Remora Holster Review. Long w/pics&video.

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3G19eXo

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I'm new to this whole 'concealed carry' world, so I haven't put much time into,..well...carrying a pistol.

I just got my Glock 19 just over a month ago and so the search began for the perfect holster for me.*

My first holster that I purchased was a medium Smartcarry. I actually owned a SP101 before the Glock and already had this holster to use with my new gun. A bit awkward at first but I got used to it.

The Smartcarry works great with just about everything but the only drawback I could see was that it may be slow for drawing your weapon under stress. I know that some, with practice, are probably pretty quick on the draw, not me, not yet. Still a great 'holster' anyhow.

My next holster purchase was one of the hybrid type leather/kydex IWB deals with the clips and all. I had read just about everywhere online while searching for alternative carry methods that this was "the way to go!", "the most comfortable holster I've EVER worn", etc etc...not so much for me.

Standing straight up with loose fitting jeans and the best 'thick' gun belt I could afford, it was tolerable. The problems and uncomfort began when trying to SIT. On the couch, getting in and out of the car, things like that were very uncomfortable no matter where I slid the holster around my waist. Also I work outdoors and sweat alot in this 100 degree humid, heat and end up soaking straight through the cowhide to my gun! That doesn't make me feel good, knowing that I'm perspiring all over my weapon that I saved up a long time to buy. Yea, I know, it's a "TOOL", but I want my $600 tool to last as long as possible WITHOUT worrying about rust.

These type holsters probably work really well for some folks and I'm not knocking it, it just didn't work for me. Maybe I chose to large a gun for this method as it would continuously jab me in the side and back when sitting. Maybe with a smaller gun it would work out better.

Moving on...(sorry for the rant)

While browsing around online for the next best thing I came across a few threads on different forums about the 'Remora Holster'.

Interesting idea, but nah, that would never work for me. A clipless, sticky holster? Yea right, psssht!!

The more I read the more I found out that people were swearing by this thing and several folks owned a Remora for each of their upteen guns. Furthering my research I started watching Youtube videos about the Remora, ok by now I'm getting a little excited at the idea of ordering one for myself!

I decided to give Alan at Remora a call and discuss what I was interested in. Alan was a pleasure to deal with over the phone (except if you have trouble hearing him, ask politely and he'll remove his staticky Bluetooth earpiece, hehe), I told him what I had and he told me what I needed and then we just chatted about guns and holsters and whatever. He wasn't real 'chatty', just a guy that wanted to take the time out for his customer and make sure they're 100% satisfied, read on for the results. ;)

I placed my order the Friday before fourth of July weekend so I knew it might take a little while longer than usual since mine would be shipping during or after a holiday. 11 days later I was delighted to see the bulky yellow package in the mailbox and ran inside to rip into it!

The first thing I noticed about the holster (#10,RTF w/SS) is that it was...BIG! Not big like fat or bulky just taller and wider than I expected. Well, I am trying to carry a Glock 'compact' 19 here, right?

PHOTO:[The Remora holster. #10, w/Reinforced Top, w/Sweat Gaurd]

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The next thing I examined was the sticky like texture on the outside. Yes, like I had read in several other peoples post and reviews online, it is very sticky, like a very sticky rubber. For example, I bet that if you wanted to lay this holster in the dash of your car and drive very fast on a windy road that it wouldn't budge. You could probably wear a couple pair on your hands and feet and climb the side of a building like spiderman, yea THAT sticky...don't try that...either one of those.

PHOTO:[Close up of the 'tacky' and very 'sticky' material used to keep the Remora in place]

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I ordered the optional 'Reinforced Top' (RFT) and I also ordered the optional 'Sweatsheild' (SS) in a size 10 for my Glock 19. There are various sizes for almost any gun and other options as well, such as a lower profile edge on one side for easier drawing of your pistol (Artemis). I just got the standard size because I'm paranoid my gun is gonna get a little dirty, god forbid and I want as much cover as possible.

PHOTO:[The reinforced area of the holster is about 3/4 of the way up from the bottom. It's not actually 'reinforced' at the very top. But does hold open very nicely for easy, one handed reholstering.]

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Sliding my G19 in the Remora for the first time made any worries about 'retention' go away, this fits my gun very nice and snug although not extremely tight. Folks, I'm tellin' ya, it ain't fallin out...unless your tryin that spiderman trick, upside down, THEN it might slip out. But not likely.

PHOTO:[Perfect fit]

photo-19.jpg

PHOTO:[The bottom design is sealed shut. I would probably blow the inside of your holster out every night to keep the inside from collecting dirt]

photo-17.jpg
 
Continued...

So far, I'm pretty satisfied. But, how will it feel when I'm wearing it out and about? Ya know, I did have my supspicions since it's mostly meant for IWB wear. I thought I already tried the IWB method and it didn't work out?!?! What the heck am I doing?!?! Only $25 for an experiment, I guess I'll take one for the team.

PHOTO:[The "skin side" of the holster. I've been wearing mine with an undershirt so I haven't experienced any discomfort with long term exposure to the material against my skin. I've read it sticks to skin VERY well though.]

photo-20.jpg

I decided to waste no time and try it out that night. We had a small gettogether with some friends at one of their houses so I threw on some gym shorts, tshirt and shoes, tied the drawstring on the shorts snug and dropped the Remora in my waistband then holstered my Glock one-handed. It was that simple, I was ready to move on with my night. (And yes, I did put my underwear on before the shorts)

PHOTO:[Perfect holster for doing chores around the house, cuttin grass and just low casual, tshirt/gym shorts kind of wear.]

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At first, walking around the house before we left, it took a little adjusting here and there to find that sweet spot. For me, that's around 2:30-3:00.

Now came the true test...SITTING DOWN. Now before I go any further I'd like to add that I am 6' tall and 195 pounds. I do have the beginnings of a spare tire all the way around, so sitting does seem to 'scrunch' things up a bit around the waist area.

As mentioned before, sitting with my leather/kydex combo was very uncomfortable, I mean, I felt like I was breaking something on my gun or holster everytime I sat in the car or on the couch, or just anywhere! Sitting with the Remora?....not bad, Not bad at all!*

You see, (for me) when I would sit down with my leather/kydex (let's just use 'LK' cause I'm tired of typing 'leather/kydex'....crap), the little metal tabs that held it on my belt and over my pants would pull and twist things that it didn't feel should be pulled and twisted, hence the fear I was breaking something! I know, I know, you have to give it time to wear in, I'm not patient enough to be in pain for a month for a breaking in period, sorry...and it allowed me to SWEAT on my GUN!!! Unacceptable!

The Remora felt loose enough in my waist line to bend WITH ME. Do you follow me? Instead of having hooks and belts and pants all twisting and contorting to new and akward shapes, the Remora just had the 'go with the flow' attitude BUT STUCK EXACTLY where I placed it originally, meaning, it didn't fall out the top of my pants or fall DOWN my pants, it just stayed put. The same goes for the car ride, comfortable in and out of the car.

Oh and btw, no one noticed that I was carrying at the little pow wow we had, I didn't tell my wife I had a new holster either so she didn't even clue in. Of course I have to be careful, I have the noobie 'pat for gun' flinch every five seconds that's a dead giveaway for "why does he keep tugging at his shirt, he's trying to hide something" looks.

So the first day with the Remora proves a success, I had comfort, concealment and tried to just forget about it, which wasn't hard to do.

The next morning I wake up to go to work, I'm getting dressed and had fully planned on using the Smartcarry, wanting to save my new shiny Remora for afterwork, errand running duty. Instead, I decide to try the Remora for atleast the first half of the day and then when the sweating starts I'll switch to the Smartcarry after lunch.

The heat and humidity was intense outside with temperatures slightly above 100. My undershirts was soaked by lunch. Well, let's check that Remora out and switch to the Smartcarry. I take the Glock out of it's holster...what's this?! NO perspiration ANYWHERE on the slide! Unlike the LK holster I would soak through and find my slide dripping with sweat as well. Smartcarry stays put, Glock goes back in the waist in the Remora (one-handed). I'm happy. Let's get back to work.

PHOTO:[Makes for a nice work companion and so far I've noticed no perspiration penetrating through to the gun]

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I have to end this thing somewhere so I'll go ahead and get to my closing comments as I've not worn it THAT long yet, just 3 days.

Although I haven't practiced drawing my weapon from the holster much (yet) I can tell you that it STAYS PUT! I've yanked my gun out several times and reholstered it one handed several times, all with good results. If you decide to not order the reinforced top version, I believe your reholstering speed could be cut in half, but who's sweating reholstering 'fast' right?

Some other points I'd like to mention is just how 'simple' this design is. I mean, you could wear this in your boxers around the house if you wanted to, you don't NEED no stinking gun belt, you don't need to worry about what your going to wear period! There's this chick on YouTube that slid it in her bikini bottoms in the 6:00 position for cryin out loud!!! 'SIMPLE'

I don't have to think or worry about what I'm going to throw on to run that late grocery errand at night, i just grab the Remora, slide my gun in, slip it in my waist, GO! No straps to Velcro, no searching for clean blue jeans and thick belt, no worries what so ever!*

And it holds as tight to your body as your belt or drawstring or elastic waistband will allow. I've experienced NO printing issues so far. My wife knows I carry all day, everyday and so I tried the "where's it at" game with her, trying to have her guess where the gun is on my person. She couldn't pin this one down with me only wearing a tshirt untucked. As I mentioned before, I wear the Remora right around 2:30-3:00 so it blends into my body pretty well. I haven't even tried it at 4:00-5:00 so I'm unsure of any 'printing' issues that may occur at that position.

PHOTO:[Simple. Concealable. Comfort. I like it.]

* photo-23.jpg

I still plan on using my smartcarry from time to time and I'd like to order that Raven Phantom eventually but the Remora is a holster I think everyone should have atleast one of. Even if you're a diehard crossbreed man or woman or whatever else you like, THIS WILL COME IN HANDY for those short jaunts to the gas station, to the grocery store, to the mailbox, to take out the trash, etc... It's simple and easy and I love it. It's actually become my primary for the last few days anyways.

PHOTO:[More gun & holster pics]

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I don't know if it's allowed in these forums or not so I won't post a link or phone number to Remora but just type 'Remora Holsters' in your search engine and you'll find it.

:::Update to this review:::

Since I started typing this review it's been about 5 days now and I'm still using my Remora as my primary carry and still as comfortable as the day I got it.

Tommorrow morning I may switch to the SmartCarry for church just because I haven't figured out if I want to try this holster in a 'tuckable' configuration. Not that it 'couldn't' work, I'm just not ready to try it yet.

I'll try my best to keep this thread updated through the coming months and see how this thing holds up to extended wear. Regardless if it were to wear out sooner than later, I'll be ordering from Alan again. =)

I'd be happy to answer any questions anyone may have about this holster.

Thanks

-Shawn

VIDEO:[Me drawing my weapon and reholstering my weapon with the Remora]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2JLKduCqxQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player
 
First let me say that I have had the very same issues of poor comfort using the IWB that except for very small guns I just cant do it for the very reason you specified.
Getting in and out of a small econo car,sitting on the couch,etc.
In fact about the only place I can do the IWB(barely) is appendix carry and thats with a S&W m37,my micro Diamondback.380,or Khar PM9.
Anything longer,wider,or heavier is just not going to work for me.

So I have to ask just for clarification does that holster just stick to your skin to stay in place??
Is that right??
I live in the south and there is no way I can wear two shirts here such as an under shirt and a regular shirt.
Are you supposed to use an undershirt with that holster to make it adhere to you?
How long is that "stick" supposed to last?
 
Sorry, for some reason this stupid phone won't let me "quote" you!!! Argh!

I'll do like this instead...

-So I have to ask just for clarification does that holster just stick to your skin to stay in place??

Most reviews and videos I've watched about this holster wear it against their skin IWB. I choose not to, not that it's uncomfortable but because I live in the South to (Alabama) and I sweat ALOT while at work. I would rather my undershirt catch the sweat first rather than subjecting my holster to being soaked!

-Is that right??

Yes that is right.


-I live in the south and there is no way I can wear two shirts here such as an under shirt and a regular shirt.

You don't have to. I wear mine around the house between gym shorts, pajama pants, regular shorts or pants and my skin and have NO issue with it moving around. If you do a search and find others reviews you'll see that most wear theirs against their skin. In fact i would probably say it sticks to your skin BETTER than clothing. Now when the sweat starts pouring, I'm not sure, I avoid that by wearing an undershirt and I feel the holster is probably sticky enough to leave a rash towards the end of the day after a lot of activity.

-Are you supposed to use an undershirt with that holster to make it adhere to you?

No. Most wear it against their skin. I wear the undershirt because I don't want my sweat soaking the holster completely.

-How long is that "stick" supposed to last?

Well, I've only had mine for a week now and it hasn't lost any of it's stickiness yet, I can tell you that, and it's become my primary form of carry. I read in another review online somewhere that if it gets dirty after awhile and starts to lose some of it's tacky feel that all you have to do is wipe it down with a warm damp rag and it's as good as new. I'll have to put that to the test and post back with the results.

Thanks
 
I have a Remora which carries a Hi Power with 15 rounds (read: steel and very heavy). It works better than any other IWB holster I have had as far as comfort goes. I have the Commander 1911 sized model, with RFT and sweat shield. My disbelief was just like yours, mutating to curiosity then eager anticipation then finally darn-near fanaticism towards the product.

I really like that you can position it any way you like. I carry a very slight cant at about 2 o'clock (maybe 2:30), and very low ride; the grip is practically hanging the gun on my belt line. When seated, the muzzle comfortable sits outside my leg.

I have worn mine without an undershirt, but prefer it with. It occasionally pulled my skin or hair without the undershirt. It didn't hurt, but the undershirt increased comfort.


You see, (for me) when I would sit down with my leather/kydex (let's just use 'LK' cause I'm tired of typing 'leather/kydex'....crap), the little metal tabs that held it on my belt and over my pants would pull and twist things that it didn't feel should be pulled and twisted, hence the fear I was breaking something! I know, I know, you have to give it time to wear in, I'm not patient enough to be in pain for a month for a breaking in period, sorry...and it allowed me to SWEAT on my GUN!!! Unacceptable!

The Remora felt loose enough in my waist line to bend WITH ME. Do you follow me? Instead of having hooks and belts and pants all twisting and contorting to new and akward shapes, the Remora just had the 'go with the flow' attitude BUT STUCK EXACTLY where I placed it originally, meaning, it didn't fall out the top of my pants or fall DOWN my pants, it just stayed put. The same goes for the car ride, comfortable in and out of the car.

This is the most telling and true part of the review, and I could not have said it any better myself. I am 5'10" and 175-180 pounds, and have the same problem with the hybrid holsters being far too tight and immovable to be comfortable. The summer special type worked better, but still were not exactly comfortable as they would sometimes twist around at the snaps.

The Remora offers a wide range of comfortable movement and is padded enough to increase comfort. The padded nylon and rubber is MUCH more forgiving that the hard metal muzzle reinforcing a hard, boned leather holster.

A nice leather holster is a thing to behold, but I like them for OWB carry.

Your description of Alan is also exactly like my call was to him. Not a talker by any means :D but very helpful in ensuring you are satisfied with the purchase.
 
I feel the same way about wearing it against my skin, it's more comfortable to me to tolerate wearing an undershirt. If I'm just wearing it around the house I'll let it rest against skin but not all day out in this hot, humid weather. I'd rather the holster deteriorate slower than faster from being soaked in sweat day in, day out.

Thanks for reading!

I just ordered another one! ;)
 
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