A review: The SmartCarry

Back when I first got my CHL, my instructor warned me that I would probably spend more on holsters than guns. I didn’t believe him.

For a long time, I resisted buying holsters. I made one myself, and it worked well enough that I tried to sell them. I sold maybe a dozen of my shoulder rigs before I gave that up. Never had a repeat customer, so it was fairly obvious that I didn’t have The Formula. So then, I started looking at other holsters. First thing I tried was a belly-band, which wasn’t even as comfy as my homebrew rig. One thing led to another, and yes, I ended up spending more on holsters than I did on my first gun.

Up until I got the SmartCarry (http://www.smartcarry.com), my favorite was a Houston paddle-holster for my Bursa Thunder .380. But when I got the UC 9mm, I could not find a paddle-holster for it anywhere. I tried an IWB and a traditional shoulder rig, but neither was satifactory, and I was well on my way to spending more on holsters than on the UC9 when I got the SmartCarry.

I have no affiliation with SmartCarry, nor have they given me anything for this review.

I got the SmartCarry after reading the description, and watching the videos on their website. I got the “security” model, which was about $60. When it arrived, I thought, “I just spend $60 for THIS???” But the gun did fit in it, and when I tried it on, it was unexpectedly comfortable. It took a while to find the most satisfying combination of snugness and position, but I finally did settle on a fairly tight adjustment, and wearing the rig somewhat higher than recommended in the videos, and offset about one inch to my right. The offset keeps it from poking me in sensitive places, and makes it a lot easier to use the urinal in a public restroom.

I think I got my $60 worth, although the SmartCarry is showing some signs of wear. The elastic is pretty strong, but it’s still starting to stretch out a bit, and I’ll probably end up replacing it in another 5 or 6 months. The Velcro is the super-aggressive type that you see in hospital-grade leg braces, so it will probably last as long as the front pocket.

The concealment also better than I expected. There is a slight bulge in the crotch area, but that one-inch offset helps there, too. I have stood in front of several CHL classes, and asked if anyone had spotted my concealed handgun. So far, nobody had picked out the SmartCarry location without making several other guesses first. Seems folks have a build-in aversion to looking at a man’s crotch (well, at least the ones in my classes, anyway). It provides concealment as least as good as an IWB. And the concealment is absolute if I wear a Hawaiian-style shirt un-tucked.

Drawing from concealment is no harder than from my paddle or IWB. Actually a little easier than from my paddle, since I have to get the extraction angle just right on the paddle. I did initially have difficulty getting the drawn handgun back into the holster — that takes practice and two hands. Plus, I haven’t found any way to do it that I would consider graceful, but re-holstering a handgun is something that you don’t have to do quickly or gracefully.

The SmartCarry is (at least for now) my favorite concealment holster, with the Houston paddle coming in 2nd. When the SmartCarry wears out past the point where I can repair it myself, I will probably buy another. Maybe two.