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For a little while I’ve been wanting to try leather iwb carry. I did some research on the style and features that I wanted and settled on the desantis inside heat. First impressions were that it was very well made and of good thick leather. Fit the gun perfectly and I didn’t have any break in period. It held the gun good and covered the trigger guard and you could reholster without having to pull the leather out like some other leather holsters I’ve seen because the mouth of the holster is double reinforced. But, that’s about as far as It makes it for me. I carry iwb in Kydex 95% of the time. I was thinking the leather would be super comfortable. While it felt better against my side, it was double the thickness of my Kydex. It made an M&P shield feel like a Glock 30. Since I am not keen on thick guns or holsters for iwb I returned the rig and went back to what im comfortable with. I know in order to get the rigidity of Kydex that leather must be thick. That’s fine on an owb just not iwb for me.

I am right there with you. I've tried the all leather holsters too and ended up going back to the kydex varieties due to weight and thickness.

Joe

Are you comparing leather holsters to full kydex holsters? Are crossbreed holsters out of the question? My holster is made from a half shell kydex plate, and a leather backing. The leather that was used for it is "medical grade", Its the kind of leather used in prosthetic limbs and such. It is VERY soft, and VERY malleable. The owner of the company that made my holster worked in the medical field for many many years after being in the military (Airforce) I believe. He is very adamant about not putting ANY other kind of material against someones body.


If you want to check them out, the company is called Triple T Holsters. They are located in League city, TX but they will ship nationwide.

JRG wrote: ↑Sun Jan 20, 2019 8:18 am I am right there with you. I've tried the all leather holsters too and ended up going back to the kydex varieties due to weight and thickness.

Joe

Yessir I agree

Odinvalknir wrote: ↑Sun Jan 20, 2019 10:13 am Are you comparing leather holsters to full kydex holsters? Are crossbreed holsters out of the question? My holster is made from a half shell kydex plate, and a leather backing. The leather that was used for it is "medical grade", Its the kind of leather used in prosthetic limbs and such. It is VERY soft, and VERY malleable. The owner of the company that made my holster worked in the medical field for many many years after being in the military (Airforce) I believe. He is very adamant about not putting ANY other kind of material against someones body.


If you want to check them out, the company is called Triple T Holsters. They are located in League city, TX but they will ship nationwide.

I’ve tried crossbreed and alien gear. I carried a Glock 19 in a crossbreed super tuck for a while. I didn’t like having a big slab of leather Or neoprene agains me. Very hot in summer. I tend to stick with the taco style iwb holsters.

I always go back to all Kydex. I will use a leather owb occasionally but like today I’m using an all Kydex owb I made. I like the rigidity, slimness, and retention of Kydex. While Kydex wears a finish more It doesn’t bother me. Makes the gun look cooler. Plus idk what Smith And Wesson uses for their slide finish but it’s held up better than any Glock or sig I’ve used.

cmgee67 wrote: ↑Sun Jan 20, 2019 10:36 am

JRG wrote: ↑Sun Jan 20, 2019 8:18 am I am right there with you. I've tried the all leather holsters too and ended up going back to the kydex varieties due to weight and thickness.

Joe

Yessir I agree

Odinvalknir wrote: ↑Sun Jan 20, 2019 10:13 am Are you comparing leather holsters to full kydex holsters? Are crossbreed holsters out of the question? My holster is made from a half shell kydex plate, and a leather backing. The leather that was used for it is "medical grade", Its the kind of leather used in prosthetic limbs and such. It is VERY soft, and VERY malleable. The owner of the company that made my holster worked in the medical field for many many years after being in the military (Airforce) I believe. He is very adamant about not putting ANY other kind of material against someones body.


If you want to check them out, the company is called Triple T Holsters. They are located in League city, TX but they will ship nationwide.

I’ve tried crossbreed and alien gear. I carried a Glock 19 in a crossbreed super tuck for a while. I didn’t like having a big slab of leather Or neoprene agains me. Very hot in summer. I tend to stick with the taco style iwb holsters.

I always go back to all Kydex. I will use a leather owb occasionally but like today I’m using an all Kydex owb I made. I like the rigidity, slimness, and retention of Kydex. While Kydex wears a finish more It doesn’t bother me. Makes the gun look cooler. Plus idk what Smith And Wesson uses for their slide finish but it’s held up better than any Glock or sig I’ve used.

I didn't mean crossbreed the brand. The crossbreed holster, kydex shell and some sort of backing. I wear one from the company I mentioned. I also wear an undershirt all the time, it keeps the backing off my skin, I understand about the heat. I live in South Texas where it's muggy as hell year round. The first holster I tried was a stealthgear, it's neoprene backing breathes quite well.

I hear ya. Yeah the supertuck I mentioned is like what your taking about. Kydex shell, and leather backing.

I got back and forth between the half kydex and half leather (mine are Minotaur... forgot the maker but just like Crossbreed., and full leather IWB. I’ve found that I carry the leather IWB from Don Hume the most now. The reason for me is that I tend to have to remove my gun kind of often during the day (e.g., going into schools and hospitals a lot lately). It’s just so much easier to remove the Don Hume and gun all at once and put away. The other types of holsters I have either take a lot more effort or even require me to remove my belt. Since I carry Glocks a lot, I don’t like having to take the gun out of the holster first, then remove the holster either, which is sometimes the only way I can do it while seated in my car.

Yes that’s why I like the taco style. I use soft loops with pull the dot snaps. I have to take my gun off sometimes 5-6 times a day so being able to take off and put on without removing the gun is a big plus

The only way I can stand to carry IWB at all is appendix carry, and for that I do use a kydex taco with a belt clip. I have two, in two different sizes, but essentially the same thing. One was made by my son, the other by CYA holsters. I’ve posted pictures on these pages of both of them before. I prefer the spring-loaded belt clip because it seems to hold on just fine, but is less complicated to remove or put back on.

That said, I rarely ever carry that way at all, and almost exclusively use leather for OWB. I do own some kydex OWB holsters, but I never use them because I find the leather ones to be more comfortable. I’m about to order this one for the S&W TRR8 I’m getting tomorrow: https://www.galcogunleather.com/phoenix ... _1090.html



It can also be worn cross draw:



I’m pretty stoked about it. Sorry I hijacked your thread.

For very good and thin IWB Leather holsters. bitterrootgunleather.com I have 2 of his for my 380 EZ and they work great.

AndyC wrote: ↑Mon Jan 21, 2019 9:40 am

The Annoyed Man wrote: ↑Sun Jan 20, 2019 11:50 pm I’m about to order this one for the S&W TRR8 I’m getting tomorrow: https://www.galcogunleather.com/phoenix ... _1090.html

I've been eyeing that one for months for my Couger - but it'll have to wait as this new house has been expensive.

I forget that this isn’t your first house. I remember when we bought our first home in California, I lay awake at night for the first week, thinking “what have I done?!?” For the first few years, I wasn’t sure who owned whom - me or the house. But yeah...you do have to sometimes put off the “wants” so you can pay for the “needs”.

I agree with you almost completely. I carry in a single clip kydex IWB, because I need to frequently remove it and put it in my briefcase on the job. The big wide tuckables are not practical for me, as I don't have time to jump into a restroom to remove the holster. Over the years, I've also had a couple of good leather holsters with rigid top openings. I've also bought Crossbreed super tuck. In fact, I've tried way too many. One that surprised me was the belly band, which turned out really good for otherwise tuckable situations. I have kydex for a G19, a 1911, a Sig P227, a Springfield XDM-45, and my current carry pistol, an S&W Shield (got that holster from Amazon!) Kydex just results in a thinner package inside the waistband. Doesn't absorb perspiration, either.

Another thing that wouldn't come up often. You can modify a kydex holster to an extent. When I got a Cominolli thumb safety put on my G19, the holster was a bit narrow. A little heat and I was able to create a widened channel for the safety lever.

The "almost agree?" The only thing I've done differently from the OP is that I never return a holster. Never know when I might want to try one again, so I have an MTM ammo can full of holsters. Also can be an inducement if I sell, like when I sold my first G19--IWB holster included.