Through the years of making belts, I've dabbled with making holsters. Finding a new way to make or design a holster is quite a task. Sure, it's no problem to copy someone else's design (and a lot do), but coming up with fresh ideas, or serious improvements to what is already out there can be daunting. I've actually designed a few new holsters that worked great for me, but presented problems for people of, let's say, less girth than me. Needless to say, when I found out I was building "fat guy only" holsters, I discarded those designs. So to all you "skinny" guys and gals out there that bought a leather or hybrid holster (that attaches to your belt in front and back of the holster) and it didn't seem to work quite right for you, the holster maker sold you a fat guy holster!  Here's the rub, if you adapt your design to accommodate the svelte, there is little or no retention remaining in the holster for us big guys. AND, if you've ever bought one of those "all Kydex holsters" that has a curve that doesn't match your body's curve, you are fully aware of what discomfort truly is!

     The "inventor" inside of me has been pretty happy with the improvements I've been able to bring to the gun belt world, but the holster ideas have had a tendency to fall a little short. So whenever I got a chance (Tracy wasn't looking), I'd try something different. Or, occasionally a customer would ask if I could make a holster like the one in the picture he sent, but with one or more changes that the holster maker didn't offer. Well, I'll tell you, as much as I dislike the idea of copying someone else's design, the opportunity to alter the design is irresistible! Unfortunately, they have always been relatively minor changes... not the kind where I'd feel comfortable adding it to our store and selling the holster to the general public. That's just me I guess, I would rather struggle with my own designs than get rich off of someone else's ideas. 

     Recently, I received an altered holster request from a customer with a link to the holster in question. The holster was called a Yaqui Slide on this site, but it didn't look like any Yaqui Slide I'd seen before. I investigated further on the site and found another holster called...something else... I really don't remember, BUT THAT HOLSTER LOOKED LIKE A YAQUI SLIDE! Having dabbled with the Yaqui (fat guy) Slide holsters in the past, and discarding them as a dead end, I quickly moved on..... Have you ever had one of those moments... you know...when you think, "How could I have been that stupid?". I had suddenly realized that everything I thought I knew about belts I was able to forget in order to be innovative in the gun belt world, but everything I "knew" about holsters, I held on to with a death grip. 

     What did I know about holsters?

1.     One size fits all generally doesn't fit any very well. The front and back of holsters are locked together. Therefore, no adjustments can be made to the front that allows for a change in firearm size. Ergo, a holster is limited to similar sized guns only.

2.     Belt slide and double clip holsters work for skinny or fat people, but not both. The front and back are still locked together. Increase or decrease the curve needed to wrap around someones body, and the retention factor of the holster increases or decreases.

3.     Future improvements in the holster world will require advanced engineering.

4.     Clips work better than belt slides.

     There are other things, but these four were critical. The Yaqui Slide, that wasn't really a Yaqui Slide, allowed me to see the Yaqui Slide in a whole new light (yeah, I'm dizzy from typing Yaqui Slide too many times).

     This is why the four above truths are no longer truths.

1.      What if the holster front is not limited by the back? The front can change its shape while maintaining its proximity to the back (your belt), the back remains static to ensure retention. 

2.      When the holster front is not limited by the back, its movable attachment points can adjust for both retention and comfort.

3.      There is very little engineering involved in our new holster slide. Its simplicity is its strongest virtue.

4.      Plastic clips break. Metal clips scratch up the front of your belt. Leather snaps have &#%$^ snaps to deal with.

     There you go! Proof that everything you knew (at least I knew) about holsters is not necessarily the truth! Check out our new holster slide. Finally an inexpensive holster that acts like a custom holster...but better in many cases.