A few years ago, I attended a training event put on by Safariland, Walther, CHPWS, and Modlite at Rich Graham’s Full Spectrum Warrior facility. At that event, the Safariland head honcho showed us a secretive holster that would later become the Ballast, which we saw officially released in early 2025. No photos could be taken at the time, but the holster intrigued me.
A Transparent Safariland Holster
Mainly because it was made of a semi-transparent polymer. The purpose of using a semi-transparent polymer was to show off the various SLS (Self Locking System) and ALS (Automatic Locking System) features and give people a better view of how they worked. I have a production Ballast now—released just this past year—and love it, but that clear polymer prototype never left my mind.
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When I ran into a Safariland rep recently at the Glock Gen 6 launch event, we got to chatting. I made what I felt was a big ask: “Hey, do you guys still have that clear polymer Ballast? Can I borrow it?” The Safariland rep simply said, “You can have it.” And here we see it: the clear Ballast holster on full display.
Safariland Goes Transparent
Regardless of what you say, it’s a looker, right? Transparent holsters are all kinds of cool and somewhat rare. Heck, transparent anything in the firearms world is interesting. I was always enamored with ATI’s transparent polymer lower, even if it didn’t quite make it as a mainstream production staple. Seeing how things work is always fascinating versus simply knowing they work.
This might lead to the question: why not make a transparent holster for the mass market? Or a transparent lower? Well, it turns out that transparent polymers tend to be weaker and more brittle. If you ever played with Legos as a kid, you’ve probably had a transparent brick crack long before an opaque one.
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Transparent polymers are also more susceptible to UV degradation. UV rays can reach deeper into the material and break molecular bonds throughout the plastic. That’s why they eventually turn yellow and lose their structural integrity.
Safariland’s reasoning is simple: they make duty holsters to a high standard. They don’t want to sell a holster that can break under the “crush” forces the Ballast is specifically designed to resist, or degrade while sitting in a patrol car under the sun. It’s not a smart business move for a company built on institutional trust.
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The Cutaway Holster
Think of this holster a bit like a cutaway gun. It’s designed to show you exactly how the mechanics operate—how the ALS locks into the ejection port and how the SLS hood rotates. It’s not designed to be fielded. The clear design gives it a striking, almost “sci-fi” appearance.
It functions just like the production Ballast. The SLS and ALS lock your gun in place and allow for an intuitive, fast draw. The holster works with all standard Safariland attachments, so you can drop it low with a UBL, ride it high, or throw it on a plate carrier via a TMA.
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I won’t be doing any of that, though. I treasure the rare, somewhat odd nature of this piece. It’s going to sit in my safe as a collector’s item, something I whip out every now and then to provide a unique look at the “guts” of modern holster technology.
I’m not sure if this is Safariland’s rarest holster, but as far as I know, very few exist, and I’m stoked to have one on hand.
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