AIWB Holsters Trial Results

Late last year I acquired seven AIWB (Appendix Inside Waist Band) holsters for testing and review. There are many, many such holsters on the market now, some good, and some not so good. I could have asked for and received more holsters but to have been even-handed in my testing, it would have taken me far too long to use each one long enough to provide a fair evaluation. So, I chose these as my guinea pigs: Cook's IWB Holster with Adjustable Belt Clip, their #1 best seller currently; G-Code Holster's Incog Eclipse; Blade-Tech's Klipt. I also tested four Remora holsters: the standard no-clip holster, the Micro,  the Carbon Carry Hybrid holster, and the Clip IWB holster.

I carried my S&W M&P Shield in these holsters over a period of half a year, alternating them, getting each experience in my daily carry activities, winter, spring and summer. This is important since, like most of you, my activities vary from day to day and week to week. As the seasons change, so do my clothing needs and preferences. A good holster should be adaptable to all of these varying conditions and requirements. As you will see, some were, and some were not. I will discuss each holster in turn, then my conclusions at the end of this article.


Cook's IWB Holster with Adjustable Belt Clip

Cook's with the Shield
body side

Cook's with the Shield
belt side

This is a kydex holster with carbon fiber imprint. It has an ABS 1 1/2" belt clip that is adjustable for cant. The holster was shipped with an extra 1.75" clip.

As you can tell from the photos, the quality of this holster is right up there with the best. Fine attention to detail. Smooth edges and corners. The carbon imprint (an option) is flawless. The Shield fits perfectly. The tension was as I like it originally and I never had to adjust it, although a screw is placed correctly if that is needed.

The sweat guard works as it should and is no bigger than it needs to be. Note that the magazine release is also covered. For AWIB carry I settled on the 1.5" clip, slightly canted as you see. Gave it the best concealment under a T-shirt, which are the mainstays of my summer wardrobe.

The Cook's holster is easy on and easy off yet holds to the belt firmly and won't come off unless you open the clip and deliberately take it off. I carried this one many times and it was always comfortable, didn't pinch or poke and holstered easily and unholstered just as nicely. I found that it conceals your weapon very well. I have worn the Shield in this holster to many public events, all day, under a basic T-shirt and no one has ever been the wiser. After one all-day outing my wife asked me after we returned home if I carried a gun that day. Silly question, but still it spoke volumes about this holster.

G-Code Holster's Incog Eclipse

G-Code Incog Eclipse

G-Code Incog Eclipse

G-Code says that their INCOG series holsters are "joint development projects between Haley Strategic Partners and G-Code Holsters."
As with the Cook's holster, this is a single-clip, kydex (I think. More on this later on...) holster that has what G-Code refers to as "tactical fuzz" bonded to the outer surface. This "fuzz" is what G-Code calls a suede-like synthetic outer laminate which is supposed to dampen noise during movement and reduce the "reflective signature in the IR spectrum and blend with the surrounding environment." All this may be true in certain situations, but for an AIWB holster the fuzz's main advantage is comfort and friction. I'm not overly worried about reflective IR signatures or blending in with AIWB carry.

Of all of the holsters I tested for this writeup, I found the Eclipse to be the best. It wasn't far and away more comfortable than Cook's, but I think the "fuzz" is a bit softer, tends to grab a bit more on my clothing and doesn't move around much at all. For me, I'd say I prefer it. Not by a lot, but still I tended to reach for the Eclipse instead of the Cook's more often.

I haven't found the need to change the position of the clip but it is easily done. The aluminum stand-off looks kind of funky at first, but it is solid and puts the clip out even with the holster body. Note that the clip is sprung outward and is plastic, not metal. I hate metal clips. Thin, springy, sharp and tend to catch on things and are pretty obvious. Not this one. It flexes open easily, grabs the belt, even my thin nylon one, tenaciously and somehow almost disappears. How do they do that?

And, it's a 'tuckable'. I hardly ever tuck my shirt over my weapon. I've done it, and it works, but typically I don't bother.

Blade-Tech's Klipt

Blade-Tech Klipt

This holster is a less expensive and basic version of the Cook's and Eclipse holsters, and many other similarly designed kydex holsters on the market. Its main virtue is the cost: $29 msrp. This is likely due to the fact that these holsters are moulded from injected thermoplastic, not kydex. Can't tell you much more than that except I would venture that because they are moulded on an assembly line, Blade-Tech can produce in volume and bring the costs down.

Injection moulding can produce as fine a holster as kydex, so don't let that stand in the way of regarding the holster for what it is and what it can do. I'd say that this holster performs all of the functions as the previous two almost as well at far less. The Klipt concealed and secured the Shield as well as the Cook's or Eclipse, stayed where I put it, is lightweight and offers an easy draw and re-holster. It certainly came in third in the comfort department, but not by much. There were times, when wearing it all day, that I would have been hard pressed to quickly declare which of the three holsters I had on.

There is not much more to say other than if you want an inexpensive yet quality AIWB holster, this one is definitely worth consideration.

Remora

Remora holsters have been a conundrum for me since I got my first one almost five years ago. I have used pretty much all of their holsters except for their new shoulder holster rig. Sometimes I love them. Sometimes I don't. When the pistol comes out of the carry holster for the day, it goes into a Remora and into the drawer or safe. If I keep a pistol close by in the house, it will be in a Remora. If I zip out to the yard or maybe just down to the store, I may slide the pistol in a Remora under my waistband and take off.

Other times when I'm moving about a lot, like sitting, kneeling and bending, the Remora will work up from it's AIWB position and I can feel it riding too high under my belt and have to take the time to reposition it. I was doing yard work one day and my Remora-clad LCP fell out onto the lawn.

I strongly suspect that if I carried in the strong-side position, I would not have this issue. But, I don't.

So, I have this odd relationship with the Remora. I have some. I use them often, but not for extended out-in-the-world concealed carry. I reviewed the newer ones below.

Standard no-clip holster

Remora standard clipless holster

This is the one that sometimes gives me fits. It is a high-friction, clipless holster with a smooth interior for an easy draw, and high-friction outer material to adhere between your waistband and body, or undershirt. It's biggest drawbacks are, using it in the AIWB position, it's tendency to work up and out of the waistband position, and the inability to re-holster with one hand. (I don't buy the notion that this isn't necessary. One may have one hand occupied with supporting or helping another person, or that hand or arm may be injured so that two hands are necessary to put the gun safely away.)


Micro

Remora Micro

The Micro is essentially a standard Remora holster, open at the bottom as well as the top, with a swiveling metal clip attached. These modification perform two functions: the open bottom allows similarly shaped guns with varying barrel lengths to fit. It is much like the 'belt slide' design, but for IWB carry. The swiveling clip – why they put the clip on a swivel is beyond me – keeps the small surface area holster in place. And makes it tuckable.

This is a surprisingly comfortable holster and pretty much disappears under a light shirt. Two handed holstering is a must. But, I don't like steel clips and the bottom of the clip-swivel sometimes hangs up trying to don the holster.

It is inexpensive. It works. Of bells and whistles, there are none.

Carbon Carry Hybrid holster

Remora Carbon Carry with Shield

The Carbon Copy is Remora's foray into the world of standard type hybrid holsters. I think the main difference is Remora's "no-slip" material on the back side of the leather backing which enhances it's IWB capability. Otherwise, it is very similar to other hybrid design holsters with leather backing and kydex shells. Better made than some, especially the Crossbreed brand.

I have tried this holster for AIWB and although it works, it is better used for strong side carry in my opinion. The Remora folks also advertise this as an optional OWB carry holster and it probably will work that way too, but I didn't try it.

Clip IWB holster

Remora IWB Clip (Remora's photo)

I have used Remora's photo of this holster because I found the holster to be unsatisfactory and took none with my gun inserted. The basic idea is good, and one I had implemented before on a Remora holster, although in a different fashion. Turing the "clipless" holster into a "clip" holster is a means to overcome the tendency of the clipless design to work up and out of the waistband when carried in the appendix or cross draw positions. I earlier took a Remora clipless with mag pouch attached, drilled a hole between the holster and mag pouch, on the sewn seam there, and attached a kydex clip to it. This worked perfectly in the AIWB position, being comfortable (the wide surface area of the holster plus mag pouch contributing to that) and the clip kept it in place.

This design, from Remora, on the other hand has a big problem. It is very difficult to put on and even harder to take off. The metal clip is fitted over a loop sewn onto the holster. The clip stays there because there is a short lip bent into the end of the clip so that it can't slide back off the loop. The end of the clip that goes over the belt is also bent down into a channel and back up forming a lip. Getting the clip over your belt and waistband is hard due to the bend of the clip at the bottom of the loop – it catches something, pants, belt, and snags up. After you do manage to get your belt over that lip and under the clip proper, it holds tight. Trying to remove the clip is a struggle. You have to seriously pull the clip apart, no easy task for some of us with old and or weaker hands, then struggle to get that lip at the end of the loop to release the belt.

I tried this a number of times and finally gave up.

Remora, use a good plastic clip and attach it securely to the holster in such a way that it doesn't interfere with getting the holster on and off. And, forget the swivel thing.

Conclusion

After months of use and testing, it has come down to a toss-up between the Cook's holster and the Eclipse. I am leaning more toward the Eclipse for two reasons: 1. the holster is a bit smaller and the tactical fuzz makes it a bit, but not a lot, more comfortable, and 2. the clip is better.

After extensive use of holsters for mid-sized semi-autos like the Shield and the Ruger SR9c I have come to favor the minimal designs. Less is more in the sense of, with the right design, an AIWB holster should be as small and unobtrusive as possible while meeting the requirements of security, accessibility, concealment and comfort. Personally, I find a small, conforming excellently designed synthetic holster to be much more useable, comfortable and secure than a slab of leather, clips and kydex or plastic stuck inside my pants.

For the ones I tested for this article I am declaring the G-Code Eclipse as the one that meets my requirements the best.

Versacarry Holsters - a review

A couple of weeks ago I received a number of Versacarry Holsters ( http://www.versacarry.com/ ) for use and review. I had read a mention of these holsters on the Elsie Pea Forum (now the Ruger Pistols Forum) and was intrigued by the concept.

These are not 'holsters' as we know them, but what I woud describe as synthetic, mimimum bulk and weight, concealed carry pistol IWB attachments. But, for this review, I will still refer to it as a holster.

Examples of the Versacarry lineup

Component parts and a look at how it fits to the gun frame

 As you can see, there is only one side to this holster. The clip goes over the belt, the gun and holster inside the waistband and the side of the gun rides against the body. Or, in my case, an undershirt. On first glance, this would seem to be uncomfortable, but to my surprise, it is not. This depends, of course, on where you carry the holster - against the hipbone will not be a comfortable place. I carry Rugers, the LCP, the LC9 or the SR9c as self defense guns. Even though I have skateboard tape attached to the slides of the LCP and the SR9c to aid in racking them, I felt no discomfort carrying them as long as I positioned them properly.

The other thing that most people think right away is, "what about the trigger guard? It's only on one side. Isn't that dangerous?"

The Versacarry company does not recommend anyone carry a pistol with this holster armed with a round in the chamber. I understand this, but I also understand that carrying a semi-automatic pistol for self defense that does NOT have a round chambered is a very foolish idea. There are too many instances in which the time or opportunity to draw a pistol, then rack in a round to make it ready to shoot, is not possible. I could enumerate these situations, but I'll only state one objection: a 'bad guy' has his hands on you and you are using your non-shooting hand to fend him off while you reach for your weapon with the other. How are you going, then, to rack in a round with one hand?

So, my preference is to carry "locked and loaded".  I am not advocating this to you. You have to make up your own mind and be comfortable with the decision. This brings us back to the question of the trigger guard, which is supplied as an option and only for one side of the holster. Obviously, having a trigger guard on a holster is a great idea and for me, I won't consider one without it. The trigger guard here is positioned to guard against the trigger coming in contact with anything that might end up between the trigger and the pants' side of the holster. The opposite side, the side next to your body, has nothing to hang up on. I querried Justin, the owner of Versacarry about this. His response was that used properly, which includes attaching the pistol to the Versacarry before clipping the holster into the pants, there is nothing to hang up on the trigger. Most negligent discharges of a pistol occur when re-holstering a loaded gun into a defective or blocked holster. Besides, if you follow Versacarry's instructions and do not carry with a round in the chamber, there should be no cause for worry.

Again, like carrying with the side of a pistol against your body, the trigger guard question is one you will have to answer for yourself and be comforatable with. I personally do not have an issue with this arrangement given my comments above, but it is a personal decision.

The Versacarry holsters are sized for caliber and for length. As you can see from the photos, the pistol is held to the holster by a spring action of the plastic and metal retention rod that fits up into the barrel. The rod is positioned at a angle to the holster "frame" which flexes and pushes the frame of the pistol against the frame of the holster. The rod is made of a somewhat soft and maleable plastic, tapered a bit at the top and threaded with a steel insert to accept a long steel screw. The attachment is solid. The rod is made slightly smaller (0.015") than the pistol's barrel diameter for a good fit. I found that once inserted and withdrawn a few times, the fit is perfect and the rod is long enough that the pistol sits securely on it.

Showing rod mounted to the frame

The nice thing about this design is that a given holster will fit any number of pistols of the same caliber. My two 9 mm's and my .380 will fit the same diameter rod. The difference is in the length of the frame:

Same caliber, different lengths

For a given gun, you can get a holster that will carry it more deeply or more shallowly, depending on how you like your gun to ride above the belt line. They are also offering an adjustable holster so that it will be adaptable to guns of different thickness but of the same caliber. A nice touch.

The Versacarry holsters are made with a clip that will accommodate belts up to 1 1/2" wide and 1/4" thick, including the waistband material of the pants. They have a good video on their site about how the gun is mounted, clipped, into the holster and how the holster is attached and removed.

One quirk of this design is that if you draw your gun and then remove the holster in order to re-attach and re-install the holster/gun into your waistband, the empty holster may catch the barrel retention rod on your undershirt when taking it off. This can happen of course while you are practicing the draw from the holster with an unloaded gun of course. This is not a big deal because in a normal concealed carry situation, you won't be drawing and re-holstering your gun anyway.

Lastly, the draw. I can firmly state that there is no holster out there that offers a smoother or quicker draw than the Versacarry. Some, a few, might be as good, but not better in my opinion. The pistol slips off the barrel retention rod smoothly and there is really nothing else to impede the gun.


So, in conclusion, I think this is one of the most innovative pistol concealed carrying devices available. It weighs next to nothing. It is strong, easy to attach the pistol to and draws very easily. It also offers your option of a deeply concealed carry or one that rides higher, holding the grips higher above the belt line. It is useable in practically any position - probably not a good choice for small of back carry, but I find it works fine as a cross draw holster as well as in the other positions. As they demonstrate in their videos, it is pretty easy to attach and remove with the gun in place. And, at the current price point, the Versacarry is about half what you would expect to pay for an 'ordinary' holster with the exception of a few Galcos and the more simple leather brands. Backed by the Versacarry no questions asked replacement policy it's hard to beat.

Its uniqueness offers questions about the design that are not present with more conventional designed holsters: nothing between the body and the gun, an optional trigger guard only on one side, and the requirement to remove the Versacarry in order to attach the pistol to it. These are different factors - not "bad", but a function of the innovative design of the holster. 

 Most of us have a number of holsters in our carry 'wardrobe'. The Versacarry now has a place in mine. It's not my exclusive concealed carry holster solution, but there are times and places where it is a good choice.