How to Wear and Adjust a Concealed Carry IWB Holster

The inside-the-waistband (IWB) holster is a favorite choice for concealed carry due to its close-to-the-body fit and ease of concealment. To wear it properly, first leave your pants unbuttoned and unzipped. Insert the holster just inside the waistband at the front and slide it around to your chosen carry spot. Most experienced carriers prefer the 4:30 position—just behind the hip bone—because it sits flat against the body, aiding concealment and comfort.

Avoid placing the holster at the small of your back (6 o'clock), as it can lead to serious injury if you fall and offers slower access in an emergency.

Once positioned, secure the holster clips over your belt by pinching and pulling each one into place. After that, button up your pants, zip up, and tighten your belt. Give the holster a firm tug to confirm it's anchored securely. Then, with your firearm unloaded and cleared, slowly insert it into the holster, ensuring that no clothing obstructs the trigger guard.

What Are The IWB Concealed Carry Positions?

Imagine your waistline as the face of a clock, with your belly button at 12 o’clock. This clock method is a simple way to understand and describe where a holster sits around the waistband—whether you're right- or left-handed.

For Right-Handed Shooters:

  • 3 o’clock – Strong-side hip. This is one of the most common and comfortable positions.

  • 4 to 5 o’clock – Just behind the hip. Helps with concealment and keeps the firearm tucked against your body.

  • 1 o’clock – Appendix carry. This is the front of your waistband on the draw side, offering quick access but requiring careful consideration of comfort and safety.

  • 6 o’clock – Small of back. Conceals well but can be slower to draw from and less safe when seated or if you fall.

For Left-Handed Shooters:

  • 9 o’clock – Strong-side hip. The mirror of the 3 o’clock position for right-handers.

  • 7 to 8 o’clock – Just behind the left hip. Often favored by lefties for both comfort and concealment.

  • 11 o’clock – Appendix carry. Positioned on the front left side, it's popular for fast access with compact firearms.

  • 6 o’clock – Small of back. As with right-handers, this position is ambidextrous but comes with drawbacks like limited accessibility and discomfort while sitting.

When choosing your carry position, focus on:

  • Draw speed

  • Comfort while sitting or standing

  • Concealment under your usual clothing

  • Ease of re-holstering safely

Alien Gear Holsters offer mirrored configurations for both left- and right-handed carriers, with adjustable cant and ride height, so you can fine-tune the setup to fit your body and preferred draw method.

Steps to Wear and Adjust an IWB Holster

1. Understand the Importance of Body-Side Orientation

Before anything else, you need to determine your dominant hand and plan your holster setup accordingly.

  • If you're right-handed, your natural draw motion comes from your right side. Most right-hand carriers place their IWB holster between the 3:00 and 5:00 positions on the waistline.

  • If you're left-handed, you're mirroring that logic on the opposite side, typically carrying between the 9:00 and 7:00 positions.

It’s not just about what feels "normal"—positioning affects how fast and safely you can draw your handgun under stress. Your holster must allow for a smooth draw stroke without unnatural wrist angles or shoulder twists. It also needs to conceal well without digging into your body during everyday movement.

2. Position the Holster Before Inserting the Firearm

One of the biggest mistakes new carriers make is inserting the gun into the holster and then trying to maneuver everything into position. This can create pressure points, poor concealment, or worse—accidental exposure.

Start with an unloaded firearm—double-check and clear it.

  1. Put on your pants without fastening them.

  2. Place the empty holster inside your waistband, adjusting its location along your waistline to your preferred position.

  3. Clip the holster onto your belt (or position it using tuckable wings or soft loops if applicable).

  4. Fasten your waistband and tighten your belt.

  5. Insert the unloaded firearm slowly and verify that no fabric or obstructions interfere with the trigger guard.

Doing this without the firearm in place first helps you feel the holster’s contact points against your body. You’ll get a sense of whether it’s aligned properly with your hip bone, whether it prints through your clothing, or whether it’s sitting too deep or too high.

3. Pick a Carry Position That Works With Your Body

The idea of using a “waist clock” helps explain carry positions. If 12 o’clock is your belly button, right-handers often find comfort at 4:30 (just behind the hip), while left-handers may prefer 7:30.

Here's what to consider for each:

  • 3:00 or 9:00 (strong-side hip): Easy access while standing, less comfortable for driving or sitting long periods.

  • 4:00 to 5:00 / 7:00 to 8:00 (behind the hip): More concealed under clothing, better for seated comfort, but requires a practiced draw angle.

  • 1:00 / 11:00 (appendix carry): Popular for its fast access, especially for smaller guns. Offers excellent concealment for lean body types but can be uncomfortable when seated or for those with a larger midsection.

  • 6:00 (small of back): Avoid this unless you're experienced. Drawing from here is slower, riskier in a fall, and harder to defend in close quarters.

The right position should conceal well, allow a smooth draw with minimal printing, and feel natural whether you’re walking, sitting, or driving.

4. Set Your Ride Height and Cant for Efficiency and Comfort

Ride Height:

This refers to how high or low the firearm sits in relation to your beltline. A higher ride exposes more of the grip, making it easier to draw, especially on compact or subcompact pistols. A lower ride conceals better but may force your hand into awkward angles during the draw.

Your ideal ride height will depend on:

  • Your body type

  • The size of your firearm

  • The type of shirt or cover garment you wear

Most Alien Gear IWB holsters come with adjustable clips or cam-lock systems that allow you to raise or lower the holster by about half an inch at a time. Start with a mid-level ride and test from there.

Cant (Angle of the Holster):

Cant affects how the grip tilts. A forward cant (around 10 to 15 degrees) aligns the grip more naturally with your hand during the draw, especially for behind-the-hip carry. A neutral cant (0 degrees) is more common with appendix or side carry positions.

The point is to adjust cant so that the grip points in a direction where your hand lands naturally, not where you have to twist your wrist awkwardly to reach it. For example, someone with shorter arms may benefit from a more aggressive forward cant to bring the grip closer.

5. Fine-Tune Your Retention—Don’t Skip This Step

Retention determines how tightly the holster holds your firearm. If your holster doesn’t keep the gun secure during sudden movement, it’s dangerous. If it holds too tight, your draw becomes slow and forced.

To test it:

  • With the unloaded gun holstered, hold the holster upside down (off-body). The gun should stay in place.

  • Try drawing with consistent pressure. You should feel a bit of resistance at the start, but not a full yank.

On most Alien Gear IWB holsters:

  • Cloak Tuck series: Use the Allen wrench to tighten or loosen the hardware screws by small increments.

  • ShapeShift 4.0: Rotate the retention dial to increase or decrease tension.

Test every change with several draw and re-holster cycles. Retention that feels fine when you’re standing might need tweaking once you try it sitting or walking.

6. Train With the Setup You Plan to Carry

A properly adjusted holster means nothing if you haven’t practiced using it. Spend time drawing from your IWB holster with your carry clothes on. Your draw should be smooth, consistent, and safe.

Focus on:

  • Lifting your shirt or cover garment without snagging

  • Keeping your finger off the trigger until the gun is out and on target

  • Re-holstering slowly and carefully—don’t rush this part

Dry fire practice (with an unloaded firearm and a safe backstop) builds muscle memory. You need to be able to draw without thinking during a high-stress situation. That only comes from repetition.

7. Match Your Holster With the Right Belt and Clothing

Many carry issues come from using the wrong belt. A soft, flimsy belt won’t support the weight of your firearm or keep the holster stable.

Invest in a gun belt—something stiff, reinforced, and built to handle holster clips. It prevents shifting, sagging, or unintentional movement of your gear.

Clothing also matters:

  • Shirts should drape well over the firearm

  • Avoid athletic materials that cling or stretch too much

  • Try your holster with both tucked and untucked shirts to see what hides printing best

Fine-Tuning Your Holster’s Retention and Cant

Not all IWB holsters arrive ready to go out of the box. You might find the retention either too tight to draw comfortably or too loose to hold the gun securely. That’s not a flaw—it’s a feature. These holsters are designed to adapt to your preference.

For example, on the Alien Gear Cloak Tuck 3.0, you can use the included Allen wrench to adjust the hex screws anchoring the retention shell. Turn the screws in small increments—no more than a half-turn at a time. After each adjustment, insert your unloaded firearm and perform a few test draws. The sweet spot is when the gun clicks in securely, but doesn’t fight you on the way out.

If you're using the ShapeShift 4.0 IWB holster, you'll find an Adjustable Retention Unit on the shell itself. Simply twist the dial until you feel the draw tension is balanced. It’s a fast and tool-free way to personalize your retention on the fly.

Adjusting the Cant and Ride Height

After you’ve set your retention, take time to configure your cant angle and ride height. This changes how the grip of your firearm sits along your waistline. With Alien Gear’s Cloak Tuck system, this is done by repositioning the clips vertically using the screw slots. Raising the front clip (or lowering the rear) creates a forward cant, which often makes drawing from behind the hip easier and faster.

For ShapeShift 4.0 users, the process is more modular. Rotate the cam-lock clip downward, pull it out, reinsert it in the new shaft hole, and rotate until it clicks into place. You can change both cant and ride height using this simple system, with no tools required.

Remember—there is no “perfect” setting until you test it with your body, your firearm, and your clothing. Try various combinations, then do movement drills. Sit. Drive. Bend. Walk. Your carry setup needs to move with you, not against you.

Final Thoughts

Wearing and adjusting an IWB holster isn’t just about hiding a gun—it’s about making concealed carry safe, consistent, and natural. From choosing the right carry position to dialing in retention and cant, every step should bring you closer to a draw that feels like second nature.

The difference between a good carry setup and a bad one can be the difference between confidence and hesitation when it matters most. Put in the work now. Get familiar with your holster, your firearm, and your own body mechanics.

And remember: every Alien Gear Holster is built to give you that freedom—to configure your carry the way it works for you, not just how it came out of the box.

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