Around the time I bought my first pair of Alien Gear Holsters, if you asked a random "gun person" about them, there was probably about a 30% chance that they had ever heard of them. Among those who had heard of them, it was probably about 50/50 odds that they only thing they knew about was the price and they had a passing notion of a new, more affordable hybrid IWB holster that had come along to challenge some of the more established companies. They would compare them to the then-market-leader of riveted hybrid holsters or, if they had dug a little deeper into the holster industry, to one of the very few makers who had the ability for swappable shells.
If you ask the same group of firearms enthusiasts today, you would likely find that the Alien Gear name is ubiquitous and nearly universally known as a maker of affordable, well-made holsters.
Of course, that early in the company's history, the holsters that I ordered were the
original Cloak Tuck models, with the heavy leather backing, metal being the only option for the belt clips, and what appeared to be hand-cut lengths of rubber brake hose for spacers. And
it was awesome! Here was this new company, making good holsters, selling them at a great price, and doing it in a creative way without sacrificing quality. After a couple months of wearing our new holsters for nearly every waking moment, we wrote this
Alien Gear Cloak Tuck Holster review.
Since then, things have changed some, but not a lot. Alien Gear now sends out holsters with a neat little parts pack of custom molded spacers and more consistent hardware, but they still use the same high quality leather, thick Kydex shells, and pride in their product. After around three years of wearing the Cloak Tuck 1.0 nearly all day, every day, I think I can speak pretty well on how they perform.
Among IWB holsters that I have owned and tried, including other Alien Gear holsters, the original Cloak Tuck is easily right up at the top of the list for general everyday use. The wide, two-clip footprint supports the weight of a medium-large sized handgun well and spreads it out the weight. The dual clips also hold the holster at a fixed cant and help to keep it from moving around.
Once I found the cant (or lack thereof) and ride height that I liked best (deepest ride height, neutral cant - i.e. clips attached to the top hole on both sides), I removed the hardware from the lower holes to keep them from causing extra wear on clothing. The Cloak Tuck 1.0 originally came with metal clips which, at some point along the way, I changed over to Alien Gear's now-default nylon belt clips. Truthfully, I liked the thinness and sturdiness of the metal clips better, but I put blue Loctite on the hardware and I'm just too lazy to switch back. The nylon clips work fine and are probably a little easier on my belt and clothing than the metal ones would be.
All components of the holster are holding up very well, especially for a weight bearing item that gets sat on, banged into walls, wrenched around by seat belts, caught on chair arms, drawn from, occasionally slept on, and worn in all conditions from extreme colds to blisteringly hots and from rain and humidity to arid environs.
The rear hardware that contacts the body/undergarments has long since been rubbed free of any of the black coating that they once wore and are now polished to a bright shine. With the exception of one anchor, all are free from any sort of rust or oxidization. As can bee seen in the photo, one anchor has been replaced with a different type of anchor that was included with the holster hardware due to a cross-threading incident early on. I am not sure which type of anchor Alien Gear is providing with these holsters currently (or if they all come with the more easily movable type that the
3.0 model shows. The larger type shown hold more securely, but the smaller type are easier to install and remove for the end user.
The nylon clips that it currently sports have a bit of a curve away from the body and have a bit of a cross-jawed look to them, but they do not show any signs of fatigue or failure. In the time that I wore the metal clips, there were no signs of similar deformation. I added the Loctite to the clip screws' threads because, initially, they would start to work loose after a week or two of wear, which they no longer do.
The Kydex shell - thicker than most competitors' shells - is still in identical condition to the day I received it, with no sings of cracking, bending, flexing, fatigue, or failures. It is entirely unremarkable in that nothing has changed and it is still doing its job consistently.
Out of the box, the thick leather backing was smooth and flat and provided a good, tight fit that helped hold the pistol secure. No break-in period was required, but after years of use, the holster is now fully custom-formed to both the pistol and the wearer and holds the pistol even better.
I prefer the leather backing of the original Cloak Tuck to the neoprene backing of the 2.0 that I have spent some time wearing for a couple of reasons. The first is the form-fitting nature that the backing has acquired over the years that provides a 100% custom fit. We have a good collection of holsters around GunLink HQ, including a handful of Alien Gear holsters, so we don't do much shell swapping, particularly on this Cloak Tuck 1.0 that I use nearly every day. However, the swappable shells are one of the selling points of these holsters and, if someone plans on using the Alien Gear for multiple handguns, being formed to fit one in particular might not be a benefit and the backing of the 2.0 and 3.0 holsters might be better suited for the job.
Other reasons that I prefer the leather back include durability and comfort. Humans have been crafting durable goods from leather for many thousands of years because it just plain works well for that job. Boots, saddles, tool grips, early armor, motorcycle gear, jackets, and, yes, holsters. It is abrasion resistant, tear resistant, flexible, semi-breathable, and it handles moisture well. The latter three of these properties also contribute to to an all-important aspect of holsters: comfort.
All of the Alien Gear backing materials are comfortable and flexible enough not to feel overly stiff when wearing them, but I think that the leather really shines when it is hot out. The neoprene backing is not particularly breathable, which is why they make wet suits out of it. In hot weather, the neoprene backs tend to lay right against the hip and create a sweaty spot that doesn't get wicked away. Even when hiking or training in upper 90s or even triple-digit heat, the leather feels more comfortable and, although it soaks up some of the sweat, it has never soaked through anywhere close to the firearm side.
One more great benefit of the original model is the price. Alien Gear burst onto the scene, disrupting things by offering a high quality holster at about a third of the price of competitors. Upgraded models are slightly higher cost, but still less than competitors. With something as important as concealed carry gear, which your life can depend on, one shouldn't scrimp and pinch pennies to save a little money at the expense of quality or reliability. The original model holster still starts out under $30 and, as our years of rough use on these models have shown, that eminently affordable price does not represent any cost cutting, corner cutting, reliability reducing measures.
If the Cloak Tuck 1.0 that I use ever did fail, I would buy another one in a heartbeat... not that I would need to, thanks to Alien Gear's
amazing warranty and customer service.