Everyday Carry Holsters – Which Do I Use?

I wear all Kydex holsters as I like the protection that they give my firearm’s and retention is excellent so I do not need a hammer strap. When compared to leather, the Kydex holsters do not wear the finish off the gun as much as leather and you do not have to condition Kydex like you do leather, just keep them clean so they do not collect dirt that may scratch the handgun’s finish. It is also very important to wear a belt that is designed to carry a firearm. A thin dress belt does not hold the weight of a handgun very well and tends to sag under pressure. It takes a lot of weight off your pants and keeps it on the belt.

One holster I wear quite a lot is my Aholster OWB holster, it snaps on my belt and is very comfortable. For an OWB holster, it hugs your body nice and tight and keeps the gun butt next to your body. That being said it is not the most concealable due to the fact that the barrel is outside of your belt, so that means the full length of the handgun is outside your pants and must be covered to stay concealed. So this particilar holster does work well in the Fall and Winter months when heavier clothing is worn. In the Spring and Summer time when lighter clothing is worn, it is more of a challenge to conceal this holster.

My favorite holster to wear is my Comp-tac IWB holster, it conceals very well and hugs your body really nice. Since the barrel is inside your pants, the only portion of the gun that is visible is the butt of the gun and that is tucked-in very tight to your body. This is one of the best type of holsters to conceal, and it works well all times of the year, no matter how much clothes you have on. The only thing to consider is the fact that it is also a little more uncomfortable to wear. It took me a little while to get used to having that big bunch of gun inside my waistband. That being said, it is the main holster I wear to this day. Many people like a new variation of this holster called a “Hybrid” which is a half Kydex, half leather because they say they are more comfortable.

One of my newest holsters is from Gunfighters, INC. Kenai Chest holster. It is designed to be worn on the outside of your clothes with a backpack or other gear and not get in the way of most anything. I use it when riding horses, motorcycles, 4-wheelers, also walking, hiking and backpacking, etc. This rig is extremely comfortable, easy to get to and stays out of the way. The harness securs the holster around your shoulder, holding the gun in place and carrying all the weight of the firearm, therefore feels light as ever. The handgun snaps in place and holds the gun very secure. Many times when I walk on public roads around our place I do not want to keep the handgun in plain sight so I wear a yellow safety vest that has the sides open for an easy draw but covers the handgun just a bit – it works great!

My pocket holster is made by Aholster (same as my OWB holster), and works very well. I do not use it for my Glock 30 because it is too big for pocket carry, but I had one made for my Glock 26. That handgun is known as the “Baby Glock” and is fairly easy to carry concealed. But some people will argue that the G26 is still too large for pocket carry, but with some good wardrobe choices it works for me. Pocket holsters are made right or left-handed and will fit in about any pocket you desire. If you use them in your pants pocket, they must be slash-style pockets, Jean-style pockets will not work very well, too tight! But most vests, jackets, etc. will work really well. As you can see by the picture I placed some black duct tape on the holster that covers the open end of the holster, pocket carry has one draw-back – pocket-lint! It can get everywhere and can possibly jam-up your gun. So covering up the open-end decreases the chances of pocket-lint in your gun.

My last holster is a Comp-tac Paddle holster, which I do not use anymore. This was my first holster for my Glock 30 and it seemed like a great idea at the time. It is made really well and holds the gun very secure (snaps in place), and that’s very important. This paddle holster was very comfortable to wear and I liked it except for one thing, it was very difficult to conceal. It works well for open carry but as a concealment holster it did not work for me. So I replaced that with Comp-tas’s IWB holster and have been wearing that for about 15 years.

Why Those Brands?