Cloak Tuck vs Cloak Tuck 3.5 IWB Holster: Which Should I Get?

Wondering if you should get the Cloak Tuck or Cloak Tuck 3.5 as your IWB holster? Both are solid choices!

You don't necessarily HAVE to choose; you could bundle both in a 2 Holster Combo and get up to 20 percent off the second holster. Not that you have to. But we're just saying that you could.

Both holsters have been around awhile, and are known for being comfortable to wear, reliable to use, and for being an incredibly competitive value. However, there are some key differences that might steer you in one direction or another.

Cloak Tuck: A Classic Leather Hybrid IWB Holster

The Cloak Tuck is the original IWB holster by Alien Gear Holsters, the one that we started with. We have obviously moved on in terms of design, but it still remains pretty popular and for good reason!

The Cloak Tuck is a classic leather hybrid holster, with a plush leather holster base joined with a custom-molded retention shell. It's the classic hybrid holster; this design has been around for awhile, just like other classic holster styles like a leather pancake OWB or the Summer Special IWB.

The base is a sheet of 8-10 oz leather, thick in the middle and thinning out to the sides. It's soft enough to be comfortable, but rigid enough to create a strong base to draw from and reholster to.

Most people find leather to be a good middle ground of comfort. Just comfortable enough to wear it all day, but not the most comfortable. It isn't the best thing to have against your skin in high heat and humidity. While it will absorb moisture, your sweat can give leather a skunky smell. Some people also find leather creates hotspots against the skin - ever wear heavy boots in warm weather? - that not everyone necessarily cares for.

The Cloak Tuck also comes with our classic holster belt clips, either our injection-molded polymer clips or spring steel belt clips if preferred.

To adjust cant or ride height, you'll need to grab the included hex key in the Parts Pack that comes with your Cloak Tuck, and remove the retaining bolt and crush washer, then reinstall in the desired position.

That said, it's still a great value, as competing holster designs from other companies often require double the purchase price despite being no different in...pretty much any way, shape or form. Their leather is no better than ours - we buy vegetable-tanned leather straight from an American tannery and it comes to us in whole-hides - and neither is their shell material.

A Modern IWB Holster: The Cloak Tuck 3.5

As great as the Cloak Tuck is, leather isn't the only game in town for making a comfortable IWB holster anymore.

Obviously, the key difference between these two holsters is the holster base, as both are of the hybrid design.

The Cloak Tuck 3.5 has a completely modern multi-layer holster base. Instead of a single piece of leather, it's made by sandwiching and stitching together several layers of material to create a holster base that's as comfortable as it could possibly be, but also making the holster perfectly functional.

The backing layer of ventilated neoprene cushions but wicks away moisture and lets the skin breathe, making it very comfortable to wear against the body. The edges of the holster are bound, so you don't feel the layers. That makes the Cloak Tuck 3.5 one of, if not the, most comfortable concealed carry holsters on the market.

But a concealed carry holster also needs enough rigidity to create a strong platform on the waist. This allows the pistol to be drawn reliably from the holster, and also reinserted into the holster. That's why the Cloak Tuck 3.5 has reinforcing layers of woven ballistic nylon and a spring steel core, sitting behind the gun, to give it a firm but flexible spine.

We also add our Alien Skin textured surface material, which has enough friction to help hold the pistol in place but produces minimal wear on the finish.

The comfort of the Cloak Tuck 3.5 makes it easy to wear all day. The reinforcing layers make the holster functional so you can train with it at the range without issue. The perfect blend of function and comfort.

The Cloak Tuck 3.5 IWB also has our toolless belt clips, which allows for on-the-fly adjustment of ride position. You can also change belt clip styles, if you want to change from our classic clips to C-clips or J-clips, or even our O-clip loops.

Which IWB Holster Is Right For Me?

Which of these two IWB holster designs is going to be right for you? Well that depends on a few things.

In either case, you're getting a quality, American-made IWB that's designed to carry comfortably and function in every way that a holster should, from the range doing training sessions, to dry fire reps in the home, to the street.

The price difference is a mere $5, so it isn't so much that one is a budget holster and one is a premium holster. In fact, they're both premium when compared to many other hybrid IWB designs, though both are priced extremely competitively when compared to other hybrid IWB holsters on the market.

There are some people that just have to have gunleather and there's something to that. Leather has the strength but also the suppleness needed to carry a pistol securely but also comfortably enough for you to deal with it. And there's also something to the appearance of a leather holster.

Some users report the Cloak Tuck 3.5 is a little better in areas that have very hot weather as well as high humidity; the ability of the fabric to wick away moisture and to be more easily cleaned once it's obviously absorbed too much sweat is something that many of our customers appreciate.

Another aspect to be aware of is that leather starts to develop wear patterns, and some people have found that their Cloak Tuck base has to be replaced periodically to ensure the best function. Some people also find the Cloak Tuck 3.5 is a bit more comfortable than leather when worn inside the waistband without an undershirt.

So, it's really the case of classic design on the one hand, and modern materials for greater comfort on the other. Which do YOU tend to prefer?