"jljones-all of my Safariland ALS holsters have the Nubmod extenders."

I run a 6378ALS for my G19, but never heard of the Nubmod.

So I ordered some and just installed, Cool!

I'm now officially Gucci

I took a class last weekend with Fieldcraft Survival. Particularly when you try to go fast, occasionally even the most trained up dudes can miss the draw on the ALS. I missed the draw once trying to beat a draw and fire one below .8.

You can tell a big amount in that many draws during a class (especially raining) about how well it works.

No. Although, I would expect my instructor to be well equipped with equipment that shows use rather than NIB.
When I train with the local deputies or when at their range to qualify, I have my Country Boy OWB holster with matching pistol magazine carrier with one more magazine stuck in my back pocket. If I’m carrying a P7 or my Nano, I have several magazines stuck in my back pocket so I don’t have to reload as much. Clothing is appropriate for the time and season and is what I regularly wear. I always make sure I’m wearing a shirt with a collar that is typically long sleeved (neutral color fishing shirt is my favorite), a baseball cap, comfortable jeans, and lightweight hiking boots that are comfortable. It’s clothing I’m comfortable wearing and for the most part the same clothing I wear for CCW so I get use to working with it. I don’t compete FWIW.

When I’ve gone to a professional training course, it is the above with the addition of a double mag carrier I won in a Karma years ago and my shotgun hunting vest. I like my vest as I’m used to it from hunting and it has lots of pockets up front for spare magazines, and small gear I might need. I can also toss empty magazines into the large game pocket in the back.

I’ve been looking for a mag carrier vest for AR-15 magazines but I haven’t found one I like yet that cost what I was willing to spend.

Worn equipment is fine: good equipment will wear a long, long time, and keep working. Double Alpha, Taran Tactical and others aren't widely used because they're fancy-pants gucci names. They're produced by those who have been serious competitors, who know what works and what don't, and whose equipment is purchased and used extensively by serious competitors. The equipment works.

I attended one of Jerry Jones classes, and wore some kydex, fairly inexpensive stuff. I didn't know the courses were competition-oriented. It was never advertised that way. Others showed up with all the bells and whistles, and some of them were regular competitors. I'd never been to a competition, and wasn't aware during the initial course that it had anything to do with competition. A couple of staff laughed at me behind my back. One of them took sarcastic pot shots and made smart-ass remarks at my expense. I clearly wasn't one of the cool kids.

(Jones wasn't that way, and the training was worthwhile, for the record, and for those who might have a chance to take one of the OpSpec courses. I heard no complaints by any who attended).

Attending the first course with OpSpec, I spoke with an air marshall who was instructing for Jones. The air marshall commented positively on competing, and that led me to give it a shot, locally. I found it was a lot of fun, and that's how I view it...I'll never be a real competitor, but I enjoy it.

Early in that process, I arrived at the range for a steel shoot, and one of the guys with the "gucci gear" made a comment that one day when I was serious about shooting, and bothered to show up with "real gear," I might be a real competitor.

I'm okay not being a "real competitor." The guy was an asshole. I have, however, focused on what works and what doesn't. For playing run-and-gun games, a good quality belt and holster, something stable that won't crack or fail, that stays put, and provides solid, stable support for mag carriers, is a good investment. Taran Tactical baseplates add more capacity, function really well, save the investment of a magazine when it hits the dirt and rocks, and doesn't fail like plastic. They go on and off for cleaning, fairly easily, offer springs appropriate to the capacity increase, and serve as easy indexing bumper pads to firmly seat the magazine. I'd be comfortable carrying them, outside of playing games. They work.

The double alpha mag carriers on my belts can be custom set to individual angles, don't slip on the belt, and while not the more expensive metal versions, have held up well enough.

The red hill holsters with shock bottle hangars don't flex or move around or change angle to impede draw. The pistol tension is adjustable and locks in. The comptac holsters seem flimsy by comprison, and they flex. They split along the seam with use. Better holsters don't.

I reloaded on inexpensive manual lee hand loaders for years...average about 18 hours per thousand rounds. I finally broke down and went to Dillon. Different world. Gucci, maybe...but Dillons don't sell because people dig the blue color. They sell because they work, have outstanding warranty and support, and have mods, features, and capability for everyone. I still use the hand presses, too, and I do like Lee products...but there's something to be said for efficiency and productivity, too.

I'll wait and buy good equipment, rather than go after cheaper equipment now. That goes for the firearm as well as the holster and gear.

Lest it appear I'm bagging on Jerry Jones classes, I'll add a plug; spend the money and take the time to get the training. It's worth the expense. He commented that his MOAC course was the culmination of everything he wanted to do in a training course. I think he does one a year; it's unfortunate, because a course of that quality and magnitude should be available around the country, several times, because they ought not be missed. I'd go so far as to submit that taking the course each year would be a very good investment.

Seeking good equipment and good training isn't "gucci," in my opinion. It's simply putting one's invested dollars where the greatest value is to be found. I don't buy cheap tools or firearms, and I think cheap equipment or training is false economy. If you carry to save your life or the lives of others, good equipment and training is a very small price for your life. I guarantee you won't leave a MOAC course with any doubt as to where every round you fire will go. You'll leave comfortable handling a malfunction, mag changes, all the fundamentals, and comfortable with your own level of performance. Gucci is luxury, which to me means unnecessary indulgence. Good equipment and training is neither a luxury, nor unnecessary.

Im far from gucci. I buy mass-market holsters from Desantis, Galco, and Don Hume. They're not fancy, but they're well constructed, and they work. They're not as fast as some of the competition rigs, but I'm not using them for competition...retention and concealability are my primary concerns, followed closely by comfort.

I have a plain bullhide belt from the Beltman that supports the gun and is comfortable. It was an expensive belt, as far as belts go, but it's not a $300 sharkskin extravagance, either.

A lot of my stuff shows wear, but it's not worn out. It's all functional. When I was at the academy, I was the only one in my class still carrying an SSIII. It was ugly and beat up, with the outer venir mostly worn off (it was issued to me already used, and I'd been a reserve for 6 years before going to the academy), but the retention devices all worked, and I was faster with that holster than most of my classmates were with their SLS/ALS rigs, because I was trained on it and used to it.

I was told I had to get rid of it for graduation, and I got a new one out of the closet at the PD to wear for the ceremony. That thing was so stiff you could barely get the gun into it, and once you got it in, good luck getting it out. As soon as graduation was over, that new holster went back in the closet and my ugly old one went back on my belt. Sure I probably could have broken in the new one, but why? The old one was functionally perfect and exactly how I wanted it. I wore it for another year until we switched guns and went to the SLS/ALS...but I still have it around here somewhere, and it still works.

Spend money on belts, shoes, eyes and ears.

I have everything from a DAA set up for an SVI open gun, to kydex.

Honestly, my favorite is my Looper holster - kydex interior with a leather outside.

Doesn’t break as easy as kydex, with the consistent draw of kydex.

I hate drawing from leather.