I Carry: Honor Defense Honor Guard in a Stealth Gear USA Holster

Welcome to another episode of "I Carry," Shooting Illustrated's weekly video series covering the guns and gear needed to put together a potential everyday-carry kit. Today, we have an Honor Defense Honor Guard in a Stealth Gear USA holster. We also have an LEDLenser flashlight and a Camillus folding knife, and a High Noon Holsters gun belt.

Honor Defense Honor Guard ($499)

All right, let’s get one thing out of the way first. The Honor Guard looks like a Smith & Wesson Shield. Thank you, Internet, for pointing out that fact. Really, I’d take it a little farther than that. The Honor Guard looks like a polymer-framed, single-stack nine. There’s a bunch on the market, and they all look similar, because it’s a design that works and people like it. Welcome to capitalism.

So, if it looks so much like other single-stack nines, why not just buy one of the others? Well, out of the box, the Honor Defense Honor Guard gives you a few more features for your money. Instead of upgrading other handguns on the market, you can run the Honor Guard right out of the box with enhanced texturing on the frame, wraparound serrations on the front and rear of the slide and the tactical-ledge style rear sight face that allows the gun to be racked one-handed. The gun also comes equipped with an ambidextrous slide-stop lever and magazine release.

And, as an added bonus, the Honor Guard is made right here in America, using American-made materials and assembled by American military veterans.

Stealth Gear USA Ventcore IWB Mini ($99)

Speaking of the gun’s similarity to the Smith & Wesson Shield, today, we’re carrying the Honor Guard in a Stealth Gear Ventcore IWB Mini holster - designed for a Smith & Wesson Shield. Yup, you can actually use the Honor Guard in some Shield holsters. Some, but not all, so don’t count on it.

Anyway, the Ventcore IWB Mini holster is, believe it or not, built with more than 30 different components, all working together to provide a comfortable carry rig that doesn’t absorb moisture and won’t corrode. The backing is made from a breathable, ventilated synthetic material, and all the fasteners are machined from stainless steel and black-oxide treated to resist rust. Each holster is built by hand and is designed to allow users to obtain a full firing grip before starting the draw, a must-have feature of any solid defensive rig.

LEDLenser TT ($50)

If you’re out and about, either early in the morning or late at night, having a EDC light can do wonders for your situational awareness. However, many lights on the market only have a fixed beam, leaving consumers to adapt to whatever lighting is offered, whether it’s a wide, scattered beam or a narrow, focused cone of light. What if you could fine-tune your flashlight’s beam width? LEDLenser offers this option in its TT model, which produces 280 lumens on its highest setting and is built with the company’s Advanced Focus system, which provides a rotating bezel to adjust the light beam. The light also runs on standard AAA batteries, so you’ll always be able to find spares.

Camillus Tanto 2 Folding Knife ($52.98)

When it comes to finding the perfect pocket knife for everyday carry, really, it’s all about blade quality. It’s important to have a blade edge that’s rust-resistant, stays sharp and is durable enough to handle daily tasks. With the Camillus Tanto 2 folder, you’ll get a blade made from VG-10 steel, renowned for its ability to retain a honed edge and resist corrosion. Further, the knife’s scales are made from durable, textured G10 fiberglass-laminate material, which allows users to remain in firm control of the tanto-style blade tip.

High Noon Holsters Rock Steady Belt ($101.95)

Carrying all this gear gets so much better when you have a solid gun belt around your waist, like this Rock Steady belt from High Noon Holsters. Unlike your thin, box-store dress belt, this design is made from a double-stitched layer of high-quality leather and includes an added reinforcement layer sandwiched in between. The added benefit of this model is that, unlike many other gun belts on the market, the Rock Steady doesn’t look like a gun belt. Rather, it looks like a high-quality, classy dress belt. Sure, you’re going to spend more for this belt than you will for a bargain belt, but having a good gun belt changes your whole concealed-carry experience by providing a firm foundation for your holstered firearm. Trust me, you won’t regret it.