Hidden Heat Holster: A Lacey Addition to Women’s Concealment

Manufacturers look to cater to women entering the shooting sports through a variety of means, but most notably, the women’s holster market. Filled with lacey, feminine designs, the women’s holster arena often caters to fashion and comfort. Hidden Heat Lace Holster by Miss Concealed is one such holster. A gorgeous lace construction, the Hidden Heat aims for a sexier approach to concealment.

Guns.com got our hands on an original Hidden Heat Lace Holster to see if its beauty could keep pace with function.

What is the Hidden Heat Lace?

Hidden Heat Lace, by Miss Concealed, is a belly band style holster created specifically for women. Occupying the space of fashionable firearm holsters, the Hidden Heat looks to bring femininity into the holster fold with a soft, lacey design.

Using Velcro to secure around the wearer, the Hidden Heat Lace holster comes with a 5-inch firearm compartment to accommodate a variety of firearm sizes. The pocket sports a Velcro retention strap to secure the firearm in place while two additional pockets – situated on either side of the main, firearm area –hold smaller accessories.

The Hidden Heat Lace comes in a bevy of sizes, starting at small and ending at extra-large. With a price tag of under $40, the holster is more budget friendly than similar, female-oriented holsters on the market.

Concealment with the Hidden Heat

I’ll be honest, I am usually skeptical of any rig deemed a “women’s holster.” In my experience, these tend to offer less security while focusing on the pure feminine aesthetic. While looking nice is a bonus, it’s not a necessity to holster function and shouldn’t be the primary focus of carrying. Let’s be honest, if you’re concealed carrying no one should be seeing your holster any way.

The Hidden Heat comes equipped with two accessory pockets as well as a the main, firearm compartment. The addition of the accessory pockets proves useful, especially if you wish to carry a spare mag, flashlight or knife. One pocket is smaller and perfect for those little accessories while the other is slightly bigger, accommodating a phone or ID. Nothing secures these accessories, however, so if you’re in a tussle or you end up in any other position other than vertical, your accessories may fall out. The added pockets are a nice touch though and the Hidden Heat works as a makeshift on-body purse if you choose to go out on the town and leave the purse at home.

Holsters like the Hidden Heat center on deep concealment – meaning the holster works to hide away the gun by more or less burying it. While the tactic does usually produce concealment, deep concealers have to balance access with concealment. In the case of the Hidden Heat, access is fairly limited. The Hidden Heat, features a massive pocket that holds the firearm. Larger guns will rest comfortably within the holster’s pocket; however, smaller guns tend to become buried and therefore require more digging to access. Paired with a Velcro retention strap that must be detached prior to drawing, access to the firearm diminishes.

Futher, the Hidden Heat didn’t offer me the kind of concealment I am use to. Normally sporting a Glock 19 in a kydex holster, the Hidden Heat couldn’t adequately conceal a smaller, Smith & Wesson Shield in the appendix position. With no wedge, claw or wing to rotate the gun into my body, the grip protruded from my waistline. No amount of placement or twisting or turning could rectify this.

What the holster does right is comfort. The elastic and material used is very soft and can ride directly against the skin without the need for an undershirt. It breathes fairly well for a full fabric design and is easy to put on and off. The downside to its fabric design, though, is that the trigger area on the holster is completely unguarded and, yes, the trigger can be engaged through the fabric – a big con to any holster design, especially if you are a woman who carries around children. The Velcro construction on both the retention strap and the holster itself is also another area to watch as this material does wear out over time.

Final Thoughts

While the Hidden Heat Lace is a fashionable looking holster, it doesn’t meet my requirements for carry. If you are specifically hunting for a feminine, lacey design that provides deep concealment then the Hidden Heat fits that bill; however, if access and the ability to draw unimpeded is the priority you’d do better to look elsewhere.

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