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Y'all ask snatchel what he thinks of the quality of the work. He came by my house today and saw it and was suitably impressed, particularly at that price point.

daniel2002p, I think that what's happened is that Eric Hopp's holsters are starting to get a LOT of buzz, and his orders are starting to back up.

For what it's worth, I just got off of a chat with Eric Hopp, and he told me that the customer for whom the holster in question here was made had specifically requested a higher ride for his holster. Since all of them are made to order, any customer is free to ask for a specific ride height.

SQLGeek wrote:That's only one configuration. The loops are removable and can be spun around.

Or, you could just go with the clips which, I think, also fixes that. As for the OWB version, as you can see from the pics in my OP, the belt slots put the opening just a tick higher than the belt itself. For me, this is actually a better pattern than those holsters which carry the pistol kind of high up. I have a Galco retention holster I bought before placing the order for this oen, and it carries the pistol up higher than the Hopp holster does. The problem is that for my (ahem!) body type, this is not ideal. The lower holster actually snugs the pistol in closer to my body, and is both more comfortable and better concealment.

Here's that picture showing the reinforced holster mouth, so yeah, it's pretty stiff and stays open:

The Annoyed Man wrote:

SQLGeek wrote:Good to know. This may be the way I end up going.

How stiff is the opening of the holster?

It seems to be plenty stiff enough to hold it open. I haven't tried lying on my side with the holster empty to see if I can flatten it, but it seems pretty stout.

I just went and checked it and took a picture which I'll post later (I'm BBQ'ing right now). Anyway, that strip of ostrich is merely deocration over a thick reinforcing layer to hold the mouth of the holster open. I woud guess that, unless you had been rolling around in the dirt and then laid on it for a while, you would have no problem reholstering. Even then it might be fine.

SQLGeek wrote:Good to know. This may be the way I end up going.

How stiff is the opening of the holster?

It seems to be plenty stiff enough to hold it open. I haven't tried lying on my side with the holster empty to see if I can flatten it, but it seems pretty stout.

SQLGeek wrote:

The Annoyed Man wrote: And when you call him, Eric will customize the whole rig to your specs.

I sent him a FB message. And that could be a dangerous thing.

At least you know you're not psychotic.

BTW, I am wearing this new holster for the first time this morning. It carries very, very well. Quite comfortable. And the weight is spread out fore and aft enough that it is also very stable. It is snugging the XD(m) Compact .45 nicely into my waist, without pressing hard on my hip and causing me any pain.

SQLGeek wrote:

WildBill wrote:

SQLGeek wrote:I just saw he has a combination IWB/OWB. That might fit the bill perfectly when I can't decide.

So that narrows it down to the DM Bullard Dual Carry, Galco Concealable, Minotaur Gladiator and this one. Too many choices.

Which one? I hate businesses on Facebook! Since I am not a SQL Geek, it's too hard for me to navigate.

This one, the Drop Top:



The only question I have is if the loops can be removed. I'll have to contact him.

The "Convertible" model can be configured that way OR worn OWB by removing the loops. And when you call him, Eric will customize the whole rig to your specs.

Songbird wrote:By the way, he's in the process of getting a website up, but right now, he's really easy to contact on facebook or by email.

Lord, don't rub it in. I'm a self employed website designer, and he and I were talking, and he didn't know that's what I did. He had already hired a friend of his to build his site, but after having looked at my book of business, he told me he would have hired me on the spot if he had known. So I told him to call me if he ever had any questions, and maybe down the road if he rebuilds his site some day, he can give me a call.

SQLGeek wrote:I just saw he has a combination IWB/OWB. That might fit the bill perfectly when I can't decide.

So that narrows it down to the DM Bullard Dual Carry, Galco Concealable, Minotaur Gladiator and this one. Too many choices.

I am not familiar (other than pictures) of the Bullard holster, but I have a Galco Concealable, and it is an excellent holster. On the other hand, it costs more than the Hopp holster, and it's not quite as fancy.

Shortly after I bought my new XD(m)-45 Compact 3.8, I ordered a holster and magazine carrier from Eric Hopp of Hopp Custom Leather: http://www.facebook.com/HoppCustomLeathers

Anyway, here's the front and back views. The holster is horsehide, and there is a leather reinforcement at the mouth with a full quill ostrich decoration for the struttin' factor. He also personalized it by putting my initials on the back of the holster.



And here's a picture with my ostrich boots.....not a perfect match, but not bad either (ignore the poor composition, I was in a hurry to show off):


Total for the holster and magazine carrier was $135 shipped, and I placed it on June 27, so it took about 6 weeks to get it. He told me 5-8 weeks, so he was on the early side of things. Eric Hopp is a really nice guy and we had a couple of great conversations, both online and by phone. I would highly recommend his products. The gun fit perfectly into the holster. Unfortunately, Eric sent me a right handed magazine carrier. He warned me that it was coming and that it was an accident. I'll be returning it to him and he'll replace it right away with a left handed one, but I included it here so that you all could see the quality of his work. I was VERY impressed, and I would definitely buy from him again.

Hat tip to BritOnTour who turned me on to this supplier and who uses his products also.