Reshaping Everyday Carry
Alien Gear’s new Photon holster provides an all-in-one solution.
By Shannon Farlow
The Photon can be easily set up for multiple IWB and OWB wear. It also can be finetuned with adjustable cant, retention, and ride height.
As the number of people who carry a handgun daily continues to grow, holster manufacturers are working overtime to meet the historic demand and provide shooters with the latest technology. The changing, often complex, needs of today’s shooters are driving holster innovation. Alien Gear Holsters has been pushing the envelope with next-generation designs and engineering developed at their facility in Post Falls, Idaho. Alien Gear’s new Photon Holster easily ranks as one of the most exciting models of 2023. The Photon Holster provides an all-in-one solution for both shooters and retailers.
Checking All the Boxes
A unique, fully adjustable design makes the Photon holster ideal for a variety of purposes. The ambidextrous Photon can be easily set up for multiple IWB and OWB configurations and fine-tuned with adjustable cant, retention, and ride height. It’s compatible with threaded barrels and high/co-witness sights, features an optic cut-out, and is side-car ready with the optional mag carrier. The Photon Light-Bearing version gets bonus points for working with most handgun lights.
“The new Photon holster checks off all the boxes that our customers and retailers are looking for in a gun holster,” says Shawn Hostetter, CEO of Tedder Industries (owner of Alien Gear). “The Photon line is one of the first retail-focused holsters that allows for lights and optics, which reduces the number of SKUs a retailer needs to have on hand. Retailers around the country have been extremely happy to finally have an answer to this massive problem in the holster category. Consumers are very excited to have one holster that checks so many boxes, where they previously had to have many holsters for the same gun to accomplish what they needed.”
For gun stores, the Photon’s do-it-all capability can significantly reduce the volume of holsters they need to keep on hand. This space-saving dream can effectively replace six to eight holster SKUs with a single SKU. It’s no surprise then that the Photon is fast becoming a best seller.
Secret to Success
Alien Gear Holsters maintains a strong presence across the various social media platforms. By leveraging key influencers and producing high-quality content, Alien Gear has developed a loyal online following—over two million and growing. Hostetter, however, attributes Alien Gear’s success to much more than savvy marketing.
“Our people are what make our company great, and our people care deeply about making the best gun holsters on the planet. That pride in workmanship has always been a key to our success. Our customer base prefers to buy USA-made products. We control our own destiny better by manufacturing in the USA and not having overseas supply-chain constraints. We work closely with many USA-based companies. We control our costs and product quality through our strong kaizen culture efficiencies.”
Growing Fast and Gaining Momentum
Alien Gear Holsters has additional products in the works, including a pre-positioned tourniquet that can be attached to their various holster models. Called the Taq Strap, the tourniquet is designed to save the lives of police officers, soldiers, and others who serve on the front lines.
“The military, law enforcement, special ops, and many other customer groups are extremely excited to see this innovative new product hit the market,” Hostetter says. “It will integrate with our Rapid Force professional-grade holsters, as well as our EDC Shapeshift and Cloak holsters when attached to our new swivel drop leg. It allows the wearer to stay in the gun fight and deliver return fire even if they get hit. It is a game-changing product that will save lives.”
The company continues to expand their footprint across the shooting sports industry. In 2023, Alien Gear Holsters partnered with several large retailers, including Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s, and Sportsman’s Warehouse. This move will enable Alien Gear to support a much broader customer base.
“We are getting more innovative by the day. We are building strong industry relationships. We are growing fast and gaining momentum, especially in military, law enforcement, and international markets,” Hostetter says. “Our relationship building, strength of listening to and acting on our customers’ input, and nimbleness and willingness to change to improve make us a force to be reckoned with. We will see strong organic growth over the coming years and we are focused on purchasing other synergistic brands and companies.” (aliengearholsters.com)
