Excellent ideas. I adopted this approach a while back when my dad was getting these well made pouches from AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association) as SWAG for being a member. One of the bags that arrived one year was perfectly sized for my 92F on one side, and several mags on the other. It is nicely lined with a coated surface that allows an easy non-grabby entrance and exit, and is thick enough not to print-thru. It also attaches via a carabiner to my larger “man-purse” style laptop bag, and will actually fit inside the laptop bag if I am not carrying too many other items.
Your larger point here is an important one that we all need to keep in mind: your safety and security is up to you, and you need to adapt and improvise (and blend in) using common, ordinary, materials at hand.
We are on the same page!