New CCW Gear
for 2022
March 11th, 2022
9 minute read
Those that are serious about carrying guns know that equipment isn’t typically the lynchpin to success when it comes to solving defense problems. On the other hand, it would be naive to think that your gear doesn’t play a role. It does.
The right gear might determine if you are able to keep your gun, deploy your gun, identify your threat, or get the hits you need. As a result, I spend some time at the beginning of each year seeking out the gear that helps to advance the artform of concealed carry. Below are some of my top picks for the best in the category of what’s new in 2022 for CCW.
Magpul Tejas El Cibolo Gun Belt
When it comes to concealed carry, belts can make or break the deal. A quality belt supports the mass of your concealed carry handgun, distributes that mass across your waist, and has an appropriate level of stiffness to help enhance concealment. If a belt is durable and looks good, it is a real win.
Magpul’s El Cibolo is a three-layer belt. The innermost layer serves as the foundation for the belt. It’s a flexible polymer that is pliable for comfort but stiff enough to provide support. The outer layer is a one-piece strap of American bison hide. It is durable and has a naturally pleasant, distressed look. These two layers sandwich in a layer of North American bull hide.
The belt is 1½” wide and ¼” thick, which means it will fit the belt loops of most pants. Eight holes provide a wide range of adjustment at ¾” intervals. The El Cibolo has an MSRP of $119.95 and is available in black or chocolate.
Spartan Mode Agoge 2
There is something about adding a solid, practical fixed blade to your concealed carry, (where legal) that provides an additional layer of security. I had the chance to chat with Adam Boyce of Spartan Mode about his new blade, the Agoge 2. Adam is a person that knows what a defensive knife should be, both from a design and application standpoint. The Agoge 2 shows his knowledge.
The Agoge 2 features a 4” Wharncliffe blade. Like a well-trained Spartan, this blade profile is adept at stabbing, slashing and drawing. The shape is particularly practical when it comes to stabbing as it tends to penetrate deep and then quickly rebound and recover naturally to do more work.
The spine of the knife sports an ergonomic groove which provides good purchase in either a standard or reverse grip. The blade itself is 1095 carbon steel, and with the micarta grips has an overall length of 8.375”.
An included Kydex sheath has soft belt loops and a “wave” feature to help retain the sheath in place when the knife is drawn.
The Agoge 2 is made in the United States by Tops Knives and retails for $175.
Streamlight TLR-7 Sub
The Springfield Armory Hellcat is a solid micro-compact, concealed carry handgun, and new for 2022 is an important accessory for it — the Streamlight TLR-7 Sub. This subcompact weapon light features a tight beam pattern with 500 lumens and 5,000 max candela, giving you a lot of lighting power in a very compact package.
The weaponlight runs on a single CR123A battery that loads from the front. This means you don’t have to remove the TRL-7 Sub in order to replace the battery. Mounting the light is simple and can be accomplished with no tools. Simply slide the light onto the Hellcat’s rail and turn the thumbscrew tight.
The TLR-7 Sub is a 10-tap light. This means with 10 presses of either of the rear switches, you can program the strobe feature on, or my preference, off. The rear switches allow for you to press and hold for momentary-on, or press and release for constant on. It’s very easy and intuitive to use.
Streamlight boasts a 1.5-hour constant-on runtime for the TLR-7 Sub, and it is rated for waterproofness to one meter for 30 minutes. The TLR-7 Sub for the Springfield Armory Hellcat has an MSRP of $225, but the street price will probably be less.
Hornady RAPiD Safe Keypad Vault
Part of having a concealed carry gun at the ready is having a way to secure it when it is not in your possession. This might be about having the gun staged in your home when you aren’t wearing it, or having a secure way to store it in your vehicle when you need to remove your gun to follow the law.
Hornady has been leading the way when it comes to secure storage and staging of your self-defense firearms, while still providing for rapid access when needed with their line of RapID safes. At the 2022 SHOT Show, Hornady showed off one of their newest offerings, the RAPiD Safe Keypad Vault.
The RAPiD Safe Keypad Vault is an RFID safe that uses the variety of RFID tools that Hornady offers to provide instant intuitive access to your firearm. I like this vault because of its size. It’s small enough to fit in a drawer or to be mounted in your vehicle, but large enough to accommodate your full-size concealed carry handgun while it is still in its holster. This removes the need to handle your loaded carry gun outside of the holster and reduces the opportunity for a negligent discharge.
The RAPiD Safe Keypad Vault can be secured to furniture or your vehicle with two pre-drilled bolt holes in the bottom of the safe.
I’m a big fan of RFID tags. They are reliable and at the same time inconspicuous. My new favorite tag mounts easily to my watch band and gives instant access to the contents of the vault. The vault can also be opened with a key or with the four-button programmable keypad. The vault has an MSRP of $148.99 and is a solid addition to your firearm security tool collection.
Cloud Defensive Mission Configurable Handheld
When it comes to target identification and concealed carry, a handheld light is an invaluable tool. I carry a light on my person at all times, and it’s especially important when I’m carrying a gun. Cloud Defensive has introduced a new handheld light for 2022, and I am particularly interested based on my experience with Cloud’s weapon-mounted lights — the OWL and the REIN.
Just like the OWL and the REIN, the Mission Configurable Handheld (MCH) features impressive lumens, high candela and features to make the extremely light efficient and practical. Most interesting to me is the ability of the user to fit the light with one of three different activation switch collars. These collars help to protect the switch from inadvertent activation.
The MCH is also compatible with the Thyrm Switchback to make carry and use straightforward and simple.
The MCH will be available in two different formats, the standard MCH and the MCH-EDC — the latter of which is a close-range/administrative light version of the MCH. Both lights are available in an 18650 battery version for longer run times, and an 18350 battery for a more compact package.
The specs on both are impressive.
| Mission Configurable Handheld | MCH-EDC | |
| Candelas | 70,000 | 30,000 |
| Lumens | 1,100 | 1,400 |
| Color Temperature | 5,200–6,000 Kelvin | 4,000–5,000 Kelvin |
| 18650 Run Time | 80 minutes | 90 minutes |
| 18350 Run Time | 30 minutes | 35 minutes |
CYA Hellcat RDP Ridge Holster
Finding a quality holster for your concealed carry handgun can mean the difference between carrying your gun or leaving it secured at home. CYA Supply Co. has released a new holster aimed squarely at those who want to carry a Hellcat RDP.
The CYA Ridge Holster is a vacuum-formed holster that accommodates the Hellcat RDP. It is an optics cut holster that easily accepts popular optics mounted on the Hellcat RDP (or also the Hellcat OSP). It has a deep sight channel to easily accept suppressor-height sights if your pistol is so equipped. The bottom of the holster is open and cut straight, allowing for carrying the Hellcat RDP with or without the comp installed — while still fitting a standard Hellcat.
On the side of the holster is installed a Mod Wing mounted with tension-adjusting hardware. The Mod Wing takes advantage of belt pressure to help rotate the grip inward, helping you to conceal a 15-round mag. In addition, the tension screws help to create proper retention on the holster. The Monoblock Gear Clip held the Ridge at a perfect angle and height above my belt for comfort and access. It was easy to don the holster. It stayed in place while I was wearing it, and at the same time was easy to remove at the end of the day.
Galco Concealable 2.0
In the early 1970s, Galco made significant improvements on the pancake style belt holster by contouring the back layer to the body and the front layer to the gun. This holster, the Concealable, has been a staple of 1911 belt holsters ever since. New for 2022 is the Galco Concealable 2.0. The Concealable 2.0 has all the qualities of the original design with some important innovations for today’s concealed carry holster.
Most obvious is the addition of a sweat guard to the rear panel of the holster. The sweat guard is just the right size to keep the safety off your body and to keep your sweat off the slide. Also, and probably quite important to today’s gun owner, is the fact that the Concealable 2.0 is cut to accept optic mounted pistols.
The Concealable will soon also be available for 5” 1911s, with more sizes and XD models to follow. MSRP is $156.
Valhalla Tactical Jacket
The Valhalla Tactical Concealed Carry Jacket is a lightweight, soft shell that features two hand pockets and a pocket on each breast. There are no tactical-looking features like velcro shoulder patches, and the jacket is available in an array of normal colors.
But, just because the Concealed Carry Jacket isn’t tactical looking, doesn’t mean it isn’t a solid concealed carry jacket. For starters, the handwarmer pockets are pass-through pockets. This allows you to reach into your pocket and establish a grasp on your appendix-carried handgun without compromising concealment. Since establishing your grip is the most time-consuming part of the draw, this is an easy way to increase draw speed.
Once the gun is gripped, you have the option of continuing to assess the situation and de-escalate, or if appropriate, draw the gun and shoot. Instead of drawing the gun out through the pocket, the jacket features a set of snaps on both sides of the pockets. These snaps break free on the draw and allow you to punch the gun straight out on target, further reducing your time to the first shot.
Conclusion
So, there you have it — a good round-up of some of the best new gear for 2022. While gear is not the lynchpin for success, necessarily, it is certainly a foundation for it. With this gear, you will be solidly set to advance the artform of concealed carry.
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Paul Carlson
Paul Carlson is the owner of Safety Solutions Academy, LLC, a professional defensive shooting instructor, content creator in the firearms industry, and most importantly a husband and a father. Through Safety Solutions Academy, Paul teaches a variety of critical defensive skill courses in more than a dozen states annually. When Paul’s not traveling to teach and work in the firearms industry, you can find him with his family, either on the range or in the mountains.
