DeSantisDesantis Die Hard Ankle Rig

I have several holsters from IWB and ankle carry. I was trying an alien ankle holster and actually had a gun almost come out. This one fits great, the padding really makes for a comfortable carry compared to others that I’ve tried. The snap is great for securing the gun as you move around and is easy it to get into to get your gun. The only complaint I would have is that after repeated use on a range day when I kept hitting it with my thumb over and over the snap tore my fingernail. After I did that I just quit snapping it on the range every time if I practiced ankle draw for any extended time.

Product summary:Extremely high quality. I bought for the S&W Shield and it fits both the handgun and my leg great. Leather, fabric and stitching are all fantastic. Gun retention is perfection.My experience:I normally use waist holster (IWB), but purchased this for situations where I am unable to conceal on my waist. Have found I use this product about 2-3 times a week, which is more than I planned. In my experience ankle carry does take a while to get used to. I suggest wearing around house without round in chamber until comfortable. Also may want to consider another closely weighted item like extra mag ankle pouche or perhaps some ankle wallet or other item for opposite leg if using for extended periods (8+ hours) on feet. Also suggest practice drawing and reseating safely if you can.Only known issue:The only issue I have had is on long drives it can slide from side to back of leg. But easy enough to adjust before exiting vehicle and without exposing.DeSantis as a brand:This is the first DeSantis product I ever purchased. Was nervous and unsure, but they were the only company that had configuration I was looking for. Now they will be one of the few manufacturers I look to first. Anybody who has gone through several holsters before discovering you spent two or three times as much as the final holster that worked, can appreciate the fact that DeSantis makes high quality well fitting products. Their products indicate a serious effort to meet their customer use cases. If you live in warmer parts of country and need carry options, this is a great place to start.

I have a Galco Ankle Glove for a J-frame revolver but it cost twice as much as the DeSantis. The Galco seems a little better design/execution, but probably not twice as good. The DeSantis is a good holster, although little things I liked better about the Galco, such as the Galco has a Velcro attachment that wraps from the back over the front part, which makes it easier to secure than the DeSantis. The DeSantis secures by wrapping the front portion over the back, which is a little harder to line up, in my opinion. It also has an extended bit of thin Velcro that I ended up trimming to a more rounded profile (very easy to do with scissors), as the square profile hook portion was the same width as the loop portion it attached to, making it where you have to line it up exactly, which is a pain. I did not have the problems with chafing from tags/d-rings that other reviewers had. They apparently fixed these problems. The holsters are very similar, and the DeSantis is definitely a quality rig. It does the job and is fairly inexpensive. If you were to see them side by side they are very similar in design and the Galco may be just a tad nicer, but not much. All in all a good holster for the money. I wish they made one exactly the same but with a Kydex holster, to make it even thinner, and this could also preclude the use of a retaining strap. Galco makes one, but it's kind of bulky, which defeats the purpose.

This holster is fantastic. I carried a cheap $15 holster with a 380 micro pistol for a couple years and it was ok. The thing kinda flopped around even though it was a small carry setup. I finally upgraded to the shield and was worried about the increase in size. This holster setup conceals BETTER than the 380 micro pistol with that previous holster. The DeSantis manages to angle the pistol forward just enough to keep the grip from poking out too much. This holster also angles the top/rear (grip) of your handgun into your ankle. What this does is tucks the pistol as close as it can against your leg but does so in a very comfortable way. In comparison to my last setup, it's 5 times more comfortable and less noticable even though it's conceals a larger pistol than my last. I carry the larger magazine for the shield with no more concern than the smaller mag.The shininess of the leather is a small annoyance to me. I probably shouldn't even mention it. My last holster was nylon so if my pant leg came up to high you hardly noticed anything. I fear the shiny leather my be more obvious than nylon but that's a rather insignificant aspect of this holster compared to it's comfort and utility. I must admit this doesn't look like much in the picture but I've sure been impressed. I was reluctant to spend the money on this higher end holster thinking the luxury didn't matter to me but I'm rather glad I did.

i was reading a lot of reviews prior to ordering this holster and they were all true. the holster is really comfortable. the gun will print a little but just remember, people cant tell what it is and they are never looking to see if you are carrying. I ordered this primarily for work and when i want to dress comfortably in sweat pants. I have an iwb holster which I love but cant always wear with my shirt having to be tucked in for work and all so this is a great alternative. I recommend it to everyone. it is truly comfortable. it will take a little time for you to get used to have a little extra weight on your leg but what I recommend is wear it 24/7 around your house for a week or so and then youll feel as though its a part of you. the leather is such good quality and the holster i received did not need a break in period at all. the gun fit perfectly and the thumb break snapped without a problem the first time the firearm was placed in the holster.

I really wanted to like this holster, but unfortunately no matter how tight I wrap it around my calf, it slides down and becomes uncomfortable to wear.