Preface
For a guy who has carried concealed firearms for decades, I seem to have gotten a late start on holsters. I would have never guessed how big of a holster nerd I would become, and how holsters have greatly effected my pistol use entirely. In today’s review, I bring you something I am admittedly a little green on; a field test of the Hidden Hybrid IWB holster.
For the most part I have used OWB holsters, but I’ve needed an IWB holster for some time. So this is a combination of a familiarity piece and a review of the holster itself. If you’re greener than I am, lets clarify something up front; IWB means inside the waist-band, and OWB means outside the waist-band. We’ll reference this and other holster jargon throughout, so keep up.
Why Hidden Hybrid?
Lets start out with Hidden Hybrid. The hidden part should be obvious since we’re talking about concealing a gun, the Hybrid part is where it gets a little more curious. These holsters are a medley of old world and new, using plush Amish leather and modern polymers to secure your pistol. Hidden Hybrid holsters use a tough leather backing, paired with a custom molded Kydex holster to both protect and secure your handgun.
Since I was a bit new to IWB holsters, I was surprised how quickly this made sense to me. It took only a few moments of exploration to figure out why the holster was made this way. Leather has always been a friend to pistols, its durable yet soft surface is ideal for protecting your gun. And at the same time it can protect your skin from your abrasive gun, as in our case today. Not only that, the suede back of the Hidden Hybrid holster has a grippy texture against your under clothes. This helps keep the holster in place while you move, and especially when you draw the pistol from it. While the slippery Kydex exterior allows both pistol and clothing to slide free.
The Kydex holster portion is attached by screws and threaded nut-plates embossed in the leather. Rubber grommets between them help keep the whole assembly somewhat pliable and help grip your handgun. The holster is secured to you using belt clips that go outside your pants and around your belt.
Configuration
Hidden Hybrids IWB holsters can be configured with a variety of accessories. You can choose between different belt loop sizes and use one or two loops. There is also a concealment-claw option that bolts to one side, the claw pushes against the inside of your belt to keep the grip of your pistol close and tight. This helps prevent your pistol hanging up on things in your day to day activities, as well as keeping it tucked and avoiding the dreaded pistol printing while you carry.
There are various different colors and patterns you can select to customize your holster. And there is a great variety of compatible holsters for most popular pistol models. You can also specify weapon lights and optics when ordering your Hidden Hybrid, and they’ll mold it to fit. I would be using Glock 19 clones so thats what you’ll see here today.
Shooting from Concealment
Drawing my pistols from the Hidden Hybrid holster took a minute to get used to. Which is normal regardless of what kind of holster you use. I found I could put the holster in a couple different places, and still draw from it well. IWB holsters are always going to be a little more labor intensive because you need to lift clothing to allow the draw. The combination of learning another draw pattern while mitigating clothes is just part of CCW training.
With some practice, it wasn’t long until I felt much more comfortable. Which allowed me to better understand the positive aspects of the Hidden Hybrid holster. Placing the holster in the small of my back, or appendix carry was both comfortable and also allowed very clean draw from the holster. It did seem both the holster and pistol were slightly less secure though, mainly because of the reduced tension on the belt in that location. Carrying the combination just behind my right hip, where I’ve always carried was much more secure. Having the holster ride on a high spot where your belt can apply more and even pressure is much more secure. And again, the suede backing of the holster with some pressure is incredibly grabby against your underclothing.
This makes the holster stay put when you jerk your pistol, and the smooth side of the leather inside the holster allows the pistol to slip out smoothly. The top edge of the leather also protects your skin from the back end of your slide, with just enough extra to help protect you while you draw it out.
Fit and Compatibility
The gun I had planned this holster for was my ZRO Delta FKS9. Its probably one of my most commonly carried CCW pistols, fitted with a Streamlight TLR8 light/laser combo. I’d actually order it for a larger light which would allow me to use other weapon lights too. My Surefire X300 Turbo would also fit snugly in the holster. The ZRO FKS was definitely the best fit for the holster, but I also used my PSA Dagger. The Dagger is another popular clone that fits into the Glock pattered holster, though not quite as snug as the former pistol. Again, the flexibility of the Hidden Hybrid holster allowed for more than one design to fit. Also just for fun, I holstered my Taurus TX22 Compact. It also fit well, though it wouldn’t be my first choice for carry.
The leather backing of the holster has a fascinating feature; it bows with the gun design. So if the pistol is a little narrow, and would fit loosely in an all Kydex holster, the bow of the leather takes up the space and holds the pistol tight with friction. Additionally, in the event you should become active while carrying, the bow of the leather grips tighter. So should you bend over or some other action that might extricate your pistol from the holster, the very action adds additional tension to the holster, gripping your pistol.
Carrying my pistol with the Hidden Hybrid holster all day for days on end has given me a pretty good feel for how it will fit into daily life. Getting in and out of cars, sitting at a desk, going up and down stairs and such all give a good experience on how this holster will do. Aside from the typical CCW discomforts, I’ve found few things to pick at with this holster.
Pros and Cons
This holster does a really good job of holding onto your pistol. The hybrid design of Kydex and leather is a nice combination using the benefits of both materials. I suppose if I had to come up with a few negative things about the holster it would be these;
The stickiness of the suede does make it a little more challenging to get the holster tucked. That is both a good and bad thing I guess, because you want it to stay put. So just keep in mind its not a holster your going to want to put on and take off quickly. For example, some full Kydex holsters are quick to tuck in and out of your pants. You can do as you get in and out of your truck. While you could do that with the Hidden Hybrid, its not going to be as fast or easy. It also has a little bigger footprint than other holster options, so keep that in mind.
I also felt suddenly stupid every time I tried to re-holster the pistol. I’m sure it just going to take more practice, but it’s taking me longer than expected to get the angle right. This wasn’t a problem when I used the holster in the appendix position, which I rarely use unless its a 10-inch plus barrel (we don’t take no chances round here).
Having mentioned those things, I really like the way the holster works. IWB holsters are always gonna be somewhat invasive, especially for a tubby old guy like me. So its just something to get used to. My pistol is carried very well, and is surprisingly easy to draw.
The strong components of the Hidden Hybrid are holding up nicely, the fasteners and other components are well-built and robust enough to sit on and lean against for a long time.
Conclusion
I’ve needed a good IWB holster for some time, the days of cholo-carry are gone. The Hidden Hybrid has been a nice introduction to IWB holsters after carrying otherwise for more than twenty years.
I will say that holsters are almost as subjective as handguns themselves, which makes it almost necessary to try a variety of options before deciding on one. I’ve played with a few over the years, so I think my pick of the Hidden Hybrid model was right on target for my needs. If you find yourself looking for a good holster, give their website a look and I’ll bet you find something you’ll like as I have.