Written by: Zane M.
Selecting a holster can be a daunting task. Anyone who is serious about carrying a firearm probably has at least one box or drawer full of holsters that have fallen short in one way or another. I have two and half dresser drawers full of bad ideas and borderline junk myself.
About a year ago I decided to try the appendix inside the waistband(AIWB) position for various reasons. After trying a few holsters that I found and a few I made without much success, I reached out to some friends in the industry for suggestions.
Highly recommended was the raven concealment systems eidolon. One of my friends had one he wasn’t using anymore so he sent it my way for some testing and evaluation. If you’re not familiar with the eidolon it is extremely user configurable. So much so it can be intimidating but it’s comes with a user’s manual and I recommend you read it.
I kept the holster in the configuration it came to me in: a single belt strut(molded clip) and the RCS claw. Both soft loops and over struts can be used. Typically I’m a fan of soft loops but I have nothing against struts so I chose to keep it as configured. Other options include a wedge for pushing the top of the gun into your body, the claw(that I did use) for rotating the grip towards your body and wings so the holster can be configured for hip carry. The holster can be used right handed or left handed by simply switching out the mounting hardware. The holster is available for a wide array of guns as long as it’s a small frame glock that is to say double stack 9mm/.40/.357sig/.45gap (people use .45gap?) the model I have is cut to glock19 length with an open bottom. The majority of the testing was done with a glock 17, I also used it with a glock 26 for comparison sake.
At this point it’s worth mentioning I stand a staggering 5’10” tall and am weighting in at a whopping 150lbs, in other words, I’m not a big dude. The holster is comfortable and extremely good at concealing the gun. It covers the trigger completely but still allows for a full firing grip while the gun is holstered, even with a custom undercut on the trigger guard. The strut is well made and after several hundred draws never once did it slip off the belt. As I was using a g17 there was about a half of an inch of slide sticking out the bottom of the holster, however I didn’t find this to be a problem. RCS offers a version with a closed bottom for the g17 size guns if that’s an issue for you. The gun stays in place, even with only one belt strut, and the rcs claw really does wonders for rotating the grip into the body making concealment of a full size gun not only possible but easy. With the g26 the gun literally disappears.) If I were to continue to use the holster for every day use I would probably add a 2nd strut or even use two tuckable soft loops (available with the full kit or from RCS) I did add a strip of Velcro to put a foam wedge on, even though RCS offers a wedge I chose this route for the simple reason that I had the wedge already for another holster. A g26 in the eidolon is my go to non permissive environment rig (all federal, state and local laws followed of course) but no longer use it for the g17. The only reason for this is I now carry a weapon mount light and this holster doesn’t allow for that.
If you’re looking for a user configurable, AIWB holster for your glock, you should take a good look at the RCS eidolon.
Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points
Claim to Fame:
A comfortable user configurable AIWB holster for compact and full size glocks.
Target Market:
Anyone with a need to conceal a 19/17 size glock. Concealed carriers, off duty law enforcement and special operators with the military/security forces
FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):
RCS claw and wedge
Completely covers the trigger but still allows for a full firing grip even with an undercut.
User configurable
Injection molded
What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?
Black or Limited clear at time of writing
What others are saying?:
From raven concealment systems website
“I ordered the G17 Full Kit for my G19 MOS w/ Trijicon RMR. It's a solid product! Shipping was fast and craftsmanship is top notch. My favorite holster to this day. I went ahead and ordered the soft loops too.”
Amazon review
“Ok like most everyone else I've been trying to make the switch to appendix carry. Finally after 6 different holsters I am appendix carrying. This holster is comfortable and most importantly it doesn't print. It literally disappears. I will say I bought the clips and they didn't work. I had to order the soft loops to make it work. I could never get the clips in the "right" position. Save yourself some money and buy the soft loops from the start. I paid $25 to order the soft loops after the fact when I could have gotten them for less than $10 by just ordering them with the holster. At the end of the day I can now carry off duty in the appendix position comfortably.”
Link to other reviews:
Price point:
MSRP = $59.99-149.99
Retail = $54.24 on Amazon
I need it now! Availability:
Our Rating:
Pros:
user configurable
Super comfortable
Very well made
Cut for use with RMR/RDS
Tall sight channel
Mag release guard/ but not covered
Tuckable
Cons:
Only for glocks