Glock holsters: Kydex, leather, IWB, OWB and light-bearing

The holster is the one accessory that makes a carried Glock safe, because the Glock's trigger is its safety and the holster is what covers it. It is also the accessory most often bought wrong. This guide covers the materials, the positions, retention, holsters cut for lights and optics, how fit works by model and generation, the belt that holds it all up, and the holsters to reject.

What a holster must do

Cover the trigger completely, so nothing can press it. Hold the pistol at the same angle every time, so the draw is repeatable. Keep its mouth open when the pistol is out, so it goes back in one-handed. Attach firmly to the belt, so it stays put during the draw. Any holster that does all four is a holster; anything that does not is a pouch.

Materials

Kydex is a molded thermoplastic that holds its shape, clicks onto the trigger guard for retention, keeps its mouth open and shrugs off sweat. It is the default for carry. Leather is quieter, more comfortable against skin, and wears in; it needs a stiff design so the mouth does not collapse and it should never be stored with the pistol in it for long periods, since it holds moisture. Hybrids put a Kydex shell on a leather or neoprene backing for comfort inside the waistband. Nylon universal holsters fit nothing well and leave the trigger accessible; reject them.

Positions

Appendix inside the waistband: in front of the hip. Fastest draw, best concealment for a 19 or slimline, needs a holster with a claw and a foam wedge to tuck the grip in. The most popular position for a Glock today.
Strong-side inside the waistband: at three or four o'clock. Comfortable sitting and driving, conceals a 19 under a loose shirt, slower than appendix.
Outside the waistband: on the belt, under a jacket or open. The most comfortable, the least concealed, the standard for range and duty.
Pocket: for the 42 and 43 only, in a holster that covers the trigger and stays in the pocket on the draw.
Chest: for a 10mm in the woods, over pack straps and a coat.

Retention

Passive retention is the friction of the holster on the pistol, adjustable on most Kydex with a screw; set it so the pistol stays in when the holster is turned upside down and shaken. Active retention adds a hood or a button that must be released to draw: Level I is passive only, Level II adds one device, Level III adds two. Concealed carry uses passive; open carry and duty use Level II or III, because a visible pistol invites a grab.

Light-bearing and optic-cut

A holster is molded for a pistol and, if there is one, its light; a 19 holster does not take a 19 with a TLR-7 unless it was cut for that light. Buy the holster and the light together, from the same list. Optics need clearance at the top of the holster; most current Kydex is cut for a dot, but check. Suppressor-height sights and threaded barrels need clearance too, and an open muzzle handles the barrel.

Fit by model and generation

A holster is molded for a model: 19, 17, 26, 43X and so on. A 19 holster usually fits a 19 of any generation, since the slide profile did not change, though a few tight molds catch the Gen 5 nose bevel and a Gen 5 19 holster open at the top of the grip usually takes a 19X or 45. A 17 needs a 17 holster; a 26 fits in a 19 holster with an open muzzle. The slimline pistols need slimline holsters. Every holster listing here states the models it fits.

The belt

A gun belt is stiffer than a dress belt and stops the holster sagging and rolling; leather with a stiffener or a rigid nylon belt, sized to your waist with the holster on. It is the second purchase after the holster and the one most people skip. A good holster on a weak belt is a weak holster.

Trying it on

With the pistol unloaded and confirmed, holster it, move, sit, bend and walk. Draw slowly twenty times and reholster slowly twenty times, looking the pistol into the holster each time. If the holster shifts, prints badly or catches the trigger guard on reholstering, it is the wrong holster for you, and no amount of wearing in will fix the last of those. A holster you cannot reholster into one-handed without looking is a holster for the range only.

Holsters for the range and the woods

A range holster can be outside the waistband, open at the top and cut for the pistol with its light and optic; a paddle or a belt slide is fine, and a Level II hood is a good habit for a pistol that will be worn openly. A woods holster for a 10mm rides on the chest or on the belt over a coat, keeps the pistol out of pack straps and holds up to rain; retention matters more than speed there, because a pistol that falls out on a slope is gone. Neither replaces the carry holster; buy each for its job.

What to reject

Any holster that leaves the trigger reachable.
Universal-fit nylon and one-size holsters.
Soft leather that collapses when the pistol is out.
Belt clips that can slip off a belt on the draw.
Holsters cut for a different light or a different model.

Keep the pistol inside it clean with the maintenance schedule, and load it with the right round from the ammunition guide. Browse Glock holsters and gun belts; they ship to your door.

General information, not legal advice. Current as of September 2026. Laws change; check the official source before you act.