Please give me your opinions from both a personal and tactical stand point.
Like most things, it involves a number of trade-offs, weighing the pros and cons of each method. A couple of examples: A draw from open carry is faster because it (usually) eliminates the need to clear clothing out of the way as a separate part of the steps in drawing. Also, with clothing (presumably) out of the way there's less chance of it interfering with the draw. One ought to use a certain amount of forethought into what sort of clothing is worn when concealed. I quickly learned that the inner drawstring of a favorite safari jacket could interfere with a clean draw, so I pulled the string to the far side of the jacket so it wasn't dangling in the way and getting entangled in the draw. Concealment does have the advantage of surprise, which by itself could be a huge factor in some instances. Concealment has an advantage in crowds, although not a complete advantage. Poorly concealed firearms are very noticeable to anyone who has an eye for them. Additionally concealment holsters often lack the retention features of a holster designed for open carry. The concealment is supposed to be a large part of the retention.
Comfort-wise, it depends. For open carry I most often use a duty holster, which is comfortable when standing but not comfortable on long drives and sometimes makes the seat belt lock annoying to manipulate. My inside the waist concealment holster is more comfortable on long drives, but has the drawback of being slower and more difficult to reach while seated in a vehicle. As a compromise, on long drives, such as those I took out West, it may be the one time I opt for a shoulder holster (in addition to a pocket gun, not surprisingly in my jacket or shirt pocket.)
So in your hypothetical situation, where the legality of method is not an issue, I would tend to carry open unless in a large or otherwise questionable crowd, and probably have a secondary firearm in concealment.
