I was wandering around the Indy1500 last Saturday and noticed that Raven Concealment hadn’t brought their “shop” for the second show in a row. As I was chatting with the folks I noticed, prominently displayed, Raven Concealment’s latest “innovation,” the Vanguard2.
I’m one of those CC guys and I’ve tried a lot of schemes for carrying my firearms over the last 16 years. I’ve also got more than a couple pairs of pants that don’t work so well with my normal IWB holsters anymore either because they’ve shrunk or I’ve . . . not (I’ll leave the reader to figure out which is more likely).
Raven has melded a couple concepts I’ve seen over the years but didn’t much care for. One method, placing the pistol inside the waistband and trusting to fat/belt/fit to make the firearm stay in place, or using a shoestring or other such cord around the barrel of the pistol to hold it in place. Neither method brought much security to the table, especially if running, rolling, or falling was in the offing, and both methods were subject to having your firearm fall out of your pants at potentially embarrassing moments - or even falling down INTO your pants; not only embarrassing, but potentially dangerous to important parts of the anatomy.
The other method, which I have seen, but not often, was to make a kydex clip by which to hang your tiny (and it needed to be tiny to work) backup pistol around your neck, instead of having it in your pocket. I never saw a lot of utility to this method because it seems to me it would take a pretty small pistol to stay put under such circumstances (and I don’t own any that small anymore), and it would be much more subject to “printing” on the inside of a shirt, and MUCH more subject to getting lost during physical activity if worn outside the shirt.
The Vanguard2 has, as I said, melded the two wear concepts into a minimalist holster that can be worn a couple different ways and provides potentially much better security than either the “Mexican carry” or the “Lanyard clip” method of carrying.
The Vanguard2 looks to be an injection-molded body designed to fit most Glock trigger guards and is ambidextrous, that is, the weapon can be worn for either right- or left-handed draw. It also has two methods of securing the “holster” to the body; a single, tuckable belt loop, and a piece of black cord much like a thin shoelace.
It comes with the belt loop set up for a right-hander, naturally, but it only took less than the duration of a stoplight on the way home from the Indy1500 for me to make the switch with my trusty Leatherman pocket tool.
The (for the sake of brevity I’m going to continue to call it a ) holster slides nicely into the waistband of the tight slacks I can manage without making a noticeable bulge, and the single belt loop is relatively inconspicuous. The loop holds the holstered firearm securely in place and doesn’t make the draw stroke much different from when I’m wearing my Raven Concealment Phantom IWB. As with the Phantom, the belt clip allows the shirt to be tucked into the pants, which acts to conceal the pistol pretty well.
For those who don’t like even the minimal signature of the belt loop, the Vanguard2 has the second option: the “shoelace.” The small cord loops through a hole at the bottom of the holster and then is looped around the belt (it doesn’t work reliably around a belt-loop according to the very detailed and explicit instructions included in the packaging) to secure the pistol in place. With this option, the pistol tends to ride lower, more like the “Mexican carry” but it feels more secure.
Are there disadvantages to this particular holster? A couple. For one thing, the manufacturer recommends you not try to reholster the pistol into the Vanguard2 without removing it from your pants (although if you’re using the belt loop method to secure it, it can be done), and you’ll want to make certain you have the “shoelace” secured to your belt before you try to draw the weapon if you go that route. It’s embarrassing to draw your weapon and have that pesky holster still attached, not allowing you to get that all-important trigger finger inside the trigger guard.
For $37.09 I bought an inconspicuous concealed carry solution that allows me to comfortably and securely carry my handgun while wearing my suits and other clothing that don’t normally allow me to wear my usual EDC holsters. Now I need to convince Raven Concealment to do the same thing for revolvers. I've got an S&W snubby . . .
BTW, all photos of me wearing the Vanguard2 were taken using a mirror. The belt is a two-inch leather one which doesn't work too well with this belt loop; my dress belts are all 1 - 1-1/2 inches.
I’m one of those CC guys and I’ve tried a lot of schemes for carrying my firearms over the last 16 years. I’ve also got more than a couple pairs of pants that don’t work so well with my normal IWB holsters anymore either because they’ve shrunk or I’ve . . . not (I’ll leave the reader to figure out which is more likely).
Raven has melded a couple concepts I’ve seen over the years but didn’t much care for. One method, placing the pistol inside the waistband and trusting to fat/belt/fit to make the firearm stay in place, or using a shoestring or other such cord around the barrel of the pistol to hold it in place. Neither method brought much security to the table, especially if running, rolling, or falling was in the offing, and both methods were subject to having your firearm fall out of your pants at potentially embarrassing moments - or even falling down INTO your pants; not only embarrassing, but potentially dangerous to important parts of the anatomy.
The other method, which I have seen, but not often, was to make a kydex clip by which to hang your tiny (and it needed to be tiny to work) backup pistol around your neck, instead of having it in your pocket. I never saw a lot of utility to this method because it seems to me it would take a pretty small pistol to stay put under such circumstances (and I don’t own any that small anymore), and it would be much more subject to “printing” on the inside of a shirt, and MUCH more subject to getting lost during physical activity if worn outside the shirt.
The Vanguard2 has, as I said, melded the two wear concepts into a minimalist holster that can be worn a couple different ways and provides potentially much better security than either the “Mexican carry” or the “Lanyard clip” method of carrying.
The Vanguard2 looks to be an injection-molded body designed to fit most Glock trigger guards and is ambidextrous, that is, the weapon can be worn for either right- or left-handed draw. It also has two methods of securing the “holster” to the body; a single, tuckable belt loop, and a piece of black cord much like a thin shoelace.
It comes with the belt loop set up for a right-hander, naturally, but it only took less than the duration of a stoplight on the way home from the Indy1500 for me to make the switch with my trusty Leatherman pocket tool.
The (for the sake of brevity I’m going to continue to call it a ) holster slides nicely into the waistband of the tight slacks I can manage without making a noticeable bulge, and the single belt loop is relatively inconspicuous. The loop holds the holstered firearm securely in place and doesn’t make the draw stroke much different from when I’m wearing my Raven Concealment Phantom IWB. As with the Phantom, the belt clip allows the shirt to be tucked into the pants, which acts to conceal the pistol pretty well.
For those who don’t like even the minimal signature of the belt loop, the Vanguard2 has the second option: the “shoelace.” The small cord loops through a hole at the bottom of the holster and then is looped around the belt (it doesn’t work reliably around a belt-loop according to the very detailed and explicit instructions included in the packaging) to secure the pistol in place. With this option, the pistol tends to ride lower, more like the “Mexican carry” but it feels more secure.
Are there disadvantages to this particular holster? A couple. For one thing, the manufacturer recommends you not try to reholster the pistol into the Vanguard2 without removing it from your pants (although if you’re using the belt loop method to secure it, it can be done), and you’ll want to make certain you have the “shoelace” secured to your belt before you try to draw the weapon if you go that route. It’s embarrassing to draw your weapon and have that pesky holster still attached, not allowing you to get that all-important trigger finger inside the trigger guard.
For $37.09 I bought an inconspicuous concealed carry solution that allows me to comfortably and securely carry my handgun while wearing my suits and other clothing that don’t normally allow me to wear my usual EDC holsters. Now I need to convince Raven Concealment to do the same thing for revolvers. I've got an S&W snubby . . .
BTW, all photos of me wearing the Vanguard2 were taken using a mirror. The belt is a two-inch leather one which doesn't work too well with this belt loop; my dress belts are all 1 - 1-1/2 inches.
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I didn't know Paul either, I bought it as a random purchase for a good cause. Now I wear this thing all the friggin' time. Lovin' the appendix carry but you can wear it in so many different places.
