IWB vs OWB Holsters: What They Mean and How to Choose

I get asked this more than anything else, and it almost always comes out the same way: "I can't decide between inside and outside the waistband."

Here's how I answer it at the bench, at gun shows, and on the phone.

What the two terms actually mean

IWB stands for inside the waistband. The holster goes down inside your pants, between you and your belt. The only thing showing above your beltline is the grip of the gun and whatever sits above it.

OWB stands for outside the waistband. The holster rides on the outside of your belt, on top of your pants. The whole gun is out there.

That's the entire difference. Everything else follows from it.

The trade you're actually making

Two things pulling against each other: concealment and comfort.

Inside the waistband conceals better. There's no argument here. If hiding the gun is what matters most to you, IWB wins and it isn't close — the only thing anybody could see is the grip and up. With OWB the entire gun is sitting there under your shirt, and that's a lot more to cover.

Outside the waistband is more comfortable. Also not arguable. It rides on the belt instead of wedged down against you, so there's nothing bearing on your side hour after hour. Most guys stop noticing it's there.

You don't get both. Every carry holster ever made sits somewhere on that line, and mine are no exception.

Where appendix carry fits in

Appendix — you'll see it written AIWB — is still inside the waistband. Same idea, different place on your body. The gun rides in front, about over your appendix, just to one side of where your belt buckle normally sits.

Most people shift the buckle over to the other side to make room for it. Right-handed, the buckle goes left. Left-handed, it goes right.

It's the same holster, set up differently. My Insider works in either spot, because the clip is adjustable for cant.

Carrying appendix, you want the cant straight — neutral — and you'll most likely want the claw. The claw is what pulls the grip in toward your body when you tighten your belt down, and that's what keeps it from printing.

Carrying strong side, three to five o'clock, you take the claw off and give the clip a little forward cant. That makes the gun easier to draw and easier to get back in the holster.

Who appendix suits. If you're lean without much belly, it's hard to beat — the best concealment there is, and the fastest access to the gun. If you're on your feet most of the day it's genuinely comfortable.

Who it doesn't. Carry a little more around the middle and it gets uncomfortable in a hurry. And if you sit down a lot, appendix points the muzzle at parts of you that you'd rather it didn't. That's not a small thing and I'm not going to dress it up.

I'll be straight with you — I'm not a big appendix guy myself, and part of that is I've got more belly than the fellas who swear by it.

One thing I've noticed, and I don't think it means much: older folks tend to carry strong side, and the younger crowd tends to carry appendix. Neither one is right or wrong. That's just where the trend sits right now.

Gun size changes the math

This is the part people miss. The bigger the gun, the harder OWB gets.

A small pistol carries fine outside the waistband. A big one needs loose garments to cover it — and now you're dressing around your holster instead of the other way around. That's why I build my Classic Pancake for medium-size revolvers and smaller. Past that, the comfort you bought yourself gets eaten by everything you have to wear to hide it.

If you're carrying something large and you want it concealed, you're going inside the waistband.

How I'd actually help you decide

Three things.

First, I look at your build. If you're lean and fit, both work well and both hide well — you've got options either way. If you're a bigger fella, IWB will hide beautifully, but it'll be less comfortable than it is for the lean guy, because there's more of you in contact with it. Worth knowing going in.

Second, I ask what your actual priority is — comfort or concealment. Not what sounds better. What you'll care about at four in the afternoon on day six.

Third, and most people never think of this: what state do you live in? Printing laws are not the same everywhere. California is strict about it. Arizona doesn't much care. If you carry somewhere that takes printing seriously, that pushes you toward inside the waistband regardless of what's comfortable.

The most common mistake

Honestly? People buy based on what looked good on YouTube.

There's a lot of new, tactical-looking gear out there and a lot of confident people talking about it. If you don't have much carry experience yet, it's easy to buy the thing that looked coolest instead of the thing that fits how you actually live.

If that's where you're at, here's my advice, and I know what it costs me: don't buy anything yet.

Go to the range. If your buddies carry, ask to try their rigs — an IWB and an OWB both. Wear them. Draw from them. Find out what you actually like before you spend real money on a holster built to your gun.

And train with however you end up carrying. That matters more than the holster does. A good rig you've never practiced with is worth less than a plain one you've drawn from a thousand times.

When you know what you want, I'll be here.

Which of mine

Land on inside the waistband — appendix or strong side — that's the Insider.

Land on outside, that's the Classic Pancake — or the SideKick if you're running a red dot.

You can see all three side by side in the EDC holsters collection.

And if you're headed into the backcountry rather than carrying every day, neither of these is your answer. That's a different conversation, and I wrote it up in Chest Holster vs Hip Holster.