Concealed Carrying

[HawkMan]

I want to get a CA Compliant M&P Shield for concealed carrying at home, work, etc... and want some suggestions.

Currently I am considering getting the Alien Gear Cloak Tuck 3.0 IWB holster, are there any issues with this holster or do you recommend anything else?
Alien Gear Cloak Tuck 3.0 IWB Holster (Inside the Waistband)

Also, I need a gun-belt but am unsure of the good quality brands. I'm considering getting a Trakline / Kore gun-belt. Do you recommend anything else?
Trakline / Kore Gun Belt

[grantar2]

HawkMan as an Alien Gear dealer, I would say for a Shield the AG or any hybrid style holster is the wrong choice. It's way too much holster for a compact easily concealable gun. There are other better choices. Don't rush on the gun belt either, I say that as the owner of a concealed carry store that has several different manufactures brands available. My personal favorites which I do carry and use are Nexbelt and Deltech Force Super Bio Belts, bu choice here will have a lot to do with your body type, clothing style, etc.

Feel free to give us a call at Packin' Fur Defense, if you need the number it's on our website or you can PM me. Others here who know me know I am willing to discuss carry solutions regardless of where you go to buy your stuff. Your holster ultimately has to work in a 1 to 2 second window or it doesn't matter. Choose wisely.

If your in Orange County come on in to the store and try various solutions out. I suggest getting the gun before getting a holster and then trying them out before buying. (Avoids the shoe box full of holster thing).

[P5Ret]

First off do you have a LTC? If not why limit your gun at home? Carry a full size gun at home if you must, personally I don't feel the need to carry at home, but I'm sure our housing situations are very different.

I do agree that the AG holster is a bit large for the Shield. I have one and use it, mostly because it's comfortable, and I'm too cheap to go through the trial and error phase of finding something smaller that is as comfortable.

As far as a belt goes, I'm partial to leather and these have worked well for me. https://www.hanksbelts.com/

[faris1984]

If you have a LTC then I would recommend trying another gun , I myself didnt like the shield I liked the Ruger LCP .

[L84CABO]

I want to get a CA Compliant M&P Shield for concealed carrying at home, work, etc... and want some suggestions.

Currently I am considering getting the Alien Gear Cloak Tuck 3.0 IWB holster, are there any issues with this holster or do you recommend anything else?
Alien Gear Cloak Tuck 3.0 IWB Holster (Inside the Waistband)

Also, I need a gun-belt but am unsure of the good quality brands. I'm considering getting a Trakline / Kore gun-belt. Do you recommend anything else?
Trakline / Kore Gun Belt

There are a metric crap ton of holsters and belts out there ranging from craptastic to fantastic. Much depends on personal preference and how you intend to carry. Here are some things to ponder and answer that will help us help you...

Do you need IWB or OWB?

What position do you want to carry in?

Do you want leather, kydex or a hybrid?

Does it need to be tuckable?

Does it need to be CANTED...or adjustable for CANT

Does it need to be adjustable for ride height?

Does it need to be adjustable for retention?

Do you need a full sweat guard?

Do you have preference for how it attached to your belt? Single clips? Soft loops? etc.

Do you intend to take it on and off throughout the day or are you a "put it on in the morning and take it off at night," type? Cause threading belt loops is a pain if you're taking it on and off a lot


As for belts...yup, a lot of those too. It's probably best to go check out this thread and others. Pretty much everything that can be said about belts probably already has. Lots of good recommendations in this thread...including some by me.

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=1113737

As for Alien Gear, they're generally regarded as a budget holster brand...albeit probably one of the better budget holsters...but still a budget holster. And I'm not necessarily suggesting you should be spending more right now if you don't have a lot of experience with carrying yet. There's a reason people end up with a drawer full of holsters...needs, preference and body types vary so much it's impossible to advise a new carrier what to go with. It is a journey each of us must take on a quest to figure out what works best for us. So it might make sense to go the cheap route right now until you sort out what you really like and how you like to carry.

But with that said, another option is to buy a higher quality holster that could easily be sold if you decide it doesn't work for you. If you bought a holster like Milt Sparks you could probably sell it for what you paid for simply because their waits are usually pretty long.

[Your ad here]

I have a $35 5.11 belt I carry a S&W 686 on. 2 years and just the velcro is a little worn.

[rdtompki]

Regarding the Trakline belt: I do love mine and believe it's a good value, but here's my important lesson for IWB of an HK P2000: having a belt that is (essentially) continuously adjustable really improves comfort. the Trakline has 1/4" adjustment spacing; other approaches have true continuous adjustment, but 1/4" is fine. When you have to use a public toilet the ability to keep the belt closed while changing the adjustment is key to a)keeping the gun out of sight and b)keeping the gun/holster off the stall floor. Practice sitting down on a toilet with a medium heavy gun and you'll see what I mean. YMMV. By the way I like my StealthGear Mini, but there are a lot of fine holsters out there.

[Fox Mulder]

[Cokebottle]

Hard to beat the Kore belt.
Thin as a dress belt and solid.

I'm a big fan of the Vedder Light Tuck holsters

http://www.vedderholsters.com/lighttuck/

I tried Cooks and it seems to print a bit more, even though it has a similar design.

[back4more70]

I find my Kore adjustable belt works great with my poor adjustable waist

[71MUSTY]

I find a holster like the Crossbreed Quick Clip much better. Very easy to put on and take off, smaller footprint in your waste band and since the shield is light you don't need massive retention. Make sure you buy a good carry belt in any case.

http://www.crossbreedholsters.com/Product/QwikClip

Actually I carry an all steel full size Smith 10mm with the same style Quik clip and have no issues.