Gear Review: Galco Royal Guard
For those looking for an iwb leather holster for use behind the hip, it is hard to beat the Galco Royal Guard. They have a more narrow footprint making it very comfortable for the user. Many other wide pancake style holsters creak before they are broke in. Also, those wider holsters take up a lot of room in the pants and can feel much less comfortable. The gen 2 models of the Royal Guard have a tall sweatguard that keeps the gun from touching the user. The top of the holster is even metal reinforced in order to allow the user to be able to holster one handed and I do find this to be very doable. It is a pricier holster but does last many years of every day use. For this type of holster I started with DeSantis Cozy Pardner. It mimics the Royal Guard pretty well at half the price. After the first week the belt loops were already starting to fray and come apart. After twelve months of wearing the Cozy Pardner every day the leather broke down significantly. It is still possible to holster one handed but the mouth of the holster is definitely starting to cave. Needless to say in the long run the Royal Guard is the one to go with.