Galco AL636 Ankle Lite Holster for LC9

I got great service and price from Glen's Outdoors. You can get your there too.

I spent a lot of time looking at reviews and agonizing over this holster. I haven't had the chance to find an IWB solution that I liked so I wanted to start with ankle carry to keep me actually carrying instead of leaving it home. Unfortunately I couldn't find anyone who had an actual picture of an actual LC9 in it and under a pant leg. Usually when you hear of ankle carry it's for smaller things like G26s or LCPs. If I'm going to pull the trigger on the most expensive holster I wanted to be sure it would be the right one. Turns out it is every bit as good as every one says and I don't regret the ~$60 at all.

     The two things I was looking for were Concealability and Comfort. If I didn't like wearing it I may end up just leaving my gun home. I figure if I've gone through the requirements to carry I might as well actually do it. First up for me is how well it blends in with under my pant leg. I included a bunch of pictures so hopefully you can see what I'm talking about. The leg shots are in a mirror so look at the leg on the left. I wear fairly loose pants but I was just worried about it sitting in such a way that the grip would stick straight out the back. Galco got it just right by canting right to where the the longest distance from grip to sights is horizontal and right beside your leg. Everything is kept tight against your leg so it doesn't stick out any more than it has to. Even if someone knows you ankle carry they can look and never be quite sure if you have it at the time.

     Then there's comfort. The first thing you'll hear about is the muzzle rubbing on your ankle bone. I can tell you 100% that I've never had the least bit of discomfort with this rig. The sheepskin on the inside pulls double duty of sweat prevention and padding. Combine this with the 1/4" neoprene and just the right amount of extension below the bottom and I promise, besides the slight weight increase you'll sometimes forget it's there. Even in Tennessee I tend to wear thick socks. They can get warm but I'm inside most of the time and they're just so soft. You don't have to go that far but I recommend a full length sock. Wrap the holster around front and the pull the back as tight as you can get it. Don't worry about it being too tight; It doesn't cut off circulation and it's what keeps everything as stead as a rock throughout the day. Some people end up getting the calf strap but I'm telling you you don't need it. Put it on tight and you can kick, hop, and run without issues.

     Accessibility is a problem with all ankle carry but once you get the pant leg up the draw is just natural. Your thumb falls right to the snap release and there is plenty of grip exposed for the drawing. The steerhide is formed perfectly and keeps decent retention even after breaking in but you'll always keep it snapped anyway. For reholstering you also get a well-designed support back with some sort of insert that keeps the profile open and not collapsed.

    Lastly I have the say the materials are well chosen. The neoprene is soft but provides the right amount of elasticity and I don't feel like it makes me sweat any more than my other leg even in thick socks under pants in the Tennessee heat. The sheeps skin really helps there too. You would think after wearing for three months it would start to smell from sweat buildup but honestly I just checked and it smells like it did new. The hook-and-loop fastener is heavy duty with the loop part actually being some sort of thread instead of plastic and holds up well to repeated use.

     If you're ready to ankle carry I have to admit I haven't tried the cheaper options but this one from Galco has been worth every penny to me. My only complaint is that every once in a while I feel the steel backing that supports the retention snap. Really though, most of the time I forget I'm even carrying because it just becomes part of your leg. I'm not the least but self conscious that someone may notice I'm carrying and I'm comfortable. With those boxes fully checked I'd recommend this for anyone.