Smart carry

[kseveryn]

Has anyone utilized the "smartcarry"?

www.smartcarry.com

[DrDavidM]

I think several of us have. I use it when wearing dress clothes. I much prefer a nice IWb holster, but mine don't conceal well with a tucked shirt. I carry my Kahr CW9 in one. It is thin so it prints VERY little. You would never know I had it. It can be, for me, a little uncomfortable sitting, but standing you don't even notice it's there. I have a Taurus PT140PRO. It is thicker and doesn't work as well. All in all I am very pleased with it.

Hope this helps

[GeneticsDave]

Information about the SmartCarry holster.

Let's start out with the cons:

1. It isn't invisible. You will, depending on the size of your carry weapon, see a bulge in you groin area, which might not actually be a 'con' depending on your point of view/self-esteem. ;)
2. The most noticeable "printing" of your weapon will most likely be the butt of the grip, which will poke out at the 1 'o' clock position and can interfere with the use of a belt to some degree.
3. It will cause extra sweat in your groin area - which can lead to a nasty irritation by Candida albicans. Only happened to me when I was playing tennis with it on every day.
4. Takes quite a long time to dry if laundered. Due to the elastic waistband it is recommended that you dry it with "air only", no heat as it can damage the elastic.
5. If you are not careful when sitting (and depending on how long your front appendage is), your front appendage may become pinched between your holster and your pants - HOLY OUCH!!!

Now for the pros:

1. It is a relatively cheap holster.
2. It is custom made to fit both you and your weapon.
3. The owner is very nice and will field any questions/problems you have.
4. The holster will hold your weapon, an extra mag (which many holsters do not), and has a small pocket for a large bill (never know when you will need emergency cash).
5. It works with nearly every outfit. It has become my preferred mode of carry over any other holster I own.
6. It doesn't get much more concealed than this (excluding inserting the weapon into bodily orifices - yikes).
7. SmartCarry (as opposed to other makers) has the following advantages:

1. Holster available in white and denim colors to match pants or undergarments
2. Holster has a true waterproofing layer as opposed to the 'absorbing' diaper material contained in many other maker's products
3. Seams are sown such that all the stitching is on the outside of the holster so that no part of the gun will catch on the holster during a draw
4. 14 inches of 2.5 inch wide velcro - it's not coming off accidentally


I hope this has been helpful, please feel free to ask any other questions.

[BluesStringer]

My wife and I both just received ours this week. Wednesday in fact, after only ordering them last Sunday evening. Everything I've heard about Charlie is true, he's responsive, nice and quick to fill orders.

We just got back from a Costco trip, both of us carrying using the SmartCarry. First time out in public for the wife while carrying, so she popped her ummm....carry cherry just a little bit ago! I've been carrying forever, but this was only the second day I used the SC. I used it for a little while yesterday while at work, but found all the getting in and out of the car and moving around so much was going to take a little getting used to. Had to take it off about half way through the day, but in fairness, it was more due to my lack of time, or a good place, to experiment with tightness, placement (right, left or smack on top of my junk) and height. I found out right away that too high, though the natural place to put it, will cause the safety/decocking lever to really dig hard into my gut. As soon as I lowered it (during the first of about 5 trips to the little boy's room to adjust it), that problem disappeared. Even sitting in the car was no problem as far as the gun digging into my skin. I had to give the adjustment trips a rest though because my boss asked me if I was having kidney problems or something! The only remaining challenges are placement and tightness, which will just be a matter of experimenting a bit to find just the right combination.

The butt of my S&W 4563 (a full-sized .45) printing noticeably is probably the hardest thing to overcome, except, lucky for me, I am allowed to have my uniform shirt at work tucked or untucked. Untucked with a "wife-beater" type of undershirt to cushion between the SC and my skin fixes that problem just fine. Today, instead of wearing an untucked T-shirt, I simply rotated the SC to the left a couple or three degrees and tucked in my shirt as I normally would. The normal position of the butt of the gun would be about 1 to 1:30 o'clock. I moved around to the left so that it was right at noon o'clock. That presents another problem though; the muzzle is now resting against my left leg, making it a bit less comfortable in the car, but almost no difference in comfort while standing/walking, and the butt-exposure problem is almost completely nullified.

My Gorgeous Wife's (hereafter referred to as "GW") gun is a SA XD-40 4" Service model. She tried the SC with a pair of jeans and jeans shorts, both of which were just too tight to wear with the SC. She hates it, but she'll have to get a size bigger britches to be able to really conceal the gun. Today she opted for a lightweight pair of track pants with an elastic waist-band, which still printed pretty bad, but which was easily concealed by an untucked T-shirt. GW is, as her nickname implies, a gorgeous woman, her beauty only exceeded by her vanity, so it's going to hurt her terribly to buy bigger sized pants, but I think she'll get over it. She's a runner and her favorite place to run is a very secluded area that's perfect for a mugger or rapist, so we made the decision together to prepare her to pack when she's down there. The SC seemed the perfect solution for concealing even with lightweight workout clothes on. It'll take a lot of getting used to for her to run with it and the gun on, but she has tried it here at home on the treadmill and is pretty positive about being able to adapt.

All in all, I think the SC is a great solution, especially for summer-carry, and for me, especially for carrying at work, where, if caught, I would be fired on the spot. The trade-off of course, is accessibility. It would definitely slow down a draw from the standing position, and, without having really tried it yet, I would imagine it will make drawing from inside the car next to impossible, at least with jeans or any kind of regular pants on. Sweats or track pants, maybe a little easier, but still slower than a belt or paddle holster. Then again, I would imagine that any truly deep concealment apparatus would be difficult to draw from while inside a small space like a car. Like I said, it's a trade-off, but one I'm willing to make in order to have the firepower of a full-sized .45 at my disposal. I'm happy with the purchase, and I think GW will be happy after a short adjustment period.

Blues

[Sgt. SIG]

I have one and when you absolutely must not be discovered, it's a good addition to the holster collection!

[kwo51]

the neat thing is you can position the holder anywere on your upper body. still deep cover and slow presitation

[lukem]

I definitely plan on trying it out to review for the site. I've seen it around for a while but haven't picked one up yet.

[tattedupboy]

For speed of draw, comfort, and accessibility, nothing beats OWB carry (whether carrying openly or concealed). I have had my SmartCarry for about 2 months, and there are definitely some pros and cons. I like that it conceals handguns better than perhaps any other holster on the market, especially if you have a wardrobe like mine (consisting of mostly oversized shirts and baggy pants). I have found that if I wear loose-fitting pants without a belt (belts slow down my accessibility) I can access my weapon pretty quickly. The biggest drawback is the fact that it is virtually impossible to draw from a sitting position (even after weeks of practice, I still haven't found a way to draw quickly this way).

[burley]

I'v used one about 10 months now and love it. It's the one I use if I have to carry for long periods of time and need deep concealment. One note, you can carry different size guns in the same holster using safety pins to down size(see instructions on their site). I carry a P11 and or a P3AT in mine. I suggest calling their number before buying and asking any questions you have, they seem very willing to help. They also have a 60 trial period , if it just don't work for you -return it.

[ishi]

Originally Posted by GeneticsDave

Information about the SmartCarry holster.

2. The most noticeable "printing" of your weapon will most likely be the butt of the grip, which will poke out at the 1 'o' clock position

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