Hiking/backpacking holster

[Certaindeaf]

I was looking at a cheaper drop leg holster. I carry a Glock 40 so holsters are not so easy to come by. I wonder if a drop leg strap would annoy me though.

Why do you hate Juanita?



lol

 

[MrElectric03]

Damn chickens would scare the Elk away.

 

[2506]

Simply Rugged. Best holster for hunting/hiking/packing

 

[dplev4]

A chest rig is out for me since I am primarily a bowhunter. I want that area clear, or I m already wearing a bino harness, so there isn't room anyway.

I am currently using a leather DeSantis holster or a hunter holster with a snap on the hip belt for my pack. I do not recommend leather. Leather gets wet and it doesn't protect the gun as well as plastic. (I prefer leather for edc otherwise.) My son bought a kydex holster through instagram for his Glock 19x. It has a sealed bottom which keeps it clean and has amazing retention. Plus the loops were custom made to fit easily on the hip belt of his pack. I think it went for around $80. He used most of last month and I was impressed with how well it did the job.

I like having my gun on my pack--so long as I can reach it, since it doesn't get caught in my hip belt when I am taking my pack on and off. It also doesn't affect my pack fitting either this way. I have gone both ways it has been most comfortable on my hip belt. My pack is on for most of the time anyway, so access hasn't been problem, but I appreciate folks wanting it on their waist too so it is available all of the time.

I just ordered a Gunfighter Ronin OWB to try both ways (on my waist and on my pack) for my Glock 20. So I am going for kydex. The two things I most recommend are to get a sealed bottom and a strap or a really good retention holster. It's nice to not worry when you sit down that your not getting dirt ups the barrel, or worse losing the thing from the holster entirely when you just fell crossing a snag.

 

[clearconscience]

Only thing I don't like about a closed bottom is the excessive rain, I carry the pistol out of my jacket and don't want it to pool up

 

[eklarsen]

Diamond D's guides choice. it can be a chest rig or a shoulder holster if wearing binos.

 

[Mister Bisley]

Diamond D's guides choice. it can be a chest rig or a shoulder holster if wearing binos.

Been looking at that one too.

 

[Mister Bisley]

its perfect for hiking in super popular hiking recreation areas, beats the hell outta those fanny packs...

I'd second the recommendation for hill people gear. I've had the kit bag v2 for a year now and it's great. It's made very well out of durable but not overkill heavy duty materials. It holds more things than you need to carry and it balances nicely when you hook it up to your pack with the lifter straps.

My sp101 w/ the 4" barrel fits with room to spare. The largest gun I've tried in it is a 22/45 w/ a 5.5" barrel and it does fine.

I have used it on atv's on dusty trails and it keeps my guns nice and clean.

The protection from the elements and easy concealment are why I bought it. If you don't want to carry a whole lot of other crap in it like I do, they have some thinner versions that would work nicely.

What are your guys thoughts about being able to shoulder a rifle with this setup? Wondering if it can be used to carry a sidearm while hunting

 

[wp4]

Only thing I don't like about a closed bottom is the excessive rain, I carry the pistol out of my jacket and don't want it to pool up

Drill a leeetle hole!

 

[Tony617]

I use this when hiking now:

Kenai Chest Holster – GunfightersINC

It took a while to receive since it was custom made for my handgun.

 

[Koda]

What are your guys thoughts about being able to shoulder a rifle with this setup? Wondering if it can be used to carry a sidearm while hunting

No problems. I bought mine just for hunting and can shoulder just fine as well as sling the rifle.

 

[coyote223]

I second the vote for Kenai and the one linked below. I've used both of these for camping, hiking, backpacking etc. Comfortable enough to wear while sleeping...but I also sleep in a hammock.

Guide's Choice™ Leather Chest Holster

Either of these. Plus goes to the Kenai because we live in rainy Oregon. But I use my Guides choice all of the time. Don't even have an issue when nature calls,,,

 

[Vierings]

I'm glad to see the Kenai is well recommended. Its actually what lead me to asking the question. The interwebs did that thing where it reads your mind when you haven't done any looking into something and it posts an ad. The Kenai was the ad that made me think "I really dont like carrying IWB while hiking."

I think I will look into one of them, it'll make it easier to swap between my two pistol choices depending on activity. It also seems like I can possibly create different rigs using the same holster if I want to get creative.
Thank you everyone.

 

[Red_beard]

What are your guys thoughts about being able to shoulder a rifle with this setup? Wondering if it can be used to carry a sidearm while hunting

No problems. I bought mine just for hunting and can shoulder just fine as well as sling the rifle.

Works good for me too. It doesn't interfere with much when you have it on.

I've had their the recon harness on my wish list for some time now. It replaces the mesh harness with one that holds a water bladder and has some Molle field on the back. To me, getting the water on there makes it so you really don't need much more for short trips while keeping it slim enough to sit in a car with it on. And if you do need more you can throw some pouches on the back.

 

[LuckySG]

I sent a GroveTec Trail Pack Holster home with @Wombat of Doom, fishing to see if he has had a chance to try it out. for $60 it is tidy and easy on the wallet.

Trail Pack Holsters

 

[Wombat of Doom]

I sent a GroveTec Trail Pack Holster home with @Wombat of Doom, fishing to see if he has had a chance to try it out. for $60 it is tidy and easy on the wallet.

Trail Pack Holsters

I have gotten a chance to use it and it works quite well. It would work quite well with a pack.

 

[Mister Bisley]

@Red_beard @Koda Thanks guys, much appreciated. One last question...how's the water resistance if any? Guessing I could always treat it with Nikwax or something.


@Vierings thanks for letting me crash your thread. Glad we could all get the answers we were looking for

 

[Vierings]

@Red_beard @Koda Thanks guys, much appreciated. One last question...how's the water resistance if any? Guessing I could always treat it with Nikwax or something.


@Vierings thanks for letting me crash your thread. Glad we could all get the answers we were looking for

Of course. Pretty sure that's why we have forums, to share ideas. I tried searching (not extensively) and came up with not much of what I wanted to know. In the future, maybe someone bumps this (eventually) ancient thread cause they have more related questions or insight.

 

[L84Cabo]

Just an idea...take a look at G Codes RTI system. The system would allow you to quickly and easily move the holster from the pack to your waist when you take the pack off. You could put an RTI wheel on the pack somewhere...maybe on the outside of the hip belt somewhere.

For the holster itself, you could either go with one of G Codes or perhaps a Safariland ALS rig of some sort. G Code's stuff is compatible with Safariland with the right adapter. And they have a wide variety of mounting options from drop leg rigs to various belt mounts to molle mounts for packs and stuff.

 

[Timbertodd]

one of the best investments Ive made for hiking...

Hill People Gear | Real use gear for backcountry travelers

I use that model while biking. It easily holds the first aid kit and my G43. I find it comfortable to wear and it doesn't shift around.