Alright friends, holsters are a big deal. They are what make you and your firearm "one" and they protect you and others from horrible things like negligent discharges. Some are more comfortable than others (not going to lie, I've been sent some gear for free and some of the holsters have been painful in less than five minutes) but once you find a style that works for you, the hard part is over.
When I'm looking to purchase a new holster, I stick to three main objectives and I've yet to be disappointed with them. First and foremost:
YOUR HOLSTER SHOULD ALWAYS BE MADE OF A HARD SIDED MATERIAL LIKE KYDEX.
I'll say it again in case you were zoning out (it's ok, I zone out all the time too 😂), your holster should ALWAYS be made of a hard sided material like kydex.
The holster above is the Sirius OWB holster by Eclipse Holsters. I'll provide a link for it at the bottom of the blog post. You can use code THINBLUELIFESTYLE at checkout to save you 20%!!
When my firearm isn't on my body, it's in the above pictured holster. I use that holster for training and when I'm attending court in a suit. The hard sided material over the trigger protects the firearm from a negligent discharge- an occurrence that happens when the gun goes "bang" and you did not intend it to.
Next up on my list of holster rules:
There needs to be a mod-wing on the holster if it is being used for IWB carry.
This is my most used holster at the moment- the Vaulknut by Odin Holsters. You can use code THINBLUELIFESTYLE at checkout for 10% off. Link below ☺️
The mod-wing, circled in the photo above, serves the purpose of pushing your holstered firearm CLOSER to your body- making printing (hopefully) less pronounced. The mod-wing does need to have something pushing up against it (IE: your belt or waistline of your pants) in order for it to work.
Next on the list of necessities: The retention must be just right- not too much and not too little.
You should be able to quickly and efficiently unholster your firearm without struggling. On the flip side, your firearm should be moving freely or God forbid falling out of the holster if inverted. Notice in the photo above how I have my holster inverted and my gun stays put. This is exactly what you want.
✨BONUS✨ I love a holster that can be used for beltless carry. Yep- something I can use WITHOUT a belt.
I love that this holster uses an Ulti-Clip XL to attach to my waistband. I've used holsters with Ulti-Clips before and they work well but the XL clip really is able to grip onto the waistband and feel secure.
✨BONUS✨ I love patterns and think they look fun BUT I try to stick to fairly minimal designs. The majority of my holsters are black or neutral colors. I typically wear the same and I want my holsters to not only match but if for some magical reason my holster is showing for a split second, I don't want some brightly colored plastic popping up. A holster that matches the same color as the garment you're wearing will be more difficult to see.
💙✨LINKS✨💙
Eclipse OWB holster : https://eclipseholsters.com/collections/owb-sirius-holster-lighted/products/owb-light-bearing-holster
Odin Holsters IWB Vaulknut : https://odinholsters.com/collections/the-valknut/products/the-valknut-iwb-custom-order-fn509tactical
