Alien Gear Holsters Cloak Tuck (IWB Hybrid)

Alien Gear Holsters Cloak Tuck IWB (MSRP $29.98)- Seth L. & Charles K.

Alien Gear Holsters was brought to my attention by a reader during a previous review. I was told that Alien Gear provided all the perks of more expensive brands at a rock bottom price that was unbeatable to say the least. Shortly, after the mention of Alien Gear on Twitter their marketing department reached out with an offer to review the product.

We decided to test 3 different holsters with 3 subjects. I was subject one, being used to this type of hybrid holster and able to make direct comparison to competitors. Subject two is in his thirties and has never used an IWB or hybrid holster of any kind. Unlike myself, subject two has a much more athletic build. Subject three is my 69 year old heavyset father who has never used a IWB holster of any kind and has limited exposure to kydex. I thought it would be interesting to look at all three perspectives.

First I will discuss a couple if individual negatives that surfaced. Subject three had a failure occur with his leather backing. The extra anchors on each side of the holster for belt clip mountings are left exposed if you mount the holster in the lowest position. When he removed his holster with a sudden jerk from his belt he managed to dislodge the bottom anchor and a bit of the surrounding leather. It should be noted this in no way affected the function of the holster. No other subject experienced anything like this and I have theories about why. First, he wears pant that are too small for his size and the tightness of the holster put excessive pressure on the anchor. Second, he is exceedingly rough on objects. I am sure the way he removed the holster over and over was less than gentle. His repeated abuse likely led to this leather failure. Upon inspection of his holster it appeared far older than the other two being worn for the same time. Simply, I blame the user. That said when this was told to AlienGear (including blaming the user) a replacement backing arrived without delay.

Second, in my case I discovered a small negative that is not at all a surprise. I discovered the holster has recently started to leave a rust stain on my skin in two small areas. I will emphasize that I DON’T FAULT THE HOLSTER for this. I have the worst most acidic skin and have managed to eat the coating/paint/finish off of anything that maintains contact for any prolonged period. My skin has eaten the finish off everything from rings to Schrade knives. So I will say it’s up to me to do periodic maintenance and spray a coating on the back of the hardware from time to time.

Lastly, the new subjects commented that it would be necessary to consider the holster the next time they purchase pants as it take ups some room in the waistline. This would apply to any IWB and of course I do take that into consideration and had no complaints about the space taken up by this or any other IWB holster.

As you can see, when looking for critical points on Alien Gear Holsters it’s been pretty nitpicky. Now let’s talk about what you are getting when you buy a Cloak Tuck.

The Cloak Tuck provides the same thickness and quality of materials as holsters 3 times the price. Alien gear provides a multitude of choices for belt clips including steel, plastic, c-clips, j-clips and leather belt loops. Each option can be set up in 2 of 6 potential anchors providing 3 options for ride height and mixed combinations allow for change in the holster cant; providing an option to make just about any customer happy and comfortable with the draw. The clips and loops are all designed to allow a shirt to be tucked in over the holster. The length of the leather backing front to back is slightly longer than many IWB options and seems to provide a more natural transition for the bulk of the CCW and allowing better concealability and less printing of the weapon. Much of this is standard for hybrid holsters but the Cloak Tuck is set apart by a few things.

The first groundbreaking difference is price. If the options and features stated above were all the holster had to offer a $29.98 price tag would be amazing. There is simply no other holster on the market that will offer you so much for so little. It’s simply astounding. But it doesn’t end there.

The next big thing is the interchangeable kydex-like plastic shells. The Cloak Tuck allows for the shell of any semiauto they fit to use the same anchor positions used on any other semiauto shell. This means the you can buy a holster for your 5 inch 1911 and use the same holster with your Kahr CM9 with a 2 minute change of plastic shells. The only other holster company I have used that offers such a feature is priced at $90.00 (3 times the price of Alien Gear). We tested these holsters with a 5 inch Kimber 1911, Glock 19, Ruger P94, XDM 3.8 Compact, S&W SW99 and a Kahr CM40. Each weapon fit it’s shell perfectly and the anchors are provided with rubber spacers so you can even control the level of retention for each.

Lastly, something that really sets Alien Gear Holsters apart is the “Iron-Clad Triple Guarantee”. This is truly amazing. You get a 30 day money back try out period. If you don’t like the holster for any reason they will buy it back no questions. Forever Warranty; if anything breaks or fails for any reason they will repair or replace the holster or part for free. Lastly, and this is the crazy bit, free shell trades for life. If you decide you want to sell the gun you carry and buy something else just trade in the kydex-like shell and get the new one to fit your new gun. Of course you could always just buy new shells to fit the new gun if you are like me and never sell a gun. The new shell will only cost you $12.88!

In the end, I have worn my holster for months now. I am very happy with the fit, retention, concealability and comfort. I work in an office daily and nobody has the first clue that I have it on. Even in the men’s room, if I have to take a seat I don’t have to worry about anything showing because the holster is IWB and nothing hangs down to be in sightline of a neighbor.

As for the other subjects; subject two has this holster in his regular rotation and uses it when his pant size permits. He’s happy with the style of the holster and finds that it seems to disappear when empty and he can forget he’s wearing it. The bulk of his chosen Ruger P94 is the reason he usually actively feels the holster on his hip. He stated that with his larger gun he finds the holster most comfortable at it’s highest ride setting. Most of all he is happily surprised with the fact they could fit his older less, popular weapon having had great difficulty finding any decent holsters. Subject three has been fighting a losing battle with his waistline for a long time now. IWB holster or not he needs a larger pant size. As his wardrobe grows in size (if not number) he will keep this holster in mind when making future purchases. As it stands his wife won’t let him be seen in public without his shirt being tucked. Therefore, this holster has opened a wider field of carry choices to him and will see use as appropriate. For me, it stays in daily rotation.

My last thought; I don’t know where you can go to find any better deal on the market for a holster of any kind. I don’t know how they manage a profit but wish Alien Gear Holsters long success and will recommend them for a long time I am sure.