Höppner & Schumann is a German holster manufacturer, which found my Pages on the Internet and offered to send me some holsters for testing. Below, you can read about my findings, but I have to mention one thing, right from the begining. What really sets these holsters apart any other holster I've tried, is the quality of the leather and construction, which is in a class by themselves. It is enough to say, that my wife fall in love with their leather Funny Pack, at first sight, thinking that it was a leather purse, which I've bought as a gift for her. What a dissappointment, when she saw that it was "another one of my toys".

Model 35 Silhouette

This holster has one cut-out at the rear, for a 1.75" belt, plus one tunnel, along its rear side, through which the belt passes. What really sets this holster apart, not only from other similar holsters, but also from any other holster I've seen in my life, is the quality of the leather used for its construction. The leather is of PREMIUM QUALITY, period. It is really of excellent texture, very very smooth, like the leather used for really expensive women's bags. The holster is molded to the gun you intend to use it with, and comes with an open muzzle end, which however is about 1 centimeter longer than the length of your gun. In that way, the muzzle of your pistol is well protected.

Stitching is also excellent, with lines being smooth and parallel to the edges. Its top part is reinforced so that the holster would not collapse when your gun is out. There is no retaining strap, not that it is needed, as the holster holds the gun quite tightly as it is. Finally, the holster has a distinctive forward cant.

I tried this holster at the position I usually wear outside holsters, which is on my hip. However, due to the pant's belt loop, the holster was positioned too far forward on my waist, for my liking. So I shifted the holster to a new postion, behind my hip, and bingo! it fits like a charm. The but of the gun is held tightly against your body, in the curve below your rib cage (right on your kidney), in the perfect way for a quick draw, while in the same time it helps conceal the gun nicely. This is the natural position for this holster.

I did some drawing from this holster and my gun was coming out very smoothly and very quickly. Reholstering was also easy, as the upper lips stay wide open to accept the pistol's barrel without any problem. Actually, when you first look at the holster, you might think that this opening is too wide, as it does not exactly closes around the gun. However, when you put it on, the belt is pulling the rear part of the holster towards your body, effectively closing the gap to a very tight fit.

I also did some ... long-term tests, wearing my gun with this holster for several hours each day, for at least three straight days. I wanted to see if the holster was supporting the gun properly offering the level of confort that would allow its user to carry his piece all day long. And yes, the holster stayed positioned at the exact place you put it in the morning, no shifting, no moving. The gun is supported so well, that at the end of the day you were so used to it, that you didn't notice it.

As far as I can tell, this is an excellent holster, which my friend Alan Tillman would call a "dress holster" (like the "dress grips" he send me). Hoeppner & Schumann informed me that they can make this holster to fit a variety of belt widths, and I think that my next order would be for a real "dress holster" to be used with a 3 cm dress belt, commonly used in Europe when wearing a suit. The quality of the leather would make it absolutely suitable to the best of attires.

Funny Pack

The next holster Thomas send me was a Funny Pack (or Funny Bag model 202, as H&S calls it), but boy what a Funny Pack this is! First of all, it is made of leather, and the quality of the leather is again, the most excuisite thing about this holster. Excellent, smooth (but not to soft to be easily damaged), premium quality leather. Second, all the other parts of this pack, are also of first quality. Zippers are YKK, the stitching is impecable, the attachement strap is of premium quality Cordura Nylon. If one is to grade this funny pack for its quality alone, he should grade it with flying colors.

Construction-wise, the pack comprises the main gun pocket, an outer pocket for passport, wallet etc, plus two side pockets, which extend on the attachement straps to the left and right, for coins or your keys. The main gun compartment is closed by two opposite zippers, and is opened, when in a hurry, by pulling a small, but very strong cord that protrudes on the holster's top right pocket (right as you wear it, left as you look it from the front). By strongly pulling on this cord, the two zippers that keep the gun compartment closed, are opened smoothly, allowing you to grab the grip of your gun and draw it.

The gun compartment's rear surface, the one closer to your body when you wear this Funny Pack, is made from soft, but strong Neoprene, a plastic-rubberish material, with four slots cut into it. The two top one, are for securing your pistol, while the two lower ones, are for securing a spare magazine (or possibly a small knife). Behind this neoprene layer, is another layer of a plastic material, which adds rigidity to the pouch, not allowing it to fold over your gun and make drawing difficult. An excellent thought, as this plastic part keeps the funny pack erect, and stable for your drawing move.

The only problem I had with the gun compartment, is that the gun slots are arranged in such a way, to keep the pistol in a horizontal position. As a result, my hand had to twist quite a lot, in order to properly grab the gun's grip. An inclined position, with the muzzle pointed downwards, would make the drawing move much more natural, at least for me. Such a change though, might mean that the spare magazine slot will have to be abandoned, as it will probably not fit under the pistol, but if this is a must, I am sure it can be relocated to another position, within the Funny Pack. In any case, since you will probably don't bother closing your Funny Pack, after you have draw your gun, it is quite possible that the spare magazine falls of the open compartment, especially, since this slot is also position for keeping the magazine horizontal.

Apart from the above comment, there is nothing else that can bother the person who uses this Pack. It is of excellent quality, very tough, properly designed and with enough room to carry your items, with out a problem. If only H&S could listen and change the gun's angle, then it would be the ideal carrying solution for the hot Greek summer months.

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