It’s easy to carry concealed in a large purse for most everyday activities. But for some of my outdoor activities, I want to carry in a purse that is small enough that it doesn’t interfere with my outdoor gear and my movement in whatever activity I’m doing. This is why I chose the Lady Conceal Dakota Sling bag to review.
When going out metal detecting, I’m not comfortable leaving my purse in the car, so I carry it with me, but a bag can be cumbersome.
I am also in a women’s metal-detecting Facebook page and there have been many discussions about personal safety when we’re out detecting. It simply makes sense to carry for protection.
However, we are already carrying our detectors, shovels and bags for our finds and we don’t want to carry a big purse in addition to everything else. So when I had a chance to choose a purse from Lady Conceal to review, I chose the Dakota Leather Sling. It looked like it would be big enough for my carry gun, wallet and phone, yet small enough that it shouldn’t get in my way while detecting.
This purse is a soft, buttery leather and measures 6 inches long by 8 inches high. There are rings on each side of the bottom of it so that the sling can work for either right- or left-handed. The front pocket comes with a magnetic closure and is a great place for your cell phone. The larger main front pocket includes a zippered pocket, two open pockets for other items and a key strap. The gun section contains a Velcro lining and comes with a Velcro holster. You might need a different holster for a larger gun, to make sure the trigger is covered. You can see which guns fit in this purse at Lady Conceal’s convenient website.
Before I wore it, I wanted to see what the members of my Waco Chapter of A Girl and A Gun Women’s Shooting League (AGAG) thought of the purse.
We discussed that whenever using any method of concealment, we should always practice with a dummy gun or unloaded gun to become proficient at drawing quickly and safely.
First, everyone tried drawing with the purse section empty. We all found it too light to stay down as we were pulling the gun out. But then as soon as we added my wallet, the purse had some weight and stayed in place as the gun was drawn. Then everyone was happy with how the purse worked and felt that drawing the gun was something they could do confidently with practice.
Utilizing my regular wallet was also something I really liked about this purse. I don’t like to move my ID and cards in and out of different wallets. I’m simply afraid I’ll lose something while switching. Plus, as I mentioned, you do need that weight of something in that space to hold down the purse when drawing your firearm.
I then took the Dakota Sling with me while metal detecting I was happy that I was able to carry the purse and it didn’t get in my way and it was easy to access my gun if needed.
I think this purse will also work great while out rock and fossil collecting, bike riding, RC crawling or hiking. The Dakota Leather Sling will be my go-to bag from now on for my many outdoor activities.
MSRP: $149.95
Nancy Keaton is the Facilitator for the Waco Chapter of A Girl and A Gun Women’s Shooting League. She formerly shot in IDPA, ASI and 3 Gun matches, was the president of Centralia Rifle Club in Centralia, WA, and is a retired college administrator. Her work has appeared in multiple publications and online. Check them out on her website and on Muckrack. View all posts by Nancy Keaton
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