Nearly a month ago now, I received a LadyBUG Holster from Discreet Carry when I ordered a Cleavage Holster from them. I’ve been wearing them in different situations with my Bersa Thunder .380 to see how they hold up and how they perform. Here’s my review of the Cleavage Holster:

Comfortability: Is this holster comfortable? Can I wear it day in and day out without any thoughts of “I can’t wait to get this thing off” or “Ow! It’s poking me.” Does it breathe?

The LadyBUG Holster by Discreet Carry is very comfortable once you get it placed. Getting it on is the hard part, but once it’s there, it’s for all intents and purposes invisible. It, like its sister holster the Cleavage Holster,  is made of a soft fabric and is fashioned so that the Velcro straps which fasten the holster to your bra do not scratch any delicate skin. I had no trouble wearing it from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Additionally, I taught Sunday School in this holster and even chasing a bunch of 3 year old kids while moving and bending did not cause this holster to become uncomfortable.Out carrying while shopping with my mom and GB I said to them repeatedly “wow, this is so comfortable.” I couldn’t believe it. I felt like I wasn’t even carrying because I was so comfortable. I think it even felt better than not carrying somehow! But unlike its sister holster, this holster affected my bra.

I was so comfortable wearing it that I was terribly disappointed when at the end of a long day, I took my top off to find that the around the rib cage band on my bra was sitting three to four inches lower on my carry side than on my non-carry side. Although it caused my bra to sag, the holster did not change how well my bra supported me.  I tried wearing several different bras thinking that maybe it was the less sturdy bras that sagged, but even the industrial strength over-the-shoulder-boulder-holder-type  sagged. This might be my gun’s problem and not the holster’s problem.

I was carrying a Bersa Thunder .380 and as this is a backup gun holster, I presume many people will carry in it firearms much smaller such as Kel-Tecs. I was able to solve the sag problem by running a cotton headband through the Velcro loops with my bra and slipping it up over my shoulder next to my bra strap. This put some of the weight on the strap and onto my shoulder and allowed my bra to behave more as it naturally would without a gun on it (If you want to carry a heavy gun with this holster, great. But if you’re looking for another option, check out Discreet Carry’s Deep Conceal Holster. They’ve shown it modeled on a man, but I believe it will fit just fine under the bra band on a woman. It does have a support strap.).

The holster did leave red marks against my skin after a long day of wear, but the marks were not uncomfortable and I wouldn’t have even known they were there if I hadn’t have seen them.

Flexibility: Can I wear what I want when I want or do I have to dress around my holster?

For this holster, I had to adjust my wardrobe significantly. My Bersa is so plump that it makes a large bulge under my arm when I carry this way. A smaller firearm may not have that problem, but for me, I had to add more layers to my look to cover the bulge. Vests and jackets worked very well. Since it’s summer the vest was the best cover-up, followed closely by the short or three-quarter sleeved jackets and sweaters that are common now. Another way I was able to conceal this shirt was with a flowy sheer top over an undershirt.

Concealability: How easy is it to discern I have a gun under my clothes? Does this holster make concealed carry easier or more difficult for me?

This holster was very concealable as long as I had an outer layer covering the bulge. In winter it makes concealed carry much easier for me because I’ll have those layers on anyway, but in the Nevada desert, summer time temperatures can get too high to be comfortable in added layers. Especially because my house does not have central air. Out shopping or in other locations with central air, such as church, I may be perceived as strange for having such a warm top on, but I’m not uncomfortable. This is a back up gun holster so a smaller BUG gun would probably not have this issue.

Security: Is my gun retained in its holster securely until it is needed? Would it be easy for someone to disarm me if they discerned where I was carrying? Can I run, jump, climb, hike, etc. without my carry gun bouncing around or falling out?

I found the LadyBUG holster to be a very secure holster. As I said in the Cleavage Holster review, I am an active person. Because of that, retention is important to me. I tend to shop till I drop on Saturdays with my mom. We go-go-go the whole day. Moving, bending, changing in and out of outfits, sitting on the floor trying on shoe after shoe. I also teach a very active class of three year old kids on Sundays. This weekend recipe calls for two days of running, jumping, bouncing, sitting, standing and more. When we sing the song “Do as I’m Doing” with the kids or “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes,” I can be required to move in interesting ways. During all of this my Bersa stayed under my arm and in its holster.

Unlike the Cleavage Holster, there is not a strap covering the gun. The holster is secured to the bra by two elastic bands and the gun just sits inside of the holster. It is your arm that is the retention strap in this case. When jumping, keep your elbow tucked against your side, if you can. I did successfully jump and do jumping jacks without my arm down by my side and while my gun did not jump out, it did move up and down in the holster significantly.

GB tried to disarm me and he didn’t even know how to get at the gun once I told him where it was. I offered him a bit of instruction, but he still couldn’t get the gun off of my body. I feel secure carrying in this holster.

Practicality: Can I draw from this holster easily? Can I draw from this holster in a variety of outfits?

The LadyBUG holster is a more modest drawing holster than the Cleavage Holster. To draw, I stick my hand inside the top of my blouse at the neckline and jam it under my armpit. There, I draw the gun out of the holster and up through the neck of my top. Lifting the non-shooting arm into a chicken-wing position assists with this draw. Drawing this way is quite quick and since it is an unexpected carry position, comes with a bit of a surprise to it.

I say this because I have a friend who was in a dangerous situation and we went for his gun. He simply reached his hand back right behind his hip where he carries. The aggressor in the situation recognized that drawing motion and adjusted his actions accordingly. Crisis averted. On the other hand, if my friend were female and stuck her hand down her shirt and towards her armpit, it would be more easily assumed she was adjusting a bra strap than going for a gun.

In Sum: I think this holster is awesome. It is a particularly valuable carry holster in office and driving situations where you sit a lot and the gun pokes you in waist carry. Or if you are a teacher/Sunday school teacher like me, this holster is awesome because wearing skirts and dresses makes it harder to conceal carry and then add on top of that the kids that like to pull on your skirt or sit on your lap. This holster won’t be discovered through tugging and pulling.

Recently here in Nevada we had a CCW permit-holder shot by the police after his gun was spotted in his waistband as he bent down for something. Bending down to help small children in a classroom, or for any other reason, this holster is not going to show. That could save your life.

Pictures:

I was able to successfully conceal a Bersa Thunder .380 and a Walther P22. I’m 5’1″ tall and wear a size 16W. The bra I’m wearing in the above picture is a 40 DDD. I don’t know the dimentions of the Discreet Carry model or gun, but I’m guessing little and little. As you can see, big gun; little gun; big girl; little girl; left-handed draw; right-handed draw, this holster works for a variety of wearers.

One word of warning: if you are allergy-sensitive, be careful when ordering holsters from Discreet Carry; they are not manufactured in a non-smoking environment. . I have asthma and this did not bother me, but I just wanted to let you know that you may need to wash it/air it out overnight before you wear it if you are more sensitive than I am to allergens.