Designing an ARC AAA key chain holster, ideas?

I have finally found a local guy that is very good with leather and only uses top quality leather. He specializes in building show quality rodeo harnesses. He only uses stainless for whatever hardware he needs and has a pretty quick turnaround. He uses a lot of harness leather, which I really like. He is not cheap by ant stretch but he is good. I want to have him build me a leather key chain/holster for my ARC AAA. I only want to do this once so I am soliciting ideas. I wasted $100 on 2 combo holsters from someone else before this guy got it right. This makes my new holster cost over $150 when you add my wasted R&D. I am guessing this key chain holster will cost $30-$40 but it will be very nice and last 10 years. If he makes several I could get the cost down. I am doing this because I plan to start carrying my ARC AAA LE and don't want it beat up.

My simple idea:

Take a flat piece of harness leather slightly larger than the AAA. Add a stainless solid loop at the top or a Berkley mini clip or gate clip. I like the solid stainless loop the best so far. Attach a pouch as small and tight as possible with a fold over snap top. I want the snap to cover enough of the light so that when unsnapped it exposes about 1/4 to 1/3 of the AAA. This will allow me to use the light while still in the pouch.

My other idea is to forego the flat piece of leather and just have him do the pouch with a loop.

I may really go for it and have the AAA on one side of the flat leather and my Mini UDT on the other.

Any ideas you could throw at me would be appreciated. I don't want to use a kydex or nylon holster for reasons unknown to me other than I just like leather.

Dave,
Make sure he covers the snap post inside the holster with something or it will scratch the crap out of your light.

Check this guy out Terrill Hoffman He is a professional photographer and leather worker, look closely at the Woods knife sheath with the Arc AAA on the front, pretty cool huh?

Later,
TSG

The nicest gun holsters I've seen were from Kramer leather, http://www.kramerleather.com/

They don't use a retention flap. The flap gets in the way, and any properly designed holster won't let the gun fly out when you're running around. (Obviously this doesn't always apply to a police duty rig.)

Anyway, I would think the same would apply for the light. You need a quick draw. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif Plus, the snaps could break.

I wonder if your friend could make an inside waistband concealment holster for an Arc AAA? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif Seriously, though that would be pretty cool.

Albany Tom,
That is good looking gear. My guy doesn't do any molded work that I know of. Most of his stuff is horse tack. IWB ARC AAA, now that's an idea. I like the key chain for me because I have to load every morning and it's just one more thing if not on my key chain. The drill goes, clothes, cell phone off the charger and put on waist, Watch, Wallet, Billfold, Ring, Combo pouch on the belt, sunglasses and keys. 1 out if 5 days I miss one item or another.

The Arc AAA will fit perfectly into Tygon R-3400 hose (1/2" ID, 3/4"). Tygon is the trade name for a range of hoses made by Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics. The R-3400 line is highly UV and chemical resistant, dense, durable, and somewhat elastic. It comes in black only. You can get it from McMaster-Carr among others.

The best part is the way this hose snugly fits the Arc AAA. As you know the Arc has that awesome anodized, textured finish. Well, it grips the inside of the hose. If you stick the Arc one inch into a length of hose, it's enough that I can swing the hose around at high speed and the Arc won't come out. I also tested "accidental release" by repeatedly whacking the hose against a milk crake: I could barely get the Arc to budge at all. If you stick the Arc in 1 7/8", i.e. entirely covering the textured finish but leaving the head out, the Arc is practically immoveable except by slowly twisting and pulling clockwise to remove the flashlight.

It occurs to me that the Tygon R-3400 could be an excellent material as part of a fastener, harness, holster etc for the Arc.

I myself am currently tinkering with some harnesses etc for the MagAA and Arc AAA.