Concealed Carry – Walt in PA

In a previous post, entitled Concealed Carry Holster Options: Black Mamba by Concealment Solutions, I explained that a Glock 19 was in my near future. This future purchase is meant to serve two purposes. First, it will ride on my hip as a Concealed Carry Weapon. Second, it will serve as an IDPA gun which will allow me to practice, and compete, with the gun that I will be carrying for personal protection. This post is the second in a series which takes a look at a few of the many holster options available. My only criteria at this point is that holsters be comfortable to wear over extended periods of time and be competition legal (Enough retention that the gun won't pop out of the holster while running from one position to another and that the trigger guard is fully covered). Theis Holsters Some time ago I was listening to a podcast, I think it may have the Roadgunner Podcast, and Theis Holsters were briefly mentioned. I was working from home on this particular day and immediately hopped over to Google to look them up. With a name that sounds like "Tice", I must have searched a dozen times until I finally found the website that I was looking for. What I found immediately made me smile. It was the picture perfect small business. A one man shop making custom holsters, with his grandson at his side. Holsters are typical hybrid style, offered with either a Cowhide or Horsehide leather backer and kydex face. Like other holsters of this style, they use mounting clips which allow a shirt to be tucked over them to maximize conceal-ability. Theis Holsters - Screen Capture of Website Header The Good: I'm not seeing anything that states this specifically, but it appears as though Theis Holsters incorporate a Combat Cut into the design. Because the cutout is part of the basic shape, there isn't an up charge for the removal of a little extra leather. While this isn't a big deal to some people, for whatever reason, the elimination of this small charge makes a big impression on me. At first I thought that the Theis Holster was a little on the ugly side. It has an odd shape and the leather sort of swoops up to cover the rear of the slide. The more I look at these holsters, the more they are growing on me. Now when I look at the Theis Holsters I am seeing a nice wide piece of leather than should conform to the users side and wear rather comfortably over long periods of time. I've read about a half-dozen reviews and watched two others on YouTube. Everything I've seen thus far has been positive with little to complain about. When you combine these positive experiences with the actual cost of the holster, it looks like a great value at $55.00 (Cowhide, shipping included in the price). The Bad: While it certainly isn't a deal breaker, I am a little concerned about the leather backer and how it extends beyond the slide of the gun. I would assume that this is considered a feature and designed to ensure that the metal slide doesn't chafe the users side during movement. My concern, however, is that over time that small flap will curl over and create two problems. First, it will hang up on the gun and slow down the draw. Second, it will curl over and become a much larger issue when re-holstering. While poking around the Theis Holsters website, I came across something that sort of falls in the good and bad categories. It appears as though there is a two to three week lead time on all orders. The bad is that you'll probably wind up waiting a little over three weeks between the time your order is placed and when it is delivered to your doorstep. The good aspect of the lead time is that it is made clear up front and comes with an explanation that quality will not be compromised to rush out a holster. Ask The Readers I have absolutely no experience with Theis Holsters. As a result, any information that you could provide in terms of the holster itself, its use for concealed carry, or its use for IDPA would be greatly appreciated.