Do people carry leather holster inside the waist band, on skin? Do they get stinky or sweaty and hold moisture? Thinking of giving one a try with my Smith and Wesson CSX.

I have a Milt Sparks VM2 for my Glock 43x and love it. very comfortable against my skin.

I use Galco, always wear a T shirt underneath.
I used to use Desantis but now it's running for president

Where are you?

How much humidity?

Are you laboring in the sun?

Sweat will penetrate leather. It can rust the contacting side of your pistol.

Hard plastic will never feel as comfortable as leather. But it will protect the sweat from contacting the pistol.

Here in Texas I will be drenched with sweat. Though I've never noticed my holster smelling, I will put it under the ionizer to dry it out.


If I could afford it, a good idea would be to rotate between identical leather holsters.

When I first started carrying I carried leather holsters or hybrid holsters.  I never really cared for the sweaty skin against leather so I would wear an undershirt and still do with kydex holsters now days.

I never wear my holster against my skin.  I always wear either a T shirt, or if it is hot, a "wife beater".
But I never carry my sidearm if I am laboring heavily under the sun because I never do that kind of work; except around the house doing yardwork.

Just my 2 cents but bad guys almost never come when you are "prepared" so why would you not carry something while you are doing yardwork?  Plenty of examples of people being ambushed when they least expect it.  I carry in an OWB holster when I mow or am outside doing yardwork only downside is the dust that gets into the optic lens I have to clean it out when done.

Hi edgecrusher, happy to answer your question.

I don't wear a sidearm when I do my yardwork because the likelihood of my being a victim of a violent assault in broad daylight in my backyard is vanishingly small.  How can I be so confident about saying this?  Because I have lived in this same house in this same neighborhood for over 54 years and have been doing my yardwork around this house for over 54 years.  I believe I have the necessary experience to make an accurate risk assessment of my surroundings in this situation.

This is what it always comes down to; risk assessment.
Is it POSSIBLE that I might be violently assaulted in my backyard in broad daylight?
Sure.
But the likelihood is tiny.

Everyone's situation is different.
Everyone's risk assessment is going to be different.