1 in 4 women own a firearm in the USA. Many choose to conceal-carry a firearm for the protection of themselves and their families on an everyday basis. The best method of carrying a firearm is the way you’re most likely to every-day carry (EDC). 

Often, on-body carry may not be the option that best fits the lifestyle of women. We often don’t want to deal with a thick nylon belt and wrestling with an IWB holster, and many states do not allow OWB/open carry. For these women, off-body carry is the choice we make every day. 

Off-body carry has its own risks and problems. Drawing a firearm in the most critical and stressful time can be clunky, and someone can “snatch your purse”. The best way to avoid this is to have your EDC available right on your chest, with the purse strapped around your body, making it very difficult for someone to run off with your belongings. 

Bags made for guns that have critical features like the “emergency pull tab” which allows for rapid access to a firearm are usually very tactical looking, and made in a masculine design. 

When seeking out chest purses that were made for EDC, I realized that there really was not a market for something stylish, discreet and feminine that wasn’t screaming “I have a gun in here!”. Most chest bags for firearms were VERY tactical in appearance. Often displaying gun culture, flags, masculine zippers, and a very obvious emergency pull tab to where anyone who knows about guns would guess there is a gun in that bag. I have had a few of these bags where I love their functionality, but multiple strangers have asked me if I had a gun in my bag… not so discreet, and also makes it hard to carry a firearm when I am dressed in any way that is feminine. Can you imagine a girl in a dress with her hair done, with a bag like this? Well, that was me. I scoured the internet and there really wasn’t anything for my unique needs, and I imagine the needs of many women like me… we needed a solution. 

All of these factors lead to the creation of Cakes Concealed purses, that are crossbody chest purses that are designed for feminine style. At first I would purchase cute chest-bags and then manually make the changes to each purse to ensure they are safe for EDC, and after 4-5 of these bags (needed a different one for each outfit and each firearm) I decided it was time women had a choice. 

We want to EDC while maintaining our grace and discretion, and avoid looking like a tactician especially around many people who are fearful of firearms.