Kydex vs Leather for comfort, what do you think?

[The Exile]

For an IWB holster do you find there to be a major difference between Kydex and leather? A friend was recommending me a company that mainly works with Kydex gear but I've got some weird hyper-sensitivity to textures so a very comfortable feeling is absolutely essential to me. What say you?

 

[herrwalther]

For IWB carry I prefer leather. No kydex holster I have tried (and I have tried a lot) is comfortable to me for IWB carry.

 

[Spats McGee]

The Stealth Gear Revolution is hands-down the most comfortable IWB holster I've ever used. The backing is kind of like neoprene, but not quite, and it's ventilated.

 

[LeftyRed]

I prefer a well made Kydex holster from JM Customs. Better fit and shape than any cheap plastic ones you can find.

I also like the thinner Kydex holster other the bulkier leather. Plus JM Customs is way quicker than most leather smith’s.

Lefty

 

[trackskippy]

Kydex all around, but especially if you have the holster against bare skin. Leather is brutal there.

Leather is bad enough dry, but once damp with sweat, its abrasive as hell. And some of the chemicals/treatments they use on them just add to the burn.

Kydex doesnt really rub you much at all, if any. When damp, it just slides across the wet skin.

Of course, both are better with a tee shirt between you and the holster. But if your the least bit active, sooner or later, that tee will ride up.

And thats just "your" half of the equation, you dont generally get rusty guns with kydex holsters. Leather on the other hand....

 

[SteadyD]

Kydex feels hard and unforgiving to me, whereas leather feels softer and more cushioned, and molds to the body. Obviously we are all different, and carry position also plays a role. I prefer 3 o’clock or 3:30, which puts the holster on my hip bone.

 

[herrwalther]

Kydex all around, but especially if you have the holster against bare skin. Leather is brutal there.

Leather is bad enough dry, but once damp with sweat, its abrasive as hell. And some of the chemicals/treatments they use on them just add to the burn.

Kydex doesnt really rub you much at all, if any. When damp, it just slides across the wet skin.

Of course, both are better with a tee shirt between you and the holster. But if your the least bit active, sooner or later, that tee will ride up.

And thats just "your" half of the equation, you dont generally get rusty guns with kydex holsters. Leather on the other hand....

None of this has been my experience with leather backed holsters. But everyone is different when it comes to carry.

 

[trackskippy]

Maybe the difference is if you live and work in a controlled environment and dont have an active lifestyle.

I wear my gun every waking moment, and have worked and played outside more than Im in most of my life, and thats in all weather. Until kydex showed up, I used to have to deal with rusty guns and wet holsters 3/4's of the year. Leather holsters were brutal when they ended up against my skin and would rub me raw if I couldnt keep my tee shirt behind it. Wet holsters dont dry out overnight, and are brutal on the gun too.

Kydex put an end to most of that misery, and it also saved me a good bit of money too. The holsters are cheaper and last a lot longer.

As to the comment of leather being softer, Ive never noticed a difference. They both are pretty hard, and once your body gets used to the gun being there, its not noticeable. On the plus side, kydex is usually less bulkier, and takes up less room in your pants.

 

[lee n. field]

For an IWB holster do you find there to be a major difference between Kydex and leather? A friend was recommending me a company that mainly works with Kydex gear but I've got some weird hyper-sensitivity to textures so a very comfortable feeling is absolutely essential to me. What say you?

My preference is kydex, and it's physically not uncomfortable for me. But, if it's that irritating for you, by all means get (quality) leather.Or put a layer of suede on the body side of your holster.

 

[JTQ]

Or put a layer of suede on the body side of your holster.

Comp-Tac has sold moleskin to attach to their IWB holsters for years.

https://www.comp-tac.com/moleskin

You can probably find it at the drug or grocery store.

 

[Zendude]

Leather or a hybrid is more comfortable to me. Kydex tends to pinch.

 

[loneviking]

I’ll use a wide, leather pancake holster over a Kydex one every time. Softer, molds to the body better.

 

[Hartkopf]

Hybrid for me. Comfortable and drawing/reholstering is very predictable. The gun never gets too tight in the holster even if I tighten my belt to the max.

 

[FL-NC]

Leather is more comfortable (when broken in) but kydex is always faster to draw and reholster, in my experience. For me, functionality and efficiency will always beat comfort.

 

[Obturation]

Kydex is vastly more comfortable for me. But preferences differ. I don't like the creaky and absorbent weirdness of leather for iwb. Gets sweaty and smelly and doesn't retain as well. Owb or shoulder holsters are ok in leather but I don't mess with leather iwb anymore.

 

[nettlle]

Kydex is harder than leather. Kydex doesn't breath. Leather is softer. Leather breathes. Hybrids breath but the Kydex on top is harder than leather. A little softness between the holster and belt feels pretty good. Kydex doesn't do that. Or you can try it for yourself. Kydex is as hard as a rock. By design.

 

[trackskippy]

I always thought the hybrids were built backwards. The kydex should be on the body side.

If leather breathes, it also drowns. Drowning isn't good.

I'm still not understanding the softness thing either. Are there now padded leather IWB holsters? I've carried IWB almost exclusively my whole life, using both leather and kydex holsters, and I couldn't tell you which was which by simply inserting the holstered gun into my pants and cynching my belt up and going about my day. They both feel the same to me.

Now, if the holster were empty, there would be a difference.

 

[herrwalther]

Maybe the difference is if you live and work in a controlled environment and dont have an active lifestyle.

I live in Alabama and work in landscaping. I never sweat through my hybrid holster. An all Kydex holster just isn't comfortable to me.

 

[nettlle]

It was trial and error for me. Expensive. Is a $76.00 Crossbreed Supertuck I owned as comfortable as my $165.00 Criterion? It wasn't for me. The Criterion is much more comfortable. Hybrid vs leather.

 

[uzimon]

Vedder light tuck

 

[Old Dog]

For IWB for me: there's only two -- and they're both leather. The Milt Sparks VM-2 and the Kramer IWB-3.

Quality gunleather will last as long as any Kydex, and be far, far more comfortable over the years.

 

[Average Joe]

Leather will get wet when you sweat, (if you carry IWB) Kydex won't..... Kydex is hard, leather is soft. You should try each and see what is right for you.

 

[bassjam]

I don't care for 100% kydex holsters in the least. They rub me raw against my skin, and they also seem to have more movement (which might contribute to that rubbing). Not to mention creating pinch points when I sit or being uncomfortable against bone.

I'm fine with hybrids, and I'm fine with all leather holsters. But the only time these days when I'll use a 100% kydex holster is when I KNOW my holster is going to get submerged like when I wade fish.

 

[The Exile]

I don't care for 100% kydex holsters in the least. They rub me raw against my skin, and they also seem to have more movement (which might contribute to that rubbing). Not to mention creating pinch points when I sit or being uncomfortable against bone.

I'm fine with hybrids, and I'm fine with all leather holsters. But the only time these days when I'll use a 100% kydex holster is when I KNOW my holster is going to get submerged like when I wade fish.

What kind of fish are you hunting!?

 

[CraigC]

Definitely leather. I've got enough fake, plastic, soulless crap in my life.