What do you look for in a holster

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scythefwd

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Topic is pretty much it.

What do you like in an iwb holster. What do you hate in a holster. What materials do you find hold up better, what works best against the skin, recommend undergarments, etc..

I know its really basic questions, but I'm about to start utilizing my chp, so thought I'd get some informed opinions.
 
Comfort and concealment. Remember, there's a big difference between a little bit of printing and brandishing.

I use the master tuk deluxe on everydayholsters.com. The leather is comfortable yet durable and the custom fit kydex provides awesome retention. Plus you can adjust the ride height to adjust cant.

-Safety is no accident, unless you accidentally leave the safety on when you intend to shoot.
 
I dress the same whether I'm carrying or not. Jeans and a t-shirt, or untucked button down, depending where I'm at. I wear a cotton undershirt with the button down. Nothing real unique...

I like the leather/kydex hybrid style. Been wearing the same holster for a few years now, part of that was when I lived in Phoenix, AZ. The leather has held up just fine. I sweat a bit more where the leather is against my skin/underwear, but not enough to bother me, the gun, or the holster.

I started out like you. A little Q&A, wanted to do it right/best. In hindsight, people make a way bigger deal about this than is necessary. Get a holster. Carry with it. It's not gonna be unbearable, but it's not going to be as comfortable as walking around without a gun strapped to you, either. You get over it pretty quickly.

Clint Smith supposedly says, a gun isn't supposed to be comfortable; it's supposed to be comforting. Idk if he really says that, but it always made sense to me.
 
I have leather holsters and kydex holsters. I like both and each has their advantages. In general, I prefer kydex for range/training use and leather for concealment. Kydex usually doesn't require any break-in, usually ships faster, is normally less expensive for a similar level of quality, and is lightweight and weather resistant. Leather, at least OWB, generally conceals a little better and is usually more comfortable for me.

Characteristics I look for are...

- The ability to obtain a full firing grip while the gun is holstered
- I want the mouth of the holster to stay open to allow one handed reholstering
- For an OWB concealment holster I look a trailing loop that pulls the grip of the gun close to the body
- Since I normally wear my holsters strong side, aft of the hip, I also prefer muzzle rear cant (known as FBI cant) generally in the 10 - 20 degree range
 
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...but I'm about to start utilizing my chp,
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As a general comment, since each state uses different terminology for their concealed carry permits, it usually helps out the rest of the forum, who don't live in your state (though I used to live in Gainesville, VA, and Newport News), to not use abbreviations of such so we know what they are talking about. While I can probably guess what your abbreviation stands for, I may get it wrong. I'm going to assume it is not the California Highway Patrol (chp) you are planning on utilizing.
 
Everybody is different. There really isn't a "best" here since skin sensitivity, sweat production, and body shapes and sizes vary so much.

I really want to like my leather iwb holsters, but they are not comfortable, even when broken in. I had gotten kind of used to them, then tried the Alien Gear Cloak Tuck. Out of the box, it was WAY more comfortable than my Comp-Tac (which cost 3x as much.) I now have 3 of them.

It is not as durable as leather - I have already messed up one backing (which they replaced quickly, with no hassle, and for free. Some people say they make them sweat more than leather. For me it's just about the same, except the leather soaks up the sweat, the Alien gear just keeps it on my skin.

One thing I can tell you is that you will end up with several holsters you don't like, and one you do. Sometimes I think THR should start a holster swap service. I have seen folks with drawers full of holsters on here.
 
As a general comment, since each state uses different terminology for their concealed carry permits, it usually helps out the rest of the forum, who don't live in your state (though I used to live in Gainesville, VA, and Newport News), to not use abbreviations of such so we know what they are talking about. While I can probably guess what your abbreviation stands for, I may get it wrong. I'm going to assume it is not the California Highway Patrol (chp) you are planning on utilizing.
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I would assume that since I posted asking about holsters, on a gun forum, specifically iwb in nature, the chp would be somewhat unambigious. If you look at the request, I could have left that statement completely out and not changed the request at all...

So you are less confused - what qualities and materials do you look for in an inner waist band type holster and why do you prefer those materials.
 
I would assume that since I posted asking about holsters, on a gun forum, specifically iwb in nature, the chp would be somewhat unambigious.
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Because it is on a gun forum and in the holster section, we all get IWB. It is a common abbreviation for Inside the Waistband holsters in every state, and probably throughout the world.

State specific abbreviations like CHP, CHL, FOID, CWP, etc., always drive me nuts.

So you are less confused - what qualities and materials do you look for in an inner waist band type holster and why do you prefer those materials.
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See post #5.
 
For IWB, leather, leather or leather. Horsehide is good -- Kramer's IWB #3 is the king -- I've got a couple that are 20 years old, still solid as the day I got 'em. I also love my Milt Sparks VM-2 (the most comfortable IWB ever made) and his Summer Special.

Good leather isn't damaged by sweat, and a well-made holster will have a mouth that never collapses and allows one-handed re-holstering for its entire lifespan.

I've lived in Arizona, but been in the PNW for almost twenty years, and my premium leather IWBs remain comfortable and durable.
 
Your body shape will have some influence on your choice. For comfort, retention, and wearability, I recommend Nate Squared (N82). I also use a Bianchi Model 100 Professional. I like the sweat tab on it.
 
scythefwd

I think 73ch13 has it right: comfort and concealment. For me that means a DeSantis SOF-TUCK IWB holster for almost all of my smaller, sub-compact guns. For guns that are a bit larger I prefer an OWB holster like the DeSantis E-GAT Slide and Mini Slide.
 
Despite being very 'old school' in most of my personal choices....I much prefer the new molded kydex holsters over leather. I feel they have better retention, and they are much better for reholstering than leather.
Mine is from 'Squared Away Customs".
 

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There's always a trade-off between comfort, accessibility, retention, and in CCW holsters, concealmemt.

I have two holsters that balance them well; both Kydex IWB for my compact .45.

The rest sacrifice at least one of the 4. Pocket holsters sacrifice retention and some accessibility for comfort. My hybrid holster doesn't stay put, likes to slide down my side with the 1911 in it. (I even put tacky shelf liner over the bare leather to help hold it in place; it's better, but sweatier.) The Remora is nice with the snub, but the Remora for the compact .45 and 1911 require me to cinch the belt a little too tight. :eek:

Wouldn't mind finding a Berns-Martin for the snub, they were a nice option.
 
73ch13 said: Comfort and concealment.
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That's what it's all about.
No matter what way you want to carry, (pocket, iwb, owb, cross, appendix, etc ) comfort & concealment are really the only things that matters.

Just my 2¢ worth.
 
  • A holster that is made specifically to fit the particular gun I intend to carry. As a general rule of thumb, any holster with a list of guns that it can be used with is not worth buying.
  • A belt holster. Clip-ons can work, but I much prefer the additional stability that a good belt attachment provides.
  • A holster that is made to attach to the specific belt width that I will be wearing it on. Holsters that fit a variety of belt widths tend to move around more on the belt unless your belt is the maximum width that the loops/slots fit. And as a leather holster moves on a leather belt, it makes a rather distinctive noise.
  • If there are snaps, I much prefer one-way snaps to lessen the chance of their being accidentally unsnapped.
  • I want a holster which can be easily removed so that in the event I need to disarm for some reason, I can easily remove the entire holster WITH the gun rather than drawing the gun as an intermediate step. The ability to easily reinstall the entire gun/holster combo on the belt as a unit is also a significant advantage. My carry gun NEVER leaves the holster when I'm out of the house--that's one of my strategies to help prevent unintentional discharge. If I have to disarm, the gun stays in the holster and the holster is removed.
  • I much prefer leather holsters. They are quieter and wear the gun less.
  • I prefer a holster that allows a full grip, or at least a good partial grip (perhaps minus exact thumb positioning) on the gun prior to drawing so that before the draw starts, I have a proper shooting grip on the pistol with my strong hand. It speeds things up and lessens the likelihood of bobbling the draw/fumbling the gun.
  • For an IWB holster I prefer that a leather holster be made rough side out. For an OWB, rough side in.
  • For a concealment holster I prefer a cant and since that's how I normally carry, I like the same cant in all the holsters I might use for self-defense or "practical" style competitions.
 
More and more, I'm finding that I like kydex holsters. I just stumbled across Blackpoint Tactical and find their Mini Wing IWB holster to be super comfortable. It allows me to carry a full sized gun all day quite comfortably. Rides close to the body and spreads the weight of the gun out nicely across the waist. It's also a pretty low profile design with the kydex only really being shaped to the gun with the little leather "wings" holding the belt clips. I have one for my P226, P229, and Glock 19. They're not cheap, but are also not the most expensive thing out there either. I'd highly recommend you try one for IWB. I'm also giving serious thought to getting one for my 1911's and an OWB for one of the Sigs.
 
Security, ease of presentation and re-holstering, durability, and how well it performs its intended mission- concealment, deep concealment, open carry/field, etc.
 
Comfort, comfort and comfort . We all know that we are able to carry, but comfort, in my experience can be the difference between always carrying, and skipping it , for that wedding for which you must wear a tux, you know, that sort of thing. Murphy's law has ruled my life, so comfort is highly important. The 95 degree day that I skip it, is the day I will need it. Imagine the feeling that all of the expense, training, practice, all of it wasted, because it was uncomfortable today and it wasn't with you. High quality carry gear, that fits, is as important as caliber, load, or anything else. Can't help me or anyone else when it's locked up in my home or my car safe.
 
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For OWB I prefer Kydex; for IWB I prefer a leather/Kydex hybrid. The IWB I use is the Crossbreed Supertuck and I love it. Great retention, comfortable (even when sweating a lot), consistent draw characteristics, and easily removed from the belt.

As far as sweat handling goes, the Crossbreed has leather (suede) against skin, which I think is most comfortable, and I have never had any sweat-through to the other side.

If you do go with the same holster as I did, I would recommend the Combat Cut option.
 
I ended up going with a Winthrop holsters iwb leather holster with belt loops, not hooks. She gets delivered today, we'll see how she feels.
 
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