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Using the Bathroom While Carrying Concealed

It never fails...you're out and nature calls while you're carrying concealed. Find out tips for restroom choice, positioning, and potential accidents.

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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.

Table of Contents

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What You Need Before You Start

Must-Have Tools

Nice-to-Have Tools

  • Shelf
  • Door hook
  • Private bathroom
Kore Essentials Tactical Gun Belt
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
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.

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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.)

Safariland_Incog X_PPT_2

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.

Springfield Echelon AIWB

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.

Eberlestock Bando Bag

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.

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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. 

Concealed Carry AIWB Glock PHLster Holster
Concealed Carry AIWB Glock PHLster Holster

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.

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Written By

Scott Murdock

Scott Murdock

Editor & Senior Review Analyst

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Scott Murdock is a Marine Corps veteran with a basic working knowledge of shooting, written English, and photography. He's passionate about helping readers find quality gear that's worthy of their money. You can find more of his work at Task & Purpose, Free Range American, and Outdoor Life.

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Conversation

36 Comments

Join the discussion

  • I don't recommend tucking the tun in the front of the toilet seat cover dispenser, after my SIG 229 dropped out of the bottom of the container, after other past successful uses. That made some noise!

    If I am wearing jeans pulling them down below the knees, and leaving the gun inside the leg of the jeans works well. When you are wearing jean shorts, you can't use that option without exposing your gun.
    ...
  • The presumption that belt carry is the only way to properly be armed is where most of this goes wrong. For CCW, the emphasis on being able to draw in microseconds and fire is forcing a reactive standard to carrying a gun all day, in a hostile environment, ready to respond proactively against - ? An argument over a parking spot? Her husband hunting you down in a Kroger?

    Its not Life and Death every single second outside the metro, or even inside one located in a red state. The mindset that you have to be ready with police issue grade firepower at every second to respond to operators hunting you down in your stall? This site didn't invent that, the media community for firearms pushes it to hype marketing products - and they are paid well to do it by manufacturers.

    To the point here: use a shoulder holster. While influencers will argue till the cows come home over frivolous arguments they set up in fantasy, the reality is belt carry has some major disadvantages, and IWB created even more. As concealed carriers get even older, it becomes more obnoxious, and at a certain point, claim detractors, we have to give up our man card to find an alternative method. They were there all along even in the 1800's - apply the Bruen doctrine to our carry and shoulder holsters, make different decisions. Otherwise be stuck with the constant drumbeat of the internet only suggesting what the highest bidders for advertising demand - you buy their products that may well not be suited. Don't let those acting like high testosterone shooters frame your use forcing their solutions on you.
    ...

    • Scott Murdock

      There's a lot to unpack in this comment, but I'll keep it short and thank you for the compliment you gave us using one of your other usernames.
      ...
  • Great article. Covers yet another situation that a person needs to think about if they are going to carry.

    Pocket carry doesn't have this problem. It won't fall out or be visible in this situation.
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  • This is really a stupid article in some ways. Just take the damn gun and set it next to you on top of the TP dispenser, or the sink. You won't need to use it while dropping a log. Let's get real here.
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  • 4
    2
    Good info. I'm actually sitting on the toilet reading this article.
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  • 1
    This is undoubtedly the most moronic article I have seen on your normally excellent website. Who needs to be told how to take a crap while carrying?!? Really, if you don’t have anything worthwhile to say, consider not publishing anything. “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.”
    ...

    • John L.

      Let's assume we don't all start out life omniscient. Let's say I'm 22 with a freshly minted concealed carry card. I go to a big public event, and want to carry. Nature calls. I don't probably know enough about holsters or retention. I drop trow, and my brand new gun flips out of the holster and drops into the toilet bowl. No round in the chamber, so no harm done. Except severe embarrassment which was only personal because nobody else saw or heard anything. I accept all advice from this site. I've learned a lot from this site. Keep publishing guys and don't listen to this troll.
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    • A. Davis

      Apparently you haven't read the articles about the Secret Service guys forgetting their guns in the bathrooms all over DC. Its a legit concern and definitely one to give some thought to. Granted, I try not to crap in public, but sometimes you just gotta go. So if that's the case, better to be prepared.
      ...

    • DaftSamurai

      Actually, this is a very common concern. Just because you were born with innate knowledge on how to handle every situation involving your EDC doesn't mean everyone else does. This is especially important for those who carry while at their job. Next time, if you don't have anything edifying to add to the conversation, just stay quiet. No one cares what you think otherwise.
      ...

    • Jacki Billings, Editor

      Hey Brad, sorry this wasn't your cup of tea. We like to help new concealed carriers, gun owners, and shooters and this is a commonly asked question. But no worries we have plenty of other content that might be more to your liking. Thanks!
      ...

      • Brad Freden

        OK, I take the point. A lot of people found it useful. Mea culpa.
        ...

    • James lively

      Ummm yeah this is a killer article. it's a good article for newbies and also for you to read your own words an stfu next time because now we all have 100% confirmation you are a moronic troll. Kudos sir outstanding.
      ...
  • 1
    Just be sure to holster BEFORE you wipe .
    ...
  • You can also not take your pants all the way down to your ankles, that's a really really really good idea.

    You don't need to take them down to the floor to sit on the toilet. You unfasten your pants, slide them down a little to just above your knees, sit, and just keep the pants on your knees or fasten the belt a little to keep them on your knees, keep the gun in the holster. No dropping below the stall wall, about a good reachable level and you can maintain a positive control of the gun more radially with your hands if needed. If someone tries something the gun is right there at your hand level and you don't need to reach down or worry about loosing control of it. And if your holster is working right you don't need to worry about it falling on the floor.

    A little expansion on: ..."you don't need to reach down or worry about loosing control of it..." - three years ago a friend actually had someone reach under the stall wall and grabbed his gun while his pants were around his ankles. And the guy got it too and it came right out of that level one retention IWB holster just fine with a strong tug. Luckily he dropped it in doing that and my friend was able to snatch the gun back, then the guy was gone.

    That's the most stupid place your gun can be in a public restroom with stalls. All anyone has to do in the other stall is simply look under the wall and see the gun around your ankles, and be just a little faster and they have your gun while you are still trying to poop. For cripes sake, you are worried about the gun falling out onto the floor and someone seeing the gun but then you basically put the gun at floor level with your pants almost on the floor around your ankles where it can be seen and snatched from under the stall wall just by bending down a little and looking.

    Keep it in the holster up around your knees like I mentioned and you should be fine.

    Its not rocket science. I don't know why there is even an article on it, especially with this 'pants on the floor around your ankles' coverage in it.
    ...
  • Let's talk about a more pressing item... Where is this guy's UNDIES??? Seriously, taking tacticool "Comando" way past the norm here.. Anyways, just fold the holster and weapon upon itself. And if you think someone is sneaking a peak you can bring your legs together to further conceal.
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    • Gary H

      Thanks for NOT having bunched up briefs in the staged photos...
      ...
  • I've always loosened my belt up just enough to get my pants to my knees or just below. Then after I sit I spread my knees apart tighten up the belt, holding it and my holster in place. I NEVER drop my pants to the floor. Of course make sure the muzzle is pointed in a safe direction.
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    • Tim

      One of the reasons I love Kore Essentials belts is it's easy to re-tension the belt just below your knees because I totally agree, in a public restroom especially, never let anything but your shoes touch the floor!
      ...
  • 2
    Gives a whole new meaning to pewpew tactical.
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    • dennis

      Haaaaa. Good one
      ...