This past month, I received my Concealed Handgun License, after it was released by the “Constitutional Restraint Unit”. No disrespect to the state police, but it’s asinine that anybody has to pay a ransom to obtain a Constitutionally-protected human right. That aside, just before July began, I picked up a SIG-Sauer P229 Scorpion TB for carry… which meant a whole new holster system. It was a clear departure from the Glock and Edge Works INCOG set-up that I had been running — mostly due to the fact that the Glock sponsored the SIG’s purchase.
I decided to take a good friend’s advice and pick up an Alien Gear Cloak Tuck IWB 3.0 for use with the P229. There were thousands of reviews on the Alien Gear holsters, which are currently available, and everyone seemed to be impressed with theirs. The low price threw me for a loop and made me hesitant to purchase the platform. I had other holsters, but no longer had a carry handgun. I received the holster after about a week after placing the initial order. That was pleasant in and of itself.
The moment that I unboxed the holster, I put it on and I really haven’t stopped wearing it — save for sleeping, of course. For all intent and purpose, it is a wear-around-the-house kind of holster. It’s comfortable and due to it’s “Alien Skin” sweat guard — and depending on your body type — there will be little if any digging or pinching done by the holster on the wearer.
The Good
This holster is amazingly comfortable. Once I get it into position and belt it down properly, there is no sliding up, down or around. The only irritation that I have comes from the unprotected grip panel on the P229 which digs into my lower back when I don’t sit up straight enough. Other than that, the holster does what it’s advertised to do. It is the most comfortable Inside-The-Waistband holster that I’ve worn* (so far).
This was out-of-the-box with no modifications made to the ride-height or tilt-angle. I don’t even think I made an adjustment to the retention. It was ready-to-go right then and there. It doesn’t matter what kind of shirt I wear, the butt of the handgun doesn’t ride the shirt tail up too often. I will admit that it’s not to be put on like a normal holster… I got an arm work-out before looking at the manual. The price was extremely reasonable for the quality that you will receive. The cost runs a little over $50, after shipping, and I received it in roughly 10-days.
The “Alien Skin” is comfortable against the skin, where it touches. It hasn’t ever chafed the skin while I’ve worn it. I did sometimes feel weight on the belt when I didn’t have it tight enough, but I would simply tighten the belt to deal with that issue.
The Bad
There are a couple of things that I’ve noticed. On some SIG Sauer handguns, there have been reports of rusting issues on the magazine release, decocker, grip panel screws and slide release. This has been the case for me due to the humidity where I live. While I’ve been carrying, I’ve noticed that the holster tends to stay humid and relatively moist due to the “Alien Skin” and I believe this has been the primary cause of the rust. Depending on the day, I’ve been cleaning off these parts with Frog Lube up to once every day. The higher the humidity, the more often I have to do it.
The other thing is that I will warn everyone to be careful while reholstering on some firearms. The P229 tends to hang the decocker lever on the slide sweat guard as I go to reholster the firearm. I’m not sure if any other sidearms will do this, but it’s something to bear in mind when trying to quickly reholster. I alleviate this issue by jutting my thumb out to move the lip out of the way.
The length of the holster is also something that sometimes bothered me due to the lack of my own broadness. It’s not a holster I can just wear at any position on my body. If you are like me and as skinny as a rail, it’s going to be a pain to try to carry directly at the 3-o’clock position. The belt clip attachment pin digs into my hip; so, I wear it closer to the 5-o’clock.
Final Thoughts
I think this holster is an economical purchase and most certainly a safe purchase. It isn’t one of those Mom and Pop leather holsters that we see people end up have negligent discharges with. It also isn’t a 100-percent Kydex shell with clips that is somewhat uncomfortable to wear. Unless your short-stroke on the reholster, nothing is getting to the trigger. The shell being hard-cased is the most important safety aspect.
The shell is also removable, so if you go buy a new handgun, Alien Gear will exchange the old shell for a new one. You’ll also be hard-pressed to find a relatively modern firearm that they don’t have a shell for. You’ll also find that they have a multitude of options for shells that accept sidearms that have popular branded lights and lasers attached.
As a first time buyer of an Alien Gear holster, I would most certainly recommend it for the old-schooler or the brand new concealed carrier. I will also say that this likely won’t be my last AG holster.
This Is The Line 