IWB vs OWB: Which is Better to Carry? Breaking Things Down

There is a famous quote in the firearms world from the great Col. Jeff Cooper that applies common sense to our own personal safety “Remember, the first rule of gunfighting…have a gun.”  We can expand this to any encounter where your safety is at risk, having a tool to defend yourself will greatly aid in your survival and using the great equalizer, a firearm, is the preferred option for many citizen defenders.  Which brings us to how do you ensure you have a firearm on you when you need it most?  A holster of course, but which one?

When deciding to carry for personal safety there is a decision tree one must go through in order to find what is the most optimal holster option for your use case, body type, and environmental conditions.  Don’t worry if you don’t know where to start, that is exactly what we are going to go over.  Keep in mind that you may end up with multiple options and that is perfectly fine, many shooters use a variety of options and match them to the environment they find themselves in.

IWB vs OWB

A quick look around and the first choice you find you will need to make about holsters is if you want it inside the waistband (IWB) or outside the waistband (OWB).  While IWB is used for concealment, OWB can be concealed as well depending on clothing choice.  The other term that may come up is a variation of IWB and indicates the position on the waist, appendix inside the waistband (AIWB). 

Traditionally, holsters are attached to the belt but there are many options out there that allow you to forgo the belt making IWB more flexible with clothing choices.  Some IWB options are really not even dependent on the waistband but are still in the waist region like belly bands, compression shorts, tank tops, and Enigma.  It is also important to acknowledge that other types of carry, while less common, are an option for users as well.  These alternative options still offer a way to conceal your firearm but are not strictly IWB or OWB, such as off-body carry in a bag, purse, or fanny pack.

Ultimately your use case is what dictates choosing between IWB and OWB.  Many people will use OWB on range and IWB anywhere else for concealability.  While the range or class may dictate if IWB can be used or not, it is important to practice IWB on range too so you are familiar with it and don’t get caught up in the garment clearing.

Considerations When Choosing IWB or OWB

There are several things to consider when choosing how to carry your firearm.  While doing research, watching reviews and asking friends will be helpful in your holster search, be prepared for the possibility of going through a few before finding the perfect holster.  Many shooters have a drawer full of extras and what one person thinks is the cat’s meow another will rank as not even worth looking at.  Holsters and how you carry is a personal choice and everyone's lifestyle and bodies are different so a holster isn’t necessarily a one and done purchase.  What can we do to select a well-fitting holster from the start?  Let’s take a look.

OWB is not the same as Open Carry

Depending on what state you live in may also dictate your choice, you may or may not need a permit to carry a firearm and it could dictate how you can carry it.  If you choose to use a OWB holster make sure you are abiding by the law, if it can be uncovered then you are free to go with your own style however if it has to be concealed make sure you pick the right cover garment.  

Apparel and Lifestyle Compatibility

When adding a firearm to your everyday life it can seem like many things have to change in order to accomplish this but that isn’t the case.  There are so many different options and configurations now that there is likely a solution for you.  Consider what type of clothing you typically wear, how clothing choice changes over the seasons, how often is an actual belt involved or are you mostly beltless, and are there any outliers you may need an alternative option for.  

One note to make is if you do a traditional IWB you may have to size up your pants to make room for the holster, or ensure there is some amount of elastic material in the fabric.  Printing, or your clothing outlining the firearm underneath, is not desirable despite the fact most people are paying too much attention to their phones to notice.

Answering these questions will help determine IWB vs OWB as well as what material the holster is made of like Kydex, leather, or a combination and if the mounting hardware is for a belt, waistband, or a combination.

Also consider your lifestyle, how do you spend most of your day, where do you frequent, how mobile are you, what positions do you frequently find your body in, and are there any activities it might interfere with.

Style, Positions, and Comfort

There are different holster styles out there and while you will need to find one that fits your gun you also need to find a style that fits you.  Some holsters come as they are and there isn’t any way to really adjust or change them but a fair amount of them do have features which allow you to configure the holster setup to the user.

As mentioned before, choosing what type of material you want and the mounting option may be dictated by your apparel and lifestyle choices.  Leather holsters don’t offer the same customization options that a Kydex (thermoplastic) one does but they are flexible while still being durable and may conform to the firearm and your body more.  Hybrid options, leather backer and Kydex holster, are also available for those who feel split between the comfort of leather and the rigidity of Kydex.

The mounting hardware may make this decision for you as well, many leathers are a slide through with a belt and that’s it.  Kydex holsters often have many pre-drilled holes that allow for various mounting hardware options, including beltless ones.

If you use a weapon mounted light, a red dot, or suppressor height sights you will need to choose holsters that are compatible with these features which can be limiting depending on make and model of the firearm and light.

Plans to carry a spare mag or not can also impact style choice, the mag can either be in a pouch, connected to the firearm holster or decoupled, or in a pocket.

The position on your body will be a balance of comfort and concealability.  A OWB holster is typically on a person's strong side at 3 o’clock, some people move it more forward due to shoulder mobility issues so where your hand naturally falls is usually the sweet spot.  IWB however has many more positions, starting with a 12 o’clock and going all the way around to about 5 o’clock.  Your body type will dictate where is most comfortable and prints the least, look to place the holster in valleys not peaks.  Of course, flip this for lefties.

One of the biggest considerations is comfort, and all of these other factors influence how comfortable a holster is for any one person.  It may take some experimentation on style and position to find your comfort spot but wearing it for 30 to 60 minutes around the house will give you a good idea on how comfortable the setup might be.  If you pick Kydex take a look at different types of soft wedges that adhere to the holster making them not only more concealable but also more comfortable by reducing hotspots.  

Remember deciding to carry is adding a somewhat bulky and heavy item to your body and at first you will feel very aware that it is there and may even adjust your habits to work around it, this is totally normal.  Part of having a comfortable holster setup is that it is secured tightly enough to your body that it doesn’t flop or wiggle around drawing your attention to it on every step, you want to walk and act normally.   Not many people are aware enough to notice a concealed firearm but if you draw attention and adjust or pick at it you are telegraphing to those who are aware just what you have with you.

Retention and Security

Not only should the holster be comfortable and secure to your body, the firearm should also be secure in the holster.  A good holster covers the trigger guard and prevents any item from going into the holster with the gun.  A good fit is done through holster retention, most civilians will use a holster that has passive retention, meaning it is held in place by friction and proper fitment.  

Some holsters offer an active retention, meaning that it is mechanically held in place and the user must deactivate one or more locking mechanisms.  There are multiple retention levels and as they go up more movements are required to remove the firearm.  They also take practice to disengage, don’t choose a level you are not prepared to train to an automatic presentation. 

Any holster you choose should retain the firearm in it, even when shaken upside down, and it should be able to be secured to you in a way that does not allow the holster to move when the firearm is drawn from it.  Nothing worse than to draw your firearm with the holster still attached, rendering it useless.

Training Considerations

No matter what holster you choose you must train with it.  Overall, clearing your cover garment is the additional step, and it is harder to perfect than you might think.  Being able to clear the garment fully is critical, if you get a handful of shirt in your grip you may be able to press out and let the shirt fall from the grip or it may cause you to fumble the gun or get stuck part way through pressing out.  It is important to train and get this additional step mastered, you don’t want your shirt to be the reason you were unable to defend yourself.

Making the commitment to train from your carry position will also allow you to test the accessibility of your carry choices. Is it the right set up for you to draw at speed or are there adjustments you need to make to the style or position of the holster?  Does the holster feel comfortable while also minimizing printing?  Will you be able to automatically find your master grip?  Does it fit your need to carry all the time or will there be situations where you need an alternative placement?  

Once you think you have found the right holster in the most optimal carry position, put it to the test with some dry reps.  A basic test you can do is time to first shot, use Holster Draw Analysis from the Mantis X10 Elite system to find your overall speed but pay extra attention to the first phase, time to grip, to find out if the holster setup is in a place you can consistently get to quickly.  It is also worth testing out a slow or obscured draw in which you are able to cheat your hand to clear the garment and possibly even to the grip while camouflaging the act with a typical movement.  For instance AIWB combined with an interview stance (hands at the waist) allows you to be prepared to draw at a moment's notice.

Once you have passed these basic tests add in some scenario based training, put it on a timer and find out if your carry position is right for you.  Standing stationary and presenting to a single target is pretty easy to do with any setup, but what happens if you find yourself on your back, or holding grocery bags, a child on your hip, or buckled into the driver's seat?  Does this carry position still work for you?  Do you not only feel comfortable but confident that you can access and deploy your firearm when needed?  Will you still be able to retrieve your firearm if your dominant hand is rendered useless?  

Using just your imagination you can take the idea of carry, the range practice of carry, and apply it to possible real world scenarios.  It just takes some time, but if you ever need to draw for self defense you will be glad you took an afternoon to prove to yourself that your firearm is usable in many situations.

Conclusion

Ultimately how you carry is up to you, we are all different and have different needs and motivations for carrying.  Do some research, explore your options, try out holsters from friends and work your way through these considerations to give your selection a boost.  The more popular your firearm is the more options you will have in the aftermarket, but if you cannot find what you are looking for many companies still do custom work and it never hurts to ask.