We The People Holsters Review [Hands-On]

Below is my list of the best We The People holsters for 2022. I list the best choices in terms of value, performance, design, and cost.

Click on the name to head to the product page, read reviews and check prices or skip ahead to the list of holsters.

I have extensive experience with all kinds of holsters and concealed carry methods, and am often asked to review different products from a variety of companies. Honest feedback is critical for both our readers as well as the companies for which we’re providing feedback.

My concealed carry experience started the year I turned 21 — the first year I had the right to do so. Starting with an all-leather holster that was highly comfortable, I found the retention was not where I wanted it to be.

Pivoting to appendix and 3 o’clock carry, I mostly used different subcompact pistols based on my clothing until I found one pistol that was easy to conceal in any outfit. 

I dabbled in trying side car holsters and even started carrying a revolver from time to time. Eventually, I found I could comfortably carry and conceal a full-size pistol and added a red dot and light to that carry gun. My current options use a variety of concealed carry setups depending on what activity and clothing I’m wearing. I use a leather and Kydex hybrid holster that sits low on my lip with a perfect cant to draw my gun.

I also have a sidecar holster that can disassemble into a separate holster and magazine pouch, which allows me to change from appendix carry to 4 o’clock in seconds. I also have two carry systems that will enable me to wear any clothing without belt loops and still carry a gun on my body.

1. We The People IWB Holster

The Walther IWB holster fits my .380 PPK perfectly. This gun and holster duo are lightweight, easy to run with and conceal for customers who want a tiny pistol that still packs a punch.

The holster has adjustable tension, and I highly recommend tuning it to your draw strength. The clip is adjustable, as well as the holster’s ride and cant.

Everyone’s hand size and draw are different so set your holster up for the most natural draw position. This holster has a protective sweat guard, which is precisely what you want when taking on any kind of physical activity like running or hitting the gym.

2. We The People Streamlight Holster

This light-compatible holster fits my full-size M&P handgun well with the TLR 7A Streamlight. What is unique about this holster is it can fit the S&W M&P M2.0 4.25″ or M2.0 4″ Compact 9/40 with Streamlight TLR-7/7A Light.

I have an original Gen 1 model 9mm M&P that was solidly compatible, with no fit or retention issues. The clip on this holster allows you to adjust it up to 12 different positions, and the entire holster can adjust for ride, cant, and retention. This holster comes with the paddle clip attached

3. We The People OWB Holster

The WTP holster for my original VP9 fit well with good retention. One thing to note is there H&K does incorporate a rail into the VP9, so if yours has an optic mounted, be sure to look for an optic-compatible holster.

The “1776” printed on the Kydex turned out nice. Like the S&W holster, you can adjust the holster’s ride, cant, and retention.

The clip is the same large paddle that comes standard on their OWB holsters. The protective sweat guard goes all the way up to minimize your gun and skin contact.

4. We The People Mag Carrier

I highly recommend the We The People Universal Mag Carrier. It was a perfect fit for various double stack magazines for different pistols.

The retention kept the magazine in place but still allowed me to draw the magazine out quickly.

If you decide to purchase a universal magazine carrier, be sure to select either the double-stack, single-stack, or micro-pistol version, depending on what handguns you plan to use it with as the mag carriers are not all universal across any type of magazine.

5. We The People Freedom Holster Platform

We The People’s Freedom Holster Platform, is one of their most expensive products, but it comes with more than just a holster and can be configured in over 2500 ways to fit you perfectly.

The Platinum Edition comes with a holster and magazine carrier, is fully ambidextrous, and can function as an IWB and OWB holster.

The holster and magazine can detach and mount on your belt loops with clips. The holster and magazine can be attached as one unit, and the magazine carrier can adjust both up and down depending on where you want the magazine to sit. For example, the holster can connect to a paddle OWB clip or an IWB 1.5 in clip. Essentially, this one offering from We The People has a lot of flexibility in how it can carry your gun and magazine.

6. We The People Independence Leather Holster

I will always love a good leather holster. We The People hand-craft their premium full-grain leather holster in the USA with a reinforced belt loop design.

This proprietary design has four layers of leather, an inner layer that protects against wear on your firearm, and three retention points for maximum security.

The belt loop is for a 1.5-inch wide belt, and the overall design keeps the gun tight against your body. It is also available in IWB with a bit different design.

7. We The People Holster Claw

One upgrade I recommend is adding a holster claw, also known as a wing, to your holster. Claws (or wings) help prevent printing by keeping your gun as close to your body as possible through applied pressure opposite the holster itself, which pushes the holstered firearm closer to your person.

The claw allows you to adjust the claw depth and angles so you can set your holster up in different carry options with a few adjustments of the claw.

It comes with interchangeable pads, front mount or back mount options, and works for right and left-handed holsters.

8. Holster Replacement Parts

I can guarantee that if you carry a gun every day, you will need to replace parts during your lifetime. It’s better to have spare parts and not need them than need them and not have them, especially if you don’t have a backup method to carry.

When you buy a holster of any kind, your next purchase should always be extra hardware. WTP also provides two clip options; a 1.5 inch and a 1.75 inch. If you have a wider belt, then changing to the longer clip is an upgrade worth investing in.

9. Tactical Gun Belt

Regular department store belts might look great at the company party but are genreally nowhere near sturdy enough to hold up a fully loaded pistol. We The People specifically designed the Tactical Gun Belt at 1.5 inches wide to fit both their holsters and traditional pant loops.

This belt is made with a patent-pending Talon buckle design, has a lifetime guarantee, and is made in the USA. A unique feature is the elastic loop mag carrier that holds a spare magazine or a multi-tool sideways on the belt. It is made with two layers of heavy-duty scuba webbing.

They offer the belt sizes small through 4XL with a satisfaction/size guarantee. If you buy the wrong size, you can exchange it, and they’ll ship you a new size.

We The People Holsters makes Kydex holsters in the USA, based in Las Vegas, NV. The great part about their team is that they are gun people and support the 2nd Amendment, which is an important purchasing decision for many Americans nowadays.

They manufacture both standard, tried-and-true holsters for the most common handguns on the market, as well as a huge array of custom-designed holsters. They provide holsters for the law enforcement industry and those in the armed forces. The best part about their holsters is they come with a 30-day, no-questions-asked return policy, free shipping over $50, and a Lifetime Warranty for any manufacturing defects.

Shape & Style

If you carry a gun with a Streamlight, you are in luck. There aren’t many holster manufacturers that will shape holsters with lights or lasers, and there are too many lights and lasers on the market to design a holster for every variant. Many of the We The People Holsters come with a light-mounted option. I am a big proponent of having a flashlight mounted on all self-defense firearms. I recommend choosing a gun you are comfortable with and a light that We The People make a holster for.

I was highly impressed with the perfect shape of the Walther PPK holster. I have yet to find a quality holster to fit that pistol, as well as a company that even makes one. WTP surprised me by producing a high-quality product for my favorite little Walther pistol at an excellent price.

We The People Holsters make all the usual style holsters you would expect; IWB, OWB, leather, and printed, but they also have their take on a customizable sidecar design. More and more holster manufacturers pop up every year with the same old Kydex and simple designs, so it’s great to see a brand branching out with customizable options, as the companies who are innovating beyond the standard IWB and OWB styles will be more successful as time goes on.

We have seen T.REX ARMS change its classic sidecar design to use the all-new T.REX ARMS Spine System. Crossbreed Holsters introduced The Reckoning System, which allows the customer to change configurations and carry locations of the holster. We The People designed its Platinum Edition holster for concealed carry in over 2500 different configurations, which really sets WTP apart from many holster competitors.

Clip Design/Quality

The WTP IWB holster belt clip is exceptionally sturdy, tight-fitting, and I trust it to keep my gun in place on my belt.

The clip can adjust in up to eight different positions so that you can customize the cant and height of the holster. One thing to note is the belt clip fits a 1.5-inch belt only. It’s essential to match your belt thickness to the clip size for a secure fit.

The clip for the WTP OWB holsters was not my favorite. While the IWB belt clip felt perfect with my 1.5-inch belt, the OWB clip felt a little flimsy using the same belt.

The OWB clip can be mounted in two different ways. One way is the paddle clip can go inside your clothing with your pants and belt between the belt clip and the holster. The second way is for the clip to attach to your belt with just the belt between the clip and holster. The clip also adjusts up to 12 different positions so you can get the cant and ride set up for your draw.

On my OWB holsters, I prefer to wear the belt clip just on the belt itself and not inside my clothing. This gives me a little more comfort when carrying, mainly because the large paddle clip causes me to sweat more. However, there is more movement and flex when you wear the clip between the belt and holster and not inside your clothing. It’s entirely a personal preference, but if I were using their OWB holster, I would switch to a different clip or hanger.

Draw

The draw in all of the holsters felt natural and comfortable. I prefer wearing any OWB holster at the 3’oclock or 4 o’clock positions.

It’s the perfect winter weather carry method or would be a good entry holster into competitive shooting. If you’ve never drawn a light-mounted pistol from concealment before, it requires a little more clearance out of the holster than a pistol without a light attached to it.

If this is new to you, be sure to practice your draw with an unloaded weapon before carrying your gun daily. I wore the IWB as appendix carry and had no trouble drawing and firing my gun.

Comfort

We The People Holsters focus on comfort with its sweat guard design on the holster itself. Holsters are manufactured in all different ways.

A holster with a sweat guard has material going all the way up the slide of the gun, so the pistol never comes in contact with your skin. Other Kydex holsters are manufactured with mid, high, or no sweat guard at all. There are pros and cons to all of the options.

A high guard or sweat guard will keep the sweat, moisture, and salt from your body off the gun, which is what you want. If you carry appendix, a high guard with a long pistol slide can be uncomfortable for rigorous activities or bending over.

If you carry in other positions, a sweat guard can be one of the most comfortable ways to carry. Some appendix carriers will prefer a mid or no sweat guard for easy access to the grip of their gun and more comfort. However, you will need to regularly clean and oil your gun and check for rust on parts without a sweat guard.

Concealment

I’m personally not a huge fan of open carry, but if you live in a state where it is legal to open carry, and that is what you prefer, a WTP holster is perfect for you. Just make sure you have an appropriate carry jacket.

Smith & Wesson M&PIndependence OWB leather holster by We The People threads through your gun belt and snaps into place. This leather holster is much more concealable as it hugs your body and keeps the gun tight to you.

The small Walther handgun was the most manageable handgun to conceal, but at a price of lower ammunition capacity. No matter what holster or method of carrying you choose, you have to have a plan to conceal your gun with your specific wardrobe.

Print Quality

I’m a custom snob. Whether it’s cerakote or Kydex, I’m all about custom print, color, engraving; you name it. You can get just about every color and some cool print designs on your WTP holster. The print quality of the Kydex holster was perfect.

I was able to try the Betsy Ross Flag and Constitution print and the Aqua color from We The People. While you have to pay $5 to $25 to upgrade from black, it’s well worth the cost if you enjoy a custom holster.

Use with Mag Carrier

Every gun owner should have more than one magazine for each gun model and a spare magazine carrier for each magazine style – -epsecially if carring a pistol with limited capacity, like my PPK. I barely noticed the IWB Universal Mag Carrier and found it very comfortable to wear.

I always keep my mag carrier inside my waistband on my non-dominant, left-hand side. For example, when I carry the Walther PPK, that spare magazine is necessary since the gun only has six rounds of ammunition capacity.

Printed Holsters

We The People Holsters have various print options for its Kydex line of holsters. These prints include different types of camouflage, American Flag print, We The People Constitution print, Thin Blue Line print, and loads of simple, bright colors.

Custom printed holsters make the best Christmas gifts for a family member, significant other, best friend, or yourself!

Leather Holsters

WTP makes OWB and IWB leather options as well. The OWB holster threads through the belt, with the IWB option using two clips to secure. Leather holsters last a very long time and mold to your body with use, making them much more comfortable than Kydex. Leather may not provide the retention of Kydex, but it’s a classic holster material that many people prefer. 

The main downside to We The People’s leather products is the limited options. They only manufacture them to fit a few Glock models, a few Smith & Wesson pistols, five Sig Sauer handguns, one Taurus pistol holster, one Springfield Armory pistol, and three 1911 style holsters.

IWB Holsters

We The People make IWB holsters for more than a dozen different gun manufacturers. For more prominent manufacturers like Smith & Wesson, Glock, and Springfield Armory, We The People manufactures holsters for more than a dozen gun models for each company.

OWB Holsters

WTP also produces OWB holsters for all gun manufacturers they support with IWB holsters. The gun models may vary between IWB and OWB, but they are one of the few companies that service some of the less popular carry gun models. Pair it with a sturdy gun belt and you’re off to the races.

Pistol Light Options

There are way too many pistol light options available today, so if you don’t have a light yet, I highly recommend choosing a more widespread light that holster manufacturers make holsters for.

WTP only makes holsters with the Streamlight models TLR7/7A, TLR-6, and TLR-1-1S-HL. They also make some holsters with the OLIGHT PL-Mini 2 Valkyrie and PL Pro Valkyrie. Not every gun is compatible with a mounted light so check WTP holster options before assuming they make a holster for the exact gun and light combo.

• Under $50. When it comes to a good quality holster, I don’t recommend most holsters priced at under $50. Most reputable manufacturers who mold their holsters to specific firearms models will start their pricing at around $50. Never purchase a holster where “one size fits all” or one without retention.
• Over $50. For most Americans who carry a concealed gun, a high-quality holster with solid retention and a custom fit to their specific firearm model will start at about $50. From there, custom colors or prints will increase the price and any additional clips or hardware.
• $100 or more. If you are dedicated to carrying a gun every day of your life and want to invest in a powerful concealed carry setup, you will most likely need to budget over $100. Typically, holsters in this price range will include a magazine carrier, different ways of configuring the holster system, as well as additional clips and hardware to adjust the system to your preferred method of carrying. You should look for a modular system and easy-to-change configurations without using many tools to do so.

In keeping with an honest, critical review, the main areas for improvement with WTP products have to do with their need for two trigger guard retention screws for full-size guns, a sturdier paddle on their OWB options, and more product coverage with their leather holsters. 

The single retention screw on the WTP holster for my Smith & Wesson pistol & flashlight made it a real challenge to find the right amount of retention pressure, which is critical for feeling secure while carrying.

The OWB paddle just doesn’t have enough material to give the kind of stability I want with a 1.5″ belt, so I’d love to see some more product development focused on ensuring their clips hit the mark with a wider variety of belts. 

I’d also love to see their leather holster line expanded to cover the same collection of firearms as their Kydex holsters.  They also don’t currently offer a belly band holster option, which would be great for the runners in the crowd who prefer to carry when on the move.

I wanted to test out holsters for a compact handgun, a full-size handgun, and a light-mounted gun. I will always have a spare magazine no matter what size handgun I carry, so I chose to review We The People’s universal mag carrier to test its functionality.

WTP Holsters provided me with an IWB holster, OWB holster, OWB light mounted holster and the mag carrier. This hands-on experience allowed me to test everything from concealment, retention, draw, clip strength, and comfortability of the product.

The other products we recommended included WTP Holster’s Freedom Holster and leather holsters. The ability to purchase one holster that can be worn in multiple ways is a huge plus that I wish I had known about or even had when I was first starting to carry concealed.

With so many wardrobe options, it’s good to know I can switch up how I carry without buying a holster for each method. My experience with leather holsters in the past has always been positive. A holster that threads through your belt loops is a good guarantee that the holster isn’t going anywhere.

We The People Holsters are true holster nerds, that make a great budget option for OWB and IWB holsters. They offer holsters in light mounted options and do great prints and custom color Kydex holsters.

I had excellent customer service from We The People, with fast shipping. Don’t forget they offer free shipping on orders over $50 (USA), so if you’re considering a new holster for yourself or as Christmas gifts, I give ’em two thumbs up. 

1. The People – Freedom Platform Holster Overview

    

2. We The People Tactical Belt Unboxing