Alien Gear IWB Holster Review

Some time ago I received an Alien Gear IWB (In Waist Band) holster to review. I had requested two: one for my Ruger LCP .380 and one for my Springfield Armory 1911.  I know I was being hopeful about getting both but I was hopeful just the same. So when I opened up the package and there was only one holster in it – for the Ruger LCP – I figured, “That’s okay. I can certainly perform the wear test and review.”  Then I opened it further and found the second “shell:” The plastic piece that was for my SA 1911.  What Alien Gear had done was send me one platform with (effectively) two holsters (as I had requested).  In doing so, they had forced me to see one of the strengths of their holster system: The easily interchangeable shells that allow a single platform to be used for multiple weapons.

So, already impressed with that simple concept, I left the holster set up for the Ruger LCP and decided to start wearing it on a regular basis to see how I liked it.  It’s important to understand up front that I am not really an IWB holster fan.  I never had a problem with it in my younger (skinnier) days, but now that I have to actually pay attention and work to keep the beltline from getting too padded, I find it’s usually more comfortable to wear a holster on my belt rather than inside the waistband of my pants.

I was surprised (a second time) with the level of comfort experienced with the Alien Gear holster.  The platform isn’t leather like almost every other company’s IWB holster platform; it’s neoprene.  That makes it soft and flexible and spongy – so it conforms to your body immediately rather than having any time necessary to break it in (or to break in your hip like some leather platforms seem to do).

To make sure I could at least draw and present the weapon if necessary, I practiced several draws (with an empty weapon of course) to get the feel of sweeping my shirt out of the way, getting a grip on the weapon and pulling it clear of the holster to push forward toward my imaginary target.  It was easy enough to do but the draw wasn’t sloppy loose.  It was snug – and I attributed that to the pressure of the curve of my hip against the back of the pliable neoprene and how that pushed the gun against the form-fitted holster shell.

As I wore the holster with the Ruger LCP for about a week I realized that I wasn’t happy with the height of the weapon.  It sat down far enough in my waistband that getting a good grip on it for draw and presentation wasn’t as easy as I’d like for it to be.  Then I looked at all the paperwork that had come with the holster and realized that I could adjust the height of the weapon in relation to my waist band by adjusting the clips on the platform itself.  The holster had come set up with the clips in the middle position but I could move them down (using the provided tool) and thereby raise the holster platform up.  That made things easier.  It also made me wonder about the security of the friction fit of the weapon in the holster shell so I double checked and found that I could easily tighten down the screws (again, with the provided tool), tightening the shell against the platform and increasing the friction grip of the weapon into the holster.

Then I started to wonder about changing the angle of the gun in relation to my draw.  I’ve always preferred the weapon to cant slightly forward so that my hand more naturally met the weapon’s grip in a natural drawing motion rather than having to jam my elbow farther back and torque my shoulder to get a straight up and down draw.  Once again I found that by adjusting the positioning of the belt clips on the platform I could tilt the weapon farther forward or backward.  I wondered if I could tilt it far enough the other way to make it suitable for cross-draw carry – but discovered I couldn’t.  It WILL tilt to five different angles but they are all variations of a forward cant.

As I was hoping to find a bit more information about the holster system before doing any kind of write up, I visited the Alien Gear Holsters website and, lo and behold, I could have learned all of the above right on the homepage.  Yeah, it was a slap-myself-in-the-forehead kind of moment.

If you purchase an Alien Gear Holster, do yourself a favor and visit the website.  Right on the homepage are a few animated images that show you how simple it is to adjust the height and the cant of the holster.

Having found that I could comfortably carry the Ruger LCP using the Alien Gear IWB holster, I wondered about the larger and heavier SA 1911.  I switched out the holster shell to set up the system to carry my 1911 and tried it on.  The discomfort of the IWB holster with an SA 1911 has nothing to do with the holster.  It has everything to do with the size and weight of the 1911.  The holster proved secure enough and carried the weapon as it should, but having spoiled myself with the size and weight of that Ruger LCP, it was a challenge to adjust to the SA 1911.  I just preferred the heavier gun to be in a holster on my belt.

That’s not to say that it can’t be done at all or comfortably.  I have a number of gun-toting friends who carry their 1911s using IWB holsters and are quite happy (several of them using Alien Gear holsters).  But, like so many things handgun related, it’s a matter of personal preference and comfort, and while I really liked the Alien Gear IWB for the smaller Ruger .380, I didn’t care for it with the SA 1911 .45.  Of course, in the future, when my waistline is trimmed a bit more, I might reassess that situation and see if I’ve changed my mind.

There are a couple other things about Alien Gear holsters that bear mentioning.  They have a “forever warranty” on their products so if you ever run into a problem just give them a call and work out the return/trade process.  They also offer free shell trades for life, so if you happen to buy a different handgun for daily carry and need to change out the shell for your Alien Gear holster system to suit it, they’ll do that for you.

With holsters starting as low as $29.88, it’s hard to find a reason NOT to buy one for your IWB use.  Check them out online at www.aliengearholsters.com.

Stay safe!