Kydex Holster Innovations

The firearms industry has a love-hate relationship with innovation.  On one hand, you have people who are on the cutting edge of innovation.  Literally inventing completely new ways of doing things.  On the other end, you have huge manufacturing outfits that handle most tasks by sketching on a legal pad just like their dad did.  The good news is the 2a community is a big tent.  There is room for everyone (even people who produce leather shoulder holsters that allow people to flag entire families at restaurants).  

Here at FDO Industries, we fall somewhere in the middle of this innovation continuum.  There is a time-honored tradition of innovation through discovery instead of design.  In fact, this tinkering around in the shop approach has led to some of the most impactful inventions in history.  Just this one time, let’s look at something good the redcoats accomplished.

Sometimes, It’s Better To Be Lucky Than Good

Back in the olden days “chemists” worked in laboratories similar to what you see in mad scientist movies.  Beakers, open flames, and charred soot were everywhere.  In 1826, English chemist John Walker was messing around with a stick like most men have been known to do, when he stumbled upon a new invention (No, it was not whiskey).

The stick had all sorts of random things smeared on it, either because he used it to stir things or just plain messiness.  Whatever the reason, when Walker scraped the stick across the hearth he was greeted with a burst of flame.  Again, as any self-respecting man would do, he decided to investigate this development further.  He began experimenting with different substances to make the contraption more flammable i.e. bigger flame and explosion.

His first prototype was called a “friction light” and it was the precursor to today’s match.  The early version was lit by attaching a piece of paper drenched in chemicals to a stick that was then dragged through a folded piece of sandpaper.  Eventually, people were able to sort it out so that you could have fire in a box.

Nice.  We here at FDO Industries are big fans of progress.  This is why we chose Kydex for our holsters and not old-timey leather.  (You can check out our thoughts on that specifically here:  What you should look for in a Kydex Holster.)  It is also why we are always on the lookout for new ways to make our products better.  Sometimes that involves tinkering in the mad scientist laboratory like an 1800s chemist.

Tegris Fabric Has Entered The Chat

Tegris is a thermoplastic composite fabric that can be pressed into panels, laser cut without fraying, or compression molded into almost any shape.  It is made from 100% polypropylene, which is a fancy way to say this isn’t your fudd’s leather project from his days at summer camp.

Polypropylene films are woven into a tape yarn, then the tape yarn is woven into a fabric, which is then pressed under heat to form a rigid sheet.  The resultant material is very strong but more importantly, it is also flexible.  This means that it can be incredibly useful when used in conjunction with other tough materials (like I don't know, something like . . . Kydex?).

When we discovered Tegris as a material, in the beginning we just thought it was pretty cool.  Then, we started messing around in the shop to see if there was any way that we could use it with our Kydex holsters, magazine carriers, Leatherman sheaths, or bag panels.  After a few attempts that resembled a Frankenstein fanny pack assembly, we came up with our new +1 Flex IWB Kydex Holster.

Always Bring A Friend Along

It is a truism of life that you can never have too much ammo at your house.  When you are walking around in polite society, however, people will look at you funny if you are wearing a bandolier filled with 9mm mags (we aren’t telling you not to do this but for most people, this is a bit much when the rule of law is in effect).  If you are not carrying around a spare mag as part of your everyday carry you might want to consider starting with just one and go from there.  We have designed the new +1 for just that purpose.

What does this have to do with Tegris fabric?  I am glad you asked.  Instead of joining two Kydex pieces with screws, or making one long piece, we have used a fancy Tegris fabric to fasten one mag carrier with the holster.  This allows the entire assembly to flex with your body, which makes moving around a lot easier and more comfortable.  Because the connector is so tough you don’t have to worry about fraying, breakage, or tearing.  In the unlikely event that this would happen, the +1 is covered by the industry's best warranty (ours).  Besides utilizing the most modern materials available, the +1 also just looks cool.

If you want to check it out you can do that here: Plus One Flex IWB Kydex Holster.  Even though the the +1 is ambidextrous, if you want to go old school and have your spare mag on the opposite side of your belt check out “The Associate” Kydex Pistol Mag Carrier, which you can pair with our stand-alone options at: Forge Your Own Holster. 

Either of these approaches is better than throwing a mag in your pocket, or worse showing up to the party alone.  It is always, always, always better to bring friends when things start to get sporty. 

We will continue to keep our eyes out for new materials that we can tinker with in the shop.  It is fun for us but it is also part of our ongoing quest to provide you with the best Kydex holsters in the market.

Have a good one,

Jake