Is An Ankle Holster Right for You

Desantis Apache Concealed Carry Ankle Holster - Sold at Frontier Firearms

With concealed carry now legal in all 50 states, more and more folk are looking for ways to carry a handgun.  With so many options for carry is an ankle holster an option for you?

In the video below, Sig Sauer Academy Director Adam Painchaud talks about the ankle holster. According to Painchaud there are pros and cons to this style holster.

"Ankle holster are very concealable," says Painchaud.  When wearing a shirt tucked in and one doesn't want to wear a vest or jacket, the ankle holster is great, "They are very concealable."

A negative about ankle holsters is that it takes a bit of work getting to your firearm. Like all methods of carry it takes practice, and  with an ankle holster you should really make the effort to practice drawing your handgun from different positions.  The ankle holster excels when you are sitting down or driving.  In these situations, the ankle holster often provides easier access to your concealed carry weapon that belt carry doesn't afford.

Another issue with ankle holsters is that the size of the handgun you can reasonable conceal is limited mainly to micros and sub-compacts. According to Painchaud ankle holster just don't work well with medium and full size carry guns.

Most people find that for best access it is best to wear the ankle holster on the inside of the non-dominant ankle. That means a right person will wear the ankle holster "on the inside of my left leg," states Painchaud.

When standing Painchaud does not recommend dropping to one knee in order to draw from the ankle hostler.  Instead he likes to remain mobile by lifting his leg by bending at the knee to draw.

Painchaud also warns that firearms carried in an ankle holster tend to gather more dust and dirt and should be cleaned regularly as a result it's good the check and clean you firearm regularly.

Another word of advice is to not go cheap. It's important to get a good ankle holster. "I prefer neoprene," says Painchaud.

In the end how you carry is a personal decision but as we see in this video, an ankle holster is a great choice for everyday carry of your back-up, small revolver or pistol.   Also there are times when one just cannot carry any other way than an ankle holster.  For those times when the alternative is not carrying the ankle holster is the way to carry.  When summing up the ankle holster as an option to carry when other methods just won't work, "I would rather have something than nothing," Painchaud says.