Bought a 365 TacPac this week, it includes a cheap kydex holster IWB/OWB, RH/LH.
Never thought IWB would be for me. Not even in my skinny days, which ended
in the last century.

I'm surprised how comfortable this holster is inside my britches!
Haven't even shot the gun yet, but I've been carrying it around to test
the holster/concept.

Was gonna buy a good owb holster and figure out how to conceal it.
I only wear t-shirts or a rare polo. Tucked in.

Now,I'm thinking that if this crappy holster works so well, IWB is the way to go.
Surely, a good holster would only be better.


Looking for guidance.

Leather vs kydex vs hybrid?
Loops, clips, j clips, ulticlips, 1 clip, 2 clip?

Little compact holster or wings to separate the clips/loops?

I like the idea of material between the gun and me, is it good, or not?

Any info is welcome, but please indicate if you have tried many holsters,
or just have one you love. Both types of opinion are valuable, it's just good
to know the perspective.

Best IWB Ive tried is the Kusiak. Buy direct online, or now available through Amazon. Have one for my G43 I bought 10 years ago and one for my Ruger LCP bought just 3 years ago. Leather is thin, stiff and perfectly formed. Price for my first one was $49. Next one was $59. Cant go wrong. Have tried a couple of the soft ones with a belt or band of harder leather made by some of the better known makers. NWAS in my opinion.

Never even heard of that one, gonna check it out.
Thanks.

I have both leather and Kydex holsters and much prefer a leather IWB, I bought mine off eBay neither are big name and they only cost less than $60.00. I use them to carry my Sig Sauer P239 and P320, the P320 is the more comfortable to carry almost forget that I'm carrying.

I started IWB carry before Kydex was even a thing, so it was always leather for me. When Kydex really started taking off, I tried a couple of them, but always went back to leather. Kydex is too hard, causing too many pressure points as you move around, while leather, being soft. will flex and bend with your body, so no pressure points.

Two IWB holsters I have liked and carried with extensively are Milt Sparks, either their VM II or their Executive Carry, and El Paso Saddlery's C-Force line.

Get a good stiff belt designed for concealed carry holsters. I like Galco's SB series. Been using them for 30 years with no complaints.

The guns I've carried comfortably IWB since 1980 have been full sized, all steel, 1911s, K-Frame S&W revolvers, Glocks (17, 19, 26), a Ruger mid frame revolver (Speed Six), Sig service-sized pistols, and an assortment of smaller auto pistols and revolvers.

I use a Bianchi Model 100 IWB holster for my Beretta Nano and it is very comfortable and convenient. The Nano is similar in size to the P365 but I would check the Bianchi holster size chart to be sure which one fits the P365.

I recently decided to try a IWB for my Sig 365XL and bought the Cross Breed "The Reckoning" holster. I went with it because it comes set up for IWB but can be configured for OWB. I'll be leaving it as IWB because I have been pleasantly surprised at how comfortable it is IWB. This holster also has adjustable retention clips which is nice.
Not the cheapest hostler but quality built.

I used one of these for a good while. Most comfortable IWB I had ever used out of several.
https://www.vedderholsters.com/lighttuck/


When I went from a size 48" waist Jeans to a size 29" IWB became problematic no matter the design. I could do appendix with a very small pistol but just prefer a high rise OWB now.

^This.

But I haven't yet bothered to acquire a good IWB for the 365 yet. OWB on a Milt Sparks belt under an untucked shirt (or vest in winter) is GTG. I have yet to find a commercial kydex holster that I like.

Oh - clips. They generally suck. It ain't that hard to thread a good belt through loops/slots. All the clips I've tried either don't hold well or are just as much a bother to apply.

The IWB holster I've been using exclusively for the last ten years or so has been the El Paso Saddlery C-Force, and it has a single snap on loop. It uses a high quality snap, so it has never come undone on me while wearing it, and is no problem snapping on or off the belt. No need to thread the belt through the loops, although that's how I used to roll when I used Milt Sparks IWB holsters, and it was no big deal doing that, either.

I use Milt Sparks IWBs and have for 30 years. Still have not worn one out, in spite of lots of use.



I have multiple different example such as the Versa Max, Summer Specials, and a couple I don't recall the names. They all work well, but I find myself using and preferential to the old school Summer Special versions.



I even picked one up for a 4" N Frame .44, which works rather well if you wear the proper pants and belt.



This one is from 1991:




The punchline is that they are excellent holsters, worth waiting a little longer for, since they will last longer than you will. If you are really going to carry a gun for hours on end, day after day, spending a little extra and getting a great holster instead of a mediocre one is a very smart thing to do. Otherwise it will end up in a box and you be back to looking at holsters in a few months.

For IWB Milt Sparks or TT Gunleather. Both have been excellent for me. I hate Kydex, they scrub the hell out of your gun. And I agree that clops are not satisfactory. I tried several of them.

Snap loops are great. But I find myself just leaving them snapped most of the time.

Been using the same VMII for more than a couple decades now. I wonder if they're making it optics friendly now?

Spoken like a right-hander. Try to thread a tight holster the long way around.

Since you all are backward anyway,😇
why not put your belt on the opposite way?

That's an option, but belt buckles often have a top and bottom - all the ratchet belts for example.

👍👍👍


Never tried one of those.

They sound good, but leather has always been ok.
Especially since I found Bullhide and Hank's.

I like the Anson I have. The belt itself is not that much an advantage, but the ratchet provides for a lot more adjustment. You're a click or two away from untucked to tucking in a heavy shirt, to using an IWB and always having just the right size belt.

Indeed they are. My latest VMII is for a G48 with a holosun.

Damn, I was just about to type the same thing. Wear it upside down and backwards.

I was a lefty for a while. And I have one belt that works best in reverse. If you practice POGO it's easiest to put it all together before you put on the pants. I usually do that the night before.

Jesus [bleep] Christ.

You either wanna wear IWB or you don't.

If you do, leather or Kydex matters not. The vast majority of people carrying today are wearing Kydex. For good reason.

Be kind to obese people, for them IWB vs. OWB is not easy decision to make. Luckily Safariland makes a holster suitable for fat people. Google Safariland 18 IWB. This will not shift regardless of belt vs. loop fit and you will not have to wear your belt very tight to prevent gun holster shifting, this should help a lot for those with Michalin Man bodies.

Sure thing, Pollock.

LOL

The only thing I like about Kydex is that reassuring click when you seat the handgun fully into it.

Welcome back.

I use this model for all my small carry guns. https://www.donhume.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=67_352_106&products_id=828
The clip is strong, leather is thin and it stays in place. Easy on and off.
And they are running a Memorial Day sale.

I have a p365. Picked up a raven vanguard holster for it. Replaced the oem holster clip with an ulticlip and it works great for me. Personally I like the minimalist holster design

Good to know. That sure makes things easy for me.

Leather holsters with an inner synthetic doodad that 'clicks' over the trigger guard are getting more common in OWB, IWB with something similar are probably out there.

Cool.

“Wifebeater” type undershirts are your friend when carrying IWB under a T-shirt or Polo. You can leave the shirt untucked yet keep something between the holster and your skin. I think I got this from TRH.

Yep. Wifebeaters have been worn by me since I started carrying IWB.

Agree 100%.
And am glad you jumped in.
You have mentioned holsters before,
I was staring at the pretty girl two pews up,
and not paying enough attention.


My questions were just that.
Don't really care about the material, just want a gun holder that works well.
And isn't miserable.

What do you like, and why.

I use this combo for all my IWB carry. Made by a company called Cascadia Concealment. Hiding a full size gun is no problem.

I have been using am IWB holster by UM Tactical for my 365 for about 3 1/2 years now, almost every day. I like it a lot. I had a lot of reservations about a "plastic" holster, also about a clip on, but as long as I am wearing my usual 1 1/2" heavy leather belt, the clip snaps on and stays on, solid and stable. I like this holster enough I've thought about getting another, just in case they discontinue it.

This is it: https://palmettostatearmory.com/um-tactical-iwb-sig-sauer-p365-holster.html

Palmetto is out.

CompTac or Black Scorpion is tough to beat.

Anything T-Rex Arms is gonna be tough to not love.

Any experience with Tier 1 concealed for IWB or appendix carry for that matter?

I don't use one but know a few competent people that do. They have no complaints.

It's tough to buy a schitty holster these days.

HAWG Holsters.

Ulti-Clip most secure.

I use Muddy Tactical holsters, they are very comfortable. I find the rounded bottom (at the muzzle ) does not dig into me like so many that are not rounded.

Really appreciate everyone's thoughts on this, I about wore out my tablet looking at everyone's suggestions. And all the other things that popped up on Google.

As I said, I really liked the Sig holster that came with the gun.
The design, the execution sucked. As one would expect in a holster that was designed to be IWB and OWB, ambidextrous, and cheap.




Finally ended up with this.
All black.






Very happy with it. It's really comfortable, and conceals well under a t shirt.
Even tucked. (Having love handles helps)😉


Whole thing has been an education. Have read IWB stuff for years, telling folks
how it's not really comfortable. How you have to adapt. How it just doesn't work for someone who isn't in perfect athletic condition.

I would have never paid the money to buy a holster with that in mind. Only even
tried it due to that POS free holster. A good holster addressed the issues it had
and showed me that all my previous assumptions were total BS.


Thanks to those who helped.

Anyone who thinks IWB might be too uncomfortable?


Buy a holster similar to mine, one that has compatability with numerous carry positions and ways to connect to the belt. You certainly can do it, comfortably.
The one trick is to find the where on you it's comfortable, along with the how to
hook it that suits you positioning and style.

Another vote for Milt Sparks IWB, I've got the Versa Max 2.

Sam Andrews leather. No finer holsters in America.

IWB - is about all day, every day, comfort of carry with good access.

The Galco Suede Stow-n-go is as light weight/thin/comfortable as you are likely to get.

Treat it with sno-seal and then silicone spray, and it will be sweat proof and protect your firearm.

Cut the rear belt tab off and it can be forward canted to whatever angle you desire, and still be secure.

And they ride high, so the pistol is easy to get out in a hurry, and have a reinforced lip so re-holstering is no problem.







GR

Always liked the bianchi pistol pocket

I'm a Milt Sparks VM-2 kinda guy, so called them to get one ordered for the new DWX. They said it would be 6 months to a year before they even got a mold gun in, to start building them. Well I wanna use the damn thing now, so I bought a cheap Galco made for something else and remodeled the leather part, and put a heat gun to the kydex part to re-form it to work on the new shooter. After using it awhile, I'm kinda liking the heck outta it......

I also dropped the clips as far as ya can, to make it ride a bit higher.

The Galco's (& Tommy Theis) are knockoffs of the Crossbreed design & work just fine if you like that design.....................they take up a lot of space in the pants; I used them for some time & then moved on to other designs that I like better for my needs.

If it squeaks, apply some linseed oil.

MM

As deaf as I am, how will I know if it squeaks?.....

Train that dawg to let you know.

Really considered that type of holster.
And I might go that route if I wanna IWB carry something bigger.
It seemed like a lot for a 365.


The wait is what cause me to ignore Milt Sparks, Sam Andrews.......
My research turned up more guys building beautiful leather than I imagined.
Expensive. But not bad considering the work.
I wanted a holster now, not next year.

Hell, some of the kydex guys claim several weeks wait.


Some amused me.
$50 extra and you get it quicker!
What a joke, and scam.
Bet the guy pushed back doesn't benefit from the $50.

I can recommend Alien Gear, Cloak/Tuck.
They have lots of different options,
The Cloak IWB is very comfortable.
https://aliengearholsters.com/alien-gear-cloak-tuck-3-0-iwb-holster-inside-the-waistband.html.html

Sparks can't make a Criterion that can accommodate an optic, so I tried the VMII with an optic cutout for a P365. It rode too high for my liking and I sold it immediately. Now I just use kydex off-the-shelf stuff like a Blackhawk Stache or, if I want some side protection for the optic, the L.A.G. ambidextrous Liberator. I find that it may take some adjusting to get an optic gun to not print, so I prefer a holster that allows more adjustment to get the ride height and cant correct.

Ask yer wife.........................

MM