Let's put the question of carrying weapons in the context of a boating question.
I needed a tow vehicle to transport my new 26' cruiser, but my garage is only 12 feet deep.
What would you suggest?
With a.380, stopping power requires +P loads, which most smaller pistols can't handle.
Concealment, on the other hand, is dependent on what you're wearing at the time. more
If you leave the house every day in shorts and a tee shirt, even an inside the belt holster won't work.
Everything is a compromise.
Some subcompacts have the punch, but they're difficult to shoot and uncomfortable to practise with.
My first backup gun was a mod 37 S&W airweight from the turn of the century, but the alloy frame meant no hot loads, so it became my wife's purse gun.