If there’s one thing I’ve learned after eleven years in the gun community, it is – if you don’t know, ASK!!!
So that’s exactly what I did today.
Close on the heels of my decision to make an S&W Shield 9EZ my next carry gun, I decided that I needed to start looking at holsters. Where better to do that than at SHOT Show?
Enter Christina at DeSantis Gunhide. I asked her what her holster recommendations would be for a woman carrying the new Shield 9EZ. She showed me several options, including inside and outside the waistband models, with a belt and without, and made of leather or ballistic nylon.
These choices are not necessarily specific for women, but are the “less bulky” options that most women prefer. It doesn’t mean that guys won’t find them useful too. I am passing that information along right away with a quick and dirty floor report while it’s still fresh in my mind. Also so that the info will still be here in black and white when I go shopping and I can refer back to this article (because I’m starting to get SHOT brain and can’t even remember what I had for lunch).
For those of you not familiar, DeSantis Holsters started over 40 years ago as a kitchen table operation. Though the family business has now expanded into a worldwide concern serving law enforcement and military from all over, each holster is still built and shipped in the good ole’ U.S. of A.
The options Christina found for me are as follows:
This is a OWB molded leather holster which is belt-mounted. It is available in either black or tan saddle leather and is the prettiest of the bunch, in my opinion. I really like the warmth of the tan leather. I guess holsters aren’t supposed to be “warm”-looking, but if it’s gonna be on my body regularly then I get to choose, right?
This is a minimalistic molded leather IWB holster which is only available in black. The Inside Heat has a powder coated spring clip to hook it to your belt or waistband. This one still has that classic leather look that I love, but in black.
This option is black ballistic nylon and is a cooler option for warmer months. It has a band to hold an additional magazine, and the clip can be switched to the other side for left sided carry.
This option is also constructed of the more breatheable ballistic nylon but is a tuckable IWB. Like the Pro-Stealth, this holster also includes a band for an extra magazine. The highlight for this one is that the clip is adjustable for cant, in addition to being able to switch it to the other side, so this option is probably the most “flexible” of the four options for positions of wear.
So, there are four more options for carry that I bet you didn’t even know you had! I’m so glad I stopped by the DeSantis booth. I like all of these holsters for different reasons, and I’m going to have a hard time choosing. I may have to buy more than one! I’ll try to get a more in-depth article written – with better photos – after I make a choice and use it awhile. But first things first – I still have to buy the gun when I get home!
