Gun Digest
 

Pocket Holsters: Options For Easy Everyday Carry (2024)

Elwood Shelton

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Here are several pocket holsters that simplify carrying a self-defense gun and keep it at the ready.

What's got you covered for pocket carry?

Given the sheer magnitude of concealed carry gear available today, your head can spin when going armed. Questions of calibers and carry methods, among other things, need consideration and testing before discovering the right combination. But for those who carry the most demure self-defense handguns, turning to what nearly everyone has on their person — a pocket — can circumvent much of this hubbub.

Pocket carry is among the oldest forms of concealing a firearm and is still among the most convenient and comfortable options today. Literally, you just put your carry piece into your pocket and go. Well, almost.

There is still one piece of gear you’ll have to invest in to efficiently execute this form of carry — a pocket holster. It’s vital, because you need something to break up the outline of your pistol or revolver when it inevitably tries to print. You also need something to make certain that trigger isn’t just hanging out, open to a negligent discharge if you ever have to draw your gun in the heat of the moment. And finally, you want something that will keep your piece in place, so it can be intuitively retrieved. Pocket holsters are the solution.

Luckily, the explosion of pocket-sized handguns in recent years has walked hand-in-hand with an eruption of options when it comes to pocket holsters. So with that in mind, here are seven top pocket holsters picks that will make everyday carry a snap.

Alien Gear ShapeShift Pocket Holster

Specialized as it is, it’s difficult to picture the pocket holster as a jack-of-all-trades. With Alien Gear it is. An option in the company’s protean ShapeShift line, its pocket option has the potential to upgrade to any style of carry—hip, shoulder, what have you.

Aside from its versatility, Alien Gear’s pocket configuration is light years ahead of nearly any other rig in its class. In addition to breaking up the outline of your pistol and guarding its trigger, it also—thanks to a hook system–ensures a clean and quick draw. Even better, Alien’s pocket holster also offers something few others do—an adjustable passive retention system, so you never have to worry about losing your piece.

The injection-modeled ShapeShift is a serious carry holster, for those who don’t compromise. MSRP: $53.88


Vedder Pocket Locker

Many believe you compromise speed for convenience when you pocket carry. Vedder smashes this misconception with the Pocket Locker. Engineered for utmost discreteness, the rig also is among the fastest on the draw.

This is thanks to two simple, yet elegant assets on the Kydex rig—a retention hook and optional thumb release. Similar to other systems, the hook snags hold of the inside of your pocket allowing a clean pull from the holster. To put an extra gear on the matter, you can order the Pocket Locker with a thumb tab on the slide guard aiding a quicker extraction. Additionally, the Vedder pocket holster doubles as an off-the-body option, easily integrating into a bag or purse via an attachment point. Pretty slick all around. MSRP: $42.99

CCW Breakaways SkinTight Holster

Let’s get something straight, pocket carry is among the most clandestine and convenient ways to tote your handgun. But you’ve got to do it right. First and foremost, this means getting a proper holster for the job. Not only should it provide the basic safety functions of handgun retention and keeping the trigger covered, but it should make it utterly impossible to decern you’re carrying.

CCW Breakaways more than has you covered on all these counts with a rig that more than lives up to its name. Unlike the bulky foam and fabric models common to this style of holster, the SkinTight Holster cuts an extremely low profile, while facilitating a clean draw. It does so through its hybrid design, a Kydex scabbard with a soft Neoprene/Spandex exterior.

Furthermore, the holster’s designed to enhance handgun retrieval, with index points on its outside providing tactile references. For the price, a lot is going on with this slim, trim and affordable pocket holster. MSRP: $26

Versacarry Adjustable Pocket Holster

Stylish enough you’ll wish you didn’t have to stash it, Versacarry’s Adjustable Pocket Holster is also a serious concealed carry system. In addition to breaking up the outline of your gun, it also draws as smooth as it looks—no matter what pocket you carry in. This is due to a simple, yet elegant Kydex claw system that adjusts to a pocket’s size so the holster stays in place when you pull your gun.

Made from premium water buffalo hide, the Versacarry rig provides solid passive retention and is stiff enough reholstering is a piece of cake. However, it carries comfortably, conforming over time to the curves of your body. Straight forward and effective, the Adjustable Pocket Holster makes everyday carry a snap. MSRP: $44.99

Crossbreed Pocket Rocket


Crossbreed Holsters has always been at the cutting-edge of concealed carry and has deftly applied its hybrid-materials know how to pocket carry.

The Pocket Rocket looks distinctly like one of the company’s products, combining a leather paddle and a Kydex retention system. But it functions much differently than other Crossbreed products, with the leather facing away from the carrier, breaking up the pistol's outline and appearing like a wallet. The paddle also has a grippy rubber backing, ensuring a clean draw and the rigid Kydex allows for simple re-holstering.

The Pocket Rocket runs a reasonable $36.95, comes in left- and right-hand models and, like all Crossbreed products, comes with a two-week grace period for testing to see if it’s the right fit. But these pocket holsters are strictly a .380 ACP semi-automatic pistol affair, with all models cut to fit a number of the smallest makes and models of this caliber.

Clinger Holsters Comfort Cling


The Comfort Cling from Clinger Holster offers flexibility many other pocket holsters don’t. Designed not only to function seamlessly in the front pocket, where it sticks like glue on the draw. The Comfort Cling can also pull double-duty inside the waistband.

The monolithic lightweight padding and non-slip exterior fabric gives this slick little model the ability to hold fast, no matter where it’s placed on the person. Perhaps best of all, it can safely conceal a wide spectrum of semi-automatic pistols, all the way up to compact-sized guns. At $27.95 the ambidextrous Comfort Cling won’t break the bank either.

DeSantis Super Fly


DeSantis Gunhide packs a lot into a small package with its Super Fly pocket holsters. With a highly viscous rubberized fabric exterior, these small holsters are designed to stay in position no matter what.

The Super Fly comes with a removable exterior flap to further breakup a gun’s outline in tighter fitting clothes. And it is reinforced with rigid polymer at key points to ensure a pistol or revolver can find its way in and out of the holster quickly. The $52.99 Super Fly is also an option for nearly anyone who carries a small handgun, with size options to fit more than 182 models.


Safariland Model 25


Safariland is perhaps better known for its holsters decked out with retention systems, but it has a little something to offer in pocket carry as well.

Designed for deep carry, the Model 25 is adept at keeping a slew of semi-automatic pistol and revolver models under wraps. But perhaps its biggest selling point is its rigid interlining that keeps the holster open even when the firearm is drawn. This feature makes getting a gun back in the holster as simple as getting it out. And at $36.00, this black suede beauty is priced right for nearly anyone’s carry routine.


Galco Front Pocket Horsehide Holster


When it comes to a rugged holster material that can stand up to the toughest wear and tear, it’s tough to beat horsehide. And Galco Gunleather offers a tough-as-nails option that fits a large swath of small pistols and revolvers available today.

The Front Pocket Horsehide Holster has a double hooked shape and rough-out texture to cement the unit into place. The inside is smooth and soft leather, slick enough to release a handgun with ease. With ample use of material, the holster also does a bang-up job of helping a gun melt into the carrier.

Galco does demand a bit more for this beauty than the everyday pocket holster — $76. But designed for the long haul, shooters will get every penny out of it.


Gould & Goodrich Wallet Holster


Like its name suggests, Gould & Goodrich‘s Wallet Holster is engineered to look like a plain old wallet when placed in a pocket. It accomplishes this with a piece of durable and rigid 10-pound foam that keeps the holster’s shape, even during long carry periods.

Pistols and revolvers are held firmly in place via a strong elastic retention band that has enough give to facilitate a smooth draw. The Wallet Holster comes in right and left hand models and is designed to function in nearly any pocket desired.

It is among the most affordable options out there at $18.91 and is a slick way to carry a primary or backup gun with the utmost concealment.


Milt Sparks Manta Ray


Like handguns themselves, pockets come in all shapes and sizes. Milt Sparks' Manta Ray Holster gets over this often overlooked hurdle with a customization system that fits any pocket.

Rear-wing inserts help the cowhide holster stay right in place, whether it resides in a wide-open pocket of baggy shorts or the trim pocket of suit trousers. The engineering that has gone into the Manta Ray is spendy, compared to the rest of the pocket holster market — $115.00. And its scope is fairly limited; it’s meant for revolvers only. To this end, there are models available for S&W J frame revolvers, Ruger LCR and Colt Detective Specials.

For more information on concealed carry holsters check out:

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