How to Choose a Concealed Carry Holster: IWB, Appendix, OWB and Pocket

A concealed carry holster has three jobs, in this order: cover the trigger, hold the gun until you decide to draw it, and keep it hidden all day without wearing you down. Most people shop backward, starting with looks or price, and end up with a drawer full of holsters that never worked. Work through the decisions below in order and you will usually get it right the first time.

1. Start with the exact gun you carry, as it is set up

A good concealment holster is molded or cut for one pistol. That is what lets it retain the gun with nothing more than friction and a tight fit around the trigger guard. The same thing makes holsters unforgiving. A Glock 19 holster does not "basically fit" a Glock 43X, and a holster for a bare P365 will not take one wearing a TLR-7 Sub. Before you shop, write down four things:

• Make, model and generation. Some holsters cover a family (Glock 19/23/32 share a frame size), some cover one gun only. Read the fit list on the product page and trust it over the photo.
• Weapon light, if any. A light-bearing holster indexes on the light, not the slide, so the exact light model matters. A TLR-7, a TLR-7 Sub and an X300 each need their own holster.
• Red dot and sight height. A slide-mounted optic needs an optic cut or a low-cut mouth. Suppressor-height iron sights need a tall sight channel, and many minimalist holsters only clear standard-height sights.
• Which hand, and whether it needs to be ambidextrous. Many Kydex holsters are reversible. Molded leather and many Safariland models are made for one hand only.

2. Choose a carry position before you choose a holster

Where the gun rides decides how fast you draw, how well it hides and whether you can sit in a car for two hours. Positions are described on a clock face, with 12 o'clock at your belt buckle.

Position	Where it rides	Concealment	Draw	Watch out for
Appendix IWB (AIWB)	About 12 to 2 o'clock, inside the pants	Excellent	Fast, works seated	Comfort on some builds; careful reholstering
Strong-side IWB	About 3 to 5 o'clock, inside the pants	Very good	Fast	Grip printing at the back; harder to reach in a car
OWB concealment	3 to 4 o'clock, outside the pants	Needs a cover garment	Fast, easy reholster	A jacket or untucked shirt is required
Pocket	Front pants pocket	Excellent with small guns	Slower	Only very small pistols and revolvers
Belly band / ankle	Around the waist or the lower leg	Good	Slow	Best for no-belt days or as a backup gun

Appendix (AIWB)

Appendix carry has become the default for many experienced carriers. The gun sits in front where your hands already are, it can be drawn while seated or with your back against a wall, and a loose shirt hides even a compact with a light. The trade-offs are comfort and discipline. A good appendix holster uses a claw that levers against the belt to tuck the grip in, and often a wedge pad. When you reholster, slow down, look the gun into the holster and make sure no shirt tail or drawstring is in the way. If standard appendix carry digs in, a low-ride design such as the Mission First Tactical Ultra Low-Ride for Glock 19/19X/45/44 is made specifically for larger builds and rides below the stomach.

Strong-side IWB

The traditional hip position, about 4 o'clock for a right-hander, is comfortable seated and works for a gun as large as a Glock 17. The weak point is the grip, which tends to print against your shirt when you bend over. Forward cant and a holster that pulls the grip into your body solve most of that.

OWB concealment

OWB holsters are the most comfortable way to carry a full-size or compact pistol and reholster easily, but they need a cover garment every day. Paddles go on and off quickly; belt loops pull in closer and hide better.

Pocket, belly band, ankle and small of back

Pocket carry is ideal for a J-frame revolver or a .380 like the Bodyguard 2.0 or LCP. Use a real pocket holster that covers the trigger, stays in the pocket when the gun comes out, and is the only thing in that pocket. Belly bands such as the MFT Belly Band Ultra Lite solve the "no belt" problem for running, hiking or gym clothes. Ankle rigs like the DeSantis Apache for Glock 26/27/29/30/43X are slow to draw from, so treat them as backup carry. Small-of-back carry hides well, but the draw sweeps and falling flat on your back with a pistol over your spine are real concerns. If you choose it anyway, use a purpose-built design like the DeSantis 067 S.O.B., which DeSantis makes for butt-up carry only.

3. Pick a material: Kydex, laminate, leather or hybrid

Kydex and Boltaron are thermoformed plastics, and most modern concealment holsters are made from one or the other. They hold their shape, so the mouth stays open for one-handed reholstering. Retention is set with tension screws and does not change as the holster ages. Sweat does not bother them. They can feel hard against the body and they will wear the finish on a gun over time, which is the price of a precise fit. Safariland's SafariLaminate (Species, Schema) and Boltaron Incog-X are in the same family. The Species is suede-lined and the Incog-X is wrapped in microfiber suede, both of which are easier on the finish.

Leather is quieter, conforms to your body and looks right with a belt and slacks. Good carry leather is thick, wet-molded to the gun and reinforced at the mouth. The DeSantis Sof-Tuck 2.0 has a reinforced top lip for exactly this reason. Leather needs a break-in period, and old, sweat-soaked leather can soften and collapse at the mouth. A holster that collapses is a reholstering hazard, so retire it.

Hybrids pair a Kydex shell with a leather backer. The Kydex does the retaining and the leather spreads the load against your body. The MFT Hybrid for Glock 19/23/45 and BlackPoint's Wing series are good examples.

Nylon is best kept for pocket holsters and belly bands, where a soft, grippy exterior is the point. Avoid soft nylon belt holsters for daily carry; they collapse and often protect the trigger poorly.

4. Retention: what actually keeps the gun in

Nearly all concealment holsters use passive retention. The shell snaps over the trigger guard (that is the "click" you hear) and a tension screw lets you set how hard the draw is. Set it so the gun stays put when you hold the holster upside down and shake it gently, but still comes out cleanly with a firm grip. Do not crank it down until the draw fights you.

Some concealment holsters add active retention, a lock you defeat with your thumb as part of the draw. Safariland's ALS concealment holsters (such as the 7378 and 7371) and the DeSantis Quantico Undercover work this way. It costs a little speed but makes sense for OWB carry in crowds or during hard physical activity. Retention "levels" are defined by each manufacturer rather than by any universal standard. Our duty holster retention levels guide explains them, and duty rigs are covered there, not here.

Whatever the retention type, two rules do not bend. The holster must fully cover the trigger guard, and it must stay open once the gun is out.

5. Concealment features that matter more than the brand

• Cant is the forward tilt. Around 10 to 15 degrees forward at 4 o'clock helps tuck the grip and gives a more natural wrist angle. Appendix holsters usually run close to straight up. Adjustable cant, like the 0 to 15 degree range on many MFT and Crucial Concealment models, lets you experiment.
• Ride height is how far the grip sits above the belt. Lower hides better, higher gives a full firing grip sooner. A holster with vertical adjustment lets you find the lowest height you can still draw from cleanly.
• Claw, wing or wedge. These are features that rotate the grip back into your body, and they make the biggest single difference to printing in appendix carry. The DeSantis Mean Streak has an integrated claw, and the Crucial Concealment Covert uses a subtle trigger bump to angle the grip in.
• Clip type. Tuckable clips (C-clips, J-clips) let you tuck a shirt in over the gun. Wider clips and loops spread the weight and resist the holster riding up on the draw. A clip that grabs under the belt is more secure than one that only grabs the waistband.
• Sweat guard. A raised back panel keeps the slide off your skin and keeps sweat off the gun. A full guard is more comfortable, while an abbreviated guard leaves more room for your grip on the draw.

6. Weapon lights and red dots change the holster

A light on a carry gun adds length, width and weight at the muzzle end. It needs a holster built around that exact light. The upside is that a light-bearing holster can be very secure, since the light gives a big surface to lock onto. One useful approach is a holster that indexes on the light rather than the gun. The Crucial Concealment Universal Light holster for the Streamlight TLR-7 uses a retention shim to accept a range of 9mm and .40 pistols wearing a TLR-7 A, X or HL-X. If you are still choosing the light, read how to choose a weapon light first and browse our weapon lights. The holster comes after the light.

For red dots, check the holster's optic note. Some are cut to clear "most slide-mounted optics." Others, like the Safariland Species for Glock 19, list the compatible optics by name and clear standard-height sights only. If your optic needs an adapter plate or sits high, read our pistol red dot footprints guide and ask before ordering.

7. Do not skip the belt (or the spare magazine)

A holster is only as stable as what it hangs on. A dress belt or a thin fashion belt lets the gun flop outward, sag and print, and it lets the holster pull up on the draw. A purpose-built gun belt in the width your clips are made for (usually 1.5 or 1.75 inches) fixes problems people blame on the holster. Our belts and magazine pouches range and the gun belt and magazine pouch guide cover the options. If you want a spare magazine without a second pouch, consider a holster with an integrated carrier like the Incog-X with Caddy.

Our Picks: concealed carry holsters by need

These are specific holsters from our holster range that we would hand across the counter for each situation. Check the exact model, light and hand on each product page before ordering.

Appendix and light-bearing

• Best appendix holster for a Glock 19 with a TLR-7: Mission First Tactical AIWB/OWB Holster for Glock 19/23/45 Gen1-6 with TLR-7. It is ambidextrous with 0 to 15 degrees of cant, sculpted for an RMR and cut with a tall sight channel. It can move to OWB with MFT's optional paddle.
• Best appendix holster for a P365 XMacro with a TLR-7 Sub: GBRS Group x Priority 1 IWB Holster. It is .080 Boltaron with adjustable retention, ride height and 0 or 15 degree cant. It is open-ended for threaded barrels, has a full sweat guard and uses a monoblock clip that works with or without a belt.
• Best for a Glock 43X MOS with a TLR-7 Sub: MFT AIWB/OWB Holster for Glock 43X MOS with TLR-7 Sub. It has the same ambidextrous design, RMR sculpting and adjustable cant, made for the slimline Glock with a light.
• Best one light holster for several pistols: Crucial Concealment Universal Light IWB for Streamlight TLR-7. It indexes on the light, has a kickstand that pushes the grip back toward the body, and has an adjustable clip channel for height and cant.
• Best appendix holster for a Glock 43/43X: L.A.G. Tactical Appendix MK II. It is a hand-made, right-hand Kydex rig designed to keep the gun close to the body. There is also a version for the SIG P365.
• Best ambidextrous appendix holster with soft polymer: BLACKHAWK A.R.C. for Glock 19/23/32. It is injection-molded polymer with two clips that adjust for cant and ride height on 1.5 to 1.75 inch belts.
• Best for larger builds: the MFT Ultra Low-Ride for Glock 19/19X/45/44. It rides below the stomach and is red dot ready.

Strong-side IWB

• Best minimalist IWB for a Glock 19 with a red dot: Safariland Species for Glock 19. It is suede-lined SafariLaminate with an adaptable tension device and a fully cantable, vertically adjustable clip.
• Best ambidextrous Kydex IWB for a Glock 19: Crucial Concealment Covert IWB. It is .080 Kydex with full cant adjustment, a tension screw and optic compatibility, and its trigger bump angles the grip in. Glock 43/43X carriers get the same design in the Covert for Glock 43/43X.
• Best deep-concealment IWB for a SIG P365 with a red dot: DeSantis Persuader for P365 and P365 X. It has an anti-rotation wedge and an integral spur that pulls the grip in, a tall sight channel, and a multi-cant center clip with optional tuckable C-clips.
• Best holster and spare magazine in one: Safariland Incog-X with Caddy for SIG P365/X/XL. It is made from microfiber suede-wrapped Boltaron with an integrated magazine caddy and adjustable clip positions. Glock owners can choose the Incog-X for Glock 17/19.
• Best for an S&W M&P Shield, Shield M2.0 or Shield Plus: DeSantis Lifeguard. It is ambidextrous Kydex that fully encloses the trigger guard, with a tuckable C-clip, and fits with or without a red dot.
• Best for a Springfield Hellcat: Safariland Schema. It has a skeletonized body, a reinforced mouth for reholstering while worn, passive trigger guard retention and adjustable cant and height.
• Best for a Glock 48: the Safariland Species for Glock 48. It is the same suede-lined minimalist design, made for the slimline Glock.
• Best leather for tucked shirts: DeSantis 179 Sof-Tuck 2.0 for Glock 19 and similar. It is polyurethane-lined leather with a reinforced top lip and a tuckable 360 C-clip. P365 carriers can choose the Sof-Tuck 2.0 for P365.
• Best Kydex-and-leather hybrid: MFT Hybrid for Glock 19/23/45. It has a Kydex shell fused to full grain leather, works for AIWB, IWB or OWB, and is RMR and suppressor-sight compatible. For a thinner P365 option, look at the BlackPoint Mini Wing.

OWB concealment

• Best one holster for IWB and OWB: L.A.G. Tactical Liberator MK II for Glock 19/23/32. It is fully ambidextrous for IWB or OWB, with a 1.75 inch clip, plus or minus 15 degrees of cant, a protected magazine release and Ulti-Clip compatibility.
• Best OWB concealment holster with active retention: Safariland 7378 7TS ALS for Glock 19/23. It is open-top with ALS that locks automatically and releases with a thumb swipe, and it comes with both a flexible paddle and a belt loop.
• Best for a Glock 43X/48 MOS with a TLR-7 Sub, OWB: DeSantis Quantico Undercover. It is a self-locking plainclothes Kydex holster with a concealed thumb release, and it secures the gun with or without the light.
• Best Kydex OWB for a Glock 19: Crucial Concealment Covert OWB. It is molded on a curve to wrap the waist, with flexible poly loops for 1.5 or 1.75 inch belts and cant from zero to 15 degrees.
• Best OWB for comfort against the body: BlackPoint Leather Wing for Glock 19/23/32. It pairs Kydex retention with leather wings, 1.75 inch metal loops and a 15 degree forward cant.
• Best traditional leather OWB: DeSantis Speed Scabbard for Glock 19/19X/23/36/45. It is open-top with no thumb break, rides high and tight, and has three belt slots for a straight or forward-cant draw.

Pocket, belt-free and backup

• Best pocket holster for a J-frame: DeSantis Super Fly. It has a sticky rubberized exterior, a slick pack cloth interior and a removable, reversible flap to break up the outline. The simpler DeSantis Nemesis for J-Frame/Bodyguard is the same idea without the flap.
• Best pocket holster for an S&W Bodyguard 2.0: MFT Pocket Holster. It is ambidextrous Kydex made in the USA, with softened radiuses and compression retention in the pocket.
• Best for running, hiking and no-belt days: MFT Belly Band Ultra Lite. It fits waist sizes from 26 to 52 inches and has a hard laminate trigger shield.
• Best ankle holster for a backup Glock 43/43X: DeSantis 014 Die Hard. It is top grain saddle leather with a thumb break on a neoprene band and has a spot for an optional calf strap.

For more choices by maker, browse Safariland, DeSantis, Mission First Tactical, Crucial Concealment, L.A.G. Tactical, BLACKHAWK and BlackPoint Tactical.

Set it up, then practice with it

Expect a week of fine-tuning. Wear the holster around the house with an unloaded gun and adjust cant and ride height one step at a time. Set the retention screw so the draw is firm but clean, and check that every screw is still tight after the first week of wear. Then dry-practice the draw and the reholster, slowly, with an empty gun and no ammunition in the room.

Three last checks before you carry. The trigger guard must be fully covered. The gun must stay in when you hold the holstered pistol upside down and shake it gently. The holster must stay on your belt when you draw. Carry laws differ widely, so check your state and local laws before you carry. If you are unsure whether a holster fits your exact pistol, light or optic, contact us with the model details and we will check before you order.