Smart Carry and Lightning Wear?????
oilwick1

oilwick1

oilwick1
What is the opinion of the Smart Carry and Lightning Wear CC holsters - comfort, concealability, durability. All opinions and experience appreciated.
 

They do conceal the pistol pretty well. They are a little awkward to access rapidly and I find that mine is uncomfortable when sitting unless I move it around some. Some people seem to really love them though. It also takes a bit of getting used to having a gun pointed in that region. :fie:
 
I assume by "Lightning Wear", you actually mean "ThunderWear". SmartCarry and ThunderWear are similar. There are some (like me) who want their firearms close to their body, but not necessarily attached directly to clothes (such as pants). Although I don't own either brand, I do adhere to their premise of keeping close control of the gun and deep conceal-ability. I don't need to remove the holster or place my gun elsewhere when visiting the restroom. My gun simply stays on me...

I wear a Velcro-based elastic belly band (ActionDirect) and am very pleased to have my gun hugging me closely--comfortably worn all day, every day. It makes it relatively easy for me to wear under most kinds of clothes.

- Ceicei
 
Smart Carry and Lightning Wear???

Ceicei,

Thanks for the reply. No, I actually mean Lightning Wear, not Thunderwear, a different brandname. This product is offered on ebay.
 
I have been using the smart carry holster for a little over a year now. it is more comfortable than all of the iwb holsters I used in the past. sometimes I forget I am wearing a gun. I would say that is comfort. it took a few days to get used to it. but I would highly recommend it to anyone.
 
oilwick1 said:
Ceicei,

Thanks for the reply. No, I actually mean Lightning Wear, not Thunderwear, a different brandname. This product is offered on ebay.
Click to expand...

?? not found on e-bay or on google.
I'd go with smartcarry. Had mine 2 years, great for deep cover carry.Also has a sweat proof back panel that will protect your gun and a 60 trial period to try one out.
 
6 year customer of smart carry. I use it 99% of time i'm concealed. I've found no better. It's not for everyone. But comfort is very good, access for a deep type of device is exceptable. Try it, you might like it.
As far as smart carry verus the ebay type. I'd stick with the higher quality smart carry.
 
Most people that carry end up with a drawer full of holsters of various types. I only have two - at the moment. A DeSantis Nemesis pocket holster for my NAA 380, a DeSantis pocket holster for my Taurus PT-145 and my Sig Sauer P239/357sig (I'm counting these 2 as one as they are both pocket holsters.) and a Smart Carry. That conceals the PT-145 and P239 very comfortably. How you dress, or how you must dress will often dictate what you need. In Florida, I wear cargo shorts a lot. The Taurus and Sig carry nicely in large inside pockets. A second mag is carried in one of the pockets on the off-hand side. If you are going to pocket carry, the trick is to take the gun and pocket holster with you into the fitting room to make sure the pocket slit is wide enough to draw the qun out easily.

Oh, I almost forgot. I've been using a Maxpedition Jumbo Versipak as my daily tote for almost 2 years. My beat up old SS thermos in the place where the water bottle is supposed to reside makes it look totaly harmless. When I am going somewhere guns are allowed and taking it along, it houses my Sig P220 Compact or any of the other 3 firearms.
 
I used a Thunderwear holster until I got the Supertuck. The Thunderwear/SmartCarry holsters are pretty comfortable, but the Supertuck keeps the weapon a bit more accessible.
 
Ceicei said:
I assume by "Lightning Wear", you actually mean "ThunderWear". SmartCarry and ThunderWear are similar. There are some (like me) who want their firearms close to their body, but not necessarily attached directly to clothes (such as pants). Although I don't own either brand, I do adhere to their premise of keeping close control of the gun and deep conceal-ability. I don't need to remove the holster or place my gun elsewhere when visiting the restroom. My gun simply stays on me...

I wear a Velcro-based elastic belly band (ActionDirect) and am very pleased to have my gun hugging me closely--comfortably worn all day, every day. It makes it relatively easy for me to wear under most kinds of clothes.

- Ceicei
Click to expand...

No, he's speaking of me. It really is "Lightningwear".

Lightningwear_Holster_1911_smaller.jpg
 
burley said:
?? not found on e-bay or on google.
I'd go with smartcarry. Had mine 2 years, great for deep cover carry.Also has a sweat proof back panel that will protect your gun and a 60 trial period to try one out.
Click to expand...

It is one word, not two. It comes up on a Link Removed.

Mine also has a 60-day trial period.

The "sweat-proof back panel" issue is interesting. I don't personally comment on the question (except in the abstract) as it might be seen as running down a competitor's product - but I do provide the link to Link Removed which describes the actual physical properties of the material used on the back panel of the Smartcarry.

I think that both Smartcarry and Thunderwear are excellent products, and would recommend them without hesitation - but I do happen to like mine better. };>=-
 
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HardCorps53 said:
Has anyone used the Smart Carry while riding a motrcycle?
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I ride. The end of the muzzle inside the holster just sits on the seat between your legs, just like it does when you sit down or drive a car. Not that you're going to be able to draw it, of course, unless you're off the bike, or have both feet on the ground and the bike in neutral since it's a two-hand draw.

I'd imagine that if you had a bike where the seat raised up too much as it met the tank, that it might be a problem, though.
 
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Thanks Dex. I can't imagine trying to draw or fire from a moving motorcycle with any holster. Sounds like it may do the trick.


Dex Sinister said:
I ride. The end of the muzzle inside the holster just sits on the seat between your legs, just like it does when you sit down or drive a car. Not that you're going to be able to draw it, of course, unless you're off the bike, or have both feet on the ground and the bike in neutral since it's a two-hand draw.

I'd imagine that if you had a bike where the seat raised up too much as it met the tank, that it might be a problem, though.
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I just got my smart carry holster yesterday
I am "husky" build and I carry a Kel Tec PF9
when I look in the mirror, looks like the grip is printing thru pants
will try it on again tonight and readjust holster
 
hk boy said:
I just got my smart carry holster yesterday I am "husky" build and I carry a Kel Tec PF9
when I look in the mirror, looks like the grip is printing thru pants will try it on again tonight and readjust holster
Click to expand...

The best advice is to wear the holster as low as possible - 4"-5" below your navel. The belt can be higher in the back (and in any case rides up because of the slope of one's buttocks). This applies to all the brands -- Smartcarry, Lightningwear, Thunderwear -- they all work alike and put the pistol in the same position(s).

You'll want to put the holster on over your outer shirt, so that the holster keeps the shirt from bunching and getting in the way of the draw. You can pull the tail of the shirt out of the holster in the back and tuck it in over the strap in the back. That keeps it from riding up above your pants when you bend over. Generally, slightly tighter adjustment is preferable to slightly looser.

Most people who have ever worn these type holsters find that while there can be a bit of a bulge at the end of the grip, it's usually with a full-frame weapon. However even with a full-frame pistol, no one else sees this as something that says "gun".

It is holster wearing-height dependent, though: You can create a bulge if you wear the holster high (say, just under the belt) instead of as low as possible.

I've carried a Kahr K40 (pretty close in dimensions to the PF9, except thicker) for years, including while being frisked by concert-security personnel, and never had a problem with concealment. [Of course, the same security personnel also missed the S&W 4516 .45 in my (ex-)wife's gun purse too.]
 
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I've used SmartCarry and while it is very good at concealing a handgun even under a tucked in shirt, it is not a very fast draw, especially while sitting. IWB and OWB are a much better combination of concealability and quick draw for me.
 
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