By IPC

Alien Gear has made a name for itself over the years with its production of holsters. They have always made good products, but recently they outdid themselves with their ShapeShift Modular Holster System. It is a dynamic, modular holster system that allows you to carry one pistol in multiple different ways and locations with minimal hassle.

The Alien Gear Shapeshift is an ingenious idea and I have enjoyed testing it. A modular platform for pistols, it is dynamic and easily adapted to the needs of the moment. The core of the Shapeshift is the pistol shell. This is the part of the holster the pistol actually sits in. Currently, the shell is only available for a limited number of pistols.

The rest of the ShapeShift system includes all of the mounts that Alien Gear has designed to mount the shell to. There are mounts for OWB, IWB, and off-the-body carry. For OWB carry the different mounts available are: the paddle, belt slide, shoulder, drop-leg, ankle, and Molle. For IWB carry the different mounts available are, appendix, pocket carry, and IWB. Off-the-body use includes, Molle, car seat, desk/wall, and backpack. One of the greatest things about the ShapeShift system is that all the mounts are universal. All of the pistol shells will work with all of the different mounts. However, for this article, I will only touch on the few I tested for this review.

The core shell comes in 2 pieces and can be used whole or split apart, depending on the desired type of carry, IWB, OWB, or off-the-body.  Left whole, the shell has a connection knob that allows it to be mounted OWB or off-the-body to different Shapeshift mounts, including paddle, desk mount, car mount, Molle, and backpack mount. The car mount and backpack mount are incredibly useful if you are taking a long drive or long hike, so that the carry pistol does not press into your waist for hours on end. If you want to use the IWB, the shell splits in half and the outer portion is fixed to the chosen IWB mount.

During testing, I used a Springfield Armory XD-S 3.3” .45acp (please see my article about the XD-S for more information). For IWB, I found myself drifting towards the appendix carry most often. I enjoyed the IWB platform, but the appendix platform was a bit more versatile and I was able to move it around much more easily if when the need arose. For OWB, I used the paddle mount the most often, although the backpack mount came in handy on a hike. The mount that I enjoyed the most was the car seat mount. Instead of the pistol poking into my side as I drove, I popped it off my paddle and onto the car seat. The pistol sat between my legs within easy reach during the drive.

Overall, the Alien Gear Modular Holster System is an innovative holster system that can be adjusted to suit the needs of multiple carry scenarios. I have greatly enjoyed testing these products and I hope that Alien Gear continues to expand the list of pistols they produce the shell for use with the ShapeShift system. I would certainly recommend the ShapeShift system to anyone looking to upgrade their concealed carry options.