On another thread a member commented about that "Box of holsters" we all have and it made me laugh a bit because it's so true.
While I occasionally thin the contents of the "Old Holster Box", I think most of us wonder how that collection of holsters forms in the first place. So, I started doing some real evaluation and here's what I came up with:
The Junk: The holster is the "leather part of the handgun" and it is part of the overall system. It gets used every day, often all-day, in all types of weather. Buy the best you can afford.
When I was younger I made the mistake of buying junk just a couple of times and then vowed to never waste money on a poor quality holster. That doesn't mean all of my gear is from well established makers (although a lot is) but it does mean that it is all high quality. However, years ago the junk holsters fed my Old Holster Box.
The Gift: This is another source of stuff in the Old Holster Box. Someone gives you a piece of gear that turns out to be destined for the holster box. There's not much you can do other than politely say thank you.
The Gimmick: We all know this one; you see something that looks like it would be the answer to some problem. Sometimes it turns out to be a great solution and we're happy. But, sometimes it just turns out to be a piece of gear that didn't work for you.
The Worn Out Gear: Holsters take a beating and eventually even the best gear will wear out. This is the stuff that gets relegated to the "Old Holster Box" because we can't bring ourselves to throw it away but we no longer trust it. Deep down inside we know it needs to go away but we're just not there yet.
The Holster to the Non-Existent Gun: Yep; you know that gun you sold/traded off in 1993 and forgot you had a holster for it. Guess where that holster ends up?
The Phase: We all know the guy the jackrabbit's from one mode to another. He was in the "western phase", then he was in his "tactica-cool" phase, then he was in his "cross draw" phase, and then..............you get the point. Fortunately I never suffered from that malady, as it applies to holsters. I have suffered it in other regards.
And the last contributor to the holster box is the; It Just Doesn't Work For Me: We've all purchased good quality holsters that appeared to fit our criteria and attempted to use that gear only to find out that it just does not work for us. It's Good Gear, it's well made, it's configured the way we like and when you put it on - IT JUST DOES NOT WORK FOR YOU. This is one of the most frustrating situations because there's just no way to know until you try it in the real world.