Concealment pouch review and ramblings

[Hasaf]

This thread is in response to questions I have been asked about pouch holsters.

I have gone through several pouch holsters. The first one I got at a gun show in California in the early nineties. I remember it was blue and it worked well. Unfortunately I no longer have it and I do not see that I have any pictures of it.

Skip forward several years, I decided to get another pouch holster. At that time the “Sneaky Pete” was popular for this style. However, something on their site turned me off. Part of it was that, at that time, there was no way to contact them, on the site. I have not tried one; so I can not provide any commentary about them

Instead I purchased a similar holster from PDA Holsters. This is the vendors stock photo.

Website product picture from here

Here I am showing it next to the pouch holster I normally use. As you can see, it is a bot smaller; but the strongly defined corners make it feel bigger. I also frequently found the snap not securely on. It never opened in normal use, but the snap section did move in use. If I were to get another one, I would opt for the added strap, much like what is seen on the phone flap on the tan pouch.



The PDA holster comes with a block of high-density foam that the user cuts to match the profile of the pistol. The block has a strong adhesive on both sides and is positioned in the holster to make it secure. This block is sold separately by PDA holsters, which is relevant to the next pouch I will mention.

In all it is a good design and would not hesitate to recommend their product. However, if I got another I would get the “Easy Buckle Strap” option. The PDA holster has a pen pocket, that manufacturer explains in their webpage, “Surveys conducted with Law Enforcement Officers indicate that the integral pen holder is a real asset in further disguising the PDA.”


The PDA product is good, as stated, I would not hesitate to recommend it. I just wanted something a bit different. Toward that end, I had purchased a pouch that was closer to what I wanted. This is the one in the picture, note the cell phone pocket, I think that is why it won out as a daily wear holster. I have a link here to the pouch. When I purchased the pouch it was priced at $4.95, it is now an eye watering $6.65 (yes, the price includes shipping).

The pouch is the perfect size for a Glock 42 or Kimber Micro 380. When I say the perfect size, a pistol placed in it, and zipped, will not move in the pouch. No further modifications are necessary.


That being said, I had the other half of the block from the PDA holster. It was also matched to the pistols profile. I used it to form the bock seen in the pictures. It really was not necessary; but probably helps to break the pistols profile when I am not carrying a phone.

These two pictures should show the foam block on the inside and the Molle straps on the back, allowing the holster to be worn in different positions

I also got a larger pouch from Elite Survival Systems. It is sized for a larger pistol. It is supposed to fit a Glock 19; as you can see, it fits the PK380 quite well. It also has a loop inside for storing a spare magazine. The reason that it looks new is that I never really bonded to it.

no, it isn't purple, it is grey, The colour is just the lighting.

A quick check on Amazon showed other, similar pouches, there is the Maxipedition JK-2 & 3 that looks similar; but I have not used them so I can not speak of their quality or suitability. No, I don't have any "affiliate" program in the link, I am just trying to make the search easier for people. The search phrase I used was "concealed carry pouch."


I hope this helps.

 

[MedWheeler]

It does. Thanks. I didn't care enough for the Pete when I handled one, and that's the only one I've seen locally. Something about the gun being upside down and what-not.

The zippered ones you mention seem like they'd have a slower draw, but I could see them being good for field use, such as hiking, biking, etc. on days when I might not care for a covering outer garment.

 

[Varminterror]

10years ago, PDA type concealment pouches could fool folks. Today, a PDA pouch of any kind SCREAMS “I’m carrying and I think I’m being sneaky.” If the pouches were shaped something more like an actual cell phone dimensional ratio, it MIGHT fool a few folks, but it’s really obvious if someone has a relatively square pouch on their belt... ESPECIALLY if your phone is visible with the semi-enclosed exterior pocket...

Sure, it’s an awesome option if you’re OK with open carry, but want to protect your pistol from the environment - and I do use belt pouches on my hunting and hiking packs for the same job - but it’s not fooling anyone...

 

[Hasaf]

Today, a PDA pouch of any kind SCREAMS “I’m carrying and I think I’m being sneaky.”

I understand what you are saying; but I have not found it to be the case. Yes, in a very gun savvy environment it is possible that it may be noticed; but even that is unlikely.

I was recently in a gun store and I asked if I could compare the size of a particular gun to my Kimber Micro. The clerk responded with, "sure, do you have it with you?"

Another incident two nights ago, I locked my pistol in my car because I was going into a secure building. I wore my pouch (because it had my pen and cell phone) in an environment where I had to talk to three separate deputies, oddly enough there was no metal detector, none of them asked about it. That was a desk officer where I signed in and showed ID, a sergeant in the airlock to open the first door, lock the first door, then unlock the next door, and yet another deputy to walk me to the lift (from that point I was on my own. . . security theater. . . ). Not a one of them asked me about my pouch.

No, it isn't deep cover. It serves to not annoy people around me. Even my police officer neighbor was not aware of it. I was leaving for a month and I was dropping my mailbox key with him. He commented that he was aware that I normally carried as a preface to asking if I had my pistol. I told him "yes." He then asked where I had it. Yes, my pouch was on my belt. He asked to have a closer look at it, now he is aware of it.

A few weeks later after Mass (he was in uniform) he glanced at my pouch and asked if that was why I always sat on the end of the pew. I write that as an attempt at being sociable, not, "outing me."

One of the few times I have been spotted was my Principal. Again, I had the pistol elsewhere but was wearing the pouch as a convenient holder. I was there on a Sunday working, which is a very normal thing in the district where I work; as various services end the building starts to fill. I ran into her in the hall and we chatted for a few minutes; yes, she was staring at my pouch.

Later that day she stopped in and asked if I carry a gun. Of course I told her, "No." She then asked, "if things went wrong, would I be able to rely on you being able to find a gun." Of course I answered, "unfortunately, no." . . . she seemed disappointed by that answer.

I also wore a belt pouch when I worked for the courts. Yes, my "clients" knew what it was. A few even asked me; but it put it out of sight. If I walked into a quick mart no one even paid attention (ok, in that case I was already blown by driving a white, Tahoe, antenna farm, the same as the rest of the SO, but with no markings).

So, no, it is not some, "deep cover." There was a time in a McDonalds that I noticed a police officer looking at it (He was doing the same as me, getting a morning breakfast); but even that look is rare. The pouch puts it out of sight and out of mind. Even though it isn't, "deep cover," it does as well as I need.

As far as the time taken to draw. I have had a friend time it. When zipped, it takes about the same as a tucked IWB.

 

[cougar1717]

I'm not trying to disparage - it is concealed and in an "outdoors" environment where it's common or among people who may not have seen one before - they are none the wiser. Every time I'm out and about and see someone with a belt pack about that size, I just assume they are carrying. Most people who have an insulin pump (a similar size belt pack) generally attempt to conceal it under a shirt.

 

[MedWheeler]

Hasaf writes:

...yes, she was staring at my pouch.

Hooh, boy, there has got to be another way of phrasing that..

 

[C0untZer0]

 

[sparkyv]

Well you convinced me Hasaf (I really have to be careful typing your handle ). Got one inbound. I got mine in black so as to be a little more subdued.

 

[Hasaf]

On this topic, I had an odd one, as you know, I am a teacher in a "Gun Free School." My principal saw that I was wearing the pouch on my belt again, something I do, pretty much, every day, and made the comment "Mr. [Hasaf], I'm not ever going to ask you what's in that pouch." I started to show that it had nothing but my school "first-aid kit" that teachers are supposed to have with them, but never do, and my wallet. However, she stopped me with a, "really, don't tell me."

I think she suspects me of carrying at work. So, maybe the pouch isn't so sneaky here.