gladius carry? pouch, holster, sheath?

mmmm. in looking over the gladius FAQ recently:
http://www.night-ops.com/Gladius-FAQ.htm

i noticed that it doesn't come with ANY carry system. none at all, and they recommend this:
http://www.blackhawkindustries.com/product_detail.asp?product_id=1598&d=

and this:
http://www.blade-tech.com/product.php?productid=954&cat=0&page=1&featured
(which has the interesting looking tek-lok as an option, okay price)

but i'm wondering if those are goodly, and/or the only options? seems kind of subtopimal for a $250 list light to have no carry option other than a camera lanyard?

thoughts?

leddite

I have the blade-tech flavor. I own lots of blade-tech products and they are well made. It does hold the light high, which digs into my corpulent side a little, but its not a problem. Screws allow you to adjust the tension, and if adjusted properly there is no chance the the light will emancipate itself without your consent.

best regards

I did actually think about the Kydex holster but decided that the durability of the ceramic coating (which mine has) would be degraded too quickly if used frequently.

I eventually decided on the original Gladius pouch but modified it by removing the plastic wire insert. This pouch is really good and doesn't sit high on the belt or damage the surface of the Gladius. It also doesn't impede a rapid deployment of the Gladius if needed. However, just to be anal I've also ordered the cross draw pouch to try.

Doug

I am a huge Blade Tech fan, but let me give you a warning about the Tek-Loc products.

If you ever plan on wearing these holsters with a dress belt, you may want to steer clear of the Tek-Loc and get the belt loop w/shim model instead.

I bought a few of the Tek-Lok holsters when I got my Gladius. I was planning on swapping out my Blade Tech combo Sure Fire/Magazine pouch for a separate magazine pouch and light pouch. This was so I could carry the Gladius since it would not fit in the combo pouch I had.

When I put the Tek-Lok pouches on with a dress belt, they would flop forward from the weight of the items in the pouches. This happens because the spacer that sizes the pouch for proper belt fit actually works the opposite of the way it works on their shim system. The Tek-Lok spacer rides on top of the belt, which lifts the entire pouch up high on the belt, hence the tendency for it to flop over. The shim system has the belt on top of the shims, letting the pouch sit lower on the belt, keeping it cinched in toward the body better.

I e-mailed them and told them of the problem. They were nice enought to call me back, but they were not of much help after that. Their first suggestion was to remove the Tek-Lok and turn it upside down. This will work, but there is a little plastic lock that is removed when you want to squeeze the plastic back together to remove the holster. With it upside down there is nothing to keep that from falling to the ground should it work it's way out. I suggested that a simple solution would be to make the belt channel longer, so you could put the belt below the shim as opposed to above it. I asked if I could send back the pieces and have them make the slot longer, instead of me trying to butcher it with a dremil. They said they would call me back but never did.

I pocket carry the Gladius, but when I have it with me I'm either in camping mode (cargo pants with HUGE pockets) or Photographer Mode (photography vest with HUGE pockets) Hrmmm, I sense a trend <grin>.

I'm pretty sure it'll fit in the Surefire V70.

http://www.surefire.com/maxexp/main/co_disp/displ/carfnbr/155/prrfnbr/222

I carry my coyote tan Gladius in the Blackhawk sheath they offer for the Gladius. I bought the desert tan model but it is more closer to OD green than tan but is still a nice match with the light itself. It is very handy and works great.

Ras_Thavas said:

I am a huge Blade Tech fan, but let me give you a warning about the Tek-Loc products.
...

When I put the Tek-Lok pouches on with a dress belt, they would flop forward ...

Click to expand...

forward or "out"? apparently from reading, it's supposed to flop out a little bit to aid in indexing and retention during draw, yaddah yaddah yaddah...

#

as for pouches, i think i have some stuff around here from other lights i can use/adapt just fine. the techlock system looks cool, but from reading, i worry that the ceramic skin is going to get heavily marred/ruined. HAIII would be spiffier. perhaps i'll save my pennies and get one of those [next]

thanx for all the info so far folx

leddite

I found that the UK carry pouch for the 4AA eLed fits the Gladius like a glove. It's even slightly tapered on the bottom so that when I carry it switch down, it does not accidently activate.

10mmWiseman said:

I carry my coyote tan Gladius in the Blackhawk sheath they offer for the Gladius. I bought the desert tan model but it is more closer to OD green than tan but is still a nice match with the light itself. It is very handy and works great.

Click to expand...

I have noticed in tactical gear that there seems to be two different families of "tan" colors

Some things have a pale red, almost pinkish hue that is a dead ringer for many rocks and sands. Others have a bit of yellow and green (which I prefer) that is likewise a very good match for dead grass. I think it is hard to go wrong with the "dead grass" color -- it seems to register as a non-entity visually in more environments than the pinkish hues do.

Scott

I have spoken to a manufacturer of black basket-weave leather, and black nylon web, lighting tool pouches and other related LE gear, and asked him if he has anything that will fit a Gladius. I showed him my Pila GL3R and had him take measurements of same, because it seemed to me that the bezel and four-point anti-roll collar are ABOUT the same diameter of the GL3R, and the 2 APPEAR to be about the same length.

This manufacturer was not previously aware of the Gladius, and said that he was planning on developing some new holsters to fit the Pelican M9, which he THINKS may be able to accomodate the Gladius as well. This manufacturer said that he would eMail me when he does build these new holsters and/or otherwise advise me if he has another, already-in-production, holster that would suffice.

I can pass on the details (size, material, price) on this thread, or by way of PM or eMail, after I hear back from him.

i've got a case for some variety of walkie talkie that could hold two gladius flashlights side by side... but i got thinking about carrying spares...

y'all know a product called airborne formula? comes in plastic tubes, and is added to water, fizzes, helps with colds...

the tubes... strong, fairly watertight, free! after using up the product. there's even dessicant in the caps! woo. i go through quite a few of these, so, boom. each tube will hold 2 CR123s quite well, without shaking about. one of those tubes fits in the aforementioned case, next to the gladius. what a deal.

i'm sure the tubes would also accomodate many of the smaller flashlights out there, good for emergency kit.

leddite

Here is a pic of the Gladius sheath from Blackhawk, it is not like the one they picture but it is even better!

I have not heard back yet from the manufacturer that I mentioned in my last post here, but I did check out a Pelican 7057 holster for their M9 light, and it LOOKS like that holster would fit a Gladius.

I can order from the Pelican Canada distributor, so will check for a price and shipping costs, if anyone is interested.

Whether I get one from Pelican, Blackhawk or elsewhere, I definitely need to get a holster, preferably a covered style, with a rear loop that fits a duty belt.

leddite:

Out, away from the body. causing them to imprint on your sport coat. Not a good thing if the object is to conceal these items.

Coincidentially, that is why I love most BT stuff. Their shim system holster holds a firearm very close to your body, closer than most other kydex holsters I have tried.

10mmWiseman said:

Here is a pic of the Gladius sheath from Blackhawk, it is not like the one they picture but it is even better!

Click to expand...

that looks pretty good. maybe someone will buy one, hate it, and want to sell it to me, cheap

thanx

leddite

Just a quick Q on the Gladius sheath above:
Is the belt loop adjustable or fully "openable", so that I can thread it through a loop that is sewn onto my jacket, at shoulder height?

Thanks

This thread is 1.5yrs old, so I'm closing it, and the topic can be re-visited in this current thread:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/164895