It’s supposed to be comforting, not comfortable! How many times have we heard that in the gun world? I get the idea behind the phrase, but I want it to be comfy too.
What’s the main reason we carry small guns these days? Modern , well-designed holsters have made it fairly easy to conceal larger guns, but comfort is still a big factor. Bigger guns have bigger holsters, especially if you add accessories like lights. These holsters tend to poke, prod, and rub.
It’s bearable most of the time, but when you hit the 13th hour on your feet, anything can become uncomfortable. With that in mind, when I ran across the Gunzee, I was cautiously curious.
The Gunzee offers a simple solution to your comfort problems. It’s a soft, foam-like pad that attaches a holster you already own with hook and loop patches. Once attached, it provides a pad between the holster and you. The goal is prove that a holster can be comfy regardless of the gun, accessories, position carried, or the amount of time you carry it. It’s a design you’d think someone would have come up with by now. Gunzee sent me several models to test and review.
I installed the standard Gunzee pad on my Alien Gear Photon and have been carrying around a GLOCK 19 equipped with a 550XL light. I’ve been waking up and getting strapped as soon as I put my pants on and carrying them around all day, every day until the pants come off.
What Exactly is the Gunzee?
According to Gunzee, the pad is a 3-layer industrial-grade memory foam cushion. It’s certainly nice and thick. The pads come in various sizes that correspond to typical firearm sizes.
The Gunzee Mini is for micro and subcompacts, the Gunzee Original is for compacts, and the Gunzee Max is for the full-size guns some carry.
I’m using the original on my Photon with the GLOCK 19. The pads are soft foam and can be cut and trimmed to better fit your particular gun and holster if you choose. I didn’t see a need to do so, so I left it as is.
Attaching the Gunzee to your holster involves using some strong, very sticky velcro. Make sure you get it where you want it because moving the hook side isn’t going to be easy once it’s in place.
The Velcro hook and loop attachments stay put nicely. It grips and locks itself in place without much difficulty. The Gunzee pad attached with ease to my holster, and I had no problems with the pad shifting or moving during the many, many hours I’ve carried the gun and holster combination.
Carrying With The Gunzee
With the Gunzee attached to my holster and my holster on my belt, I went about my day. At first, I had some concerns about printing. The Gunzee adds a roughly half-inch pad between you and your rig.
It pressed everything outward a fair bit and caused some printing issues at first. However, after being carried around for the day, the problem disappeared. The pad compressed a little, conformed to my body, and the printing problem disappeared. I’m not sure when or how long it took exactly, but it was within the first eight hours of wearing the holster and Gunzee.
Did the Gunzee make the holster more comfortable? You bet your bum it did. Most of the time, I have no comfort issues when carrying appendix until it comes to sitting for long periods of time. Sure, it pokes and rubs a little, but it doesn’t drive me crazy.
With the Gunzee pad, the poking and rubbing disappeared. In fact, several times, I realized, “Oh yeah, I’m carrying a Polymer 80 GLOCK 19 with a weapon light.” I had totally forgotten about it.
When it comes to sitting, the same thing occurs. I can sit and drive for long periods without having to adjust my holster or position. The Gunzee helps erase those feelings of discomfort entirely. I can’t quite forget I’m packing appendix when it comes to sitting, but I’m not uncomfortable. I’m sitting right now and wearing my gun and holster, and I have no inclination to move, wiggle, or adjust the gun.
Throwing Lead
Okay, so comfort is great. We love being comfortable. However, the Gunzee could be a dealbreaker if it negatively affects your draw. If it gets in the way or somehow prevents me from achieving a good grip on the gun, that would be a non-starter for me.
Luckily, I had zero problems with the Gunzee getting in the way of my draw. The fact you can trim it (a utility knife does the trick) to fit ensures this shouldn’t be an issue with any holster.
Looking online, I’ve seen the Gunzee cut to fit a wide variety of holsters. This includes sidecar holsters, minimalist designs, and standard Kydex rigs.
Is It For You?
The Gunzee costs between $30 and $40, depending on size. That seem pricey to me for what it is, but I don’t know what memory foam costs.. That said, the comfort it adds is well worth the cost.
The Gunzee stays out of the way, and for over a week and at least twelve hours a day, I’ve carried my gun with the Gunzee. It hasn’t failed me yet. It hasn’t moved or sagged. It hasn’t flaked or torn in any way. Other than being slightly more compressed (a good thing), it hasn’t changed.
I think it’s a great way to make IWB carry a bit comfier. If you carry appendix, it’s most certainly an excellent investment to make your life just a little bit better. It’s too hot out here to deal with both the heat and the rub and prod of a holster. Check it out here.