Belly Band

[crazydaysorg]

Due to a neck injury I need to get up and walk in the morning to loosen things up. That means I am usually walking in the dark, with a flash light clipped on the belt, and then also a concealed firearm on the hip. I've been burning through jeans at an amazing rate at the inseam so I picked up some sweat pants. Without a belt for the sweatpants it won't hold a holster, so I picked up a belly band.

When I get up I toss on an undershirt and wrap the belly band around me. In the mostly dark, to avoid waking the wife, I need to remove the firearm from the kydex holster and slip it into the belly band. It seems rather unsafe to do so much administrative handling, especially in the dark. In addition the "holster" on the belly band is just some stretchy fabric material with a snap to hold it in. The kydex holster I use has a j-hook and I haven't found a good way to get it to work with the belly band.

There must be a better solution. Are there holsters which stay open, like kydex for belly bands that are model specific? Do folks put the gun into the belly band holster before putting the belly band on? Is there another option beside a belly band which works for carrying in sweat pants?

 

[s76]

Whenever I use a belly band, which isn't often, I put the band on first and then the gun in the pocket of the band. The one I have has a hard plastic protector that is on the outside of the gun pocket to prevent accidental trigger pulls. I find the belly bands uncomfortable though with my body shape but sometimes they are a necessity with certain clothing. I have a more comfortable one that rides more on the chest and the gun sits like a shoulder holster. That one goes under the shirts and is a deep concealment and not easy to reach the firearm. Once you get more used to drawing and reholstering in the belly band it becomes easier as muscle memory will help.

edit: the bands I have are cheap ones found on the web.

 

[BoBo522]

There are some which have kydex or hybrid holsters which attach to the band; for example, Alien Gear’s Sport Tuck system.

 

[tipoc]

Try this question in this section of the forum:

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?forums/handguns-accessories-holsters-and-optics.51/

 

[AK103K]

A Smart Carry works great for that sort of thing.

www.smartcarry.com

Whatever you choose, change holsters the night before if youre not comfortable doing it in the dark, so its ready to go when you are.

 

[bassjam]

I recently started walking in the mornings too, and also picked up a belly band. I carry mine down to the basement to put on so I'm not fumbling around in the dark making noise. I also bought a Sticky holster to keep my gun in, so after getting the band on I slide the gun and holster into the belly band's pocket.

The other morning though it was quite hot and instead of dealing with the belly band to carry a 9mm I just slide my LCP into my shorts pocket, and I found that my running shorts have plenty of support to carry a light gun like the .380 as long as I knot the drawstring.

 

[tactikel]

I love belly bands. My LCP disappears in mine. I can wear it with a t-shirt and jogging shorts and never raise an eyebrow. It’s best to set it up night before!

 

[1942bull]

Take a look at Gallowayprecision.com and select shop by firearm. After you get to the page for your gun look at holster with the Ulticlip. It is made to meet you exact needs. It is a Kydex holster that will work with sweatpants, belt less garments, etc. I have one for my LCP II. It works great.

 

[Telekinesis]

I would probably avoid putting the gun in the belly band while it’s dark. Much easier to move to another room where you can turn on a light and have full confidence in handling the weapon/holster combo.

I’ve actually been meaning to do this for a few years now, but finally got around to it. I’ve always liked belly bands for deep concealment (no belt loops or hooks for people to notice) but didn’t like to carry my glock because of the lack of trigger protection. The collapsing mouth of the holster was also an issue - as you mentioned, it makes reholstering much more difficult to do safely.

Anyway, I make my own kydex holsters and was already making one new holster, so decided to try something a little different.

I took a holster shell, added a single retention screw, and then wrapped it in Velcro. The holster at the bottom was the other new holster I was making (full sweat shied) and the holster in the middle is another one that I made which has been my EDC for maybe 3-4 years.



Then I took my belly band and added Velcro panels as well as a second band of elastic on the other side. Forgive the absolutely horrible stitching - first time using a sewing machine... still not sure how the pink thread showed up



So prototype #1 is complete! The gun locks in just like a standard kydex holster, trigger is protected, and the holster stays open without the gun for easy and safe reholstering. Holster orientation (cant, and even to some extent rotation of the holster so that the grip presses into your body) is of course adjustable as well.

Still have some kinks to work out, but so far it seems to be working well. I’ll be taking pre-orders as soon as I can figure out this whole sewing thing

 

[NorthBorder]

I just started wearing a Comfort Tac belly band. I wanted something for my bycycling forays. Its all stretchy material with a slot for a small auto (SR9C) and a slot for my phone. The mag pouch is detatchable so I can put where it is most useful. I started wearing the band in a cross draw position. It is big and wide and comfortable, but I sweat under it. Don't know how long it will last but for $30 it is a small investment.

 

[bannockburn]

I have an older DeSantis belly band holster that I primarily use it for those hot days when I'm wearing shorts or sweat pants. I like to keep the gun as light as possible which means I usually carry something like my S&W Model 638 or my KelTec P3AT, along with a small folding knife like my Kershaw Shuffle II.

 

[crazydaysorg]

I would probably avoid putting the gun in the belly band while it’s dark. Much easier to move to another room where you can turn on a light and have full confidence in handling the weapon/holster combo.

...

Thanks for your post. I really like your idea. Since I don't make my own holsters, I can probably pick up another kydex and remove the j-hook from it and wrap it in velcro. I don't think I mind unholstering and swapping to another kydex holster in the dark. And then slipping it onto the belly band while holstered would make me feel much more comfortable.

Is there a particular glue you used to attach the velcro to the holster, something which might handle a bit of sweat and still stay on? Epoxy?

 

[Telekinesis]

Thanks for your post. I really like your idea. Since I don't make my own holsters, I can probably pick up another kydex and remove the j-hook from it and wrap it in velcro. I don't think I mind unholstering and swapping to another kydex holster in the dark. And then slipping it onto the belly band while holstered would make me feel much more comfortable.

Is there a particular glue you used to attach the velcro to the holster, something which might handle a bit of sweat and still stay on? Epoxy?

Thanks! I’m probably going to make a few more changes on the next iteration but for that holster I used standard sticky backed Velcro to go around the holster so that I could see how well it worked.

I haven’t had any issues yet, but I would probably recommend combining the sticky backed Velcro with some 2 part epoxy to be extra sure that the Velcro won’t move long term. Before you put the Velcro on, make sure the holster is completely clean and doesn’t have any oils on it. Soap and water should be fine.

On the belly band side, I’d recommend sew in Velcro as opposed to the adhesive Velcro. Multiple smaller strips with space between them works better than one large strip (it lets you keep some of the elastic working).

Remember to put the “loop” (soft) side of the Velcro on the holster and the “hook” (stiff) Velcro on the belly band. That way if you have a bit of Velcro on the holster that is against your skin, it will be much more comfortable.

 

[Fiv3r]

What kind of gun are you carrying? I have a ClipDraw/TechnaClip on a few of my guns. I only keep them on guns with a firm DA trigger or very positive manual safety, and i dont rely on them for all day carry, just quick walks while wearing gym shorts. The clips don't interfere with how the gun rides in its regular holster either, so they are just a bonus way to secure the gun in a hurry/emergency if i am not wearing a belt at the time.

I have a couple belly bands, and they work well for the smaller guns. I find the bigger ones stretch them out in a hurry. I have a couple that I have modified with either a piece of kydex sewn to the front of the band in front of the trigger guard or a fully modified kydex insert that the gun snaps into. I mostly like them for invisible tourist carry. A little .380, reload, multitool, and my phone carried close to the vest that doesnt print in the slightest.

If I were wearing one daily in the wee hours I would make it point to just holster my gun in it before bed and toss it on as I walked out the door.

 

[AK103K]

If you want to avoid all the pieced together holster antics, you really should check out the Smart Carry. Ive been using one for work in the summer for the past ten years or so, with a Glock 26, and the trigger getting tripped is a non-issue.

The holster is also a lot more comfortable, as it doesnt act like one of those old sweat belts they used to have, which is what the belly bands feel like. With the Smart Carry, you have a bit of holster in the front, and a small, 1.75" or so strap across your hips at the back and side.

Its very comfortable, even if youre very active. I work physically outside, 10-12 hours a day, wearing it, and forget I have it on.

Ive got a couple of them and wont ever be without one again. They are the most versatile hosters I have.

I just got an email from them about a sale. Buy one get one half off with this code.... FREEDOMBOGO

10% off all holsters with this code....FREEDOM

www.smartcarry.com

 

[SwampWolf]

The no-name one that I have (and almost never use) just has equidistant slots along the way in the belt, same size openings at top and bottom. I worry about retention of the pistol in this configuration, though the "fit" seems plenty tight.