Learn the Enigma
Enigma Concealment Fundamentals
Your goal is to keep the pistol’s angular shapes from disrupting your clothing silhouette. This page gives you the basic concepts for achieving concealment success with your Enigma. Click through the tabs above for our best tips and tricks.
You’re managing angles
Printing happens when angular shapes disrupt your silhouette. Fixes change how angles meet fabric.
Make changes repeatable
Change one lever at a time, test standing/sitting/walking, and note what improves or worsens the shape.
Fast path: Identify the problem shape → pick one lever → make a small change → test → keep notes.
Different body, different starting point
Our Concealment Sweet Spot Guide walks through 10 body-type illustrations and where each tends to carry best.
Definitions
These terms come up across the site and inside the Enigma community. If a term isn’t familiar, start here.
Printing: When the gun’s angular shapes show through clothing and disrupt your silhouette.
Telling: When context cues make the bulge obviously a gun.
Concealed: Angles aren’t noticeable through clothing; confirming it would typically require socially abnormal scrutiny.
Wedge
A small padded component attached to the muzzle end of an IWB holster. A wedge acts like a fulcrum, pushing the muzzle outward and tucking the grip inward toward the body to reduce printing.
Wedge terminology
Not all wedges are shaped the same. The two main categories are fulcrum-style (angled, levers the muzzle out) and filler-style (fills space, more cushioning than leverage).
Grip tuck vs slide tuck
When placing a wedge, understanding which direction it’s leveraging matters. Grip tuck tilts the top of the grip inward; slide tuck tilts the slide/sight/optic inward. Same principle, different target.
Keel Principle
PHLster’s design concept: the portion of the holster inside the waistband acts like a boat’s keel, creating leverage that aids concealment and stability.
Concealment Sweet Spot
The optimal position on your waistline where the gun sits in a natural concavity between hip, abdomen, and belt line — the place where fabric drapes naturally.
Critical anatomy
Understanding the specific body landmarks (hip bones, natural waist curvature, abdomen shape) that determine where your Enigma concealment sweet spot lives.
Want to go deeper?
Download our free concealment ebook for a comprehensive guide to concealment mechanics and body-type-specific tips.
Three principles
Good concealment is a skill—not just a gear purchase. The Enigma gives you the tools, but understanding a few core principles will help you get there faster with less trial and error. While the details are different for each person, the principles apply equally to men and women, tall or short, whether you’re skinny or have a belly.
1) Sweet spot
Your body has natural “peaks” and “valleys.” You’ll notice natural fabric drape where you have natural valleys. The goal is to place your gun in a valley, and keep it off of your peaks.
Female body types
Sweet spot placement differs between male and female anatomy.
2) Grip rotation
We want the gun to sit as close to the body as possible. One way we achieve this is by using a wing combined with belt pressure to rotate the grip into the body. You may find that you need more or less grip rotation. Use your small or large wing insert to reach your desired level of rotation.
Holster physics
Why the Enigma’s mounting geometry (and not rigid sidecar designs) is what makes grip rotation actually work.
3) Grip tuck
Sometimes we have enough grip rotation, but the top side of the grip or rear sight/optic still prints. This means we need more grip tuck. We can often achieve this with a holster wedge.
Where to place the wedge
Placement matters as much as the wedge itself.
Common problems (what they mean + what usually fixes them)
These are the issues Enigma owners run into most often. Each one has an underlying cause — fix the cause, not the symptom.
“Muffin top” / waistline pinch
Often means the system is interacting with the waistline in a way that creates a hard transition line. Placement and support changes often solve this without excessive belt tension.
Sharp grip angle printing
Grip printing can be caused a number of different ways. First, revisit your concealment sweet spot, then use the poke-and-check method to determine whether you need a larger wing insert or a wedge.
Printing below the belt line
Also called muzzle printing — the outline of your gun shows through your pants. Usually caused by the muzzle poking out against the fabric.
Looks fine standing but prints sitting
Sitting changes how your torso and clothing interact with the grip and beltline. If printing appears only when seated, you may need to move your gun up, add a wedge, or consider how your pants interact with the muzzle.
Gun shifts when I move, reach, or bend
If your Enigma rides up or shifts during movement, the leg leash is almost always the fix. Proper tension and routing keep the holster anchored during draw and daily motion.
Tiny gun won’t stay put
Subcompact and micro-compact pistols are the hardest to conceal well with ANY holster — they lack the mass and leverage surface that larger guns have. There are specific techniques that help.
Big guys: appendix carry challenges
Belly distribution changes where your sweet spot sits and how grip rotation interacts with your torso. These are the two most common mistakes and the four fixes that address them.
Troubleshooting loop
Concealment improves fastest when you refer back to the basics. Try not to overcomplicate it.
- Identify peaks and valleys — locate your sweet spot
- Identify the printing problem area (where is the gun protruding?)
- Before adding features, make small changes to gun placement (revisit sweet spot)
- Use Poke and Check to determine if you need a wedge or larger wing insert
- Test standing + sitting + walking (30–60 seconds each)
- Repeat if necessary
Quick concealment hacks
Five fast adjustments most people haven’t tried yet.
Join a free live Enigma Tune-Up Class
Twice a month, PHLster hosts a free live class where we help you optimize your carry setup in real time. Bring questions, share your setup, get hands-on feedback.
Other ways to get help
We are dedicated to your concealment success. Here are some ways we can help:
- Customer support: Our support team is ready to help with any questions. Contact us
- Concealment Worksheet: Print-and-fill troubleshooting aid. Download
- AI assistant: Get instant answers to concealment, comfort, and compatibility questions right on our site.
Real people, real setups
The abstract advice on the other tabs is easier to absorb when you see how actual Enigma users — different bodies, different guns, different lifestyles — have dialed in their setups.
My Concealed Carry Journey — Sarah Hauptman
Tessah’s Custom Enigma Express + Sig P365
Dakota Adelphia’s Custom Enigmas
How to Go to the Bathroom with Your Gun
How To Appendix Carry and Draw in a Winter Jacket
Join over 40,000 Enigma owners
The PHLster Concealment Workshop Group is a Facebook community where Enigma owners share setup photos, ask questions, and troubleshoot together across every body type and experience level.