Flap Holsters for Field Use

[Doc_Glock]

This came up in the Lehigh field pistol thread:

What is the prevailing wisdom on flap type holsters? I personally prefer the Safepacker for my field activities which fits in that category. But for me concealment in plain sight outweighs quick access.

Any open top holster in the field has to get all kinds of sticks, mud and debris in it with any serious use.

I have noticed that the Safepacker is excellent at pistol protection. And in the days of the world wars, flap holsters were absolutely the norm to keep the weapon ready to go.

Are today's pistols dirt and mud resistant enough to just trust them to an open too holster during field use?

Is the speed of access that critical an issue?

The answer to both I suppose is: it depends.

What are y'alls individual priorities?

Perhaps this holster discussion should be split into another thread.

[Malamute]

I use flap holsters a bit in the field. If carrying a 1911 around as a field gun i use a military flap holster.

I recall a comment about guys finding the 1911 didnt seem to live up to the old legends of reliability in battlefield conditions when carrying them in the recent events in Iraq and Afghanistan, and it was observed that open top holsters were now the norm. It made me wonder if the flap holster protected the guns enough in the past when carrying day in and day out to help them stay functional longer when actually needed.

[GJM]

A Wilderness Safepacker if you need to mount it on a climbing harness.

Otherwise, wilderness threats may happen faster than two leg threats, and I hate to give up speed. Appendix unless wearing a heavy pack, then Safariland Rogers Tactical rig.

[Doc_Glock]

I chatted with a NPS LE Ranger at the bottom of the Grand Canyon this weekend. She had a Safariland ALS thigh rig. It looked super unwieldy and uncomfortable, but she hikes the canyon regularly with it so who am I to judge?

I saw another with a Safariland drop rig off the belt which seemed better IMO.

I don't think either knew I was armed.

I have a limited time hiking with a thigh rig and I thought it sucked. The main positive is it didn't interfere with pack straps and stayed on when the pack comes off.

Usually on hiking trips I will take a Vanguard 2 Type trigger guard holster to clip the gun into appendix position when I drop my pack at camp.

[El Cid]

While I get the reasons for chest carry, and even the flap holster... it's not for me. I could maybe tolerate them if I was walking around with my long gun in my hands rendering the pistol a secondary option. But if my long gun is in my pack I want my pistol quickly accessible and on the location where it is on/off duty, during matches/classes, etc. Under the kind of stress where I expect to fill my pants while I fill my hands... I want the gun in the spot where I will instinctively reach.

[JHC]

Thanks, now I want one. http://epsaddlery.com/product/2000-full-flap-holster/

[Malamute]

I have a couple half flap holsters as made by Lawrence. The flap is secured by a strap from below, the snap can be popped off as part of the draw, and the majority of the butt is exposed. I liked them as field holsters, and made a couple half flaps in the past. The old GI holster for 1911s were a bit more than half flap, but not quite a true full flap completely covering the butt of the pistol. The functional parts are covered with the half flaps though.

[pangloss]

I think it depends on the nature of the activity. I've hiked some with the SafePacker holster attached to the waist belt on my pack and that seemed to work okay. However, I didn't like the fact that when I took off the pack, I was also taking off the pistol. Now I use a Hill People Gear kit bag when I'm hiking with a pack, and when I make camp, I switch back to AIWB. If I don't have a pack, I'll carry with my normal AIWB holster or sometimes use a Bianchi UM84. On the very few times I've carried a metal-framed pistol in the UM84 while hunting, I've discovered that I need to be careful to keep the butt of the pistol from scratching up the rifle stock when I have my rifle slung. This is less of an issue with AIWB.

EDIT: To more directly address the OP, my priority is just having the gun with me. I don't recall ever getting so dirty that I worried about my pistol not working. (A possible exception being one morning while I was ducking hunting in hip boots, but I was in junior high school then, didn't own a pistol, and a flap wouldn't have kept out swamp water.) If I'm outside around where I grew up, speed of access isn't very important (no large predators, all private land). If I'm hiking on public lands, speed of access is somewhat more important since you never know who you might meet.

[Malamute]

I take the belts off all my packs. Never ever used one, even with a frame pack, as I carried my pistol on my belt and didnt want to interfere with it.

I acquired some of the Vietnam era pack shoulder straps for my frame pack, the straps that have the quick release on each side by pulling the release tab. Can dump the pack almost instantly. I used one of the old Alice packs as a day pack quite a bit also, it also had the quick releases.

[GJM]

Even when I have a long gun in the field, I prefer my handgun to be concealed if there is any chance of runnng into other people. Without a long gun, I especially prefer it concealed.

Concealed protects it from weather, doesn't disturb people who are gun sensitive, and doesn't alert potentially bad people.

[41magfan]

For "Field Use", the only gear component resembling a flap that I personally have any interest in is the outboard pocket flap on my HPG Kit Bag. :^)

[JonInWA]

I've used Safepackers since the 1990s; they're an excellent piece of kit, and wear well and are quite durable. I find myself using them primarily when biking (attached to a Packer Backer by Wilderness) or for off-body carry with a shoulder strap (yeah, the dreaded "man purse"). I've rarely carried them on a belt, although they're certainly configured for that.

Another flap holster I have is Bianchi's UM 84 and UM84R, the former for semi-autos and the latter for revolvers. My UM84 has been transferred semi-permanently to a Tactical Tailor shoulder holster rig, along with the Bianchi dual magazine pouch, with the flap component replaced with Bianchi's retention strap. The UM84R is used occcassionally for open field carry for my GP100 and Security Six, and, without it's flap, as an OWB holster for my GP100 in IDPA (it works well, is legal but it's bulky and there are better solutions).

Best, Jon

[GJM]

For a Glock, a possibility is the Safariland ALS with a hood -- the one designed for an optic. That is quite protective, while still reasonably fast.

[Doc_Glock]

I've used Safepackers since the 1990s; they're an excellent piece of kit, and wear well and are quite durable. I find myself using them primarily when biking (attached to a Packer Backer by Wilderness) or for off-body carry with a shoulder strap (yeah, the dreaded "man purse"). I've rarely carried them on a belt, although they're certainly configured for that.

Another flap holster I have is Bianchi's UM 84 and UM84R, the former for semi-autos and the latter for revolvers. My UM84 has been transferred semi-permanently to a Tactical Tailor shoulder holster rig, along with the Bianchi dual magazine pouch, with the flap component replaced with Bianchi's retention strap. The UM84R is used occcassionally for open field carry for my GP100 and Security Six, and, without it's flap, as an OWB holster for my GP100 in IDPA (it works well, is legal but it's bulky and there are better solutions).

Best, Jon

Thanks Jon. That UM 84 looks like just the ticket if I were looking to open carry in the woods.