EDC Best Practices: Should You Carry A Spare Magazine?

You carry concealed because you know that in the real world, you’re usually your own first responder. We've all heard the adage: when second count, help is only minutes (or even hours) away.

If you ever have to use your concealed handgun, you’ll want to make sure you have enough rounds of ammunition to deal with whatever situation develops. Now, let's be clear - most of us won't be kicking in doors, laying suppressing fire, or staving off waves of the undead any time soon.

In this photo: probably not you! 

However, multiple attackers are common in self-defense situations. Coming in higher numbers is a criminal tactic as old as time, intended to overwhelm and frighten into compliance. Faced with multiple bad guys, even double stack handguns may run dry before the threat is neutralized. It's not like the movies - a single shot to the chest from a handgun will not (usually) turn an attacker into a clump of cells on the floor. People can keep fighting even with many rounds already in them. 

To prepare for such a scenario, Arrowhead recommends carrying at least one spare magazine for your concealed carry handgun to improve your odds in a life-or-death scenario. Adding at least one spare magazine to your EDC requires very little additional effort, and it can double the amount of firepower you have available in a defensive encounter. 

So, we agree that a spare mag should be part of your EDC. What's the best way to do it? Just having a magazine on your person is a good start, but you should also consider how easy it is to access your magazine in a hurry (especially under duress). 

We designed our athleticwear for concealed carry to give you options on how to carry that spare magazine comfortably and effectively.

Ways to Carry a Spare Mag:

1. Use a spare magazine carrier clipped to the waistband: This is the most versatile way to carry a spare magazine. You can place your spare anywhere you want around your waist, helping to ensure that the spare is placed where you need it for a swift and reliable reload every time. You can add this to your EDC without changing the holster you use. Almost every IWB magazine carrier is compatible with our Carrier Retention Waistband.

2. Use a holster with a built-in spare magazine carrier: Most holster manufacturers offer a "sidecar" style holster where the spare magazine carrier is attached to the holster itself. This means you'll only need one piece of hard plastic in your waistband, but it does mean that your mag carrier has to be wherever your gun is. If your holster doesn't have a mag carrier attachment, then you'll need to buy a new holster in order to carry a mag this way. 

3. Store a spare in the built-in magazine sleeves in the zippered rear pockets of Arrowhead apparel: Our Carrier Shorts and Carrier Joggers Mk.II feature concealed magazine sleeves inside the rear zippered pockets. The sleeves are large enough to accommodate double-stack magazines, and they'll keep your magazines upright and easy to grab, compared to just letting the mags bounce around free in your pockets. 

How do you carry your spare magazines? If there are any other techniques you've found that work well for you, let us know in the comments. 

Stay safe out there.