Prior to changing my every day carry gun to the VP9, I had always used a hybrid leather and kydex inside-the-waistband (IWB) holster for concealed carry. As it turned out, my favorite holster maker was out of horse hide upgrades when I started shopping for an IWB holster for the VP9. After doing a bit of research and listening to recommendations from several folks I consider to be firearm and self defense experts, I landed on the G-Code Incog Eclipse IWB holster.
I’ve been wearing one of these holsters all day every day for since the last week of 2019 and it’s grown on me. At least, it’s grown enough of me that I’ve purchased a second one to fit optics ready VP9 with the RMR.
Generally speaking, a good holster should do all of the following things:
- Provide reliable retention of the firearm,
- stays put where it was placed,
- allows for easy holstering,
- and doesn’t interfere with normal day to day functions.
The Incog Eclipse provides excellent firearm retention. The holster features a retention screw that can be adjusted to increase or decrease the amount of retention the holster provides. I found the level of retention from the factory was sufficient for my activities and was left alone.
For the most part, the holster stays in place throughout the day. However, I’ve found that the holster tends to want to roll out of the waistband when the waistband isn’t secured by a belt around the waist – like when nature calls for a little number two activity. I think this is likely due to the single clip design that is placed along the natural center of gravity of the firearm, or so the published product description claims. The angle of the angled clip which is supposed to press the firearm tighter into the body to aid in concealment may also be a contributing factor to the roll-out of the waistband effect I experienced when visiting the porcelain throne. However, this is nuisance is easily remedied by carefully pulling one’s pants (or shorts) down carefully when duty calls.
The full kydex construction keeps the holster from collapsing on itself and makes holstering the firearm a breeze. One thing to note is the full shirt guard (the part of the holster that sits above the waistline and against the body) on the holster without the RMR cut aids quite a bit in guiding the muzzle of the firearm when holstering. The half shirt guard on the holster with the RMR cut isn’t as helpful as the full guard and therefore requires a little more care when holstering. However, both holsters allowed for relatively quick and easy holstering – the full guard made it just a little quicker and easier.
In terms of getting out of the way, it took me sometime to get used to wearing the Incog Eclipse. It’s definitely not as comfortable as the leather/kydex hybrid holsters that I was used to wearing. It isn’t that the holster is uncomfortable, it just hard kydex is less comfortable resting against the body than leather. But at the end of the day, the holster gets out of the way as I go about my day to day activities.
One last thing, I’m aware that some people appendix carry with this holster. I found that I wasn’t able to conceal it as well as other people do. However, I attribute that to my rounder than average midsection. Who am I kidding? I’m a big boy. On the other hand, I am able to effectively conceal this holster when worn in the strong side position.
Overall, I think the Incog Eclipse is a great IWB holster and I don’t hesitate recommending it.