Best Pocket Holster for Ruger LCP Reviews in 2020 - Tested

The Ruger LCP is a high-efficiency compact handgun that is widely popular for its precise accuracy and high levels of concealment. But to conceal the weapon, you need to know to invest in a holster. Just the thought of carrying a bulky holster that may or may not successfully conceal your weapon can drive some people insane.

But what if your holster did not need to stand out? We all wear pants when we go out. And guess what, pants have pockets. With the best pocket holster for Ruger LCP, you do not need to attach a holster at any external part of your clothing. You can simply place it inside the pocket.

However, pocket holsters are not a great option in all situations. If you are using a larger handgun like a Taurus, you will have a hard time fitting it in your pockets. But for a compact unit like the Ruger, keeping it concealed in your pockets is not a concern.

The concern however, lies with choosing the right product. And that is where you can count on us to have your back. In this article, we will give you a complete breakdown of everything you need to know about investing in a pocket holster for your Ruger LCP.

Top 7 Best Pocket Holster for Ruger LCP Reviews

Finding the right pocket holster can be quite tricky even for a veteran. It is a small concealed carry unit which makes it challenging to identify its flaws. However, with our help you can get through this difficult task without too much trouble.

In the following section of the article, we will give you a quick rundown of the top seven best pocket holsters for Ruger LCP.

1. Don't Tread on Me Conceal and Carry Holsters

To kick off our list of reviews, we will be looking at a low profile, and comfortable nylon holster by the brand Don’t Tread On ME Conceal And Carry Holsters. The name of the brand is certainly a handful; however, looking at the bulk of features that the unit comes with, it is not very surprising.

The compact nature of the unit makes it a perfect match for any Ruger LCP user. However, that is not the only weapon of choice that you can have with this unit. It can also work well with the Keltec P32 P3AT and the Taurus 738 TCP 380 without requiring any further adjustments.

The strong metal clip on the holster keeps it locked in place when you anchor it inside your pants. With this clip, you can even mount the unit on your belt, converting it to an IWB holster. It essentially gives you two holsters for the value of one. However, its performance will always be superior as a pocket holster.

It features a tough, high-quality nylon exterior that ensures you get proper trigger coverage when you have the gun holstered. The design makes sure you are covered both in terms of durability and safety from your firearm. Since the trigger is fully covered when you holster your weapon, you do not need to worry about any accidental discharge.

2. Uncle Mike's Off-Duty and Concealment Nylon

If you are on an extremely tight budget, then why not give this dirt-cheap unit by the brand Uncle Mike’s a try? Despite the lower price, you would be surprised by the performance it delivers. It comes in a super lightweight design making it perfect for everyday use.

The unit uses a non-slip band to ensure it stays stable when placed inside your pocket. It is a simple yet effective design that can ensure that your weapon is always in a position from where you can draw comfortably whenever you need to. Furthermore, the band cushions the legs absorbing sweat and keeps you feeling fresh.

The design of the holster ensures you have no printing when you have your gun equipped in the holster. Despite leaving no printing, the gun always rides in an upright position that allows you to react instantly in a high-stress scenario. It offers excellent protection for both your gun and your clothing.

3. DeSantis Summer Heat LCP/P3AT Right Hand Tan

For people who do not want to compromise on the durability of their pocket holster, nylon is not really a good option. Leather, despite being a bit more expensive, offer a better lifespan. And if you are talking about leather pocket holsters, you cannot ignore the Summer Heat by the brand DeSantis Gunhide.

Since it is a leather holster, obviously, it would feel a bit tighter in its early phase, however, if you give it some time and use it continuously, before long, the leather will relax, giving you excellent retention. The stability and comfort it provides are hard to find elsewhere.

With your purchase, you also get a removable metal clip to mount it inside the waistband. However, we recommend avoiding belt loops with the unit as the stability with this method is not that good. As long as you either put it in the pocket or use if on the beltline, you can expect an excellent performance.

The tan leather construction of the unit gives you both durability and style in a neat bundle. You can easily expect years of use out of the device before it starts to show any signs of wearing. Because of its construction material, it is also protected against water and fire to some extent.

4. Talon Concealed Carry Wallet and Cargo Pocket Leather Holsters

Coming up next, we have an excellent product by the brand Talon Holsters. Out of all the products we have reviewed thus far, this might be the most different. Whereas others were front pocket holsters, this unit will offer you a much better experience if you are carrying it in the back pocket.

The unit comes with an anti print panel that completely hides the shape of the gun when it is inside your pocket. To even the sharpest eyes, it will look like a wallet on your back pocket. This is an excellent design move by the manufacturers, enhancing the concealed carry aspect of the unit drastically.

It is a weapon-specific holster, and so the gun pocket is custom-molded. Because of this feature, the versatility of the unit is quite limited. However, it also means that as long as you are using the right model for the right gun, you can expect an unprecedented level of comfort and performance out of it.

5. DESANTIS Super Fly Pocket Holster

What better way to finish up our list of reviews than with another product by the brand DeSantis. If you thought they only specialized in making leather holsters, then you have not seen the Super Fly pocket holster. It comes with nylon construction and an extremely lightweight design making it an everyday necessity.

The unit features an ambidextrous design giving you both handed use out of it. So whether you put it in your left pocket or right one does not matter as you will be able to draw from both efficiently. Furthermore, its retention right out of the box works like a charm.

The exterior of the holster comes with a sticky rubberized fabric that sticks to the interior of your pocket, easily successfully transforming it into a holster. As a result, the holster will remain in place even when you are drawing your gun, offering you a smooth and stable drawing experience.

Why Do You Need To Use A Pocket Holster For Ruger LCP?

Looking at the compact size of this pistol, you might be tempted to skip out on the added cost of buying a holster. You might be thinking that you could simply put it inside your pocket on its own since it is not that hard to conceal. However, that would be a recipe for disaster.

Remember, the pocket of your jeans or any other pants is not meant to carry firearms. Its usefulness is only limited to carrying your wallets, keys, cash, or maybe a couple of credit cards. For something as delicate as a weapon, you should never put it inside your pocket, if you want to avoid any severe accidents.

With a pocket holster, you can keep your weapon inside your pockets without having to carry around extra weight on your body. Apart from its smaller form-factor and nifty design, a pocket holster offers many advantages to the user. In the following section, we will give you a quick rundown of its prime benefits.

• The most obvious benefit is it creates a safe housing option for your weapon. With this tool, you can relax, knowing that your firearm will not discharge accidentally when it is holstered. It is hard to even imagine the damage it might cause if it goes off inside your pockets.

• Another advantage of this user is that your weapon will not move around inside your pockets when you are on the move. That way, you will have smoother access to your firearm whenever you need to. Having your gun move inside your pocket is a dangerous thing, especially if it is loaded.

• With pocket holsters, you can keep your guns loaded because of the trigger guard that comes with all of the units. The trigger guard in a pocket holsters covers the entirety of the trigger preventing access to it when it is holstered. Until you pull it out completely, you cannot accidentally press on the trigger and fire a shot even if you try. 

• For compact pistols like the Ruger LCP, people do not want to carry a bulky holster. An OWB holster can be an overkill, whereas an IWB holster might not be the most comfortable device to use with it. The pocket holster offers a solid middle ground keeping your gun concealed and you comfortable.

• Pocket holsters are light as a feather. A firearm is quite a heavy device, even a smaller gun like Ruger LCP has a bit of weight to it. The last thing you want to do is add even more of it to your body when you are starting out for the day. With a pocket holster, the weight issue becomes non-existent.

• Finally, a pocket holster is extremely efficient at concealment with the right weapon. Since you are using a Ruger LCP, you do not need to worry about any printing. When you holster your weapon, it entirely disappears from plain view. Even if you talk with someone for hours, they are likely not to realize that you are carrying a weapon inside your pocket.

• You can even use most pocket holsters as an IWB holster with no hassle. Since they have the same mounting process in the form of a metal clip, you can simply anchor it on your beltline with the pocket facing inside the pants to transform it into an IWB holster.

Things to Consider when Buying the Best Pocket Holster for Ruger LCP

If you are feeling confident about making the right choice after going through our list of reviews, then that means you are ready for the next stage of the articles. In this section, we will be looking at all the things that you should consider when buying the best pocket holster for Ruger LCP.

It might seem like an easy task in hindsight. However, if you think about it, you will realize that there are not many elements of this small tool. Unless you know exactly what you are looking for, you have a high risk of ignoring some of the crucial elements.

So without further ado, here are the critical points that you need to think about before investing your hard-earned money.

• Construction Material

Before anything else, you need to look at the construction material of the pocket holster. Just by looking at the quality of the material used in its construction, you can gather a lot of knowledge in the unit. In fact, this factor alone dictates many of the other aspects of the unit that we will look at in the latter points.

That being said; first, you need to know about the materials commonly used in manufacturing a pocket holster.

If you want the best possible experience out of your pocket holster, it is hard to beat a high-quality leather construction. Leather is an innately soft material. It might feel rigid at first, but after continuous use, it starts breaking in, feeling softer to the touch, and giving you overall better experience.

Leather is also quite durable. With a genuine leather construction, you can expect years of use until it starts to show signs of wearing. The only downside to this material is that it tends to get quite expensive. However, you can go with faux leather as it is a cheaper synthetic form of leather that offers quite a similar performance.

Nylon is another commonly used material, especially when it comes to pocket holsters. Because of its soft nature, it goes well with the overall idea of this type of holsters. However, they offer significantly lower durability when compared to leather construction.

On the plus side, nylon holsters are highly affordable and cost way less than any leather or Kydex holsters on the market. And if you are careful with your handling, you can still get years of use out of it. However, the weight of the weapon will cause some wearing on the nylon over time.

Kydex is a commonly used material in many different types of holsters on the market. However, when it comes to pocket holsters, we do not see this material that often. Since it is a hard and rigid material, it is not very comfortable for the user as it constantly pushes against the leg.

However, Kydex holsters offer a much higher degree of versatility compared to other materials. It usually comes with screws and nuts that allow you to adjust many aspects of the holster itself, including retention and cant level adjustments. The price of Kydex holsters can range from affordable to extremely expensive.

• Comfort

Comfort is another essential element that you must consider when choosing your concealed pocket holster. For this factor, you have to look at the design of the holster along with its construction material. You should already know which material is most comfortable from the previous section.

However, even if you use the softest material, if the design of the holster is bulky, it would feel uncomfortable in your pockets. The gun would constantly push against your groin even when you are standing, which is not a very pleasant experience. So make sure the unit that you are buying is comfortable and does not have any design flaws.

• Durability

Regardless of what kind of holster you are buying, you should always spend some time looking at the build quality of the unit. Durability is the prime factor for almost any investment you are planning to make. If your purchased unit breaks down on you after a couple of months, you have successfully flushed your money down the drain.

When it comes to products like a pocket holster, you want to ensure you get the most value and usage out of it. In an ideal situation, you should still be able to use it after a year or two. Avoid going with suspicious brands with dirt-cheap products as they have a lot of quality and longevity issues.

• Frequency of Use

How frequently you are planning to use your pocket holster also plays an important role in dictating your choice of products. For instance, if you are a casual user who whips out his pocket holster once a full moon, going with a Kydex holster might not be the worst idea.

However, a regular user will benefit more with softer material such as leather or nylon. Dealing with the constant nuisance of a hard body pocket holster can get really old really fast. With leather or nylon models, you do not need to worry about any discomfort you might face with Kydex models.

• Concealment

The whole idea of a pocket holster is concealment. And without considering this factor, you will never be able to make the right choice when choosing your unit. The first and most obvious thing you need to check when it comes to concealment of the holster is if it sticks out of the opening of your pocket.

If you are covered on that end, you should then see if it leaves any printing over your pants when you have a gun holstered there. Some units, despite looking great at first glance, can leave some printing that can give away the position of your gun. A holster that leaves printing over your clothes is never a truly concealed carry holster.

• Flexibility

Going with a flexible holster is always a good idea, especially when it comes to pocket holsters. Since your pants stick close to your legs in most cases, you want the holster to be able to adjust to your body contour. It would ensure you have a better experience carrying your weapon.

Rigid materials like Kydex are not really a good option for a pocket holster. However, if you do go with Kydex units, ensure that the material is thin enough not to cause you any discomfort. With flexible material, the position of your gun will feel more natural, giving you an easier drawing experience.

• Hand Preference

A common yet laughable mistake people often make when choosing a holster is not considering their drawing hand. Almost all holsters, whether it is pocket or ankle mounted, come with a couple of variants for different weapons and hand preferences.

The last thing you want is to end up with a product that does not support your drawing hand. So before committing to a purchase, it is always worth double-checking if you are buying the right option for you. You can also find models with ambidextrous designs that allow both-handed use.

• Versatility

If you want the most use out of your pocket holster, it might be worth investing in a unit that comes with a versatile list of weapon’s compatibility. You could even buy weapon-specific models; however, with pocket holsters, having more options is generally the better way to go.

With the option to holster many different models of weapons by different manufacturers, you will not have to replace your holster if you ever want to use a different handgun. You will get the same level of performance out of the holster without having to invest a lot of extra bucks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it safe to carry a Ruger LCP inside a pocket holster?

Yes, it is completely safe to carry a Ruger LCP inside a pocket holster. The compact nature of the unit makes it a perfect candidate for this type of holster. As long as you invest in a high-quality holster, you should not have any concerns related to your safety or the safety of your firearm.

Can I keep my Ruger LCP loaded when using a pocket holster?

Yes, you can. A pocket holster because of its covered trigger guard allows you to safely carry a loaded gun inside your pocket. The chances of accidentally discharging your weapon when using this holster are slim. Unless you manually remove the trigger guard when it is inside your pocket somehow, you are quite safe.

Can I use my pocket holster as an IWB holster?

The answer to this question depends on the holster that you are buying. If your unit of choice comes with a metal clip, then yes, you can use the clip as an anchor point to mount it as an IWB holster. However, not all models come with this feature. You can try attaching a metal clip to the fabric, but it might not give you the optimal experience.

What are the disadvantages of a pocket holster?

Although a pocket holster offers many benefits to the user, it is not without its fair share of flaws. Here are a few disadvantages of using a pocket holster.

• You are generally limited to a smaller weapon. You cannot carry a regular sized pistol when you are using a pocket holster.
• If you are wearing tight-fitted jeans or if your pants have smaller pockets, you will have a difficult time fitting a pocket holster inside it.
• A somewhat rarer issue with a pocket holster is sometimes the gun might get stuck in the pocket. However, with any decent unit, the chances of this happening are highly unlikely.
• The draw speed with a pocket holster is also quite slow compared to an OWB or appendix holster. However, it is still fast enough to compete with a shoulder or IWB holster.

How to improve draw speed with pocket holster?

The draw speed of a pocket holster is generally not that fast. Although not super slow, it does leave a lot to be desired in terms of a faster draw. However, there are a couple of things you can do to improve your draw speed with a pocket holster.

For one thing, you should always learn the proper posture for weapon draw. The technique is the most important aspect of gun drawing, and without the correct positioning, your speed will soon hit a ceiling that you will not be able to cross.

Another way to improve your speed is to simply practice. You should equip your pocket holster and practice drawing your gun whenever you get the chance. The more you practice, the sooner you build up the reflex that you need for a faster draw.