Ask most experienced concealed carriers, and most will tell you they have a “holster drawer.” In other words, a collection of holsters that gather dust and don’t get used often, if at all.
You might think that the perfect holster is out there, and it may be. You might think you’ll be searching and adding to your holster collection in perpetuity. It’s all perfectly normal.
Concealed Carry Rite Of Passage
The holster drawer, frankly, is a concealed carry rite of passage at this point, just like freaking out over what you think is egregious printing but turns out to not be noticed by anyone at all. Or, for that matter, learning to squat instead of bending over to pick things up. See 25 Things Only Concealed Carriers Understand.
It’s something most people who carry on a daily basis have had to go through and will have to go through and there really isn’t any getting around it, unless you happen to find that magical, mystical perfect carry holster at some point or right out of the gate.
The truth is that perfection is subjective. There is no perfect holster. There’s a perfect holster for you, but it may not be perfect for someone else and for a variety of reasons. Some people prefer cross-draw, some appendix carry and some prefer to carry small of the back. A holster that carries perfectly directly on the hip isn’t likely to be the perfect holster for a dedicated appendix carrier.
Likewise, some people prefer a high-riding OWB holster to an IWB holster for concealed carry.
In short, since people are inherently different, holsters will fit or wear differently on some people than on others. If you finally find a holster you enjoy wearing and performs well, you can rest easy that you’ve found a way to make carrying easier.
Multiple Gun Holsters For Multiple Uses
Once you’ve graduated beyond the finding a favorite stage, you can move on to having different gun holsters for different uses. Not every single holster is good for the same job, you see. Some are great for concealed carry and some are good for open carry. Some are only good for covering a gun while it’s stored but not being worn.
Not only that, but some people keep a number of holsters so they can carry multiple firearms. A common practice is for people to carry compact, easily-concealed pistols during the warmer months when fewer layers are worn. After all, it isn’t easy to conceal a full-size pistol under a T-shirt alone. Then, once temperatures drop and layers become necessary, a lot of people switch to a larger gun with a larger chambering.
Plenty of GI 1911s or other full-size firearms are carried from October to March, after which they are replaced with a Shield 9mm or other compact pistol for easy concealment during the rest of the year.
Then there are people who open carry constantly or on occasion such as during hunting or other outdoor excursions. After all, there aren’t too many concealed carry holsters made for the Model 29…though you might try and find one, if you feel lucky. (Well, do you p…nevermind.)
It’s well known that handguns get lonely and need to be kept company in the safe. A holster drawer may allow you to carry different guns in the situations that may merit them and that is just celebrating diversity at its finest.
