FOG HORN April 2020

Twobirds Flying Publications

Alien Gear ShapeShift Shoulder Holster

Copyright 2020, Towbirds Flying Publications. All Rights Reserved.

 Alien Gear ShapeShift Shoulder Holster 2020

Alien Gear ShapeShift Shoulder In the simplest form, it is a holster system that
can be easily reconfigured to go from IWB to
Holster
OWB to Appendix, to Ankle or to any carry
By: Sal Palma option that floats your boat. The company’s
latest configuration using the ShapeShift
architecture is their Shoulder Holster and
subject of my review.

Shoulder holsters haven’t been flying off the

shelves; candidly, they are usually dated designs
that are both bulky and overly expensive. A
leather shoulder holster rig goes for $250 to
$300 depending on the design. Furthermore,
you buy it for one gun. I personally don’t like a
leather system because it retains moisture and
that’s not any way to treat your sidearm. Your
mileage may vary but that’s my personal
opinion; as a result, I migrate to Kydex holsters.
My position was recently changed after the
introduction of Alien Gear’s shoulder holster.
So, let’s take a look under the hood.
If there was ever an inventive and innovative
company, Idaho’s Alien Gear Holsters is it. This
small company has designed and manufactured
some of the most flexible and comfortable
holster systems on the planet - no pun
intended.

Holsters, for most people, are a colossal

dilemma. If you want to carry your weapon with
a light you need a type A holster, if you want to
take your light off then you need type B. The pistol is carried in an injection-molded
Manufacturers may not make both A&B polymer half shell that’s bolted to a reinforced
configurations, so by the time you’re done base covered in CoolVent™ Neoprene for
you’ve got $300 in holsters for just one of your comfort against the body.
5 pistols. The folks at Alien Gear Holsters have
This is a Level III Holster featuring three
solved that problem with their innovative
optional retention strategies: adjustable passive
holster designs. Its latest development was
retention, thumb release and a thumb break. I
their ShapeShift Modular Holster system
elected the thumb release which works
introduced at Shot Show 2018. They began
extremely well.
shipping June 2018. So, what’s a ShapeShift
Modular Holster system?

Copyright 2020, Towbirds Flying Publications. All Rights Reserved.

 Alien Gear ShapeShift Shoulder Holster
After choosing the retention system, I next
adjusted the holster draw angle. This was a very
straight forward process.
The back of the holster base provides a series of
attachment points for the shoulder straps and
belt strap. Using this arrangement you can
adjust the draw angle by simply changing the
shoulder strap attachment points to give you
the desired angle.
Copyright 2020, Twobirds Flying Publications, All Rights Reserved
2020
That same arrangement is used on the
magazine carrier. The beauty of this approach is
that you can easily configure the rig to carry
two pistols, one on each side, or two magazine
carriers, one on each side.
The magazine buckets are available in a number
of calibers and are equipped with customizable
retention so you can adjust the magazine for a
quick draw or a more secure draw. Simply
loosen or tighten the retention screws with the
hex key provided as desired.
Every strap on this shoulder holster is
independently adjustable, and by devoting a
little bit of time you can adjust it to meet any
body shape. I wore this rig around the house for
8 hours and it has to be the most comfortable
shoulder holster I’ve ever worn. Unfortunately,
this coronavirus lockdown kept me away from
the range, but that’s life.
 Alien Gear ShapeShift Shoulder Holster 2020
In closing, imagine a superbly comfortable
shoulder holster, which is readily configurable
for any desired carry option; along with its Features
ability to holster any other pistol by simply  Universal Fit—Adjusts to virtually any
purchasing the appropriate shell, warrantied for body style in a few simple steps
life and at an M.S.R.P. of $133.88.
 Customizable Design—Optimize your
The Alien Gear ShapeShift Holster is yet another retention and draw angle in seconds
example of the great innovative work being  Breathable Comfort—Stay cool and
done by Alien Gear Holsters year over year. comfortable with breathable
CoolVent™ Neoprene.
If you want to add a shoulder holster to your
collection, I can highly recommend that you
check out Alien Gear’s ShapeShift Shoulder
Holster, it’s made in the U.S.A. and you can test
drive it for a full 30 days. I think you’ll love it as
much as I do.

-SP

Copyright 2020, Twobirds Flying Publications, All Rights Reserved