Holster

A holster is a specialized article of clothing. It is designed to hold a sidearm about the person, most commonly in a location where it can be easily drawn for immediate use.

Related Topics:
Clothing - Sidearm

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Popular holster types are:

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• Inside the waistband (IWB) holsters, which clip or mount to a belt and allow one to securely holster the weapon inside the pants.
• Outside the waistband (OWB) or belt holsters, which are most common in military use and in the popular historical image of the Wild West "cowboy". Belt holsters can be worn relatively high and close to the body, slightly behind the hip bone ("4:00 position"), and can be concealed under a long, untucked shirt or jacket.
• Shoulder holsters, that consist of two straps connected in a manner similar to a backpack, with the actual holster mounted to a strap on the right or the left side. This holster setup requires the person to be wearing a jacket, vest, or camp shirt to hide the strap harness and the holster from others, but it's somewhat easier to carry since it's located near the center of body mass. Specialized shoulder holsters such as those are designed to be concealed under a T-shirt.
• The "belly band" holster, which is a notoriously uncomfortable, wide elastic belt with a built-in holster, to be worn under a shirt that is not tucked in, to facilitate access. There are various types, worn at the belt line or higher, with the gun placement anywhere from in front to under the armpit. In order to remain in place, a belly band must be extremely tight; this does not lend itself to a very pleasant experience - it is comprable to wearing a girdle.
• Pocket holsters, for use with very small weapons, such as a back-up gun or a mousegun.
• Groin holsters like and , which place the handgun mostly below the waistline around the 12:00 position.
• Thigh holsters are the more recent popular military item that holds the sidearm on the leg right where the hand naturally hangs, making for a quick draw. Early U.S. cavalry units used these in the early 1900's with a leather thong strapping it to the leg. Modern ones use nylon. Often with buckles for quick release.

Other, specialised types of holster are designed to be mounted inside briefcases, day planners, purses and filofaxes, or even articles of clothing.

Related Topics:
Day planners - Purses - Filofaxes

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