Abominations: universal belt slide holsters

Admit it.  We all know that as gun nuts we have a box of holsters in a closet, under a bed, or some place where good, honest folk can’t see the poor decisions we made before we bought a Comp-Tac.  And somewhere in that box is one of these, because we’ve all done itI know, I’ve been there.  I’ve purchased the accursed “universal belt slide holster” myself, and I honestly won’t tell you what kind of gun I carried around in it, because the shame would simply be too great for me to bear.

The whole “holster” conversation comes up time and time again, as I am routinely amazed to see otherwise intelligent folk taking their $500 gun and putting it in a $15 piece of nylon.  After many, many pixels expended on preaching the gospel of good holsters, my argument can be distilled down to this: If you’ve decided that your life is valuable enough to make the decision to carry a gun, then shouldn’t your life be valuable enough to carry that gun in a good holster?

That’s really the core of my argument against them.  I don’t even mind them as temporary solutions; I have bought many cheap nylon holsters to use as improvised gun cases.  A $15 “Universal” holster is less bulky than a hard case and fits neatly in my backpack for range trips.  But in the event that you ever need to use your gun to defend your life, you’re betting your life not just on the gun, or your training but also on your belt, your holster, and even your pants.  And if you ask me, my life is worth a lot more than fifteen bucks.

11 Comments

  1. “If you’ve decided that your life is valuable enough to make the decision to carry a gun, then shouldn’t your life be valuable enough to carry that gun in a good holster?”

    The only thing that might added is: … to carry that gun in a good holster on a good belt?

    I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve had a customer try to put an all steel 1911 in a good Galco holster on a belt he bought at Old Navy.

    1. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve had a customer try to put an all steel 1911 in a good Galco holster on a belt he bought at Old Navy.

      Testify!

  2. I carry my SR9c in a universal nylon DeSantis IWB holster. I like it actually find it quite comfortable. And.. I use a belt I bought from Marshalls. Retention is fine, but I probably wear belts tighter than most. I was skeptical when I bought it due to it’s relative low price, but I have to say I am satisfied.

    I practice drawing from concealment quite often and I have no issue with my setup what-so-ever. My only complain is that it isn’t tuckable, I have been looking towards getting a crossbreed supertuck. I’m sure holster/belt selection is much more crucial when you’re carrying a fullsize all steel piece, but for me this works fine.

  3. So from what you have written here I can expect that you will soon throw away that cheap wardrobe of yours and that ridiculously low priced comp-tac with that $2.00 piece of kydex on it for a $200.00+ holster , $300.00 pants and a $200.00 belt so you may feel your life is safer.And what about that sleezy $500.00 gun ? Isn’t your life worth more than that ? You should have at the very least a $1500.00 gun , We’re talking your life here .
    Do you leave the price tags on to scare away the bad guys ?
    Caleb , ( your starting to sound like Sensei Jeff ) if you have as many holsters as you claim then you should also know ,big bucks does not always mean quality ,if it does then explain why you chose comp-tac over crosbreed they are the same price.
    I have a very expensive holster from perhaps the biggest and best quality international maker on the planet ,made for my gun , and it is a piece of junk,every time you snap the thing closed it disengages the safety.
    And right now I am considering either a comp-tac or crossbreed which are both much cheaper holsters,but are worthless according to this piece you just wrote.

    1. Wally, you kind of missed the point here. Price is used as a general indicator of quality, and you can objectively demonstrate that a $15 nylon holster is of lower quality than an $80 Comp-Tac CTAC. But focusing on price isn’t the point of the post, but rather to encourage people to buy better gear. If your life is worth carrying a gun, it’s worth carrying that gun in a good, quality holster on a good, quality gun belt. Regardless of how much the rig costs, it should be a quality product that holds the gun securely and allows rapid access in a dynamic critical incident.

      1. Caleb , I apologize .
        Dynamic critical incident …that has got to be the politest way I have ever heard ‘when the SHTF ‘ and very PC.

  4. Obviously, form should follow function. I’ve found this belt ideal when I wear jeans (and it has the added bonus of a bottle opener!):
    http://tinyurl.com/2fuxyqv and it runs $25. But I agree with you wholeheartedly.

  5. Dang …I’ve had my spanking for the day….guilty as charged, It’s just I can’t afford an expensive holster, so the Uncle Mike’s have to do til I can buy a good one

  6. Universal slide holsters aren’t the worst–the worst are the universal nylon IWB, held on with a single clip. A couple of months ago my state’s CCW forum had a topic on ‘have you ever dropped your gun’. At least2/3 of the “yes I have” posts were carrying in one of these holsters. In my case, it was a Desantis Pro Stealth, dumped my P3AT under my car at the gas station. I doubt I wore that holster more than a couple hours total.

    At least a holster with belt slots and a thumb break isn’t likely to leave your gun behind.

  7. sounds like you have been to my ccw class.

    I tell a story about an “Instructor” who’s Glock fell in a toilet, using a one size fits none holster

  8. The other problem with these holsters is that they close up once the gun is drawn; to reholster, the owner often has to hold the the holster open with his hand, muzzling the crap out of himself the whole time.

Comments are closed.