What To Look For In Tactical Holsters

Many components of tactical gear are designed to suit the terrain or climate in which the user has to operate. Tactical apparels are designed for use during different seasons and different levels of activities. Tactical boots are fashioned variously for use in water, desert, swamp, jungle, or mountains. As different from this, tactical holsters will have limited variations on the basis of temperature or territory. What people look for in right tactical holsters is how well they aid in the fast retrieval of the gun that it holds.

Tactical holsters should ideally be skin fit for the gun that it has to carry, that is, it has to be a compression fit that is not tight, like a tactical wear made of stretchable material. The idea is that tactical holsters should not have free space within to let the gun bump or rattle. Straps within a holster may prevent the gun knocking against the case, but straps could also cause delay in taking out the gun.

Tactical holsters should have feather touch open and shut mechanisms. It should open fast enough to let the gun jump into the user's hand as if by magic. It should not slide shut on its own after the weapon has been taken out. Self-locking of an empty holster can be very inconvenient during times of intense activity. A policeman might need to re-deposit his gun as fast as he has taken it out because he will need his precious arms for myriad other things.

A holster may have to be worn exposed or concealed. So, tactical holsters must have the provision to be worn both ways. A holster worn on a uniform, or outside a waistband, will allow easy handling of the gun. In some cases at least, an exposed holster may work as a crime deterrent also. But tactical holsters for sensitive operations are designed to be concealed within a waistband, or jacket, or even as ankle holsters attached to tactical boots.

Even in tactical holsters that are worn in an exposed way, the trigger guard should remain well covered. Tactical holsters also come designed to be worn as shoulder holsters, which afford partial concealment. There are thigh holsters that allow full concealment but do not allow easy handling. Thigh holsters come with different types of straps that allow secure strapping or easy opening as necessary.

Concealed tactical holsters come in many patterns and its effectiveness would depend basically on the user's job requirements and his comfort level parameters. There are wallet holsters and pocket holsters and holsters that can be worn inside the pants. Tactical holsters, that go inside the pants and snuggle there, offer a high level of concealment. These holsters, also known as IWB, or 'Inside the Waistband' holsters, would need the user to wear pants that have a waist measurement higher than his normal wear.
Crossdraw holsters and fanny packs are holsters which do not remain fully concealed but are easier to be carried around as they are worn outside the body. Some people turn such exposed holsters into tactical holsters by color camouflaging, or by painting of motifs, or by attaching tags on to them.