Safariland’s outstanding reputation has been built on its police and military duty holsters and competition gear. Their rugged equipment has lasted careers in the harshest environments. Unfortunately, their concealed carry lineup seemed, incongruously, uninspired. Understanding this shortcoming, the decision-makers made a wise decision to collaborate with one of the most innovative minds to step foot on a battlefield, competition range, or operate in places and circumstances still classified. As a result, Safariland released the IncogX IWB holster.

Meet The Man Behind the IncogX IWB from Safariland

Travis Haley turned down a full-ride football scholarship from Florida State University to become a United States Marine. His 15-year career includes combat tours as a Force Reconnaissance Marine. Specifically in places like the Middle East, Africa, and Central Asia.

After leaving the military, Haley served as a special operations and security contractor. Many of us first learned of his work via a widely viewed video of him shooting insurgents from a rooftop in Najaf, Iraq.

Haley partnered with Magpul as founder and CEO of their training division, Magpul Dynamics. Haley also served as CEO of the parent company, Magpul Industries, before breaking off to form the endeavor that would become Haley Strategic Partners (HSP).

Headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, the expansive facility would host the introduction of Safariland’s new IncogX line of holsters.

I sat outside the HSP headquarters in June. I had driven to the Scottsdale facility from my home in Tucson. To ensure I was on time, I arrived early in case there were any rollovers on I-10. Haley saw me sitting outside and invited me in. Rather than retreat to his office, he sat and chatted with me while we waited for the rest of the writers to show up.

A Prior Introduction

I reminded him that a mutual friend introduced us prior to this. One of his old teammates from an early deployment about 10 years ago.

“Mike is a gun writer. Maybe he could write about one of your courses,” my friend offered.

A decade younger, Haley eyed me up and down and said, “We don’t really offer any geriatric courses.”

He laughed and said, “I really said that?” I nodded but added that I wasn’t offended. The point he was making, and that I understood was that he ran his classes hard. And they are not geared for the out-of-shape or casual sport shooter.

IncogX Evolution

At one point in time, Travis Haley had been a Safariland-sponsored shooter. So, it was only natural he would approach them regarding a collaboration. Safariland’s thermoform technology and ability to manufacture and distribute the product made them the perfect partner.

After 18 months of development, the new IncogX design was ready to debut.

Haley said, “When we drew up a list of features the new holster would need, we had to make it as mission-adaptable as possible. It had to be comfortable, compatible with a red dot, and capable of providing a full firing grip prior to presenting.

“I wanted the holster to have adjustable clip struts to help push the grip of the gun into the body to prevent obvious printing. I wanted the shims to be easily installed or removed without any tools.”

The easy-on and easy-off design is especially important to Haley.

“There were times when we’d have to quickly remove and stash our sidearms when operating in prohibited environments,” Haley said. “That’s why I developed the attached magazine caddy. I wanted to be able to remove the gun and extra magazine quickly as a single unit. When I first developed the prototype with the attached magazine caddy, I was unaware of anyone else doing this.

“For me, appendix carry is the way to go. The gun is right here and doesn’t require much shoulder or elbow movement to get to.”

Connecting with the IncogX

An often-overlooked detail of concealment holsters is how they connect to the shooter. In the case of the IncogX IWB holster, Safariland uses polymer clips that can slide over the belt and lock at the bottom edge of the belt.

To remove the holster, simply pull up on the bottom of the belt. Then, activate the finger tab at the bottom of the clip and lift it up enough to disengage the belt.

The IncogX holster itself is thermoformed from Boltaron and is covered with a microfiber suede. It is unaffected by sweat and allows the holster some grip to help it stay in place on the presentation.

It is gray in color and does not scream holster like black Kydex, and can be hand-washed. Safariland cuts the holster for red-dot optics. Additionally, the rear of the holster, which goes against the body, features a sweat guard to protect the gun from acidic sweat. Retention points are at the ejection port and triggerguard.

Lightning Quick

But is it fast? Funny, you should ask. Haley Strategic Partners headquarters has a multimillion-dollar, computer-generated range capable of complex firing exercises and scenarios. We were each given a modified laser-firing Glock with a CO2 cartridge. This gave the neutered gun slide cycle to reset the striker.

Using the IncogX holster and a Safariland Everyday Carry Belt, Haley had us start with the gun concealed. He gave us five seconds to draw and fire.

This is where we concentrated on fundamentals. This included lifting our shirts, getting a firm firing grip on the gun before presenting it, finding the sights, and adding pressure to the trigger until it broke. Our hits were recorded on the projected image.

Gradually, Haley reduced our allotted time until we got to one second. At that point, Haley pointed out there was a lot of extraneous movement on our part. Specifically with shoulders dropping and elbows lifting in an attempt to go faster.

Haley’s suggestion was, “Put your nose on a pane of glass.”

This eliminated all of the excess movement, and I am happy to report that I, at age 64, was able to perform a sub-one-second shot from concealment and score a solid hit!

The D7 laboratory at HSP also features a walled enclosure where a video scenario can be played out. Again, using the laser-firing Glock, shots are tracked and recorded. Once completed, the video can be played back to critique the shooter’s response and accuracy. It is an amazing training tool.

Availability of the IncogX IWB

Safariland offers the IncogX in two different versions. One is a dedicated non-light holster, while the other is compatible with the Streamlight TLR-7.

The price of the holster is $90 without the magazine caddy or $120 with the mag caddy. Safariland currently shows IncogX holsters available for the following brands of guns: Arex, Glock, Shadow Systems, Sig Sauer, Wilson Combat, and Zev.

For more information, visit Safariland.com.

Editor’s Note

After writing this story, Safariland released the IncogX IWB for the SIG Sauer P365-XMacro. As the company’s most popular and best-selling IWB holster to date, customers called for fitment with the P365-XMacro. And the company answered.

The addition not only answers the requests of its customers but also lives up to Safariland’s commitment to expand the IncogX line.

“The IncogX has garnered significant attention from our customer base, with many expressing a strong desire for a Safariland holster tailored specifically for the P365-XMacro,” said Eric Gasvoda, GM of Duty Gear for Safariland. “This addition of the P365-XMacro is the first of many new fits that will be available. We are ramping up production of the IncogX to include numerous popular firearm fits that will be rolling out.”

This article was originally published in the Combat Handguns January/February 2024 issue. Subscription is available in print and digital editions at OutdoorGroupStore.com. Or call 1-800-284-5668, or email subscriptions@athlonmediagroup.com.