Concealed Carry Holsters for Women: Fit, Positions and Picks

Quick answer

Start with where your body and your clothes can hide a gun, then pick the holster. The main choices are appendix (front of the waist), strong-side behind the hip, a belly band, a thigh holster worn under a dress, or a purpose-built carry purse, which comes with real trade-offs. Below: the positions compared, three maker-checked products, and a comfort fix.

Why holster fit works differently on a curved waist

Kathy Jackson, a longtime firearms trainer and the author of The Cornered Cat, sums up the problem in one line: “women have curves, and guns do not.” In her article “Straight Talk About Curves,” she explains that when a straight gun is held tight against a curved waist, both ends press into the body. The more pronounced the curve and the longer the gun, the harder it gets to find a holster that is both comfortable and concealable.

Her solutions fall into two groups. You either move the gun away from the waist or move it away from the hip:

• High-ride holsters lift more of the gun above the belt. She notes they often suit a long torso but can be hard to draw from if you’re short-waisted.
• Dropped holsters lower the gun. She says they often suit a short torso or a high waist, but they need a longer cover garment.
• Cant (or rake) tilts the gun so the grip isn’t levered into your ribs.
• Moving the holster around the belt, either to appendix or just behind the hip, takes the gun off the curve of the hip itself.

She also points out that where your pants put your beltline changes how well a holster works. That’s why a holster can be right with one pair of jeans and wrong with another.

Carry positions compared

Three options we checked on the maker’s own site

PHLster Enigma Express (appendix, no belt needed)

PHLster describes the Enigma as a system worn on your body rather than clipped to your pants. Your clothing goes over it. The Express comes assembled with a PHLster Skeleton holster, or with the City Special holster for revolvers, and stays in place with its own waist strap and a leg leash. PHLster says the waist strap adjusts up to 48 inches and the leg leash fits a thigh up to 36 inches, and an optional Sport Belt extends the fit to 64 inches. PHLster lists gym shorts, scrubs, dresses, suits and leggings as clothing it works with. It’s appendix-only: PHLster says it isn’t designed to be worn on or behind the hip. The standard Express is only for guns on PHLster’s compatibility list that don’t have a light or laser.

CrossBreed Modular Belly Band Package 2.0

CrossBreed’s band has a polyester jersey outer shell, anti-slip panels, a phone pocket and two magazine pockets. A Kydex Modular Holster made for your specific gun attaches to a hook-and-loop panel, and the elastic band stretches over it. CrossBreed says compact, subcompact and micro-compact pistols work best. The examples it lists include the Sig P365, Springfield Armory Hellcat, Glock 26 and Glock 19. To size the band, CrossBreed says to measure with a soft tape where you’ll wear it. If you land at the end of a size range, go up one size.

Dene Adams Body Shaping Thigh Holster Concealed Carry Shorts

These are lycra shapewear shorts with an inner-thigh holster pocket. You choose left- or right-hand draw, and the pocket has a built-in trigger guard and a breakaway retention tab. Dene Adams says the pocket is placed so the grip doesn’t rub your thighs. The fit it lists is micro-compact single-stack pistols such as the Glock 43, Glock 42 and Sig Sauer P238 and P938. The company says to size up if you’re unsure, because the shorts fit snug.

Purse carry: the trade-offs

In “Should I Carry in My Purse?”, Kathy Jackson says she is not a fan of off-body carry. She also acknowledges that some women have no other workable option. If you choose it, these are her cautions:

• Use a purpose-built holster purse. She calls carrying in a regular purse rarely safe and slow to access.
• Nothing else goes in the gun compartment: no keys, no lipstick, no paper.
• With a purse, the gun’s weight becomes the limit rather than its size. A heavy purse also tempts you to set it down or leave it behind.
• She writes that there is no safe place to set a gun purse down unless it’s locked up.
• Practice drawing from it with everything you normally carry inside.

Clothing tips

• Belted pants: Jackson points out that a tuckable holster you can adjust for depth and angle lets one holster work with several pants designs.
• Dresses, leggings, scrubs: look at belt-free systems. The Enigma, a belly band and thigh shorts are all made for clothing without a gun belt.
• Lower-riding holsters: your top has to be long enough to cover the muzzle end.
• Test at home first: wear the empty holster around the house. Sit, bend, reach and get in and out of the car before you commit.

Making any holster more comfortable

If a holster’s edge digs in or the grip pushes out against your shirt, a holster wedge is one fix to try. The Cloudster Pillow is a soft holster wedge filled with shredded cooling-gel memory foam. You can adjust the fill, and it mounts with hook-and-loop. It fits any holster, including leather and hybrid designs. It tips the grip in toward your body and cushions the holster’s edge.

Sizing depends on your gun:

• Sig P365 without a light: Standard
• Other micro and subcompact pistols, such as the Glock 43 or Glock 26: Standard
• Glock 19: Deluxe
• Any gun with a weapon light: Deluxe

For other guns, see how to choose the right Cloudster Pillow.

FAQ

What is the most comfortable carry position for women?
No single position works for everyone. Torso length and where your pants sit both change the answer. Kathy Jackson notes that high-ride holsters often suit a long torso and dropped holsters often suit a short one, so try more than one position.

Can I carry while wearing a dress?
Yes. Dene Adams makes thigh-holster shorts for wearing under skirts and dresses. PHLster also lists dresses among the clothing its beltless Enigma works with.

Will a belly band hold a Glock 19?
CrossBreed lists the Glock 19 among the guns its Modular Belly Band 2.0 suits. It also says the band isn’t designed for full-size or duty guns or most weapon-mounted lights.

Is purse carry a good idea?
It can work, but the purse has to stay under your direct control or locked up, the gun needs its own compartment, and you need to practice the draw. Kathy Jackson prefers on-body carry wherever it’s possible.

Will the Cloudster Pillow work with my holster?
It fits any holster, including leather and hybrid, and attaches with hook-and-loop. Use Standard for a Sig P365 without a light or another micro or subcompact pistol. Use Deluxe for a Glock 19 or any gun with a weapon light.