OVER THE TOP, OR JUST ENOUGH?
- Jun 27th 2025
- By
As appendix inside-the-waistband carry (which I’m going to henceforth refer to as AIWB because I’m too lazy to type all that again, plus I don’t want to look like I’m trying to pad out a word count) exploded in popularity back around 2011 or so, gun forums on the ‘web were buried in FAQs and how-to threads on the best ways to do it comfortably while maintaining good concealment.
More than almost any other waistline carry style, AIWB is dependent on a broad constellation of variables if it’s to be done successfully: stiffness or lack thereof of the belt, width and length of the pistol, height of the waistline of the pant, most notably. People who had cracked this code happily toted their blasters around, positioned somewhere between the 12 o’clock and 1:30 positions on the belt, or between 10:30 and 12:00 for those whose right hand was on the wrong side. Those who hadn’t insisted it couldn’t be done comfortably.
Not to toot our own horn (much) but that’s why our PHLster Enigma was such a revolution in comfortable concealed carry, because it decoupled the belt and waistband height from the concealment equation. To a large extent, it got handgun size out of the calculation, too. Suppose you’re an average-size mammal or larger and your daily wardrobe isn’t yoga pants and a crop top. In that case, the Enigma will let you CCW a surprisingly large blaster without looking like you’re trying to smuggle cinderblocks around, hidden down the front of your trousers.
For many people, the natural reaction to this newfound freedom was to immediately run to the largest handgun they could get in there. Especially once the Floodlight came to the Enigma, it’s understandable that some folks would take this as a sign from above that it was time to tote a Glock 34 longboi with a Trijicon RMR optic, a Surefire X300U, and a plus-two ‘stendo. After all, any tactical problem you can’t solve with a setup like that probably requires something with a shoulder stock, and maybe a couple friends who also have somethings with shoulder stocks.
The thing is, as proud as we are of the Enigma, it doesn’t repeal the laws of physics. All that stuff still has weight and mass. It’s worthwhile asking yourself how much of that is likely to be of use and how much is sacrificing comfort for theoretical capability.
As a for-instance, in the early AIWB era, full-size and long-slide pistols became popular because of what we call the “keel effect” with the longer slide adding more of a lever below the belt line, like the keel of a boat below the waterline, to keep the portion of the pistol above the belt from flopping out. People went as far as chopping the grips of Glock 17 and 34 models to Glock 19-length, creating the “G19L” for concealment purposes. With the Enigma allowing you to position the holster vertically without regard for where the waistline of your pants is, this requirement is minimized. You can carry a compact or subcompact pistol without concern that simply sitting down will cause it to flop out over your belt and go skittering across the floor, which is a serious social faux pas, to say nothing of dangerous.
Another consideration is the necessity (or even advisability) of the weapon-mounted light. Within certain use envelopes, a handgun-mounted light is handier than a pocket on a shirt. You’ve got a hand free to manipulate doorknobs, herd loved ones to safety, operate your cell phone, and all those other tasks that may pop up in a self-defense scenario. A good modern high-output WML has more than enough brightness to allow you to safely aim it at the baseboards or the ceiling and still illuminate the room with splash and spill.
But using a WML on a handgun safely is a demanding task that requires quality training. Further, the scenarios where a pistol-mounted light is called for are vanishingly rare outside of your own home. When I’m not at home, I don’t feel any particular need to go searching for bad guys because searching for bad guys out in public ain’t my job. While a light is useful for positive identification of a target, the reality is that, as a private citizen, I had better have positively identified a bad guy before I pull out a handgun. Fortunately, the bad guy will generally have identified themselves. As retired SWAT cop and respected firearms trainer Chuck Haggard says, “People don’t get mugged in the ninja closet.” If there’s enough light for the bad guy to see you and select you as their victim, there’s enough light for you to see them. If you want to carry a WML and you know how to use one, knock yourself out, but it’s probably not necessary.
To sum up, just because the PHLster Enigma frees you up to carry a whole bunch of gun, it doesn’t mean you have to unless you want to. Nobody is going to judge you for it, either. There are a lot of legitimately badass dudes running around with an Enigma carrying a snubbie revolver or a subcompact pistol. Carry what you’re comfortable with, in all senses of the word.