Tab Clearing

My only constructive input is that in this area an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I learned this from an experienced guy (hard to find within the force in the early 00′s) before my first deployment. Replace stuff, boots in particular, that is on the downslide and deploy with newly broken in stuff. Trying to get an extra couple months (of full time use) out of a pair of boots or a piece of load bearing kit is foolish. There are times to be frugal but this is not one of them.

Concealed Carry Holsters: Separating Good from Bad this article by Tamra Keel is pure gold. It really breaks down the issue at a level I never considered but find very relevant. Two relevant thoughts:

1- The mouth of the holster should be sufficiently stiff that you can easily reholster the gun. This tends to be an issue with thin IWB holsters that collapse under the belts pressure once the gun is removed.

2- Retention is a relative thing. Holsters should have sufficient retention for the tasks you will do and plausibly might do while wearing them. For example a pocket holster for my little Ruger LCP needs significantly less retention than a holster someone plans to use as a law enforcement duty holster or during airborne operations.