Smart carry

[kseveryn]

Has anyone utilized the "smartcarry"?

www.smartcarry.com

 

[DrDavidM]

I think several of us have. I use it when wearing dress clothes. I much prefer a nice IWb holster, but mine don't conceal well with a tucked shirt. I carry my Kahr CW9 in one. It is thin so it prints VERY little. You would never know I had it. It can be, for me, a little uncomfortable sitting, but standing you don't even notice it's there. I have a Taurus PT140PRO. It is thicker and doesn't work as well. All in all I am very pleased with it.

Hope this helps

 

[GeneticsDave]

Information about the SmartCarry holster.

Let's start out with the cons:

1. It isn't invisible. You will, depending on the size of your carry weapon, see a bulge in you groin area, which might not actually be a 'con' depending on your point of view/self-esteem.
2. The most noticeable "printing" of your weapon will most likely be the butt of the grip, which will poke out at the 1 'o' clock position and can interfere with the use of a belt to some degree.
3. It will cause extra sweat in your groin area - which can lead to a nasty irritation by Candida albicans. Only happened to me when I was playing tennis with it on every day.
4. Takes quite a long time to dry if laundered. Due to the elastic waistband it is recommended that you dry it with "air only", no heat as it can damage the elastic.
5. If you are not careful when sitting (and depending on how long your front appendage is), your front appendage may become pinched between your holster and your pants - HOLY OUCH!!!

Now for the pros:

1. It is a relatively cheap holster.
2. It is custom made to fit both you and your weapon.
3. The owner is very nice and will field any questions/problems you have.
4. The holster will hold your weapon, an extra mag (which many holsters do not), and has a small pocket for a large bill (never know when you will need emergency cash).
5. It works with nearly every outfit. It has become my preferred mode of carry over any other holster I own.
6. It doesn't get much more concealed than this (excluding inserting the weapon into bodily orifices - yikes).
7. SmartCarry (as opposed to other makers) has the following advantages:

1. Holster available in white and denim colors to match pants or undergarments
2. Holster has a true waterproofing layer as opposed to the 'absorbing' diaper material contained in many other maker's products
3. Seams are sown such that all the stitching is on the outside of the holster so that no part of the gun will catch on the holster during a draw
4. 14 inches of 2.5 inch wide velcro - it's not coming off accidentally


I hope this has been helpful, please feel free to ask any other questions.

 

[BluesStringer]

My wife and I both just received ours this week. Wednesday in fact, after only ordering them last Sunday evening. Everything I've heard about Charlie is true, he's responsive, nice and quick to fill orders.

We just got back from a Costco trip, both of us carrying using the SmartCarry. First time out in public for the wife while carrying, so she popped her ummm....carry cherry just a little bit ago! I've been carrying forever, but this was only the second day I used the SC. I used it for a little while yesterday while at work, but found all the getting in and out of the car and moving around so much was going to take a little getting used to. Had to take it off about half way through the day, but in fairness, it was more due to my lack of time, or a good place, to experiment with tightness, placement (right, left or smack on top of my junk) and height. I found out right away that too high, though the natural place to put it, will cause the safety/decocking lever to really dig hard into my gut. As soon as I lowered it (during the first of about 5 trips to the little boy's room to adjust it), that problem disappeared. Even sitting in the car was no problem as far as the gun digging into my skin. I had to give the adjustment trips a rest though because my boss asked me if I was having kidney problems or something! The only remaining challenges are placement and tightness, which will just be a matter of experimenting a bit to find just the right combination.

The butt of my S&W 4563 (a full-sized .45) printing noticeably is probably the hardest thing to overcome, except, lucky for me, I am allowed to have my uniform shirt at work tucked or untucked. Untucked with a "wife-beater" type of undershirt to cushion between the SC and my skin fixes that problem just fine. Today, instead of wearing an untucked T-shirt, I simply rotated the SC to the left a couple or three degrees and tucked in my shirt as I normally would. The normal position of the butt of the gun would be about 1 to 1:30 o'clock. I moved around to the left so that it was right at noon o'clock. That presents another problem though; the muzzle is now resting against my left leg, making it a bit less comfortable in the car, but almost no difference in comfort while standing/walking, and the butt-exposure problem is almost completely nullified.

My Gorgeous Wife's (hereafter referred to as "GW") gun is a SA XD-40 4" Service model. She tried the SC with a pair of jeans and jeans shorts, both of which were just too tight to wear with the SC. She hates it, but she'll have to get a size bigger britches to be able to really conceal the gun. Today she opted for a lightweight pair of track pants with an elastic waist-band, which still printed pretty bad, but which was easily concealed by an untucked T-shirt. GW is, as her nickname implies, a gorgeous woman, her beauty only exceeded by her vanity, so it's going to hurt her terribly to buy bigger sized pants, but I think she'll get over it. She's a runner and her favorite place to run is a very secluded area that's perfect for a mugger or rapist, so we made the decision together to prepare her to pack when she's down there. The SC seemed the perfect solution for concealing even with lightweight workout clothes on. It'll take a lot of getting used to for her to run with it and the gun on, but she has tried it here at home on the treadmill and is pretty positive about being able to adapt.

All in all, I think the SC is a great solution, especially for summer-carry, and for me, especially for carrying at work, where, if caught, I would be fired on the spot. The trade-off of course, is accessibility. It would definitely slow down a draw from the standing position, and, without having really tried it yet, I would imagine it will make drawing from inside the car next to impossible, at least with jeans or any kind of regular pants on. Sweats or track pants, maybe a little easier, but still slower than a belt or paddle holster. Then again, I would imagine that any truly deep concealment apparatus would be difficult to draw from while inside a small space like a car. Like I said, it's a trade-off, but one I'm willing to make in order to have the firepower of a full-sized .45 at my disposal. I'm happy with the purchase, and I think GW will be happy after a short adjustment period.

Blues

 

[Sgt. SIG]

I have one and when you absolutely must not be discovered, it's a good addition to the holster collection!

 

[kwo51]

the neat thing is you can position the holder anywere on your upper body. still deep cover and slow presitation

 

[lukem]

I definitely plan on trying it out to review for the site. I've seen it around for a while but haven't picked one up yet.

 

[tattedupboy]

For speed of draw, comfort, and accessibility, nothing beats OWB carry (whether carrying openly or concealed). I have had my SmartCarry for about 2 months, and there are definitely some pros and cons. I like that it conceals handguns better than perhaps any other holster on the market, especially if you have a wardrobe like mine (consisting of mostly oversized shirts and baggy pants). I have found that if I wear loose-fitting pants without a belt (belts slow down my accessibility) I can access my weapon pretty quickly. The biggest drawback is the fact that it is virtually impossible to draw from a sitting position (even after weeks of practice, I still haven't found a way to draw quickly this way).

 

[burley]

I'v used one about 10 months now and love it. It's the one I use if I have to carry for long periods of time and need deep concealment. One note, you can carry different size guns in the same holster using safety pins to down size(see instructions on their site). I carry a P11 and or a P3AT in mine. I suggest calling their number before buying and asking any questions you have, they seem very willing to help. They also have a 60 trial period , if it just don't work for you -return it.

 

[ishi]

Information about the SmartCarry holster.

2. The most noticeable "printing" of your weapon will most likely be the butt of the grip, which will poke out at the 1 'o' clock position

Hello!

 

[Torch]

I'm on the fence still.

 

[DrLewall]

I have one and as all the comments above, the pros and cons apply. Access is tough while wearing a belt and what BG is going to listen to you when you say, "Can you hold on a sec, I have to undo my belt." Access is my biggest gripe...now on the other hand, I have found that wearing joggin shorts with elastic bands is the best garment for the SC..hides well and dark colors don't offer print very well. Kilts also are a good garment so I would think that Bluestringer's GW would do very well with a skirt and a SC.

I like the holster, but only with certain garments. As for the safety or hammer digging into the "gut", it happened to me but as was mentioned, a minor adjustment fixed that problem.

 

[ishi]

... what BG is going to listen to you when you say, "Can you hold on a sec, I have to undo my belt."

Now that's what I call a deterrent!

 

[Bucho]

I've used a SmartCarry holster for over a year now. I prefer a IWB holster but I often wear slacks to meetings and to work. I carry a .38 special in it daily. I've become used to it and it has never really felt uncomfortable. I go jogging also and keep it on - it doesn't budge, even while I am running. I'd recommend it even if you don't use it everyday. When other holsters aren't feasible to use, a SmartCarry always allows you to carry (at least in places you can carry legally) concealed.

 

[Sgt. SIG]

One additional idea that makes the purchase a little more attractive is that the SmartCarry makes a great place to carry cash and credit cards when traveling even without a gun. I keep a little cash in a wallet but the rest of my loot and all my CC's are in my SmartCarry!

 

[Right 2 Carry]

I use my SC everyday. If you have any doubts check out this video.

YouTube - Smart Carry Holster while exercising

He made like 5 more videos and these videos helped me decide on purchasing a SC. He is a member from glocktalk.com

SC Rocks!

 

[takurpic]

Shot these tonight, just in case folks are wondering what the CS looks like up close...

 

[2075RAMI4ME]

I've had one for about 2 months now and I've found that I use it more and more. Started out with a FIST IWB, but the SC is just so much more comfortable! And easier to conceal for me (all 5'10" and 150lbs of me) Sure it's a little slower on the draw, but for me it sure seems easier than constantly checking my 8 o'clock (yeah, I'm a lefty) for bulging.

 

[Ektarr]

After viewing all of the foregoing comments, testimonials and videos, I can see where there's value in this item, maybe even most especially for a smaller firearm, like a PPK. Looks like a PPK would pretty much evaporate from view when properly positioned.

 

[BluesStringer]

Just as a follow-up.....

I wore my SC every day this past week. At first I was wearing an undershirt as a cushion between the holster and my skin, but since I'm outside most of the day, that just made me more sweaty, which in turn made the SC less comfortable. I took the undershirt off on Tuesday fully expecting to have to take the holster off after a couple of hours because of scratchiness. But that didn't happen. The materials and the threads in the seams aren't scratchy at all. The rest of the week I wore it all day long with only minor instances of discomfort, mostly related to the pressure from the SC and the gun preventing umm...things from adjusting themselves to standing and sitting positions as they naturally would. A couple or three times I adjusted the height on my waist a little too high, and when I got in the car the hammer of the gun dug pretty hard into my skin. When placed low enough though, nothing on the gun or holster interferes with my considerable dunlop.

The only time I can't find a way to overcome the drawbacks of this rig is while in the car. With the seatbelt off, it would be very, very difficult to draw the weapon, but with it on, it's literally impossible. The belt rides right over the butt of the gun. If you adjust the belt to sit higher, above the butt, well, that's just another belt that you have to get through, besides the one on your pants, to get to the gun. If you adjust it below the butt, it tightens your pants over the butt making it print noticeably, which is OK if you're by yourself in the car, but useless if you're with someone who doesn't know, and whom you don't want to know, that you're packin'.

Being as I drive a lot for work, I'm not sure the SC is the right solution for me, but it's the only solution that allows me to carry at work without being noticed, or without having to leave my weapon in the car, which is what I was doing before I got the SC. I hated having to do that and understand the risk, but I have concluded that the risk of having my weapon stolen is outweighed by the risk of needing it and not having it. Now I've solved the problem of not having my weapon in my control at all times, but found that having it in the SC while in the car is tantamount to leaving it at home since I can't get to it. Still haven't decided conclusively if this is the right solution for me all the time, but it's definitely a highly desirable solution for nearly any other circumstance than being in a car.

Blues