Springfield XD Sub Compact (with Galco ITW Holster) (Photo credit: jeffgunn)
Good Afternoon All,
Today I wanted to get into something that I find to be a very important but often disregarded habit. The habit of seeking out quality over convenience or price. This is a particularly common theme over at The Art of Manliness, which is an excellently written and maintained blog that I’ve been following for a few years now. Too often we will need an item and simply go to the nearest Wal-Mart and pop on in and get whatever it is that we wanted. The question however, is what you bought going to serve you well for years to come or is it just going to get you by for a little while? This isn’t to say that this particular retailer doesn’t sell some quality items but I’m sure you’re seeing my point. The philosophy is simply that I’d rather buy something that is “expensive” once than buy a cheaper item many times. Too often these cheaper items will give you the illusion of saving money, but in the long run is that really the case? With a cheaper, lower quality item the propensity to go wrong is usually going to be higher, thus forcing you to replace that item an unfortunate amount of times. This dismal event could possibly have been avoided if you had simply just spent the little bit of extra money on the front end and perhaps had some delayed gratification but ended up with a far superior product that will last a lifetime. Very simply the old adage “you get what you pay for” rings very true in our world……most of the time of that is.
This philosophy brought into the tactical/outdoor world will often times make for a very expensive investment and drive many to make poor decisions when it comes to gear. One thing I have taken notice of for some time now is cheap holsters. Many people are quite content to purchase a $500-$700 handgun and then put it in a $15 holster or one they got for free when they purchased the firearm. I’ve never really understood this practice. If you have a firearm that your life or the life of another may depend on and you carry it around in a cheap floppy nylon or plastic holster with an awkward and flimsy Velcro strap as your only means of retention. Do you really think that is going to serve you well? What if you have to run and evade with that weapon holstered? What if you are engaged in a struggle with an attacker and that flimsy holster gives way because it offered zero retention qualities? I could play the “what if” game all day but as I said before, I think you see my point. A good quality leather or kydex holster is a fairly inexpensive piece of kit these days. Manufacturers like Don Hume and Gould & Goodrich (a local to me NC company) produce fairly inexpensive and high quality leather goods that have served me well for years. Kydex holsters can be found all over the place these days and can even be made at home by you with a little care and time invested at a reasonable cost investment. Just remember that when carrying a holster on your hip, a good quality belt is of the utmost importance. Simply using a standard leather dress belt won’t do the trick. I find myself using my Blackhawk! rigger’s belt that I’ve had for the last ten years and it is still very sturdy and quite serviceable. The kydex option is particularly attractive if you own a handgun or other gear that isn’t exactly a standard. Everyone makes holsters for 1911’s, Beretta 92‘s, Glocks and the like but if you aren’t in that mainstream then you may want to take the time and make the investment in crafting your own gear. YouTube videos abound for making kydex gear to hold everything from your favorite handgun to AR magazines and even your iPhone. Bearing this philosophy of quality vs. price in mind, I am not confusing price with quality. There are many items out there that fall into the quality category without breaking the bank. These items require a little research and determination to find but will often times be quite worth the effort. Craigslist and eBay have become great resources for good quality tactical/outdoor gear and will allow you to find what you need at a reasonable price, particularly if you opt for purchasing used equipment. Gear that has been well maintained or used very little will often times be an excellent bargain with a little cautious buying. A very cursory search on my part found some excellent deals on tactical gear from Blackhawk!, 5.11 Tactical, and Condor. It also produced some excellent deals on quality flashlights and knives so some searching on your part should prove fruitful, just take your time. Realistically it will still take a somewhat significant amount of time to build your kit, this is just how it works. We don’t have a large supply depot to draw our items from. It will take a little ingenuity and patience, but if done correctly you’ll have a high quality set up that will serve you well when the time comes to need it. For now stay safe, train and have a good ‘un.
