Are Urban Carry holsters the real deal or more of an urban legend? I recently had an opportunity to review an Urban Carry Lockleather holster and wanted to share my findings. I’ll break things down so you can make an informed decision.
Urban Carry
Urban Carry is a holster-making company that has a wide selection of products. They offer holsters for IWB (Inside The Waistband) and OWB (Outside The Waistband), as well as magazine pouches (both IWB and OWB models).
They also offer an interesting variety of materials with which they construct their products, including:
- Black Leather.
- Classic Brown Leather.
- Black English Bridle Leather.
- Black English Bridle Leather With Alligator, Crocodile, or Lizard Leather.
That’s quite a lineup!
They make holsters for every major (and most minor) firearms manufacturer on the market, so chances are good that they make a holster for your pistol. They also have a line of belts, range gear, cleaning gear, leather care, clothing, and other accessories.
Retention
Urban Carry advertised this holster saying that the pistol “clicks in” when holstered, but the holster I received does not do that. It merely slides in, and that’s it. However, the fit is tight enough that retention is very good. It also has an adjustable retention screw for increasing or decreasing the tension to preference. On my holster, I adjusted the tension screw all the way out because the fit of the leather is very tight. I’m thinking that, in time, the leather will stretch out a bit, as most leather holsters typically do.
Suffice it to say, you’ll not have to worry about your handgun falling out of this holster.
Clip
A spring steel clip holds the holster securely when being worn. It has a matte black finish and holds no surprises, being pretty much “industry standard” as far as belt clips are concerned. It flares out at the base so the user can very easily grab the bottom of the clip to pull it out when it’s time to remove the holster.
This clip is reassuringly well-built and sturdy, and I cannot foresee any issues with its longevity. It is attached inside a reinforcing piece of leather, which is constructed of one piece. This piece also wraps up around the holster and serves as a reinforcement for the mouth of the holster, which adds strength and rigidity to the mouth. For an IWB-type holster, it’s important to have a mouth that stays open so you can easily holster the pistol without having to remove the entire rig.
Finally, the clip will fit any belt up to 1.5 inches, which covers the multitudes that are available on the market.
Safety
This holster appears to be very safe, in that the trigger guard is well-covered. As mentioned, retention is also good, so there’s no chance that the pistol is going to fall out on its own accord. There are also no edges around the mouth that could catch on the trigger, further ensuring safety.
Comfort
The comfort factor is good. The Urban Carry tucks the holster and firearm in fairly close to the body, which helps concealment. I also like the fact that it carries low, so it doesn’t sit too high above the waistband. The lower a holster carries, the better it tends to conceal.
Being leather (as opposed to Kydex, which is rigid and unforgiving), the comfort level is high. It’s “soft” and doesn’t dig into the body like Kydex sometimes can.
Another nice factor is that high sweat guard. I’d rather have leather against my skin than a firearm. It also helps prevent sweat and salt from saturating your handgun while wearing it, so that’s a plus for the weapon.
Of course, right and left-handed models of the holster are available.
Construction
The Urban Carry holster appears to be well constructed. It’s made from 100% American-made premium saddle-grade leather. I like the fact that it is American-made. This leather is thick and rigid enough to offer good longevity as well as protection and retention for handguns. The holsters are form-fitted to each specific firearm that they are intended for.
Stitching is very nicely done using heavy-duty nylon thread that should last a long time.
The clip is securely attached and extra leather reinforcement is in place, so it’s not going anywhere.
The finish on the holster is matte black, and not shiny at all. Overall, it doesn’t look bad. I’m thinking it will likely develop a shine over time as the leather gets polished from going in and out of the pants.
Function
The firearm (in this case, a Glock 43X) fits very snugly in the holster. The user should allow for a brief break-in period with these holsters. That will permit the holster to loosen up a bit and also smooth out inside, which will facilitate a smooth, fast draw.
Interestingly, I do not notice any “click-in” as advertised with this holster. There is a little polymer hook inside the holster that is designed to grab the trigger guard, presumably for extra retention. Mine does not make a “click” sound, although the pistol is very well secured in the holster. This is more of an observation than a complaint, as I don’t believe it really makes much difference either way. The handgun is still held securely, which is what really counts.
The Urban Carry is slim enough to conceal well, in that there’s no extra bulk to the holster. They seem to have boiled the design down to the minimum to be functional while not making it overly massive.
The Pistol
I’d be remiss if I were to neglection mentioning the pistol that this holster was purchased for. To be honest, my wife purchased this holster for her Glock 43X (she and I both carry this Glock). I merely hijacked the holster to use for a while and write an article on it.
Why the 43X?
Because it embodies excellent features that make it a superb carry pistol.
Many pistols these days are of the micro class. Meaning, they’re very tiny. This is a wonderful thing for carrying, because they’re light and very small, and are generally the most comfortable to carry because of these attributes.
The Glock 43X is not one of them. Why did we go with a slightly larger pistol? Because when it’s time to actually draw the pistol and fire, you have a real, honest-to-goodness handle to grab onto. The 43X’s handle is slim, being less than a double-stack magazine (though not a true single-stack). It is the same grip length as a Glock 19, but with a smaller grip size, which makes it feel perfect in the hand.
While the micro-compacts are wonderful to carry, when it’s actually time to shoot them, they’re often less than pleasant to fire. Normally, the grip is wanting, and leaves me feeling as though I wish there was a little more grip to fill the hand, both from a comfort aspect and that of control. Most of the tiny pistols are also snappy with recoil.
Not so with the Glock 43X. It gives enough grip to be comfortable and also offers good control. That extra grip real estate helps tremendously with recoil management and makes follow-up shots faster.
Yes, some of the micro pistols do carry a couple more rounds than the Glock 43X’s 10-round capacity. However, 10 rounds isn’t a terrible capacity. And the shootability that you gain with the 43X is, in my opinion, the factor that makes up for it.
Another factor is that the 43X, being a Glock, is not terribly heavy, which adds to its carry comfort. All in all, it’s a great pistol.
The micro-compact pistols that I’ve used seemed to be a compromise. Whereas, the Glock 43X seems like a great balance of factors to make an excellent pistol.
Overall
Urban Carry holsters have a full 10-year warranty. Retail on the model I tested (Model 201-R) is $69.95 as this is written. Personally, I think that price is on the higher end, given the selection that we have on the market currently. When compared to other holster makers (DeSantis comes to mind), many makers offer excellent products at a lower price point. With that said, I wouldn’t say this holster is priced outrageously; just that there are others that are priced a little more economically.
Still, this is a good, solid holster that I believe will last for a very long time. It carries with reasonable comfort and conceals well, offering security for your handgun. I’d say it’s a solid choice if you’re in the market for a leather holster. If you buy this one, it will be money well spent.
