Modern Holster Updates for Duty Weapons

Every year at SHOT Show you can see new releases for holster designs, gunbelts to go with them, knife sheaths to match and magazine pouches for accessorizing. Sometimes it almost feels more like a fashion show than a show dedicated to shooting, hunting and outdoor equipment. That said, every year you can find examples of the latest innovations in any given firearms related technology. Most don’t tend to think of something like holsters as “technology,” but they really are. Simple technology? Maybe. But technology just the same.

If you don’t think so, talk to someone who has been hunting or in law enforcement for the past 30 years. Years ago holsters were made of leather, just as they had been for over a century. They might have incorporated a snap, or a strap adjustment for height of wear, or maybe, if you were super tactical, a drop strap and thigh strap for a lower-on-the-leg carry. But it was still all metal and leather.

Then plastic and kydex made a big push into the industry. “Plastic” is a generic term used here for virtually everything that was polymer, carbon fiber, etc. It wasn’t leather and it wasn’t kydex. Woven and molded nylon both made big appearances and are still big in the industry today. Surprisingly, kydex has come back in a big way, mostly due to how easy it is to cut, shape, rivet, color and finish.

With all of the synthetic materials that hit the market in the past two decades, leather became somewhat of a premium product. Getting a handmade leather holster, finished to order, for a specific weapon, accessorized a certain way, became a pricey proposition. Add in a matching belt and magazine pouches and you could spend upwards of $500 on the set.

Then something else happened in the industry: an engineer (more likely a collection of them) realized that a holster body is just a holster body and if you could move it between various carry platforms (on belt, inside belt, shoulder holster, chest mount, etc.) then you could cut down production cost, increase versatility and save the consumer a few dollars all while increasing profit margin. It was a retailer’s dream and the end user took to it in a big way as well.

It was interesting at this year’s SHOT Show to see leather make a big comeback along with a few interesting twists to cross-platform synthetic holsters.

Perhaps one of the biggest early innovators of cross-platform holsters, BLACKHAWK!, released a new line of leather holsters. After having gone through development of ergonomically friendly multi-platform duty and concealable holsters, having become famous for their nylon holsters in multiple designs, this year BLACKHAWK! rededicated themselves to leather in a big way. They’ve always maintained a leather line but this year they pushed back into the leather market with a line of what their website refers to as “hand fit and finished…heirloom quality” holsters. This new line of holsters and magazine pouches have the overall fit, finish and quality of BLACKHAWK!’s premium leather line, but the look of a holster that was originally black in finish…and worn so well that it’s now a happy mix of brown and black leather. The original black finish almost takes on the appearance of finish highlights. It’s a very attractive look that, brand new, offers a well-worn and comfortable appearance.

BLACKHAWK launched a new line of leather holsters, the MBOSS, which incorporates a sewn on guide to help with safe trigger finger placement prior to the draw (on the belt models).

BLACKHAWK! also has a new line of leather holsters—the MBOSS—made in Italy like their other leather holsters, that have incorporated a sewn on guide to help with safe trigger finger placement prior to the draw (on the belt models). With adjustable retention via the screw affixed through the holster body as you obtain your proper grip on your weapon prior to drawing, your extended trigger finger should be positioned in the channel stitched onto the holster body. Part textured and part smooth leather, this “two tone” type finish is very clean and stylish-looking in addition to being sufficiently secure for a concealed carry holster. In this type of design they also make an in-the-waistband (IWB) holster with a strong metal clip to hold it in place (the ISP and ISP with clip). The against-the-body holster face has an extension to keep the slide from rubbing against your body, which is beneficial both for your skin and the weapon.

‘Cool’ holster technology

One of the more surprising holster technology advances at SHOT Show was from Alien Gear Holsters. Already well known for their ultra-comfortable Cloak Tuck series of IWB holsters, they’ve also made a huge impression in the industry with their Alien Gear ShapeShift Modular Holster System. The ShapeShift Modular Holster System allows you to use the same holster body, or its adjustable components, to carry your weapon in a variety of locations on your body and with varying levels of security. One of the challenges many of us face when carrying concealed, in the waistband, especially in the appendix position, is the sweat build up between the holster platform and our body. The platform, whether leather, plastic or neoprene, is key to a comfortable in-the-waistband carry. That said, if you carry in the appendix position, the platform is greatly reduced in size, if existent at all, and the larger challenge isn’t sweat—it’s comfort and security.

By combining their adaptable platform and incorporating a fan on the body side of the IWB platform Alien Gear has creatively solved the sweat problem. They have to be given credit for their design ingenuity. No one had previously thought of or found a way to put a small fan inside the holster body as part of the platform, between the holster body and the carrier’s body. I have since learned that this holster remains in its development phase and its prototype iterations have altered since it was introduced to the public. It does not have a firm release date.

Integration from holster to body camera

When you look at what’s new and available, designed for duty use, the technology once again is coming through. Safariland has introduced their connected auto-activation system; a holster that activates the connected body camera/microphone upon the draw of your weapon. While every officer knows that body camera footage easily backs up their testimony of a given set of events, it’s also common knowledge that in the heat of the moment, under threat or under fire, an officer can easily forget to activate their body camera—just when they need it powered on the most for post incident investigation officer defense. Such a challenge is resolved by Safariland’s solution of having the body camera activated automatically when the officer’s weapon is drawn. The system is comprised of Safariland’s 7TS holster which is connected to the VIEVU body worn camera.

Safariland's new 7TS duty holster uses CAS technology to connect to an officer's body camera.

Mixed in among all of those new releases is a plethora of smaller company “custom” holster manufacturers using everything from leather to kydex. It’s interesting to see the leather holsters still being handmade, custom dyed and sold with matching belts and accessory pouches. It’s almost as if 150+ years hasn’t passed. The variety of kydex holsters available is truly amazing. Not only are there those designed to carry a full size handgun, but they are designed to carry the full size fighting handgun with a reflex optic, barrel extension, mounted light and more. Further, they do all that and are designed to be worn inside the waistband to conceal that weapon. It’s impressive that anyone can do it, but that industry seems to be booming.

If you want to take a look at a single company that’s been doing both for decades now, and in whose products you can see the basic platforms so many other companies seem to be imitating (or close to it), take a look at DeSantis Gunhide. They have holsters that range from kydex to fiberglass injected to leather and with carry systems ranging from “thigh high” for women in dresses to shoulder holsters, duty holsters, cross draw, small of back and more. Even though they are a veteran company in the business, they manage to stay up to date with holsters available to fit most, if not all, new duty weapons and weapons most common in the civilian concealed carry market. They have holsters for IWB, OWB (on waist band), ankle, pocket carry and more. They manufacture accessory pouches to match the holsters and holsters to carry/secure most of the typical handgun with common weapon lights attached. For all that, they keep an eye on tradition and keep some of the older, yet popular, designs in their catalog.

Though there are tried-and-true holster designs, there are also new developments on the market and coming up, meaning officers can be equipped with many holster options to fit their preference.