I frequently get asked, “is pepper spray easy to carry and where do you put it?” Another one is “how much practice do I really need, and do words matter?” These are all valid questions. Some people can’t wrap their head around putting something in their pocket every time they leave the house and some people put on their shoes, grab their keys, put pepper spray in its spot and head out without skipping a beat. My goal with this article is to encourage you to carry pepper spray (of have it at your fingertips) by simply reading how easy it is and where others chose to carry their non-lethal deterrent.
In part one of this two-part series, we will be focusing on the questions “Is pepper spray easy to carry and where do you put it?”
I reached out to a handful of my peers to see if they carried pepper spray, and if so, where and why. Keep in mind that everyone is different, so the answers below will vary. They may be an instructor that teaches pepper spray techniques, they may be an instructor that only teaches firearms training or they may be one of our students. Let’s see what these men and women had to say about having Oleoresin Capsicum (OC), spicy treat at their fingertips.
“Yes, I carry pepper spray, and I carry it in my left-front pants pocket. I have chosen to use it with my non-dominant hand.” – Greg Ellifritz, Active Response Training.
“On duty, I carry my OC on my right side/gun side, because I so often have a flashlight in my left hand. Off duty, because I’ve carried a knife in my right pocket for more than 50 years and that was a habit I wasn’t willing to rewire, I choose to carry my OC clipped to my left front pocket.” – Chuck Haggard, Agile Training and Consulting.
“Yes, I carry pepper spray. I carry it on the outside of my purse attached by a magnet. Depending if I’m carrying concealed will depend on if I carry pepper spray pepper spray left or right-handed. So, if I’m not carrying my concealed carry gun, I carry pepper spray right-handed. If I’m carrying concealed, I have my pepper spray left-handed.” – Jan Martin, First 3 Personal Protection.
“I carry pepper spray in my right-front pants pocket with nozzle down with clip oriented so that when it is aligned with the middle joints of my fingers the nozzle is properly positioned to spray someone. This position allows me to defend my head with my left arm if attacker rushes me and frees up my left hand to clear my shirt and then get two hands on my pistol after dropping the OC. As l pull the spray from my pocket, my thumb tip is right where it needs to be slip under the safety cap” – Steve Moses, Palisade Training Group.
“Yes, I carry pepper spray daily. I use my support hand (left hand) to draw my pepper spray from my left pants pocket because I carry my flashlight in my right pocket. It is very comfortable to carry small OC units.” – Alex Bleam, Castle Keepers.
“Yes, I carry OC 100 percent of the time. I have my pepper spray on my key chain. I put the OC in my left pants pocket with the keys hanging out so I can grab this quickly. My gun is on the right. Wherever a hand goes, there’s a weapon of some kind at my disposal.” – Claude Werner, The Tactical Professor.
“I carry pepper spray in my left-rear pocket as a right-handed person. My phone keeps it in position, allowing for a faster OC draw. I use my left hand unless it is low light, and I also need a flashlight.” -Brian Hill, The Complete Combatant
“I carry pepper spray 100 percent of the time. I carry it in my right-front pants pocket and use my right hand to deploy. My OC is clipped in and rotated so I can slip my thumb under the safety cover as I draw. I have a clinch pick on my waist to the left appendix and a flashlight in the left pocket. If I had to go from pepper spray to a firearm, I would just drop the pepper spray.” – Angela Humphries, OnPoint Personal Defense.
“Yes, I carry pepper spray everywhere I go. I carry it in my dominant hand; front pants pocket for four reasons:
1. It is easier and faster to access.
2. I am more accurate in presentation than with my support hand.
3. If I need to transition from non-lethal to lethal it guarantees that I drop the pepper spray. If it was in my support hand, I might forget to drop it and it would interfere with my grip.
4. It leaves my support hand free to use my flashlight, which I carry on my support hand side.
Again, every day and everywhere I go.” – Dave Reed, Everyday Defensive Solutions.
“Yes, I carry pepper spray but not on my body. I chose to keep it on my key ring. I usually carry it in my right hand when on “alert.” Walking back to our hotel late on Saturday night when the NRA was in Indianapolis a few years ago, the downtown streets were full of young people rushing to a particular intersection filled with police as well. It was very uncomfortable. John and I both walked that half mile with OC spray grasped in our hands. Carried in our right hands because that would have been the appointment response to that situation. Should the situation escalate, we could have pocketed it or dropped it to use that right hand differently.” Vicki Farnam of FlexCCarry Solutions: A Positive Guide to Off-Body Carry
“I carry in right-hand pants pocket. Primarily because if I have a reload (firearm), it’s carried in left pocket using magnetic holder and I don’t want to fish around that for the spray. I have POM pepper spray oriented in a way that when I draw it from the pocket, my hand finds its reference “nubs” and it comes out ready to use.” Chris Griese, The Practical Guardian.
“Absolutely, I carry pepper spray. I carry in my left-front pants pocket. I’m right-handed, depending on my situation, it’s my first deployment choice, leaving my strong hand free in case I need to deploy my firearm. My blade is also on my strong side pants pocket, blade facing seam.” Kathlynn Joel-Reich of Fundamental Enlightenment.
“Yes, I do carry it. I position my POM on my right side, This orientation simply feels most natural and reliable for me. I carry it so my thumb can access the trigger instantly. Although I have experimented with left‑side carry, it felt awkward and led to fumbling during practice sessions. While I understand the theoretical advantage of carrying on the support side, comfort and consistency ultimately take precedence for me personally.” Jamie Meyer, Oklahoma Gun Training.
“Yes, always. I’m right-handed but carry OC on my left side pants pocket so my right hand can draw the firearm if necessary. I just ordered a Kydex holster to wear on my belt or pocket but haven’t used yet.” Shannon Pable, Shannon’s Garden and Gun Gallery.
“Yes, I carry pepper spray daily. I carry it on my centerline waistband (POM pocket clip model) or clipped to my fanny pack for dog walks, and/or on a keychain along with a keychain flashlight so it’s already in my hand as I’m entering a parking lot.” Mark Luell, Growing Up Guns.
“Yes, I carry it always on my left (non-dominant) side. I like to carry it on the front pants pocket with pocket clip oriented so that when I pull it out my thumb is in the proper place on the activator. My reason for carrying it there is because I keep lethal on my right and non-lethal on my left.” – Troy Mason.
I don’t know about you, but I see a few things in common.
- It is easy to carry pepper spray
- Put the inert unit in your front pants pocket and see what side (left or right) is easiest for you to deploy the unit, aim and push the button with your thumb.
- Put the practice spray on a key chain, put it in your pocket with the keys hanging out, practice pulling it out of your pocket, aim and push the button with your thumb.
- Put the inert unit in a purse, fanny pack, etc. Practice deploying, aim, and push the button with your thumb.
- Whatever you chose, consider “staging” the pepper spray’s position for easy access and orientation of the spray nozzle.
It’s a good idea to buy an inert/practice pepper spray unit to practice with, which will help build your confidence to use it during a real-world event. This will help you experience how far the stream travels, practice and change different carrying positions, orienting the nozzle at your target quickly, learn where to aim to get accurate spray hits in the eyes, test the “button” with your thumb and so much more.
I would like to thank everyone that participated in this article. Your experiences, expertise and reputations are second to none. The next article will be focusing on the last questions, “how much practice do I really need and do words matter?”
Read the full article here
