Shoulder holsters, any recommendations?

The 7X Leather chest holster is the best way to carry a handgun with a backpack that I have found...and when I get to camp or am working on a downed animal, my gun is still on and reachable. It does not inerfere with the backpack straps at all.

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I had a safariland shoulder holster for my 92fs. Made out of their Safari Hide fake leather. It had a double mag pouch and handcuff holder on the off side. It will literally beat bruises onto your rib cage if you walk briskly or run, and will hold that 92fs in just the right place to get swamped with sweat when it is warm. Not practical at all. A chest holster like the above hunting rig..much better.
 
material; styles...

I'd be careful about buying a new leather shoulder rig like the Galco Miami Classic II or a Bianchi X15. They are well made but in an outdoor or field environment they may wear out or break quickly.
Synthetic or treated materials would do better IMO. Sunlight, sweat, rain, snow might damage some holsters.
The UM92 or STU styles hold up to field use.
Clyde
 
Another recommendation for the El Paso Saddlery "Tanker".

These are made for just about anything, revolver or semi-auto.

I have one for a 1911 Commander and another for a Ruger SBH.

They can be worn on the ribcage, between pack straps.

High quality leather doesn't seem to mind getting wet if it is treated with conditioner once in a while. I usually wear it under a parka for heavy rain.
 
I'd be careful about buying a new leather shoulder rig like the Galco Miami Classic II or a Bianchi X15. They are well made but in an outdoor or field environment they may wear out or break quickly.
Synthetic or treated materials would do better IMO. Sunlight, sweat, rain, snow might damage some holsters.
The UM92 or STU styles hold up to field use.
Clyde
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Let me start by saying it is hard to understand the "tone" of someones voice with the written word...so to be upfront, I writing this with a friendly, somewhat "ribbing" tone:) and I mean no disrespect to you Clyde...so I'll add the smiles now.:D:D

What??? Thats not and opinion, that's just wrong information.

Leather is absolutley better than any plastic crap...It is a tried and true American product. It breathes and wicks moisture from you skin, instead of trapping it like plastic or nylon.

When testing the durability of a specific leather for a holster harness, I put it on under a backpack. 3 days per week, from July until Oct 22nd, I used this harness without ever applying any oil or conditioner of any kind to it. On many summer days it was totally saturated with sweat and it turned white from all the salt stains...but it NEVER got hard or brittle. It always dried over night.

These were not little trail day hikes, but true 3 day mountian trips into the high country....I actually slept in my holster several nights when I slept above treeline because the Grizzlies were hanging out in the rockslides.

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The one thing I really noticed was that, even after the leather became totally saturated with sweat, it never felt grose or clinging...just seemed to feel like a part of you. I guess it was way the leather breathed and pulled sweat from your body and evaporated it to the air that made it feel like part of your skin.

When exposed to sunlight I have no doubt the plastic will start to crumble way before the leather even gets to it's darkest shade. Leather will just suntan.

You can park your butt in a saddle for 20 years, ride it through every rainstorm, snowstorm, sandstorm and leave it on a tree limb for the nights...and then try to tell me. Leather is not suitable for "Outdoor Environments":confused::D
 
I usually only buy leather holsters for my guns, be they revolvers or semi-autos. How many really well make boots or shoes do you see make out of plastic? I have a couple of Uncle Mike's holsters, but they are for my pocket gun that I can't find a good leater holster for yet.
 
Leather is absolutley better than any plastic crap...It is a tried and true American product. It breathes and wicks moisture from you skin, instead of trapping it like plastic or nylon.
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Except for beauty and tradition, nylon has leather beat six ways from yesterday.
When sweating it does not cling like leather. It will take a beating without harm.
Nylon, like Uncle Mike's is far-far more utilitarian than leather.
I like leather and have, and make, a lot of leather stuff.
But, for downright servicability, the nylon is the way to go. And, much-much less expensive.
 
Except for beauty and tradition, nylon has leather beat six ways from yesterday.
When sweating it does not cling like leather. It will take a beating without harm.
Nylon, like Uncle Mike's is far-far more utilitarian than leather.
I like leather and have, and make, a lot of leather stuff.
But, for downright servicability, the nylon is the way to go. And, much-much less expensive.
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Actually no its not as good as leather... Why do you suppose leather is the #1 material for street bikes? It outlast kevlar and carbon fiber once the rider is skidding on the road, its not my opinion its a fact...

If your version of utilitarian means its so cheap you dont care about it, then I get it and leather does require care but for that price it is WAY more comfortable....

I have worn both and I wont touch a nylon anything anymore concerning holsters...
 
nylon vs leather...

To address the post(s) about shoulder rig styles & materials, I'd state that Bianchi designed(a detailed process that took several years) the M12/UM84 they chose nylon not leather.
The M12/UM92 design offers a secure, practical way to tote a milspec 1911a1 or 92 series 9x19mm pistol.
I'm not against all outdoor leather shoulder rigs. Many leather models are or were in service in SW Asia(OIF-OEF) with our service members.
US Army General Ricardo Sanchez, the leader of US troops in Iraq, packed a M9 9mm in a cool custom leather WWII era tanker chest holster.
My point is, in 2012, a UM92 or a Lawman Leather Goods STU(a treated leather style), is a solid choice for field-hiking uses.
These Bianchi UM models can get crud or mildew too but they clean up quickly with hot water & a few drops of dish or clothing liquid. ;)
If a well made or high quality leather rig fits the bill, then have at it.
But I stand by my suggestions for a UM92/M12(which can fit either pistol) or a STU.
ClydeFrog
www.Lawmanleathergoods.com www.usgalco.com www.uscav.com
 
For real world hard use, plastics, and kydex specifically, far surpass leather for hard daily use, especially in harsh environments.

Ive worked and played hard outdoors (including hiking and backpacking), pretty much year round, most of my life, and had a handgun or two along daily most of that time too. For years, I dealt with wet leather holsters that wouldnt dry out, and rusty and abused guns because of it. I usually went through two good brand name leather holsters a year until I found Blade Tech back in the 90's, and that first kydex holster was used daily for over 10 years, and I still have it, and its still very much functional today. That holster stopped all the problems that leather brings, and I have a Blade Tech or two for every gun I might use.

Leather looks nice, but if you really live outdoors, and wear that gun all the time, its not what you want.
 
IMO, it wasn't simple rain that showed the WWII "leather tech" was obsolete.

It was Vietnam.

Heat + moisture = rot. And quickly, from what I heard from folks who were there.

So it wasn't just holsters and rifle slings that didn't work. Leather boots didn't last long, either.

However, in more temperate climates I believe leather can be "adequate".

I have some rifles that are walnut & blued steel. I enjoy shooting them, but they just don't survive being drowned like the one that's synthetic stock & stainless.

Perhaps a little like wool clothing vs. synthetics. A heavy wool coat takes quite a bit of rain, and I'm comfortable wearing it. But if I couldn't hang it to dry overnight in a heated cabin, I might choose a coat with some kind of synthetic insulation, and a Gore-Tex shell.
 
Panama City, RP; 1992, Beretta M9 9mmNATO, rust...

As a young MP(military police) stationed at the main US Army installation; Fort Clayton in Panama, I once saw a plain-clothes US Army MPI(investigator) clear & unload his issue M9 pistol. The 92F sidearm was in a leather belt slide(Yaqai type). The investigator's pistol had a thick coat of red-brown rust where it was held in the concealment holster. :(
Now, an arguement could be made for CLP or a decent non toxic spray like Ballistol but the heat & humid conditions in Panama didn't make these M9s rust-free.
CF
PS: I read a article from about 5-6 years ago that stated many spec ops troopers(DevGru, CAG, ParaRescue, ONI, SEALs, etc) use Kydex & polymer holsters often in Latin/South America. ;)
 
As a young MP(military police) stationed at the main US Army installation; Fort Clayton in Panama
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I was stationed here and was one of the last 100 US military to leave... all I can say is none of the arms any of my platoon carried ever looked like that nor would it have been allowed to be turned in in such a condition..
 
Personally, I've always liked them.

I have a Bianchi Vert. for my 686, a Galco Miami Classic for my HK USP-c, and a couple Rosen Stylemasters on order (1911 and USP-c). I like the way they ride for longer hikes with my dogs, and with a loose jacket/shell, I can conceal better than my OWB setups.

YMMV.
 
Well so it looks like if you are headed for Nam, or Panama and plan on sleeping in the rice patties...plastic may be what you want...

But if you are looking to enjoy some backcountry backpacking/hunting the leather will most likely work out pretty well for you.:D
 
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