Women collect shoes and men (if they are like me) collect holsters. I have a drawer full of holsters and even wrote a post highlighting a few of them. My favorite thus far has been the Crossbreed IWB Holster, very comfortable and just about everything you could want in a nice concealed carry holster. Still yet I have found that the Crossbreed is a bit large while wearing it in warmer temps with cargo shorts and a T shirt. While the larger surface area of the holster certainly does help to distribute the weight of the gun, it also creates a larger contact patch on the skin which can mean more sweating in higher temps. When the sun is beating down on you the less holster material you have pressed against your hip the better.
Enter the Galco Stow N Go holster, a mere $26.36 over at LaPoliceGear.com. In case you are wondering I am not affiliated with Galco or LaPoliceGear.com, I was just looking for a cheap alternative to the Crossbreed which might fare better in hotter temps. I had considered the Summer Comfort or Royal Guard, but they were considerably more expensive (the Royal Guard has an MSRP of $134). A short description of the Stow N Go which I pulled from LaPoliceGear.com.
The Stow-n-Go’s open top allows a very fast draw, while the reinforced mouth allows a smooth and easy return to the holster. A sturdy injection-molded nylon clip locks the holster onto the belt.
The Stow-n-Go inside the pants holster carries the handgun in a vertical orientation, with no cant or angle. It can be used strong side, crossdraw, or in front of the hip (appendix carry). Constructed of comfortable premium center cut steerhide, the Stow-n-Go fits belts up to 1 3/4″.
Made for semiautomatic pistols, the Stow-n-Go is available in right hand designs in natural finish.
Here you can see how nicely my Glock 19 fits inside the Galco Stow N Go.
One nice feature that this holster has is the belt clip which locks against the bottom of your belt. I have a Don Hume holster similar to this which does not feature a locking clip, and that holster is prone to coming out of my pants (along with the pistol) when I practice at the range. The clip also works with a Rigger’s belt, which I am more prone to wear versus what I used here for demonstration purposes.
Galco Stow N Go Holster Review
Pro’s
+ Extremely well priced, even if you buy this holster and hate it (you won’t), you are only out $30.
+ Very lightweight, minimal surface area increases comfort when wearing during hotter temps.
+ Belt clip locks in which prevents holster from coming out during a draw.
Con’s
– Although lightweight the material renders the holster somewhat flimsy.
– Leather or Kydex holsters do have a smoother draw (less friction), maybe I just need to break the holster in a bit more…?
– Reholstering can be a pain.
Summary
This is a really great holster than can’t be beat when you consider the price. While it does have some areas where I believe it could be improved (rigidity, leather on the inside) I’m willing to overlook those based on how comfortable the holster is while worn. I also like the fact that you can put the entire rig on and take it off very quickly, whereas doing the same with the Crossbreed takes just a bit longer. The bottom line is while the Galco Stow N Go does not knock it out of the park when considering every possible feature a holster should have, it certainly is a capable holster which I have used successfully for IWB concealment when the weather demands a T Shirt and Shorts.
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Good review PJ. I noticed that you mentioned “re-holstering can be a pain”. From my experience, re-holstering any IWB holster is a bit of a pain. Some are better than others but other than time on the range practicing, when will you really need to worry about re-holstering your handgun in a real world scenario? The answer that I always give people that ask me about a IWB holster and present that problem is, “if I draw in a real world scenario, I don’t really care about re-holstering because I will have used my firearm at that point and there is no longer a reason to attempt to conceal it”. Naturally, I get a lot of dumbfounded looks when I say that but the fact is, you should not draw your concealed carry firearm, unless its use is imminent. No different that pulling a gun out as a threat.
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Maj
We are on the same page here. The point you make about not caring about re-holstering if you have to use your weapon in a real fight is totally valid. What I’m referring to is a training inconvenience more than anything. Dry fire or live fire drills where it’s necessary to draw and shoot from a concealed position can be hindered by a holster like the Stow N Go. Something like the Crossbreed, which utilizes a molded design, is much easier to re-holster and can make training a bit less of a hassle.
What boggles my mind are guys who carry IWB, but train on the range with leg drops or even paddle holsters (which they don’t wear, other than when they are on the range). Sure it’s easier to use those platforms, but if you don’t carry that way why train that way? If you are going to use something like that for a bit of fun, or competition or even personal preference that’s totally fine. Sometimes I’ll strap on a Safariland and get all John Wayne for the heck of it, no biggie. I just would hesitate to recommend using platforms for “training value” which will not be utilized in real world circumstances.
rant off. 🙂
I agree that you have got to practice with what ever rig you decide to use with the sidearm. However, with the IWB holsters that practice comes with a bit of a pain in the butt.
The same argument could be made for practicing in the same clothes (street clothes) that you would normally be wearing, rather than the 5.11 tactical pants you might sport at the range complete with the tactical belt.
Author
What do you mean? I wear 5.11 EVERYTHING! My 5.11 underwear has velcro pockets for an extra mag and pocketknife! In all seriousness you are correct once again, although I do like cargo pants (Cabelas, Wrangler) which are very comfortable. In the summer it’s cargo shorts, and I do go shooting in those quite often too. I have a pair of 5.11 pants and they are just a little over the top IMO.
LOL. My “previous employer” provided me with a lot of 5.11 gear but they must have left the underwear off of the issue list. Those 5.11 pants are still in the plastic they came in. Never was a real fan and in all honesty it is hard to beat a good old pair of BDU pants for tooling around in the yard or at the range IMHO. I rarely wear shorts and my trips to town are generally in a pair of carpenter pants/jeans.
No offense to the 5.11 fans out there.
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I too have quite a few sets of BDU pants, really great for just about anything. The only thing that is prohibited would be the cut off BDU shorts, that’s a no-go.