Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Fancy CCW Holsters...pro's & con's

Fancy Conceal Carry Holsters – Game Changers or Trouble Makers? - Defend and Carry

Aug 26, 2015 

Fancy Concealed Carry Holsters; Form Over Function? 

Quality and simple design are two of the hallmarks of any good product.  When it comes to conceal carry holsters, there’s a fine line between designing for a shooter and designing simply to carry.  In the first case, a shooter is able to grow through using a concealed carry holster – i.e. adjust cant, weapon height, or even position.  In the second, the concealed carrier is stuck in a very constrained position.

Let’s go over several unique, fancy concealed carry holster types and check out what makes them so unique… It may be for all the wrong reasons.

Panty Draw Concealed Carry Holsters

On the outset, many women have a distinct disadvantage when doing concealed carry.  Women’s clothes are, for the most part, designed to accentuate curves and surfaces rather than conceal them.  And unfortunately, dresses don’t always provide the best anchor for an inside the waistband concealed carry holster.  Thus, enterprising concealed carry holster designers have tried to use any available space to try to hide a pistol.

PROS:  Depending on the manufacturer, some of these holsters may be relatively secure.

CONS:  Design.  Ergonomics.

Right off the bat, different manufacturers will make a different quality and design.  Is yours enough to hold a pistol at the correct cant and retention?  More importantly, is the cant adjustable to how you naturally draw and fire a handgun?  It’s no use having a concealed carry holster that cannot change with your training.

Ergonomics.  A panty draw concealed carry holster has often been described as wearing a very thick adult diaper.  That’s because you’re taking prime real estate and stuffing it with fabric that may or may not be breathable and flex well with your body.  And because they fasten all the way around the waist, they really can’t flex with swelling or weight shift which will occur naturally throughout the day.

VALUE:  Worth it?  Probably not.  As a concealed carry holster option, this one is really not a great pick.

CCW Purse Holsters

Women have been storing their firearms in purses since Derringers were a thing.  Purses, garter belts, and elsewhere – there’s been a great need to incorporate comfortable, accessible concealed carry holsters in such a way that they can be carried daily.

Design Style #1 – Concealed Carry Holster Within a Purse

It’s a trade-off.  For those who are slaves to fashion, there’s a desire to use that beautiful $5,000 handbag as a concealed carry holster.  Unfortunately, Coach and others don’t design handbags for safely storing guns.  As we’ve discussed in previous articles, purses are not a good way to store a concealed carry pistol or revolver.  Purses can be snatched, grabbed, wrestled with, or otherwise compromised in such a way that a woman cannot have access to her own weapon.

PROS:  None.

CONS:  Vulnerability to compromise.

VALUE:  This isn’t a good solution.

Design Style #2 – Attached CCW Purse Holster

This is basically a multi-function drop holster.  It’s a purse by design but it’s configured to strap to the thigh and across the hips.  Great for those looking to have an outside the waistband concealed carry holster without the appearance of one.  Unfortunately, many of these purses are designed to still function as purses – not holsters.  There’s no adjustable features and inevitably, there will be plenty of fumbling with zippers and straps to get access to a gun.

PROS:  It’s better than using a purse.

CONS:  The delay between unzipping or unfastening the pouch where the pistol is stored and withdrawing it in time to respond to an attack is enough of a reason to forgo.

VALUE:  Given the detractors, it’s an improvement over using a purse.

The best way to truly ready your concealed carry pistol or revolver will be through training and daily wearing of an inside the waistband concealed carry holster.  It may require a slight chance to style or fashion but ultimately, it’s the peace of mind of knowing you’re ready to respond when a crisis hits.

What types of unconventional, interesting holsters have you encountered?  Did they work for you?  Tell us about it in the comments section below.

1 comment:

  1. Well information you have shared about Fancy CCW Holsters,here we have the best Concealed carry holster on the planet! (IWB) In waistband, ankle and pocket holsters.

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