When you think of your dream home, is it paneled in rich woods with thick luxurious rugs? Or is it a concrete room with one steel chair and a single bare-bulb lamp? If you answered yes to the second scenario, you’re probably a minimalist. And if you are, VersaCarry has the carry method for you. VersaCarry must have known that I’m an adventurous dude. Why else would they send me a holster that basically formalizes “hood” carry? After wearing it around a bit, I might just send one to Plaxico so he can formalize his favorite method of concealed carry . . .
There’s not much to this little guy. At its core, the VersaCarry is a piece of plastic with a barrel plug that clips to your belt. Pick your caliber, select the proper length for your particular gat and plop down your $25. Once you have your VersaCarry in hand, install the trigger guard (optional but you’ll really want to use it), insert your gun in your drawers without muzzling yourself and clip it to your belt. Voila!
Once properly stowed, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find that it’s actually quite comfortable. The entire system is very stable, even when it’s supporting a heavy Government 1911. With a sturdy belt it’s a reassuring fit. And with the trigger guard kit installed, things are kept reasonably safe.
Where the VersaCarry really seems to shine is on the draw: it’s fast. Wicked pissa fast. And as long as your gun doesn’t have anything hanging off of it to get caught in your clothing it should stay that way. This minimalist design also has the added benefit of allowing the user to use flashlights, lasers and red dot optics – the VersaCarry will still tote your gun. Thanks to its one-size-fits-a-lot scheme, you can use the VersaCarry with multiple guns of the same caliber.
But what to do when you want to reholster? That’s right – you undo the whole thing and start over at step one. Then insert your gun without muzzling yourself and clip it in. Again. Forever. And that sucks for three very important reasons.
First, it makes dry fire practice a pain in the ass. You can see in the video that you have to do a bunch of reattaching and finagling to get everything back where it belongs. That takes time and adds frustration to a process that already requires a good bit of concentration (if you’re doing it right).
Second, it elevates live fire practice to a special kind of dangerous. Here you are trying to wedge the barrel of a loaded gun on a Teflon plug without muzzling yourself or any innocent bystanders. Then you have to put said live gun inside your waistband with only one side of the trigger protected. It took me a bit to get it down, and I still never got up the courage to load my 1911 for any of these demos.
Third, and most importantly, it hoses you hard if you’re ever involved in a DGU. Any instructor worth his salt will tell you to reholster your heater once it is safe to do so. With the VersaCarry, if you want to put your gun away you’re forced to do the awkward little reholster dance (with your adrenal glands pumping massive amounts of Catecholamine all the while). Pending your inability to reholster (you can’t do it), you’ll be forced to set your gun down on the ground. And that is no bueno amigo(a). With your gun on the ground, you aren’t in control. And you need to be in control of your firearm.
VersaCarry’s FAQ page seems to agree with my safety-related sentiments. Well, at least the part about what you have to do to re-holster. Not so much on the gun retention piece. But they do specifically warn users not to carry cocked and locked. Which to this humble scribe doesn’t make a damn lick of sense.
For easy decision making reasons, I’m going to paint a picture of the qualities that might attract you to the VersaCarry: if you carry Israeli style (condition 3), have a multitude of similar sized guns in the same caliber, can’t afford multiple holsters, want to carry in different positions on the body, hate efficient practice sessions or are intrigued by the thought of patent pending products, the VersaCarry might be a good fit for you.
If you like full trigger coverage, hate getting sweat on your gun and like the ability to re-holster on a whim, you may not be their target audience.
Specifications: VersaCarry
Type: The patent pending Versacarry is so unique, there is not a term to define it. It is a new and revolutionary concealed carry invention.
Materials: Plastic and DelrinAdjustment: N/A –
MSRP: $24.99 + $0.50 for the trigger guard/spacer combo
Ratings (out of five stars)
Fit and Finish * * * * *
The VersaCarry is a very well made piece of gear that should last and last and last.
Customization *
There’s nothing to modify. It is what it is.
Concealability * * * * *
I had no issues concealing a full size 1911 with the VersaCarry. If concealability at the cost of everything is your game, buy the VersaCarry.
Comfort * * * *
It isn’t quite as comfortable as a leather backed IWB holster, but given what it is (or isn’t), I was pleasantly surprised at how comfortable it was to carry around.
Overall Rating * *
How can a holster-esqe thingy get so many stars above and end up with only two overall? Because it fails so miserably in practiceability and general safety. Doing any sort of meaningful practice with the VersaCarry is all but impossible. You will get very good at reassembling the whole thing, but that’s about it. And all the trigger guarding plastic in the world can’t help the fact that it still leaves one side of your trigger guard totally exposed. VersaCarry doesn’t advocate carrying a loaded gun in this holster that isn’t a holster and that should be all you really need to know.