> TEOTWAWKI Blog: Review: G-Code/Haley Strategic INCOG Holster

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3/13/13

Review: G-Code/Haley Strategic INCOG Holster

First up, I've gotta get this off my chest, as it is separate from the actual product and reflective of G-Code's ordering experience. I was not impressed. Here are the bullet points:
  • Order was placed shortly after product release. There was no mention of any kind of delay at time of order.
  • The order confirmation e-mail said that the product could take up to 3 weeks to ship. Sad.
  • After 3 weeks with no updates, I send G-Code an e-mail asking about a product update. No reply was given or has been given since.
  • After 4.5 weeks, the holster arrived on my doorstep, without shipping notice/order tracking being sent.
  • The following day, I received the shipping noticed/order tracking. Yes, for the product I had already received.
While I'm sure G-Code was slammed with volume during this time, the poor communication was unimpressive to say the least. I will be wary of any future orders placed with them.

Now, onto the holster.



The Incog is a kydex, adjustable depth/cant inside-the-waistband holster. The belt hooks have a unique design that helps push the holster in closer to the body and aid in retention. The holster body is covered in a kind of felt material to help with comfort and to help it stay in place. Mine is for a Glock 17.

The Incog ships with two belt hooks - additional hooks can be ordered, but at the price of $12 each, which seems over priced for a single plastic hook.

I ordered two extra belt hooks - one 4 hole and one 5 hole - which brought the order total to just under $100. A quality holster is an important thing, and I've tried and passed on several other, less expensive IWB holsters in the past.

Functionally, the Incog works like you would expect a kydex holster to work. Retention is pretty good - about what you would expect from a kydex holster. The draw is fast and smooth. One handed re-holstering is easy. There's a reason kydex is the material of choice for holsters and sheaths - it just works.

The initial ride depth of the Incog was too high for me - I prefer a lower ride depth than most straight-from-the-factory holsters. The longer belt hooks were an easy swap, and brought the Incog to the exact depth that I wanted, both for comfort and concealment purposes. Adjustable depth is critical to making a holster work, and I don't know why there are so many holsters on the market that don't have that feature. The Incog's inclusion of adjustable ride depth was one of the main reasons I purchased it, and it paid off.


The two belt loops do a good job of transferring the weight of the pistol to the belt. Most of my wear with the holster has been with a gun belt, so I can't really comment on how it would fare with a flimsy belt. I would imagine that it would still do pretty well, even with a lesser belt - the angle on the belt loops does work as advertised and help keep it tucked in closer to the body.

One of the Incog's selling points is that it can be carried in a variety of positions, though most belt-clip holsters have the much the same versatility. I've found the holster to be best for strong side carry. It's about as comfortable as an all kydex holster for a big double stack 9 is going to be when carrying strong side IWB. A little bit thinner kydex would be the only thing that I could imagine to help in that comfort department.

What about appendix carry? It doesn't work very well for me for appendix carry, but that may be more due to the size of the Glock 17, length of its barrel, etc. I get a lot of not so comfortable jamming and jabbing when bending, squatting, sitting and so on. Your mileage may vary here - and it's quite comfortable AIWB if I'm just standing, walking, etc.

The Incog is solidly made - the kydex is thick and the belt hooks solid. In fact, it's probably overbuilt for the job. For IWB, you want thin, and the Incog's thick kydex adds some bulk to the overall package, especially when you're dealing with an already bulky package like a double stack 9mm. As mentioned, a step down in kydex thickness would have helped keep the holster slim and trim. However, the thicker kydex certainly means that the Incog will hold up to constant use.

How well does it conceal? Fairly well. The issue, at least with my body, clothes and the Glock 17, becomes the thickness of the pistol. I end up looking lopsided wearing something like a t-shirt or polo. With a cover garment like a light jacket, sweatshirt, loose button up shirt and so on, the combo hides quite well. There's only so much a holster can do to help conceal a full size handgun. The only thing that the Incog could improve on - again - would be slightly thinner material, which even then would only help marginally, and require a tradeoff in durability.

Overall, the Incog gets a thumbs up from me. Solid design, solidly executed. High quality, and should last for years of use. The Incog certainly makes the Glock 17 a more carry-friendly handgun than other IWB holsters I've tried in the past, and has satisfied my search for a good IWB holster for the gun.

The Incog can be ordered from tacticalholsters.com. Expect to wait a while to get yours!