Bear Creek Holsters' Concealed Caddy

I have a new Concealed Caddy gun carrier made by Doug Childers of Bear Creek Holsters in Texas. This is an item that I might never have thought of, even though it is such a useful part of any carry system.

Concealed Caddy with a Model 1911

With a S&W 686 4" Barrel

The fit.

As many of you do, I spend a lot of time in my car. Probably too much, but in this day, it can't be helped. For me,  living at a minimum of fifteen to twenty minutes away from major stores and service facilities, being in the car often is just part of life. A good example is the prohibition of carrying concealed within a post office.

This requires that I remove my carry gun either in it's carry holster (easier with a clip type, which I don't particularly like) or from the holster and place it in an inconspicuous place in the car while I visit the post office. If I were leaving it for more than a minute or two, I would lock it in the car safe, but, for a two minute in-and-out, in a small town, that's a little too much for me. Then, back in the car, retrieve my gun and/or holster and put it back on. Now, with this new Concealed Caddy, I can house my gun in the Caddy, take it from the house to the car, slip the Caddy between the seat and console and off I go. When I leave the car for my quick post office visit, the Caddy and gun stay where they are (in a locked car, of course) - nothing to tip off someone glancing inside that there is a holstered gun in the car - and I can just come back and drive away. The gun is always readily accessible but out of sight. And, instead of switching holsters, or having it rattle around inside the door pocket, my handgun sits protected inside a nice, lined leather case. Here are some photos from the Bear Creek Holster site demonstrating how the Caddy works:

The Concealed Caddy tucked between the seat and console.

Both snaps open. If you weren't looking almost straight down, you would not see the handgun inside. Also, if you were in the passenger seat, you also would not be able to see the gun.

Slide your hand down, using the inner surface of the flap as a guide, and it falls naturally on the pistol's grips, ready to be drawn if need be.

Like many simple ideas, this one is basic and effective. The Caddy is made from premium leather - your choice of color, within reason I imagine, and is lined with soft leather to protect your precious handgun. It closes with two sturdy snaps and, when closed, completely covers and protects the gun inside. The neat triangular shape allows you to wedge it practically anywhere and the characteristics of the leather outside surfaces help it stay where you put it.

I began my testing and evaluation of the Caddy with a trip from southern Colorado to that weird La-La Land of Colorado, also known as Aspen. It's a long drive almost completely through the state south to north and back again over various mountain passes and valleys with around numerous elevations gains that go from around 4000' to over 11,000' feet. Twists and turns. Frequent stops. In and out of the car. So, I took my handy Ruger SR9c along in the Caddy and a Remora in the door pocket for those times I needed to make the transfer from Caddy to holster and back again. Like, I pull into a quick stop gas station for something to drink, I'm not leaving the pistol in the car, for obvious reasons. The drill was simple. I kept the Caddy between my seat and center console with the rear snap open on the Caddy. It was easy to wedge down sufficiently low to not interfere with anything, yet, when I needed to get to the gun inside, I merely swiveled the Caddy forward, which positioned the flap in the open, unobstructed by the console and easily accessible, popped the front snap and slid my hand inside to a ready grasp of the grips. I would have my Remora out, slide the Ruger into it and that into my waistband and, shazam!, ready to exit. Reverse the process and you are ready to hit the road again.

I could have as easily just slipped the Caddy from its position between the seat and console, got out, tucked it under my arm and gone about my business. Nothing there to indicate what I am carrying. The Caddy is shaped to accommodate a range of gun sizes, but since it isn't shaped like a handgun or molded to shape, it is just a nice leather triangular envelope which could house almost anything. A nice touch.

I will be posting again as me and my Concealed Caddy get more mileage together, so check in again now and then. At this point, after hundreds of miles and days of a hectic road trip, we are getting along fine and I wonder why I didn't think of this before. But, Doug did. Thanks, Doug.

Holster Evaluation Results

Bear Creek's IWB for the LCP
A Damn Good Holster

I have a number of holsters primarily for concealed carry, and I have tried a few more than that. A few I have kept for a while, carrying them in various situations, dress and weather, evaluating which ones work the best for me. My goal is to arrive at two or three holsters that I carry in one or two positions so that I limit the possibilities for confusion should I need to react in a self-defense scenario.

All well and good, but it became obvious that I needed some method to my madness or I would be relying on memory and fading impressions, both of which are increasingly unreliable. So, I developed a simple chart with which to record and analyze my simple requirements. You will see that below. At the time I began keeping these records, I owned a Ruger LC9 along with the other two Rugers in the chart. I've since put the LC9 up for sale since I believe it is redundant to the SR9c which has many advantages over the somewhat smaller LC9. Regardless, I did collect data about that gun which is shown below.

The chart below is grouped by gun, then by score. A higher score is better than a lower one. I generally took the range from 1 (worst) to 5 (best). These are obviously subjective and relate to my preferences, habits and body type. Meanings of the rating categories:

Secure: Does the gun and holster stay where I put it, throughout a carry period. This usually involved sitting, standing, walking, some short running, kneeling, bending, and the normal activities you'd be engaged in throughout the day. I want a holstered gun to stay where I want it to be throughout my day. Period. This is a problem for IWB holsters unless comfort is sacrificed.

Comfort: Speaks for itself. If the rig is comfortable, I'll carry it readily and for long periods. Otherwise, it ends up in the drawer or on eBay. I don't have to "forget it is there". In fact, I want to know it is there, where it is and that it is not bugging me endlessly.

Cover: Do normal garmets cover the holster and gun in normal, everyday activities, or do I have to continually adjust for either comfort or, worse, concealment. This is also a major issue with most IWB holsters. It is closely associated with the "Secure" category, above. First, if the holster and gun can be worn comfortably in a way that conceals under normal garb, then, will it stay there. If it prints anywhere you put it on, then it fails this test obviously. If it swivels, rotates, shifts or otherwise moves into a place where it prints, this is a failure of a holster allegedly made for concealment.

T-Shirt: I wear T-shirts frequently in the spring and summer, so any IWB (and some OWB) holsters that are made to conceal will have to do so under a T-shirt. Around here, when fall really comes in, we can count on putting the T-shirts away until late spring, so this is a requirement that might be met with a 'summer' holster that works particularly well with T-shirts.

Final Notes
A category that doesn't appear in the charts but is assumed to be there for any self-defense holster is ease of draw. If the thing is hard to draw from, it's going back to the maker with a note, or in the trash.

The Bear Creek IWB holster pictured above was one of my first LCP holsters. It served me well and long. I sold it to a friend who was getting started with concealed carry. If I had it to do again, I'd keep it, and have Doug make one for him.

I currently have a new D.M. Bullard OWB cross draw holster made for the SR9c. I have been using and testing it for a few weeks - thanks to Dave for the opportunity. It is not rated in the charts. As I have noted in previous posts here, while the quality is outstanding, the combination of my body type and the size and heft of the SR9c contributes to the holster not pulling the butt of the gun in close enough to my torso. Regardless of where I position it, and I wear a heavy gun belt made by Doug Childers of Bear Creek Holsters, there is always a one to two inch gap between the gun butt and me, which produces printing under anything other than a jacket. I am still working with the holster and will have a more detailed final review here later.

Update: Since this was originally posted I have experienced and issue carrying the Ruger SR9c and a Versacarry in the cross draw position. When bending down sharply to pick something off the floor, the magazine button on my SR9c was depressed and the magazine ejected onto the floor. Caution is advised if you use a Ruger SR9 or 40 series semiauto with a Versacarry holster in the cross draw or appendix carry position. More information will be posted when I get feedback from Versacarry.

Holster	Type	Gun	Rating	Secure	Comfort	Cover?	T-Shirt	Comments
Bullard Bodyguard	OWB	LC9	17	5	4	4	4	Comfortable. Secure. Hides well. Draws well.
Remora	IWB	LC9	14	3	3	4	4	Versatile. Ambidextrous. Moves from position depending on your activities.
Versacarry	IWB	LC9	14	3	3	4	4	Minimal. Trigger open on one side. Inexpensive. More comfortable than it appears.
pjholster	IWB	LC9	12	3	1	4	4	Excellent quality. Light. Hard. Not comfortable in appendix or cross draw positions.
Remora Tuckable	IWB	LC9	12	3	3	4	2	Versatile. Ambidextrous. Moves from position depending on your activities.
Fobus	OWB	LC9	9	3	4	1	1	Paddle can be insecure. Minimal concealment. Requires cover.
Uncle George	Pocket	LCP	20	5	5	5	5	Quality. Ease of carry. Very concealable.
Galco Stow-n-Go	IWB	LCP	19	5	4	5	5	Inexpensive, well made, excellent clip, comfortable.
Nemesis	Pocket	LCP	19	5	4	5	5	Quality. Ease of carry, problematic access in front pocket.
Bullard Bodyguard	OWB	LCP	18	5	5	4	4	Comfortable. Secure. Hides well. Draws well. Very high quality.
Versacarry	IWB	LCP	18	4	4	5	5	Minimal. Trigger open on one side. Inexpensive. Very comfortable in this smaller size.
Remora	IWB	LCP	16	3	4	5	4
Bullard Bandit	OWB	SR9c	17	5	5	4	3	Comfortable. Secure. Needs cover. Draws well. Very high quality.
N82	IWB	SR9c	15	3	4	4	4	Comfort. Secure. Adjustable cant. Large.
Supertuck	IWB	SR9c	15	4	3	4	4	Big. Wide. Difficult clips. Better for bigger person.
Versacarry	IWB	SR9c	14	4	3	4	3	Minimal. Fragile. Trigger open on one side. Cheap
Remora	IWB	SR9c	12	3	3	3	3	Versatile. Ambidextrous. Moves from position.
Remora Tuckable	IWB	SR9c	11	3	3	4	1	Versatile. Ambidextrous. Moves from position.

		Comments
Versacarry	IWB	May break at clip hinge if over stressed. Trigger guard covered on one side only. Surprisingly comfortable.
pjholster	IWB	Hard, inflexible, and comfort depends on position.
Bullard Bodyguard & Bandit	OWB	Conceals surprisingly well with a loose T-shirt, but not perfectly. Comfortable. Secure. Needs cover. Draws well. Very high quality.
Remora	IWB	Basic holster. No reinforcement or sweat shield. All Remoras may shift position a small amount or significantly depending on where they are placed, and the activities engaged in. Some locations are more secure than others. For larger guns, between the belt and waistband is most secure. The tuckable versions work well with the same caveats as above.
Uncle George Holster	Back Pocket	The almost perfect pocket carry. Always in position. Light and flexible enough to be very comfortable, heavy enough to protect the LCP. Easy to draw. Conformed so you sit on the end of the panel, not the pistol.
N82 Tactical Pro	IWB	A good solution to concealment and comfort, with a couple of design flaws. Comfort is outstanding especially for the larger guns. Protection of the pistol is also excellent. The single clip means easy on and off, but permits the holster and gun to move, swivel and change position which may produce some printing. The gun is held in place by a designed "lip" cast in the plastic over the trigger guard which requires a slight inward twisting motion to release the gun on the draw. Something else to remember which adds a complicating factor in what may be a stressful situation.
Crossbreed Supertuck	IWB	Wide leather base, kydex holster with dual clips which can be difficult to engage. Adjustable in cant and ride height. Not as comfortable as the N82 Tactical, but more stable. Expensive.
Galco Stow-n-Go	IWB	An outstanding solution to a comfortable, effective and inexpensive IWB carry for small pistols. May work as well with larger handguns. And, it is inexpensive with one of the best clips on the market.