Kydex or leather for hot AZ weather concealed

Yung.gunr · February 3, 2011, 11:13 PM

So I am wanting to get a tuckable concealed holster and not sure if I would want kydex, cow leather or horse hide. I am a little overweight, live in AZ and have a desk job (imagine that a desk job and overweight). Which material do you like better and why.
Thanks for the input as I know holsters can get really expensive and buying one that you end up not using sucks.

Trying to use the poll. Sorry if I didn't do it right.

hoytinak · February 3, 2011, 11:40 PM

Even in the hot summer TX heat I prefer leather. I've tried a couple different kydex holsters and I just didn't find them as comfortable as leather. I do like the MTAC kydex/leather hybrid holsters too as they have the comfort of leather but the security/speed/ease of reholstering of kydex.

gimike · February 4, 2011, 05:57 PM

Your question is tough to answer because of the variables. I choose Kydex, but for very specific reasons.

Generally Hybrid holsters are the most comfortable for continuous wear. On the down side, a big flat piece of leather doesn't breath very well, and is guaranteed to make you sweat. Cow hide will breath better than horse hide, and horse hide will also feel more oily. There is a hybrid available with a cow suede backing that will breath better than the others, and a new one coming out with a pig suede backing that will function even better than the cow suede.

There are many variations of Kydex holsters. A Kydex holster with a small footprint and rounded edges will not create as much sweat. Unfortunately mostKydex holsters have sharp or squared edges. There are a few that are very comfortable, but the vast majority will pinch, scratch, and poke you unmercifully.

Leather holsters can be comfortable if some forethought has been put into the design. Again as with Kydex, there are more uncomfortable IWB's than there are comfortable.

Kreyzhorse · February 5, 2011, 07:40 AM

My hunch is to go with leather for comfort. While I've never been to Arizona, the heat in Texas can be pretty nasty so I can't imagine carrying any gun IWB regardless of holster material.

BigMike · February 6, 2011, 01:42 PM

Chose kydex. Not sure what you're carrying, but there may be more options for your particular pistol in leather than kydex. Don't leave kydex in a hot car though, it can loosen it's form (mine did and blade-tech replaced it-good company).

AK103K · February 6, 2011, 06:18 PM

Ive always found kydex to work better and be more comfortable than leather, especially if you sweat. I work outside year round, and have to deal with upper 90's, and high humidity, so I'm usually pretty much "wet" early on and for the rest of the day once the summer rolls around.

If youre in an office or climate controlled environment, and go from that to your air conditioned car, and then back to an air conditioned house, it really doesnt matter. Switch to living outside, and its likely to be a different thing altogether.

The advantages to kydex are, the holster and gun stays dry, and the holster isnt an irritant against your bare skin if your tee shirt should ride up. Wet leather rubs you raw, wet kydex just slides across your skin. You also dont have the chemicals used to treat leather to deal with. They tend to just add to the burn.

Leather gets wet, stays wet, takes for ever to dry out, and wont if you put it right back where it got wet in the first place. Once wet, your gun is constantly wet while its in the holster. Depending on what youre carrying, you can see where thats going.

I never got the whjle Comp Tac thing and always thought they built their holsters backwards. If anything, the leather should be on the outside, away from the body, not against it.

armoredman · February 6, 2011, 06:49 PM

On the other had, I have been carrying concealed in AZ since 1 month after the law went into effect in 1994, and I have always used leather. I have carried full sized pistols concealed under large t-shirts, IWB works best. I will be concealing a full size CZ SP-01 Phantom this summer - an adventure to be sure.

I hate kydex, just me, and I have never carried or used anything made of horsehide - too expensive.

AK103K · February 6, 2011, 07:20 PM

I used to use Galco horsehide Royal Guards before I switched to my first Blade Tech. The horsehide got just as wet as cowhide, and really didnt do any different. I used to use two of them in rotation in the summer, not that it did a lot of good. Once they got wet, they both for the most part, stayed wet the rest of the summer.

As I said earlier, a lot is going to be determined by your environment, lifestyle, and how bad you sweat. If youre not active,and live in a controlled environment, it really isnt going to matter.

I like leather holsters as much as the next guy, and for the last couple of years in the winter, Ive been using a VM II quite a bit. Its just when we get back to serious work as the weather breaks, especially as it gets hot and I start to sweat, the Blade Tech replaces the VM II.

shooter_john · February 10, 2011, 11:48 PM

Since I am a holster maker who only works in Kydex, I would most certainly say Kydex. Furthermore, I'll recommend to you my Trojan Horse IWB rig.

Up until I designed this holster, I've refused to wear anything IWB. Now for the last two weeks I've been carrying a G19 with a Surefire X300 mounted IWB with no problems at all. It is just a comfortable as any oWB holster I've ever worn.

View Poll Results: Holster material
Kydex	4	50.00%
Leather	3	37.50%
Horse hide	1	12.50%
Voters: 8. You may not vote on this poll

February 3, 2011, 11:13 PM	#1
Yung.gunr Senior Member Join Date: November 11, 2010 Location: Phoenix area Posts: 1,442	Kydex or leather for hot AZ weather concealed So I am wanting to get a tuckable concealed holster and not sure if I would want kydex, cow leather or horse hide. I am a little overweight, live in AZ and have a desk job (imagine that a desk job and overweight). Which material do you like better and why. Thanks for the input as I know holsters can get really expensive and buying one that you end up not using sucks. Trying to use the poll. Sorry if I didn't do it right.

February 4, 2011, 05:57 PM	#3
gimike Member Join Date: November 20, 2010 Posts: 47	Your question is tough to answer because of the variables. I choose Kydex, but for very specific reasons. Generally Hybrid holsters are the most comfortable for continuous wear. On the down side, a big flat piece of leather doesn't breath very well, and is guaranteed to make you sweat. Cow hide will breath better than horse hide, and horse hide will also feel more oily. There is a hybrid available with a cow suede backing that will breath better than the others, and a new one coming out with a pig suede backing that will function even better than the cow suede. There are many variations of Kydex holsters. A Kydex holster with a small footprint and rounded edges will not create as much sweat. Unfortunately mostKydex holsters have sharp or squared edges. There are a few that are very comfortable, but the vast majority will pinch, scratch, and poke you unmercifully. Leather holsters can be comfortable if some forethought has been put into the design. Again as with Kydex, there are more uncomfortable IWB's than there are comfortable. __________________ "the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." [email protected] giholsters

February 5, 2011, 07:40 AM	#4
Kreyzhorse Senior Member Join Date: April 12, 2006 Location: NKY Posts: 12,463	My hunch is to go with leather for comfort. While I've never been to Arizona, the heat in Texas can be pretty nasty so I can't imagine carrying any gun IWB regardless of holster material. __________________ "He who laughs last, laughs dead." Homer Simpson

February 6, 2011, 01:42 PM	#5
BigMike Senior Member Join Date: October 16, 1999 Location: North Central/Panhandle Florid Posts: 569	Chose kydex. Not sure what you're carrying, but there may be more options for your particular pistol in leather than kydex. Don't leave kydex in a hot car though, it can loosen it's form (mine did and blade-tech replaced it-good company). __________________ TFL Alumni #2636

February 3, 2011, 11:40 PM	#2
hoytinak Senior Member Join Date: July 5, 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 5,721	Even in the hot summer TX heat I prefer leather. I've tried a couple different kydex holsters and I just didn't find them as comfortable as leather. I do like the MTAC kydex/leather hybrid holsters too as they have the comfort of leather but the security/speed/ease of reholstering of kydex.

February 6, 2011, 06:18 PM	#6
AK103K Senior Member Join Date: May 1, 2001 Posts: 10,223	Ive always found kydex to work better and be more comfortable than leather, especially if you sweat. I work outside year round, and have to deal with upper 90's, and high humidity, so I'm usually pretty much "wet" early on and for the rest of the day once the summer rolls around. If youre in an office or climate controlled environment, and go from that to your air conditioned car, and then back to an air conditioned house, it really doesnt matter. Switch to living outside, and its likely to be a different thing altogether. The advantages to kydex are, the holster and gun stays dry, and the holster isnt an irritant against your bare skin if your tee shirt should ride up. Wet leather rubs you raw, wet kydex just slides across your skin. You also dont have the chemicals used to treat leather to deal with. They tend to just add to the burn. Leather gets wet, stays wet, takes for ever to dry out, and wont if you put it right back where it got wet in the first place. Once wet, your gun is constantly wet while its in the holster. Depending on what youre carrying, you can see where thats going. I never got the whjle Comp Tac thing and always thought they built their holsters backwards. If anything, the leather should be on the outside, away from the body, not against it.

February 6, 2011, 06:49 PM	#7
armoredman Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2007 Location: Arizona Posts: 5,299	On the other had, I have been carrying concealed in AZ since 1 month after the law went into effect in 1994, and I have always used leather. I have carried full sized pistols concealed under large t-shirts, IWB works best. I will be concealing a full size CZ SP-01 Phantom this summer - an adventure to be sure. I hate kydex, just me, and I have never carried or used anything made of horsehide - too expensive.

February 6, 2011, 07:20 PM	#8
AK103K Senior Member Join Date: May 1, 2001 Posts: 10,223	I used to use Galco horsehide Royal Guards before I switched to my first Blade Tech. The horsehide got just as wet as cowhide, and really didnt do any different. I used to use two of them in rotation in the summer, not that it did a lot of good. Once they got wet, they both for the most part, stayed wet the rest of the summer. As I said earlier, a lot is going to be determined by your environment, lifestyle, and how bad you sweat. If youre not active,and live in a controlled environment, it really isnt going to matter. I like leather holsters as much as the next guy, and for the last couple of years in the winter, Ive been using a VM II quite a bit. Its just when we get back to serious work as the weather breaks, especially as it gets hot and I start to sweat, the Blade Tech replaces the VM II.

February 10, 2011, 11:48 PM	#9
shooter_john Senior Member Join Date: December 11, 2002 Location: ALABAMA Posts: 1,472	Since I am a holster maker who only works in Kydex, I would most certainly say Kydex. Furthermore, I'll recommend to you my Trojan Horse IWB rig. Up until I designed this holster, I've refused to wear anything IWB. Now for the last two weeks I've been carrying a G19 with a Surefire X300 mounted IWB with no problems at all. It is just a comfortable as any oWB holster I've ever worn. __________________ TROTAC.com