Leather vs. Kydex/Synthetic
- Thread starter D.B. Cooper
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Garandimal
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For IWB - Galco Stow-N-Go suede.
1. Liberally coat in Sno-Seal.
2. Bag.
3. Leave on a hot dashboard for a day.
4. Wipe out residue w/ paper towel.
5. Spray liberally w/ silicone.
6. Let cure. (outside, 'till it quits stinkin')
Water/sweat/oil/grease proof, that is soft and comfortable.
GR
1. Liberally coat in Sno-Seal.
2. Bag.
3. Leave on a hot dashboard for a day.
4. Wipe out residue w/ paper towel.
5. Spray liberally w/ silicone.
6. Let cure. (outside, 'till it quits stinkin')
Water/sweat/oil/grease proof, that is soft and comfortable.
GR
Garandimal
member
Kydex...?
...never heard of her.
GR
GR
AK103K
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Sno Seal works on holsters about the same as it does on boots. It works for a short while, but when exposed to constant "wet", its soon gone.
We used to use it on our boots and found it works "slightly" better in snow than it does wet, and then for only a bit longer. A couple of hours walking around in wet morning grass, and freshly coated boots were wet and leaking again soon after. Lucky for us, they came out with another made made wonder product, Goretex. Havent used Sno Seal on my boots or had wet feet since.
Sno Seal was one of the first things I tried on my holsters when they started to get wet, as it was about the best thing around for our boots at the time. Same thing that happened with my boots, went on with my holsters. Didnt matter how you applied it, or how many coats, it still let wet soak through in fairly short order when exposed to constant wet.
Maybe someone should come out with a Goretex sock for holsters!
One other thing I always see when I see those pretty leather holster pics is, they all appear to get little if any use. Lets see some that show some actual use.
Garandimal
member
Sno Seal works on holsters about the same as it does on boots. It works for a short while, but when exposed to constant "wet", its soon gone.
We used to use it on our boots and found it works "slightly" better in snow than it does wet, and then for only a bit longer. A couple of hours walking around in wet morning grass, and freshly coated boots were wet and leaking again soon after. Lucky for us, they came out with another made made wonder product, Goretex. Havent used Sno Seal on my boots or had wet feet since.
Sno Seal was one of the first things I tried on my holsters when they started to get wet, as it was about the best thing around for our boots at the time. Same thing that happened with my boots, went on with my holsters. Didnt matter how you applied it, or how many coats, it still let wet soak through in fairly short order when exposed to constant wet.
Maybe someone should come out with a Goretex sock for holsters!
One other thing I always see when I see those pretty leather holster pics is, they all appear to get little if any use. Lets see some that show some actual use.
1. Liberally coat in Sno-Seal.
2. Bag.
3. Leave on a hot dashboard for a day.
That's what makes Sno-Seal work.
The Pics are always "new".
Who wants to see old leather?
GR
JTQ
Member
While I like and use both, I think that's AK103K's point. Old leather gets worn out and loses it's stiffness (and "function-a-bility"). While old kydex looks and works pretty much like new kydex. Kydex takes less time to break in and stays functional longer than leather.
Garandimal
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Jeb Stuart
member
Leather has heart, soul, character. Plastic is well plastic .
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JTQ
Member
I agree use what you like.
For the rational for stiffness, watch the Paul Gomez video I posted earlier. To save you some time, the key points are between the 2:40 and 5:20 mark
Garandimal
member
Watched it, thanks.
1. Galco Stow-N-Go has a reinforced (steel wire) rim - to prevent collapse.
2. Not in a big hurry to re-holster.
3. Sno-Seal/Silicone - doesn't break down the leather, and lubricates the fibers - so they last almost indefinitely.
Like a soft, thin, comfortable IWB holster.
GR
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Jeb Stuart
member
The only Plastic holster I have like so far. Hate anything in my waistband. But when I do, it is with one of these.
Zendude
Member
I like the “click” when holstering with a good kydex holster.
For leather holsters, would spraying it with a silicone like Camp Dry help protect against moisture buildup?
For leather holsters, would spraying it with a silicone like Camp Dry help protect against moisture buildup?
JTQ
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Jeb Stuart
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AK103K
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I get the impression some really dont use their stuff other than maybe to walk around with it occasionally.
Ive been wearing a gun (almost exclusively IWB) daily (18+ hour days) for over 40 years now, and I work and play physically outside in all weather.
If leather was as great as you say, Id still be using it for daily wear. I dont, and havent since Kydex holsters started showing up a couple of decades ago.
I do still use some leather holsters. This is one of my El Paso Tankers that Ive had for about 4 or 5 years now. It doesnt get worn daily, but its handled constantly and daily, as it carries the Glock I use daily in practice. It shows use, but its not an IWB holster that has to deal with being worn from the time I get out of bed until Im back in it.
I use a number of these holster for different guns. I dont leave blued or parked guns "in" them, nor do I leave them in any other leather holster I have. They do work well for a grab and go type holster though, and like a belt holster, that doesnt have to deal with being trapped in moisture all day, they have a bit of a chance to air. Not that I havent had the backs of a couple of the Tankers pretty wet from sweating on them.
Ive been wearing a gun (almost exclusively IWB) daily (18+ hour days) for over 40 years now, and I work and play physically outside in all weather.
If leather was as great as you say, Id still be using it for daily wear. I dont, and havent since Kydex holsters started showing up a couple of decades ago.
I do still use some leather holsters. This is one of my El Paso Tankers that Ive had for about 4 or 5 years now. It doesnt get worn daily, but its handled constantly and daily, as it carries the Glock I use daily in practice. It shows use, but its not an IWB holster that has to deal with being worn from the time I get out of bed until Im back in it.
I use a number of these holster for different guns. I dont leave blued or parked guns "in" them, nor do I leave them in any other leather holster I have. They do work well for a grab and go type holster though, and like a belt holster, that doesnt have to deal with being trapped in moisture all day, they have a bit of a chance to air. Not that I havent had the backs of a couple of the Tankers pretty wet from sweating on them.
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AK103K
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No hurry to reholster, but its a lot easier/safer if the top is open, and hasnt collapsed from being to soft and not reinforced. I would say at a minimum, a leather holster with a reinforced top is a must, if you use a leather IWB, or any leather holster for that matter.
Sno Seal is what it is, but its not some wonder sealant, and really doesnt work all that well if what youre treating is exposed to constant moisture. I dont care how or how often you apply it either. I used it for a long time in the past, on boots and holsters. Once what youre trying to protect is wet, you have to wait until its dry again to reapply, and if youre wearing that item on a daily basis, that aint happening anytime soon. So it lasted a couple of hours when fresh, and then its gone, until the item is dry again, and you can reapply. And then ist only good for a few more hours, and the cycle begins again.
And the holsters I treated with it, usually didnt last the summer, let alone indefinitely. So, Im guessing you werent wearing/using yours like mine. If you were, I dont think we'd be having this conversation.
JTQ
Member
No longer available, at least in the catalog, they may make them on request - I don't know, but Milt Sparks used to offer the Heritage (similar to the Summer Special II) and Nelson Legacy (NLG) (similar to the 55BN). Both had a layer of vapor barrier fabric sandwiched between two layers of leather to prevent sweat soaking your gun.
It's possible it didn't work that well and was dropped, or was not popular since it wasn't needed, and was dropped.
It's possible it didn't work that well and was dropped, or was not popular since it wasn't needed, and was dropped.
Garandimal
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Garandimal
member
Timberline - waterproofs their suede leather boots with silicone.
Sno-Seal - baked in - infuses the leather fibers with lanolin, and coats them with bees wax.
Together?
Have EDC Stow-N-Go's that are a decade old. Have one for a small .22 revolver I use in the field and it is going on 20.
They're soft, thin, and comfortable... and $30.
GR
AK103K
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I use a Smart Carry a lot in the summer. It isnt leather either, but it does have a waterproof back to it, and I have yet to have anything in it, have any moisture on the gun, spare mag, or anything else in it, even when my pants and tee-shirt were soaked with sweat.
Ive often wondered why holster makers couldnt do the same for the leather holsters, but I suppose its not something in that much demand, or they themselves have advanced and started making kydex holsters to close the gap for those of us who need them. Many seem to have done that.
As far as the Galco holster in the link above, look at the wear in it after what he says is three years of use, and look at this Galco Royal Guard I used for about a month before I went to a Blade-Tech holster. The duct tape was yet another feeble and futile attempt at stopping sweat from soaking the holster. Rough out leather is like a sponge too. It just sucks the sweat right up.
AK103K
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Yea, thats great, but they arent waterproof for very long, unless they have a Goretex bootie of some sort in them. Ive used Timberline boots, as well as a lot of the others. The ONLY boots that will let you stand in the creek or soupy mud all day, and keep your feet dry, are those with Goretex, or something similar.
Sno Seal is the same way. Once its worn off, which is usually pretty quick, its gone and you either have wet feet, or a wet holster.
Jeb Stuart
member
Thanks for posting. Have heard a lot of great reviews on that holster. Personally feel Kydex is too rigid and unforgiving, especially when sitting down. The Galco looks like it might be ideal. Thin and soft, but durable. Just need to figure out which gun I want to try it out on. Maybe the LCR or Kahr CM9 or other.
Garandimal
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AK103K
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Obviously, it does, and thats sort of my point.
Lifestyle and use has a large bearing on what your experiences are.
Garandimal
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If you ever do go back to IWB suede... give the offered Sno-Seal/Silicone treatment a try.
GR
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