DeSantis: OWB and IWB

On any given day there are hundreds of thousands of people - off-duty officers and licensed concealed carriers – who leave their house carrying their preferred handgun in whatever holster they’ve selected. Primarily the carry methods most common today are: On the Waist Band (OWB), usually on or just behind their strong side hip (right side for about 92% of the population); In the Waist Band (IWB), either in front of their right hip commonly called “appendix carry” or, again, behind their hip but inside the waist band of their pants. Carrying IWB tends to hide / conceal the weapon better and, with practice, it doesn’t slow down draw and presentation much if at all.

The market for IWB holsters seems to have exploded in recent years with quite a number of new manufacturers / retailers making custom IWB holsters for everything from derringers to full-size handgun weapon systems. While an argument can be made against the logic of concealing a full-size handgun weapon system, the bottom line for the person carrying the weapon is that it has to be accessible, comfortable and secure. Those three requirements mean different things to different people, but for one veteran police officer they mean traditional leather from a well-known name in the industry: DeSantis Gunhide.

The officer in question graduated from the academy in 1986 and has been carrying concealed daily – with very few exceptions – since then. His current every day carry (EDC) weapon is a barely modified Glock Model 43 9mm. The “barely modified” modifications include a TangoDown Vickers extended magazine catch, +2 magazine floorplates and a Talon Grips applique. The focus of this article though, and an important choice no matter what your EDC weapon is: What holster does he carry that G43 in day in and day out?

The officer states his preference for carrying OWB, and he wears the DeSantis Mini Scabbard every day. This leather holster mounts easily on his belt, is available in black or brown (his is black) and has an adjustable tension screw to increase or decrease tightness of the holster. Due to the fact that the holster doesn’t have a thumbstrap or secondary security device, the officer is careful to make sure the gun/holster combo is always concealed. That is, after all, the center of “concealed carry.” He usually wears the holster in the “four o’clock” position, or just behind his right hip (he’s right handed). He states that sometimes he’ll push it back a bit farther so that it prints less depending on the shirt that he wears, but is careful to mention that printing is always minimal if it’s there at all. He keeps the tension screw tight so that there is a bit of effort to drawing the weapon – but that’s a personal preference on his part.

On the days when, for whatever reason, he decides to carry IWB instead, he prefers the DeSantis Pocket-Tuk. The holster itself is designed to be used for carrying IWB or in a pocket. The officer we interviewed stated he rarely, if ever, carried in his pocket anymore and the G43 is a bit big for him to do so comfortably (one of those three requirements for concealed carry above). So he usually carries “appendix carry,” and finds the Pocket-Tuk holds his G43 comfortably and securely. He comments that it’s not the same as having a molded kydex holster, like so many are today, but the molded kydex is so uncomfortable to him that if that was his only option he’d likely not carry IWB at all. He then is quick to add, “Different strokes for different folks. I know plenty of people who wear IWB kydex holsters and are quite happy with them. They’re just not for me.”

This same officer remembers, “back in the day,” carrying his Smith & Wesson J-frame Chief’s Special in a Pocket-Tuk holster. While many of his contemporaries were just dropping the guns in their pockets or sticking them inside a waistband with no holster at all, he says he enjoyed the comfort and more secure feeling of the Pocket-Tuk. It relieved him from worrying about some part of his clothing snagging the trigger and kept the barrel from digging into his abdomen.

Based on this veteran officer’s observations and comments, it’s safe to say that DeSantis Gunhide offers two excellent options for carrying your weapon concealed. They offer plenty of carry and size options so check them out online.