I.C.E. and Crossbreed: The Evolution of the Belly Band Holster

About a year ago, while talking with the team at Crossbreed Holsters, I was explaining why  I used a Belly Band holster so often. Convenience, versatility  and comfort were at the top of the list. When wearing pants without a belt (especially to/from a workout), there is no reliable holster option that is more convenient. Traditionally, belly bands will hold a variety of guns in the small to mid-sized range, so one holster is very versatile.
The down sides to traditional belly band holsters include the fact that they simply don’t fit some body types well and the versatility that allows many types of guns to be used also make the holsters difficult to use in a training environment. The cloth or leather gun “pouch” areas on traditional belly bands don’t stay open when the gun is out and the best place to wear a belly band is actually just below the top of your pants, so that meant re-holstering was slow and relatively complex. The fact that traditional belly bands are relatively slow to present from meant that training was a must… but, there was simply no efficient way to do it.

Enter the co-branded I.C.E. Training Crossbreed Holster Modular Belly Band:
CBH_bellyband

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The idea of the Modular Belly Band is to give a person the best of both worlds: The comfort, versatility and convenience of a belly band with the security, safety and efficient presentation and training that comes with a modern kydex holster.
Crossbreed Holsters are the best in the business when it comes to combining Kydex with traditional materials,specifically leather backing. by modifying their popular Ohai Holster modules to fit the hook & loop fastener area on the band, the versatility of the traditional band can be retained, as the owner can purchase “holsters” for any gun they wish to carry and attach them to one band. Naturally, the belly band must be worn inside the pants, which apply extra security through pressure on the kydex module back against the hook & loop fastener.

One of the unplanned benefits of using a modular holster that detaches from the band is that a gun owner can load their gun and place it in the module and move through their day, wit the gun in a variety of different places without ever taking it out. The holstered gun can be placed in on hard-point (under a desk, in a car), in a quick-access safe, on a Crossbreed Bedside Backup, on the band in the appendix position or on the band in a traditional hip or behind-the-hip position, in a purse or bag or just about any other secure spot with the soft side of the hook & loop fastener. Conceivably, the gun could be in the most convenient and comfortable place for the owner throughout the day, in several different positions, without ever having to pull it out of the holster. Obviously, this means an extra layer of inherent safety!

If you are accustomed to belly bands, I have no doubt that you will see this as a huge step forward for this style of holster. If you’ve never used a belly band, perhaps this one will encourage you to try it. I’ve found that many people are confused by the concept at first… often because the term “belly band” is a bit of a misnomer… as I mentioned above, the best place to wear a belly band is actually below the belly, just under the top of the pants.

Take a look at these pics, showing the pistol in both the “appendix” position and the 4 o’clock position:
Bband_rear Bband_rearpants Bband_rearIN Bband_front Bband_frontpants

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crossbreed Holsters  is incredibly busy these days, as they should be!  They are currently taking orders for just about every model they make and delivering them as fast as they can. As part of our product launch, they generously created a limited supply of bands and holsters for the most popular models we see our students carrying. This limited supply is “available while they last” at The I.C.E. Training Online Store. We have some for Glocks, M&Ps and XD firearms…. remember that the bottom of the holster modules are open, so they will fit all sizes of firearm in any range. A holster for a Glock 26, will accept a 19 or 17, for example.

This project has been great to work on. I am extremely proud to be teamed up with Crossbreed and to have had a hand in bringing this product to market!  I look forward to hearing feedback from everyone who decides to try one out!

-RJP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

19 thoughts on “I.C.E. and Crossbreed: The Evolution of the Belly Band Holster”

  1. Matthew Shermer

    This is a really cool idea, I’m a big fan of both the Belly Band style holsters and the Crossbreed style IWB, I usually just switch them around depending on the weather. Is this going to just become a small batch concept or is this something you are gonna bring to the market with crossbreed in the next couple of months?

    1. Matthew Shermer

      And is the Glock Holster still large enough to accommodate a Glock 30? I’d really hate to give up my .45 ACP as my EDC.

    2. These are in production now! Definitely more than just a “small batch”… expect to see them hitting store shelves and they can be bought at the I.C.E. and CBH Websites now!

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  3. Ashley Kendall

    love the product. if you ever need any help from a machining company please feel free to contact us. mainly our business come from prototypes and have recently been getting into production work. our possibilites are endless. feel free to shot us an email with any other concepts or needs.

    thank you,
    ashley kendall

  4. Would this be able to acquire a heavier gun (i.e. Xdm .40 w/ 16rd clip) easily without the kydex holster becoming detached from the velcro pad? I haven’t seen one of these in person but that could be a concern if the holster detaches from the pad accidentally while carrying(it is to my understanding that it can be removed and placed in different positions on the bellywrap/ belt). Any thoughts on this? It looks like a great holster.

      1. Thank you sir, it is cool that Rob Pincus actually emailed me. I am a huge fan of your material and work. I may get one of these soon.

      2. I am a big fan of your work Rob and of Crossbreed. Do you know if they have a model to fit the XDm .40SW sub-compact(3.8″ barrel)? I also have a Crimson Trace laser grip as well.

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  8. I want one!! I went to Crossbreed and they say they don’t have one to fit my full size Ruger SR9. They said it is a weight issue. Really?! But they list the longer and heavier Glock 21! What can I do?

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