Holsters and Gear Recommendations
Sidecar Holster Guide: Pros, Cons and Separate Mag Carriers
Quick answer: A sidecar holster is an appendix IWB holster with a spare-magazine carrier joined to its side, so gun and spare go on as one unit. It keeps the spare in a fixed place, but the rig is wider, sits centered on your body, and the attached magazine can push against grip concealment. A separate carrier is the other option.
What Is a Sidecar Holster?
Holster maker PHLster, which says it does not make this style, gives a plain definition: ““Sidecar” has become a generic term for any appendix carry holster which has a conjoined or attached magazine carrier.” Some makers sell the carrier both ways. Alien Gear says its Photon mag carrier is “Effective as a separate unit” and “easily attached as a sidecar.”
For appendix carry in general, see our appendix carry guide; for choosing the holster itself, see our AIWB holster guide.
How the Magazine Attaches
- Rigid, one piece: PHLster describes the first generation as “a monolithic, wide, inflexible, single piece of Kydex,” and says “These designs broke frequently.”
- Flexible joint: newer designs use “Tegris, biothane webbing, shock cord, and even mechanical hinges.” Custom Holster Solutions, for example, connects its sidecar “with premium elastic paracord, allowing the holster to flex and move with your body.”
- Angled carrier and adjustable retention: the same maker uses “an angled magazine carrier for faster, more natural access,” with an “MRD (Magazine Retention Device), which allows you to fine-tune magazine retention using an Allen key.”
Concealment and Comfort Trade-Offs
A holster wing, in PHLster’s words, “uses belt pressure to rotate the grip of the pistol inward to the body.” A magazine on the other side of the holster can work against it: “tightening the belt pushes the magazine into the body and counteracts the effects of the holster wing.”
Placement is the other limit. PHLster says the design means “the center of the rig has to be exactly front and center on your body, regardless of how you’re shaped,” which can force “the gun to interact with a peak on the torso, not a valley. This is the source of significant pistol grip printing.” Our guide to stopping printing explains peaks, valleys and grip tuck.
Sidecar vs Separate Mag Carrier
| Sidecar holster | Separate mag carrier | |
|---|---|---|
| Putting it on | One unit | Two pieces |
| Where the spare sits | Fixed next to the gun | Wherever you clip it |
| Holster placement | Rig centered on the body (PHLster) | Holster can move to suit your shape |
| Effect on the grip | Magazine can counter the wing (PHLster) | No joined magazine pulling on the holster |
Our Separate IWB/OWB Mag Carriers
If you’d rather keep the spare apart from the holster, the Cloudster 9mm Magnetic IWB/OWB Mag Carrier holds the magazine with magnets, and its single belt clip works inside or outside the waistband, so there’s one carrier for both. It fits most 9mm and .380 magazines. For a 1911, the .45 ACP IWB/OWB Mag Carrier fits .45 ACP 1911-style single-stack magazines (holster choices in our .45 ACP holster guide). See all our mag carriers.
Padding a Wide Sidecar Rig
A sidecar rig is wider than a single holster. The Cloudster Pillow holster wedge comes in four sizes. On the Dark Cloudster Pillow page, the Deluxe is listed for “larger holsters, light-bearing models, or wider sidecars,” and the Monster for “extra-wide sidecar rigs, full-size light-bearing setups.” Its hook-and-loop backing mounts to any flat-back IWB or AIWB holster, and the memory-foam fill can be added or removed to set the thickness.
Sidecar Holster: Questions People Ask
Is a sidecar holster good for concealed carry?
It depends on your shape. It keeps the spare handy, but PHLster notes the rig has to sit front and center, which can put the grip on a peak of the torso and cause printing.
Why does my sidecar holster print?
Two reasons PHLster gives: the centered placement, and the attached magazine pushing against the wing when you tighten the belt.
Rigid or flexible sidecar?
PHLster says rigid one-piece sidecars “broke frequently”; flexible joints came next, to “help reduce breakage frequency.”
Sidecar or separate carrier?
A sidecar is one unit to put on. A separate carrier lets you place the holster and the spare independently.
Written by the Cloudster Pillow team. We make the Cloudster Pillow and the Cloudster magnetic mag carriers, and carry Kore belts. We don’t sell holsters or firearms, and no maker paid to be mentioned here. This is general information, not a substitute for professional training; check the carry laws where you live.
