Purchasing something using one of the links on this page could get me a commission. Won’t cost you a thing.
I’ve mentioned before, sometimes I like to carry a larger gun when walking. Especially at night, I may want one with a light on it. I normally use my Springfield XDM for this task. It has 16 rounds of .40 S&W per magazine and I have two spares.
One thing I do really need is a good way to carry it. Enter Tommy’s Pistol Pack (eBay link.)
Table of Contents
Off body carry?
Let’s put this to bed. When you have a fanny pack belted to your body, it’s not off body. It’s a holster fastened to you by a belt. There’s no difference whatsoever between this and any other holster that attaches to a different belt.
This is also a thick, tough, nylon belt that isn’t going anywhere. It has many of the same qualities of the Vedder belt I’ve reviewed. And it’s 2″ thick.
The buckles are strong plastic that have never failed me and I’ve had this holster for roughly a decade.
Not a small holster.
It’s 12″ wide and 7.5″ tall. Depth, empty, is less than an inch. The belt is adjustable for between 36″ and 50″. I have no trouble getting it around me. Skinny people might have more issues, though.
Note the plastic pieces on the zippers to give you something to grab on to. I really like those.
As I said, it takes the XDM with no problem.
There is no Kydex or nylon retention in the gun compartment. That’s the part that’s next to your body, and honestly you don’t need it. Make the belt slightly snug and retention takes care of itself. I’ve carried an M&P Shield in here without it shifting around, and if that small gun can do it, well, a larger one is just fine.
Speaking of larger, here are a couple more pictures with full size guns: a 5″ 1911 and an old Ruger Security Six with a 4″ barrel.
If you’re in snake country, you might want a Taurus Judge or Smith & Wesson Governor with the .410 shells. I have a Judge that fits. The picture was fuzzy and I don’t feel like retaking it so you’ll just have to take my word for it.
The main pocket.
The back pocket, closest to you, is where the gun goes. It’s just a big, empty space for you to fill with whatever firearm you want. How do you access it? Well, look at the picture below. See the two identical buckles? They do different things. When you undo the one circled in yellow (right hand.) you just push the buckle away from yourself and it pulls the zippers to open the back pocket wide.
When you undo the red circled buckle, that’s what lets you take the holster off.
You will note that these are not reversible in any way. So left-handed people may not find this as useful as I do.
Also, no making fun of my “circles.” I only know how to do Paint for this stuff right now, so I have to draw them. You try to draw a circle with a mouse and then come talk to me.
The other two pockets.
The front pocket is just a pocket. I usually use it for my cell, keys, that kind of thing. Went hiking last week and also put in a power brick and cord in case my phone ran dry on juice. You can really fit quite a bit in there.
The middle pocket has four stretchable nylon pouches for spare magazines. As I mentioned before, I used to carry my Shield in this and I have four spares. They fit fine. As do the four spares for my 1911. The two I have for the XDM also fit, although after several years I’d say they’re stretching the pouches out to the point where a single stack might not work well anymore.
Disadvantages
There is a group of people that will tell you that fanny packs scream, “gun!” I’m not so sure about that. I now mostly use it while walking, but I’ve worn this many times at places like swap meets and such. Some of them indoors. No one’s ever given me a second look that I could see, including the security people at the door.
The buckles do take some getting used to; it’s going to take some practice to get smooth with un-clipping, pushing away, and pulling your gun. The manufacturer recommends doing the opening part with your off hand. That doesn’t work all that well for me, but maybe it would for you.
But then, as I was recent reminded, practice is a good idea, anyway.
Conclusion
I love this thing. As I said, I’ve had it for a decade or more. There is some minor wear and tear, but the only thing I see that might have a small impact on function are the slightly stretched magazine pouches. Since I normally carry a double-stack firearm in here now, the fact that those may not securely hold a single-stack magazine isn’t all that important.
I don’t see any real sign that mine is failing. If it ever does, I’ll go buy another in a heart beat.
<< eBay is the only place to get them that I know of >>
