Using the Bathroom While Carrying Concealed

If you find yourself standing outside a public restroom with a brand new CCW permit, a concealed firearm, and a lot of uneasiness about how to proceed, you won’t be the first one.

None of us need to be told how to perform basic biological functions, but doing it in a public bathroom with a pistol stuffed in your waistband can be intimidating at first.

Let’s have a judgement-free conversation about how to use the bathroom while carrying concealed.

What You Need Before You Start

Must-Have Tools

• Concealed carry pistol or revolver
• IWB holster and a gun belt
• CCW bag
• Nature’s call

Nice-to-Have Tools

• Shelf
• Door hook
• Private bathroom

Kore Essentials Tactical Gun Belt

$69at TriStar Trading

Prices accurate at time of writing

$69at TriStar Trading

Amazon (See Price)

Step-by-Step Instructions

Here’s everything you need to know to use the bathroom while carrying concealed. Well, everything related to the firearm. The rest is up to you.

Tenicor Certum3

$126at Tenicor

Prices accurate at time of writing

$126at Tenicor

Today, we’ll focus on carrying with an IWB holster or CCW bag. 

Step 1: Plan Ahead

A little forethought can save you from freezing in a crowded bathroom like a deer in the headlights.

The best option is to use a single-occupancy bathroom. If you can plan your pit-stops around a gas station, coffee shop, restaurant, or store with individual bathrooms, it’ll feel just like home.

Have the whole bathroom to yourself, do a quick fit check in the mirror to make sure you’re not printing, and get back on your way.

If you can’t find an individual bathroom, using a stall is the best option – for women and men. (Fellas, if you have an AIWB holster with a magazine caddy, using a urinal might not be doable anyway. Just plan on finding a stall from the beginning.)

Finally, you might have the option to use the buddy system. If you’re with someone who is legally allowed to carry concealed, knows you have a firearm in a CCW bag, and has your complete trust, maybe you can ask them to hold your bag while you use the bathroom.

Step 2: Keep Your Concealed Handgun Concealed

If you can use a urinal without revealing your firearm, great. If you need a stall, your goal is to do what you need to do without flashing your firearm to the world outside.

Start by holding onto your waistband and lowering it carefully. If you just unbutton your pants and let go, the added weight of your firearm will bring it crashing to the floor.

Depending on your holster and clothing, maybe you can bundle up your firearm and lower your waistband to your ankles without revealing it. Sometimes you can keep your waistband around your knees and out of sight.

If not, remove the holster (not just the firearm; it needs to stay holstered the entire time) and place it on a shelf, toilet-paper dispenser, or water tank. Just make sure it can’t fall off and make a racket.

If you’re using a CCW bag, you can probably leave it on. If not, hold it in your lap or hang it from a coat hook on the inside of the door.

This is not a race (hopefully). Once you’re in the privacy of a stall, take a minute to find a solution that works for you.

Step 3: Be Cool

All of this advice assumes that you are legally allowed to carry a concealed firearm, and you’re in a location where doing so is not prohibited. 

We never want to make other people uncomfortable, but if someone does spot it and questions you, don’t get defensive.

Thank them for telling you that it’s visible, tell them you are a legal concealed carrier, cover it up, and leave it at that.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Ostrich mindset: I know you can’t see other people when you’re in a stall, but they can see your feet. If your waistband is visible below the stall, so is your pistol.
• Forgetting your firearm: This one sounds crazy, but it happens all the time. I’ve seen many ranges with signs in the bathroom reminding people to take their guns with them. If you remove your handgun and set it on the toilet paper dispenser, don’t get in so much of a hurry that you leave it for the next person.
• Making it weird: If you are legally allowed to carry a concealed firearm, you’re not doing anything wrong. Get in, use the facilities, and get out. If someone does see that you’re carrying, act like it’s no big deal; they’ll probably return the favor.

Final Thoughts & Next Steps

Carrying concealed is like anything else: you don’t know what you don’t know. Don’t let people who take this knowledge for granted discourage you from asking questions; we're here to help!

You probably feel more comfortable with the idea of using the bathroom while carrying concealed already, and it’ll be second nature in no time.

Now you can worry about other things, like soap dispensers that shoot out instead of down.

What have you learned the hard way about carrying concealed? Tell us a story in the comments. Looking for more CCW advice? Check out the Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Carrying Concealed!

Latest Updates

• July 2026: Complete overhaul with new instructions, photos, and supporting content.