Inspired by other holster makers and my own experience over the years as a concealed carrier, I set out to make a holster that met my needs. I wanted a very prominent thumb push off. I had seen thumb push offs on other leather holsters, starting back in the late 1980’s for the Seecamp LWS32. When I purchased a new leather holster for that Seecamp a couple years ago, I was pleasantly surprised by Bear Creek Holster’s “Rear Pocket Holster” design. They used a panel to block the Seecamp’s outline in the pocket and preventing it from wearing in over time. It was genius.

And while they added leather for a thumb push off, I wanted more. So even though I loved leather holsters, I turned to thermoplastic and started hunting in Kydex holsters for what I wanted. Not finding it at that time, I decided to make my own. I started with rolling the thumb push off, then changed to folding it so it became more solid. Both worked well, but the folded allowed me to adjust the amount of angle the thumb push off had in a way that I could not with a rolled push off.

The primary considerations in holster design was #1: Safety, #2: Reliability, #3: Comfort. I wanted a completely covered trigger guard. I also wanted adjustable weapon retention through an adjustable t screw. Kydex offered this to me where leather did not. So the trigger guard was safety and the retention was part of reliability. I wanted a holster that would last for years. Leather is great but it does degrade over the years. Some of that is actually nice, showing the history of use. But sometimes it can affect function., which is not so nice.

As I researched Kydex, I learned about the different versions, Kydex T, V, and 100. Kydex T is the most common type, used in the vast majority of thermoplastic holsters. It is usually found in either 0.06 inch thickness or 0.08 inch thickness, the latter being most common in IWB and OWB holsters. Kydex 100 is much harder to find and more expensive. But it is the “Gold Standard” according to the manufacturer of Kydex. And that is why I take a day to go get it from a regional source for my holsters. It is superior to the other Kydex versions out there. It was exactly what I wanted in my pocket.

What about Kydex V, you ask? Budget stuff, reclaimed and reformed, it warms the heart of recyclers everywhere. But in a critical component of self defense, recycling is not my priority. Function is and that meant Kydex 100 to me. And if you buy a holster from me, likely for you too.

Then I became aware of Boltaron. It was an off hand comment in a subreddit about holsters failing and a engineer working in the industry pointed out Boltaron as the new industry standard for better holsters. I was appalled. I was so enthralled with Kydex 100 and I wanted to continue to use it. So I did, but I continued to keep an eye on Boltaron. When it became available to me, I tried using it. A bit more work than Kydex 100, it has some superior attributes and that made me decide to start incorporating it into my line.

So with the introduction of my Vault line, I decided to go with Boltaron for it. I find it to be the equal or better than Kydex 100 so it no a trade off in performance. Yes, it does cost more than Kydex T or V, so it is premium not only in attributes but in price too. But I make holsters to last. So I am slowly moving to Boltaron and may end up with all of my holsters made from it down the road.

Bottom line is my holsters are made from premium materials, they include important design and construction aspects, covered triggers and trigger guards, premium friction panels, top quality hardware when available. All made in the USA.