then you may prefer to buy a bag that has an ambidextrous concealment compartment to make it easier to draw your weapon.
Material
Bags can be expensive accessories. You should invest in a made from durable material that will not break with the weight of carrying your weapon in its firearm compartments. Likewise, the zippers for the weapon compartment should be high-quality so that they don’t break or fail to open when you need access to your pistol.
There are many different durable materials that bags for women are made of, from Roma leathers, distressed leather, genuine cowhide leather, grain buffalo leather, and suede leather. Also, make sure that the finishes are high-quality so that the bag is not susceptible to breaking – the last thing you want is a hole in your gun bag!
Check the zippered compartments to see that the zips are high-quality and that the special padding is sufficient. Also, check that the additional pockets, gun holster, zip closure, and magnetic snap closure accessories work well.
Price
When buying any product, price is always an important deciding factor. The cost of your bag will depend on the quality of the materials, size, accessories, and the brand. There are a wide range of bags that have affordable prices to suit your budget.
Shoulder Strap
It’s really important that your bag has a shoulder strap because then you can wear it as a crossbody carry bag, which makes it less likely that it’ll be stolen.
Some bags even have steel straps inside the leather shoulder straps to prevent theft and muggings. These slash-resistant straps can help ensure that your gun isn’t grabbed away.
Functionality
You probably have a good sense of what you want to carry in your bag along with your gun, and how many extra compartments (in addition to the gun compartment) you would like.
A conceal carry purse can come with pockets for cell phones, locking zippers, a leather strap, zippered compartments, an adjustable holster, an ambidextrous access draw pocket, and a range of other functional extras.
It’s useful to have a lockable concealment compartment to make sure that when you leave your bag alone, no one will be able to access your weapon. Concealment compartment zips are also useful for quick and easy access.
And it’s a good idea to get a bag that has an adjustable cross-body strap so you can make it the length that suits your height and stature.
Accessory Holster
Many cross-body conceal and carry bags have dedicated concealment compartments, but not all have a fitted holster inside. It’s actually really important that your purse has a fitted holster, whether it’s an integrated holster or is designed so that you can add your own personal or universal holster.
It’s all about safety. Firearms are best protected when they’re in a holster, as well as in a readily-accessible position. Many people prefer to use their own holsters in a concealed carry purse because there are many different designs to choose from.
Final Thoughts About Crossbody Concealed Gun Bags
If you’re looking for a concealed carry crossbody purse to securely hold your firearm, then there’s a wide range of options available. However, choosing between them can be challenging as there are so many different features.
Hopefully, this buying guide will provide valuable insights into choosing the secure conceal carry bag that suits your needs.
