I'm going to start this review with a short rant. Over the past several months I have had the privilege of helping Claude Werner of Firearms Safety Training, LLC teach a few of his classes. I continue to be amazed at the number of people who say they are 'gun people', and even 'instructors' who come to the range with empty guns, and are satisfied with leaving a range with an empty gun. Or ones who take their guns off to go to the restroom at the club house. I absolutely will not be without a gun. There are people who have known me for YEARS who have no idea that I always have a pistol with me. The only time I don't is when I'm in the gym (on the mats) and it's securely locked in a safe in my car. Well, my recent foray into running caused me to search a solution to a new problem I was having. How was I going to carry a gun while I ran?
Well I had a DeSantis belly band (size L) that no longer fits due to weight loss, so I went on the search for a replacement that would do a better job at the more rigorous bouncing that comes with jogging/running. As well as something that wouldn't itch my bare skin, since I don't wear an undershirt while I run. The velcro on the DeSantis always was a bit annoying.
I came across Pistol Wear from some random forum when I searched "pistol belly band running" on google. They have 3 sizes of holsters. The PT-1 which is large enough for probably a g17 and a spare mag. I chose to avoid this one, since the pancake of the holster looked like it would wrap most of the way around my torso. Instead, I opted for the middle of the road version, the PT-2.
The PT-2 is the 'medium' sized pistol wear holster. It will fit a G19 comfortably, though that's probably as large a gun as I'd carry in it.
Neoprene slabs cover and obscure the outline of the gun. It also protects the gun from salty sweat. 3 snaps let you get it on and off without messing with your velcro adjustment.
Stiffener plastic keep it from flopping over. Also, a weak magnetic snap keeps it shut while running, but gets out of the way quickly when you go for the gun. The draw isn't fast, but the gun comes with me.
G19 fits, but I've found it's too heavy to run with... I opt for the Kel Tec PF9 or a J-frame.
So far I've probably run 30 miles spread over the month or so that I've had it. It comes with me on every run. I really like it so far. Here are some pros and cons as I see them.
Pros:
adjustable- The large slit and velcro adjustment allow a wide range of bellies to be fit. My wife and I both use the same band. It's just a matter of un-securing and re-securing the velcro band. Very nice.
security- The magnetic button sort keeps anything from bouncing out of the envelope of neoprene. I don't think that the button is necessary, since if you're wearing it tight enough to jog in, the stretched neoprene will keep it in place. It also gets out of the way quickly when diving for a grip.
protection of finish - I'm not super concerned with surface rust on my pistols, but it's nice to know that I'm not sweating directly onto the side of the pistol.
Conceal-ability - This thing keeps the pistol very tight into the belly. When I'm running, it makes me look like I'm carrying like 5 extra pounds in my gut. The neoprene breaks up the outline of the pistol pretty well.
Cons:
Draw - Since the gun is kept inside a pancake of neoprene, you can imagine that it's a bit slower than say the Desantis. The way I draw is I grab a bunch of material with both hands, rip that up, hold the shirt out of the way with my left hand, and knife-edge my right hand into the pancake, popping the magnetic clasp, and getting a full firing grip on the pistol. From there, the drawstroke is the drawstroke.
gun weight sensitive-Obviously depending on how vigorously you run, the pistol's weight is a factor. The pf9 and J-frame are good to go in this. The G19 was a bit too bouncy for me to not notice it. A small .22, .32, or .380 would also be great in this thing.
Anyway, that's a quick and dirty rundown of this thing. I think it's a good option for the runner or backpacker.
-M
I can see how this would be very comfortable In a standing position, walking or jogging, but what about while seated (getting in & out of a car, sittinig on the couch, etc)?
ReplyDeleteThanks
I know this thing was primarily designed as an 'activity holster' or sorts. However, I think it's slightly more comfortable than a belly band when sitting. The gun is held at the belly, not in the waistband, so the gun just sort of rides up above the beltline. The band tightens a little bit, since your gut will get thicker when you sit, but it's perfectly comfortable. I've run several 5ks and during training, and it's pretty damn good. I have switched to the HillPeople Gear recon kit bag for training, since I don't mind being overt when training in my neighborhood.
Delete