Re: [NTLK] RipOffs Case

Hello,

--- On Fri, 10/23/09, Lord Groundhog <LordGroundhog@gmail.com> wrote:

> Originally I favoured a shoulder holster, so I also wondered about this
> one when I found the website. But then a few folks here (I think Sonny
> was one of them) pointed out that in these post-9/11 days, people
> like the police and airport security tend to be a bit nervous, and
> someone might slip and forget to find out why I'm wearing a shoulder
> holster before they react. (I fly a lot.) I went off the shoulder
> holster idea pretty fast on the grounds that something in plain(er) view
> like a belt holster is easier for someone to assess before they shoot me,
> and also might buy me enough time to explain myself, on the grounds that
> I'm obviously not trying to conceal anything, so why not ask me what it
> is before gunning me down? (Of course, it wouldn't have saved Jean
> Charles de Menezes' life, but nothing else would have either.)

I agree entirely: no one wants to find themselves suddenly doing a Jean Charles de Menezes impression. That said, if you don't spend a lot of time trotting (sprinting?) through airports, or in the vicinity of twitchy LEOs, a shoulder holster-type rig might be the best way to go for you.

I can well understand the appeal of a belt holster, but if you spend a lot of time on a bike, (versus in a car) a shoulder holster arrangement might make more practical sense. I don't have a RipOffs case to field-test, but I find myself wondering what getting on and off a bike would be like with one of those cases attached to my waist. The steel belt clip certainly looks like a pretty solid arrangement, but I can't help but think the case is going to come off your belt when you're cocking your leg to get on/off the bike. No to mention the lack of a seatbelt to attach the Newton to during the ride. ;)

The heavy laptop bag I usually have with me also tends to shift around quite a bit. So frankly, I'd be nervous about it knocking the Newton off my waist. To say nothing of a waist-level holster impairing my ability to hip check someone when in a crowd. :)

So while I can understand the allure of the RipOffs case, I'm not convinced it's necessarily "the" way to carry the Newton for everyone. I guess it's all a matter of what you need in a Newton case. In my own, um, case, I need something that's out of the way and that leaves my hips free. And a shoulder holster rig is, in my own experience, hard to beat for keeping the Newton out of the way, yet still readily accessible: it's why firearms are carried in that orientation. Of course, with that very consideration in mind, obviously there are caveats as far as where you should/shouldn't wear such a rig.

I was just thinking: could you get someone to make such a rig for you, but, say, in a can't-miss DayGlo flourescent yellow-green or something? :)
 
Sure, I'm kidding here, but me being me, I can't help but wonder if the use of a brightly-colored fabric would allow someone to wear a shoulder rig on a regular basis while helping to assuage any needless anxiety. [shrugs]

(I guess that wouldn't help with wearing it under something like a sports jacket, though.)

Best,

James Fraser

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Received on Fri Oct 23 23:04:51 2009