Kydex vs Leather for comfort, what do you think?

I never thought I'd say it, but I am trying out a Kydex IWB for a 642 now, and I'm liking it enough that it is slowly working it's way into regular use.

I'll buy one as soon as the Lone Ranger gets a Kydex saddle.

4v50 Gary said:

A lot of it is how it is worn. Inside the pants for kydex has got to be tough on the body with all the rubbing. Leather not so.

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I found that to be just the opposite. Leather, especially when wet and against bare skin, is brutal.

Kydex doesnt absorb any sweat, and against bare skin, especially when damp, just slides across it, with little to no irratation.

Leather just rubs you raw.

4v50 Gary said:

Inside the pants for kydex has got to be tough on the body with all the rubbing.

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As trackskippy mentioned, the kydex doesn't really rub because it is smoother. It is also a little thinner, but it is hard.

This is a good thread. Seems like everyone is different on the subject. I only have owb holsters that are all leather. No complaints about leather. However I feel like I need to try an iwb holster and was thinking about kydex.

I am going to take Craig C's stance. I don't own a gun crappy enough to deserve being stuck in a piece of plastic.

I have always used leather, so know no other. Carried in a leather shoulde holster for 30 years. Now I use a Gould slide holster, leather, works great for me.

Now that I think about it, have never used anything other than a Gould, bought my first one at the factory,,

Well, I just thought about it. I bought my second holster from Gould because they weren’t in business when I bought my first. That one I bought from a custom holders maker right down in Mexico, it was easier back them

And I do not agree with Skippy that leather wears a gun faster.. he has his opinion, I have mine,

Crappy or not, leather is harder on the guns carried in them than kydex, especially if you spend time drawing from them in practice on a daily basis.

The finishes, especially on my nice blued guns, showed a lot more overall wear to the finish than those that rode in kydex. And that's not even addressing the rusting issues.

Constant drawing and replacing the gun in practice just accelerates things, and the finish quickly starts to look washed out, and worn away on the high points and high wear areas. Kydex holsters really don't contact that much of the gun, so you don't see that same type of wear. The wear you see with them is usually just at one or two places where the gun contacts the holster, usually around the trigger guard on the gun, some towards the muzzle end on slides and barrels, and the overall finish doesn't have that washed out look.

There are those among us that are fat and lazy. They are part of the "hurts me crowd" At the mid point of my seventh decade I've managed to stay in reasonably adequate physical condition thru working on the property, YMCA membership and walking 2-3 miles a day on a regular basis along with proper diet . I mainly use cost effective Kydex holsters for concealed carry applications. I do have some leather holsters.

trackskippy said:

I found that to be just the opposite. Leather, especially when wet and against bare skin, is brutal.

Kydex doesnt absorb any sweat, and against bare skin, especially when damp, just slides across it, with little to no irratation.

Leather just rubs you raw.

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JTQ said:

As trackskippy mentioned, the kydex doesn't really rub because it is smoother. It is also a little thinner, but it is hard.

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Based on this thread it seems that it depends on a few factors which might include body shape, where you carry, and your clothing. Kydex leaves my skin red and tender, I have to put moleskin on the back of them to make them manageable. Leather with the rough side out will do the same. But leather smooth side out is perfect, all-day comfort for me.

trackskippy said:

Crappy or not, leather is harder on the guns carried in them than kydex, especially if you spend time drawing from them in practice on a daily basis.

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As with other aspects of this thread, conventional wisdom is right the opposite. The kydex wear that I've seen is ugly, real ugly.

I carried this Glock daily in a kydex holster for over 10 years now. "Lots" of draws and reholsters. If you look close om the trigger guard, and the extractor, you can see the wear.

I mainly do OWB since I just don't like IWB.

Either way, I always wear a tee shirt so a holster is never against my skin. That might be your best option.

Kydex is cheaper and offers the advantage of one-hand reholstering, which I feel is a MUST HAVE. One-handed draw, one-handed reholster for me.