and the holster that works best for me.... nylon!

[duality]

Took the best portion of the day trying on different holsters. Galco, Bianchi, Fobus, and quite a few others. They all gave the gun away in jeans and a size L tee shirt. I'm only 5'10" 180lbs so it's a pretty big gun for my frame. Turns out the nylon IWB holster hides it so well it couldn't be seen even with a M shirt.

So the question is, how long is this $10 piece of crap going to last?

And is carrying one up as bad an idea with these things as my gut tells me?

[Wopasaurus]

I've carried my xd 45 compact everyday in it for at least 3-4 months, and the cheapie holster is still doing fine.

As far as IWB goes, the nylon was most comfortable. And i'm 5'11 and 175 lbs, so I feel your pain about stuff being hard to conceal.

[opskmallory]

Are you talking about the cheap-o Uncle Mike's IWB? If so, I had one for about a year and a half and carried an XD40 service model in it nearly every day. I started to notice a little bit of wear in it after a year or so, but nothing that affected it's function at all. It was a good holster.

[Archer1945]

While a nylon holster from one of the major manufacturers will not last as long as a good leather one it will probably last at least as long as you will. The nyon used for holsters is extremely strong and abrasion resistant. Very similar to the nylon used for packs and other outdoor activities and if anyone is hard on equipment it is someone who does a lot of backpacking and they don't buy new packs very often; not when a good pack costs several hundred dollars.

[TeeJay]

i got a federal holsterworks nylon for my XD. it seems very tough. my buddy has the the same for his glock carry gun, hes been using it for probably 4 years now and its still in great shape. he also said the gun will "make love" to the holster and form to fit it like a glove.

i like it since its ambidextrous and uses a clip instead of a belt loop.

that and its only 20$.

[Philadelphia]

I've heard the nylon holsters start to stink like a dirty sock after a while.

Let us know.

PS: I use Don Hume leather goods. Totally sold on that brand of leather holsters. The prices are excellent, the product is excellent and customer service is excellent. Hard to beat for a holster you can buy "off the shelf" (as in right now not 6 mos. from now) and at very fair pricing. My 2c.

[rgeliske]

I am assuming by the price that the holster you got is one of the Uncle Mike. The problem with those is they collapse when the gun is drawn making it difficult to reholster. The cheaper Uncle Mike holster are usually not make of high quality Ballistic Nylon and I would say good for about 6 months of daily wear. There are some more ridge higher quality available. Be careful of the clip attachment some times the holster comes off with the gun.

Take a look at the kydex holster by Fist. They are very thin and conceal well but they also have good clips which keep the holster in place.

http://www.fist-inc.com/holsters/k1/K3.htm

[IndianaJones]

i have a nylon shoulder holster that I really like alot.

[jtkratzer]

I have a cheap nylon IWB holster. I bought it to try out how IWB feels before spending the money on a nice leather one. It works, but it's not the best fit/feel since it's not made to have any cant at all. The gun wants to sit vertical, so I have to adjust it from time to time but it is comfortable. There was a "sharp" corner on the material that used to scratch me if I didn't wear an undershirt. I also put a few stitches in it to stop the gun from sitting so low that I couldn't get a very good grip fast enough for my liking. The stitches are to stop the trigger guard from going in any deeper. For $14, I figured I'd try it out before spending $70+.