A few people knew I had one of these incoming and were interested in my thoughts once I got it, so I figured I'd just share with everyone. Also, before we beginning, you can post:
![[pics]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/this_thread_is_worthless_without_pics.gif "This Thread Is Worthless Without Pics [pics]")
all you want, pictures of me with the thigh holster aren't happening unless the holster is completely concealed. You will have to content yourself with video of Falia.
I've been playing around with finding the right thigh holster for sometime now. One of the early attempts was to purchase one of these:
http://chickholsters.com/products/sw-bodyguard-380/thigh-holster-s2-semi-automatic-series/
Despite the silly flower, they looked comfy and it said it came with a belt and connecting straps. Steer clear. This thing was so bulky, I would have needed a crinoline to hide it. The straps and belt were also flimsy nylon strapping - not comfortable or easy to use.
One of the next attempts was a homegrown affair - I shortened a bellyband holster to fit my thigh and swapped out the stocking clips on a garter belt with alligator clips. This actually worked pretty well. It was stable, but I was going to need to redo the edges - the velcro was poking me. The garter straps needed a second round of alterations as well - they were still far too long, as the holster needs to ride pretty high on the thigh for me to be comfortable. Additionally, the smallest alligator clips I could find were still much larger than necessary.
At that time, I happened across this video from Faliaphotography:
[video=youtube_share;LNL5pqn3Eng]http://youtu.be/LNL5pqn3Eng[/video]
Perfect! I liked the thin sections of velcro, the actual proper holster for the gun, and the nice support straps. Plus Falia demonstrated quite clearly that it would conceal well. So I ordered one.
Clament is obviously doing a booming business - they have a several month long backlog. I can see why, as the quality and customer service is top notch. Mine actually arrived with not quite the right holster on it. I contacted the folks at Clament and they had the proper one out to me in 48 hours along with compensation for mailing the wrong holster back to them. Very much appreciated. With the right holster (for a .380) in hand, I finally got to try it out.
The leather holster is well made - nice leather with a good hold on the gun. It is appropriately stiff - so much so that I had to bend the holster and tie it up like that for several days so that it would better conform to me - right out of the box, the holster lay too flat - jutting out from my thigh on a tangent and messing with concealability.
The inside of the rig under the holster is covered in a sheepskin-like material - makes it very comfy but adds some bulk. I was skeptical at first, but the butt of the gun turns out to be the limiting factor for concealbility, not the holster itself. If you have any sensitivity to such materials, you would want to discuss with the maker at the time of ordering...I could see it working well with a layer of synthetic fleece instead of the sheepskin material.
The velcro setup has changed since Falia's video - instead of two thin fold-back straps, there is a large swatch of velcro at each end, like most of the bellyband holsters I've seen. I do not like this as much. There's much more potential for rough velcro to be pinching and poking the wearer, and if the thigh measurements change, or the wearer wants a tighter or looser fit than they measured for, then you end up with big areas of velcro on bare skin or sticking out loose, messing with the concealment. That said, my measurement was about right and my holster fits me nicely without any of these problems being an issue. On a do over, I would order one slightly smaller than my actual measurement, as I do like a tight fit on this - definitely don't want it moving or sliding!
The connection straps are very nice. They are a little springy so that they move with you as you sit or stand. The alligator clips are just right - big enough so they get a good grip on whatever you are attaching them to and small enough not to mess with the concealment garment. I planned to attach them to a garter belt, but they are much longer than that, at least on someone of my height/build. They are not readily adjustable. If I wanted to clip into a garter belt, shorts, or other bottoms under the dress, I would need to alter the connection straps to shorten them significantly. If wearing garment that ends near your waist (think camisole or bustier type setup), then the straps will do perfectly as is.
Once on, you will find that, as shown in Falia's videos, you're likely going to need to wear the gun on the inside of the thigh. This will feel EXTREMELY weird and uncomfortable for the first 10-20 minutes, but I found that I got used to it quickly and was happy with it after about an hour. I wanted to wear it slightly further forward, but the butt of the grip printed under the solid color, A-line skirt I was wearing. With a fuller skirt or a patterned skirt material, I probably could wear it further forward.
Once on, the holster was snug and didn't budge during several hours of relatively active wear. I took it out for a test event, and it performed flawlessly over several hours of moving around, including walking, sitting/standing transitions, and quasi-dancing. Highly recommended.![[smile]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/001.gif "Smile [smile]")
all you want, pictures of me with the thigh holster aren't happening unless the holster is completely concealed. You will have to content yourself with video of Falia.
I've been playing around with finding the right thigh holster for sometime now. One of the early attempts was to purchase one of these:
http://chickholsters.com/products/sw-bodyguard-380/thigh-holster-s2-semi-automatic-series/
Despite the silly flower, they looked comfy and it said it came with a belt and connecting straps. Steer clear. This thing was so bulky, I would have needed a crinoline to hide it. The straps and belt were also flimsy nylon strapping - not comfortable or easy to use.
One of the next attempts was a homegrown affair - I shortened a bellyband holster to fit my thigh and swapped out the stocking clips on a garter belt with alligator clips. This actually worked pretty well. It was stable, but I was going to need to redo the edges - the velcro was poking me. The garter straps needed a second round of alterations as well - they were still far too long, as the holster needs to ride pretty high on the thigh for me to be comfortable. Additionally, the smallest alligator clips I could find were still much larger than necessary.
At that time, I happened across this video from Faliaphotography:
[video=youtube_share;LNL5pqn3Eng]http://youtu.be/LNL5pqn3Eng[/video]
Perfect! I liked the thin sections of velcro, the actual proper holster for the gun, and the nice support straps. Plus Falia demonstrated quite clearly that it would conceal well. So I ordered one.
Clament is obviously doing a booming business - they have a several month long backlog. I can see why, as the quality and customer service is top notch. Mine actually arrived with not quite the right holster on it. I contacted the folks at Clament and they had the proper one out to me in 48 hours along with compensation for mailing the wrong holster back to them. Very much appreciated. With the right holster (for a .380) in hand, I finally got to try it out.
The leather holster is well made - nice leather with a good hold on the gun. It is appropriately stiff - so much so that I had to bend the holster and tie it up like that for several days so that it would better conform to me - right out of the box, the holster lay too flat - jutting out from my thigh on a tangent and messing with concealability.
The inside of the rig under the holster is covered in a sheepskin-like material - makes it very comfy but adds some bulk. I was skeptical at first, but the butt of the gun turns out to be the limiting factor for concealbility, not the holster itself. If you have any sensitivity to such materials, you would want to discuss with the maker at the time of ordering...I could see it working well with a layer of synthetic fleece instead of the sheepskin material.
The velcro setup has changed since Falia's video - instead of two thin fold-back straps, there is a large swatch of velcro at each end, like most of the bellyband holsters I've seen. I do not like this as much. There's much more potential for rough velcro to be pinching and poking the wearer, and if the thigh measurements change, or the wearer wants a tighter or looser fit than they measured for, then you end up with big areas of velcro on bare skin or sticking out loose, messing with the concealment. That said, my measurement was about right and my holster fits me nicely without any of these problems being an issue. On a do over, I would order one slightly smaller than my actual measurement, as I do like a tight fit on this - definitely don't want it moving or sliding!
The connection straps are very nice. They are a little springy so that they move with you as you sit or stand. The alligator clips are just right - big enough so they get a good grip on whatever you are attaching them to and small enough not to mess with the concealment garment. I planned to attach them to a garter belt, but they are much longer than that, at least on someone of my height/build. They are not readily adjustable. If I wanted to clip into a garter belt, shorts, or other bottoms under the dress, I would need to alter the connection straps to shorten them significantly. If wearing garment that ends near your waist (think camisole or bustier type setup), then the straps will do perfectly as is.
Once on, you will find that, as shown in Falia's videos, you're likely going to need to wear the gun on the inside of the thigh. This will feel EXTREMELY weird and uncomfortable for the first 10-20 minutes, but I found that I got used to it quickly and was happy with it after about an hour. I wanted to wear it slightly further forward, but the butt of the grip printed under the solid color, A-line skirt I was wearing. With a fuller skirt or a patterned skirt material, I probably could wear it further forward.
Once on, the holster was snug and didn't budge during several hours of relatively active wear. I took it out for a test event, and it performed flawlessly over several hours of moving around, including walking, sitting/standing transitions, and quasi-dancing. Highly recommended.
![[wink]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/002.gif "Wink [wink]")
![[shocked]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/007.gif "Shocked [shocked]")
