One of my favorite things to do here at RevolverGuy is to introduce the readers to the talented artisans who make the products that we know and love. I often find that their personal stories are as interesting as the popular wares which bear their marque!
It’s been my experience that the men and women of the gun industry and culture are generally fantastic people. They’re some of the nicest, welcoming, and most talented people I’ve known, and it’s rare to run across a jerk in our circles. They’re out there, of course (as they are everywhere), but they really stand out in the gun culture, because the general atmosphere is so friendly and courteous. I really think that the gun culture is a cut above the other social circles that I come into contact with.
Simply Great
A recent introduction to Rob Leahy reaffirmed these beliefs for me. Rob is the founder, owner, and head-guy-in-charge of Simply Rugged Holsters, and it took only minutes for the two of us to start chatting like we were old friends when we met. That connection was first established on the basis of an appreciation for good gunleather, but as we continued to get to know each other, we realized that we had some “near misses” in our past, as Rob actually grew up across town from me. We didn’t know each other then, but it was fun to learn of the connection, decades later, and realize that the world isn’t quite as big as it seems.
Rob was kind enough to sit down with me for an interview about his interest in gunleather and the founding of his business, and I’m eager to share our conversation with our fellow RevolverGuys, so let’s get right to it.
Early start
Rob’s first jump into leatherwork began with a knife sheath. A shop teacher at his high school would let the students work on projects of their choice on Fridays, and he gave Rob his first formal instruction on how to turn a piece of cow hide into something functional. With that shop teacher’s help, Rob built a pouch for his G96 Model 960, which was a clone of the classic, Buck 110 Folding Hunter. “I used a finish nail, chucked up in a power drill, to drill the holes in the leather for sewing,” Rob chuckled. “I actually drilled a lot of holsters with a finish nail, in my early days.”
Rob hand-sewed the pieces together and soon had a functional knife sheath. Before long, he was making more of them for himself and friends, and by the time he enlisted in the Army, he knew enough about leatherworking that he could modify pouches, holsters, and knife sheaths for his fellow soldiers. “They were always bringing me something to fix up,” he said.
The Baker connection
Rob said he had a Don Hume Jordan holster early on for his N-Frame revolver (“I didn’t like it, because the loop was cut for a wide Sam Browne, and it was a sloppy fit on my garrison belt—it would rock too much when you drew the gun”), but it was a Roy Baker pancake holster that he bought in 1982 which would influence the young leathermaker the most.
Baker made his holsters from two matching pieces of hide, and formed the pocket for the gun with two irregular circles of stitching, that also encircled leading and trailing edge slots for the belt. When made for a small gun, like a S&W J-Frame, the tan-colored, rounded holster looked like a pancake (particularly on the models that lacked a thumb break), earning the design its name.
Baker applied for a patent in 1971 for his ambidextrous holster design (the same holster could be worn on the left or right side, as it was symmetrical, in the non-thumb break versions that he started with), and it wasn’t long before it became the most popular style of carry for those looking to conceal a revolver or auto pistol on the belt.
Inspiration
Rob says that it was Baker, “who taught us how to conceal a big, N-Frame revolver under just a t-shirt,” and he grew fond of his sample and the design very quickly, as he used it to tote his big sixgun around.
When a friend asked to borrow the holster, Rob loaned it to him, but the “friend” soon sold the holster to his brother-in-law, who refused to return it to Rob, when he sought to get it back. Needing a holster, but lacking the funds to purchase a new one, Rob decided to build his own pancake to replace the original. “I didn’t like thumb breaks, and I wanted a holster with good retention,” he said, “so a pancake was the obvious choice.”
Rob built his first pancake for the Model 25 and 29 revolvers that he favored, and before long, his hunting partner asked for one, for his own four-inch N-Frame. He loved it, and so did the customers at the Idaho sporting goods store that Rob was managing at the time. They saw Rob wearing his holster around the store, and wanted one just like it for their own guns. Before long, he had developed quite a business making pancake holsters, relying only on word-of-mouth advertising.
Academic freedom
Although the customers at his sporting goods store liked Rob’s pancake holsters a lot, he says that, “Early on, most of my work was actually building pocket holsters. There was a college campus nearby, and a lot of those professors and staff members were concerned about the violence there, which frequently went unreported” (and still is, today, because these schools don’t want to scare off parents and their checkbooks).
The savvy teachers needed holsters that would allow them to discreetly carry guns like their J-Frame revolvers, Freedom Arms (now, North American Arms) mini-revolvers, and High-Standard derringers. Getting caught with a gun in this kind of environment could be bad for their careers, so when they learned Rob was a budding holster maker, they began placing orders for pocket rigs. Before he knew it, he was soon building “lots and lots” of pocket rigs as the word-of-mouth advertising kicked in.
Jumping in
Rob said he thought about starting a holster business in the early ‘90s, but worried about competing “with the big guys,” like Bianchi, Safariland, and Sparks, and decided not to attempt it. However, he continued to learn and hone his craft, from folks like a neighbor in Idaho, who taught him how to basketweave, “and a few other tricks.”
When he was let go from a job in 2004, he found himself selling guns again, to pay the bills, and his first sale was only completed because Rob agreed to build a custom holster for the Colt 1917 that was purchased by his left-handed customer. “He was worried that he’d never find a holster for it, so he was going to pass, until I told him I could make one for him,” said Rob.
Fortunately for Rob, the customer was an active participant on the Sixgunner Forum, and he was eager to tell all his friends on the interwebs about his new gunhide. Interest grew in Rob’s work, and he started to attract attention from the likes of John Taffin and Jeff Quinn, who placed orders with him, then wrote good things about his work.
“I got LOTS of response from the articles that John wrote,” said Rob, “but it was Jeff who was responsible for the name of my business.”
“Jeff was a left-handed shooter,” explains Rob, “so he appreciated custom leatherwork.” In one of Quinn’s articles, he mentioned the pancake holster that Rob had made for him, and described it as “simple and rugged.” Having agonized over what to call the fledgling company (Rob knew that his last name, “Leahy,” would be misspelled and mispronounced too frequently to be used, “just like poor John Bianchi”), Quinn’s words struck a chord, and Simply Rugged Holsters became Rob’s marque.
With some help from friends, Rob launched his new career. Jeff’s brother, Boge Quinn (who’s not only good with a gun, but a wonderfully-talented musician), took some photos to help Rob put a catalog together, and his hunting partner from Idaho—the buyer of Rob’s second-ever-made “Sourdough” pancake holster—built a website for him. Rob explains that, “the website launched as we were moving to Alaska, and we were receiving orders as we drove up there.”
Success
There was no turning back now. As news of his products was shared in the gun press and by satisfied customers, Rob soon outgrew the workspace in his home, and shifted to a 10’ x 12’ shed in the backyard, then to his two-car garage, as the business grew. It was during this period of rapid growth that I (Mike) first became aware of Rob, through the writings of John Taffin, and had my second “near miss” with him on the floor of the SHOT Show, when I saw him walk past with a small group of folks, somewhere near the Cimarron booth, and spied his name badge for a fleeting moment before the crowd swallowed them up.
In 2009, Rob moved back to warmer weather, in Arizona, but not before Alaska made its mark on him, and influenced his leatherwork. Carrying a gun in Alaska provided many lessons, and confirmed the viability of his “Sourdough” pancake design, which had evolved from Baker’s starting point, to include greater coverage of the gun, and thicker leather, for added protection and stability. An experience with a charging bear, which occurred while Rob was fishing on the Russian River, also shaped his growing catalog, by inspiring his clever Chesty Puller harness system that quickly converts one of Rob’s pancake holsters into a chest rig. The versatile design has become one of his best sellers, and makes up “a significant part of my business, these days,” says Rob.
Rob continued to grow as a leather maker after his return to the “Lower 48,” taking a class with none other than John Bianchi, himself, and John Bianchi Frontier Gunleather Foreman Matt Whittaker. “I learned a lot from them,” said Rob, and he put it all to good use.
Learning from one of the industry’s greats was neat, but Rob knew he’d “arrived” as a holster maker when the “owner” of his long-lost, loaned, Baker pancake holster reached out to Rob, and asked him to build a few holsters for him. Rob agreed to build the holsters (for a four-inch Model 29 and a Walther) and trade them for the return of his Baker pancake. “This was the best measure of my success, that he would want one of MY holsters more than the original Baker,” Rob told me. The former “owner” got his two holsters, and Rob got his beloved Baker back. Rob says it hangs in his shop today, as a reminder of Simply Rugged’s beginnings.
Why the pancake?
Rob thinks the pancake concept is ideal for carrying a gun concealed on the hip, and while his catalog offers many other styles of holsters now (including his take on classics like the Slim Jim, Threepersons, Yaqui Slide, and Mexican Loop), it’s the pancake that’s really his specialty.
Rob explains that the fore and aft slots on the pancake provide a significant amount of inward tension that tightens the pocket and provides excellent retention for the gun. “You don’t need a thumb break to make sure the gun stays put,” he says, “and sacrifice the speed out of the holster.”
That inward tension also helps to make the design more versatile, according to Rob, because it helps to minimize the problems that arise from a mismatch between the size of the slots, and the width of the belt that the holster hangs on. When you have holster slots that are significantly wider than the gun belt, the holster can rock back and forth, like Rob’s old Don Hume Jordan holster did, when he threaded a 1.75” garrison belt through the holster’s 2.25” belt loop. But the pancake’s natural tension helps to keep the holster in place, and minimize undesired rocking or lifting during the draw, when it’s used with a narrower belt. “Baker’s holster slots were all really wide, because he made holsters for cops, not sportsmen, and they all had wide, two-and-a-quarter-inch duty belts,” explains Rob, “but they worked well with the narrower pants belts, too.” You can’t get the same results with many holster designs, which are much more sensitive to matching the belt width to the slots in the holster.
Growth
The business grew, and Rob’s first “employee” was his twelve year-old son, who started in the shop with dyeing and oiling chores, but soon “learned to tool leather better than me,” and was, “getting paid an adult wage by the time he was fifteen, because he was doing adult work, and was one of our most artistic workers,” said Rob.
The Arizona move in 2009 gave him more space to work and opened the doors to hiring additional employees. Rob found an excellent pool of workers in the young military veterans that lived in the area, and hired many part-timers for the first five years or so, but over time, his workforce evolved into a full-time crew of eight artisans, who are “mostly retired guys, with a few younger kids added.” The shop foreman has been with Rob for eight years, and typifies the type of person that Rob has sought to hire. “He didn’t know holsters when I hired him,” says Rob, “but he had an outstanding work ethic and I knew he would make a great hire.” It’s Rob’s opinion that it’s better to hire an employee for his attitude, then teach him the necessary skills, than it is to shop for experts in the craft, and the formula seems to be working well for Simply Rugged.
Exotics
Rob built his business on leather pancake holsters and loves the type, but, “by 2007 I’d made thousands of them, and I wasn’t sure how many more of them I wanted to do.”
When he started to get a little burned out, cranking out the same old thing, he sought refuge in working with exotic materials like shark, gator and elephant skin. Working with these hides was a challenge, “because you don’t want to make a mistake when you’re cutting expensive materials,” and he had to use some different techniques, but “the holsters look good and work good,” and provide a welcome relief, and an artistic diversion, from Simply Rugged’s mainstream products.
When friend and gun writer Jeff Hoover nicknamed Rob’s leather and exotic hybrid holsters “Surf and Turf” models, the name stuck, and Rob and his crew refer to them as the same. Rob credits fellow maker Mitch Rosen as being an influence on his entry into exotics, but there’s no doubt his Surf and Turf designs have their own sense of styling.
Back to those pocket holsters
I didn’t know that Rob got his start making pocket holsters, so when I learned of that later on, it seemed appropriate that my first Simply Rugged purchase had been one of them.
The Simply Rugged Pocket Protector includes a much-appreciated twist on the conventional pocket holster, derived from real-world experience. As Rob explains it, a friend was the victim of an attempted robbery, conducted by multiple opponents with high-capacity pistols and body armor. The would-be “victim” fired three rounds from a Smith and Wesson Model 642, killing one of the offenders and wounding another, and driving the rest away.
After the shooting was over, the friend was left with just two rounds in the gun, and worried if they would be enough to repel a second attack if the robbery crew came back. He eventually made his way to a shotgun, but fortunately didn’t need to use it.
Rob’s friend didn’t normally carry spare ammunition for the gun, but said that he immediately wished he had, when he was left standing there with a nearly-empty revolver—“I’d have paid a million dollars for two extra rounds,” he told Rob.
Rob gave him a Speed Strip to fill the gap for the future, but later on he added a pocket holster with a slot in the rear of the skirt that held a pair of extra rounds, to allow a top-off of a depleted gun. “That’s a million-dollar reload, right there,” said his friend, when he saw the holster for the first time, which Rob now sells as the Pocket Protector.
My sample is made for the J-Frame, and it’s a perfect fit for my beloved, .38 Special, Model 640 Centennial. The Simply Rugged Pocket Protector does an excellent job of hiding a snub in a pocket, keeping it oriented properly for an efficient draw, and protecting the gun from debris. It’s made by folding a single piece of leather and sewing the edges together, where they meet at the trailing edge, with a roughly-triangular-shaped loop of stitching that also forms the pocket for the pistol. The two layers of leather allow Rob to sandwich that “million-dollar reload” on the back, between them, making it a new favorite in my stable. You won’t make a speedy reload from the backside of the holster (and I’m not convinced it’s likely that you will need to, since I can’t find a case involving armed citizens where a rapid reload under fire was necessary), but you’ll always have at least two rounds in reserve, and that’s comforting in itself.
There’s another pocket holster that just made an appearance in Rob’s lineup that you might be interested in, too. The Force Options pocket holster incorporates a pocket on the front and rear of the holster, which allows you to store extra items, like a strip loader and a decoy drop (such as a few bucks wrapped around a hotel key card).1 As Darryl Bolke (who urged Rob to make the Force Option holster) envisions it, if the person accosting you doesn’t take the drop money and walk away from the confrontation, then you can pull the gun out on your next trip into the pocket (“You want the rest of it? OK . . . “), and a reload on the next trip after that.
But wait, there’s more
You’ll find a lot more besides solid holster designs when you check out the Simply Rugged catalog. Rob and his crew make outstanding belts, wallets, knife sheaths, rifle slings, and ammo pouches as well, and many of these are as clever as they are simple and rugged.
Rob’s Bear Mount rifle sling, for example, allows you to mount a sling to a rifle that lacks swivels or studs for mounting, and his Full Moon Pouch, inspired by a chewing tobacco can holder, may be the most useful and efficient carrier I’ve seen yet for a moon clip.
Great folks, great gear
As I discussed at the beginning of this piece, we’re fortunate to live, work and play amongst great people in the gun culture. After getting to know Rob and his products better, I’m eager to spend more time around both of them.
Rob is a RevolverGuy at heart, and knows exactly what you need to carry yours with security and style, so pop on over to his website and have a look around. You’ll find quality leather gear, made by military vets who are real craftsmen, and I know you’ll be happy that you took the time to do it. Make sure to come back and let us know what you think.
*****
Endnotes:
- I first learned of this tactic from friend Massad Ayoob, when he wrote about it in his seminal book, In The Gravest Extreme, but apparently, gun writer great Skeeter Skelton also described the ploy in his columns.
Love their holsters. I own three and will be wearing his Flapjack on the farm today for a GP 100. Because I carry while doing chores, a flap or pocket holster keeps crud from locking up the gun.
The great thing about the two extra rounds in the pocket protector is that I can load my K6S with hollow points for two-legged or four-legged critters, while having two shot-shells ready for “Johnny no legs.” Had to shoot six Copperheads near stock or in our garden, last year alone.
That’s a neat application for the ammo slot on that pocket holster!
Thanks Mike, for highlighting Mr. Leahy and his work. You start with an astute observation about the gun culture and the good folks that are the majority of that population. Rob Leahy is a great example of that. It’s also gratifying to see the innovative designs of Roy Baker living on in Leahy’s holsters. Leahy understands how the gear needs to work because he is an end user as well as a maker. That always makes for a better product. There is a lesson in his business model, too. Select people with a solid work ethic and teach them the skills they need to be successful. The industry should follow Leahy’s lead more on that one! Leahy and his crew make tough, useful gear and you feel good buying it because they are good people that treat you right.
I agree, Kevin. I’m so impressed with the people in our industry. The Lefty Loons want to stereotype all of us as angry, ignorant, rude people, but my experience is the exact opposite. The gun culture I know is filled with joyous, caring, intelligent, patriotic, giving people, and I’m proud to be associated with them. The RevolverGuy crowd is a great example of that.
Rob definitely knows the job, and his gear is perfectly suited for it. I wish I was more of a strong side carry fan, but my back just won’t allow it. If I carried strong side a lot, I’d probably have a room full of his holsters!
Rob is a really terrific guy. I sent him the tail of a beaver I shot and he turned it into an excellent holster for my 2” J-Frame. His products are simply amazing!
Great write up on Rob and Simply Rugged Holsters!
Rob did a wonderful job on your Eldorado holster for your Fitz’d Colt 1917 as well. Readers who missed it can see more at this link to the story.
Loved this article. Rob is a great guy, and truly every new handgun I get, I order a Simply Rugged holster for – and that’s seriously into double digits.
That’s a lot of pancakes! A VERY tall stack!
Absolutely agree, Mike. I have belts, ammo pouches, speed loader carriers, and OWB Sourdough and Silver Dollar holsters that Rob and his crew have crafted for my carry Colt double actions. All of mine are Oxblood dyed and basket weave for my 2 or 2.5 inch D frames, up to 4 inch D, and I/E framed pieces. In the near future, I plan to have Rob craft gear for some of my vintage S&W J, K and N frame revolvers, but a different dye and stamping pattern. And yes, he is an outstanding individual who is also a veteran, a former Army MP who served in W. Germany during the “Cold War”. I had the pleasure of meeting Rob and shooting with him at Gunsite last November at the Pat Rogers Memorial Revolver Roundup. I’m a retired MP LTC, and presented Rob with a coin from the company I commanded in what was then West Germany, back in the mid 80s.
For pocket carry, my regular holsters were crafted by Bob Mika whose work IMO, is certainly worthy of consideration for an article here in the future. Thanks for highlighting Rob and Simply Rugged here, Sir!
Always glad to welcome another Light Colonel to the mix. Thank you Sir, for your service to our great nation. The youngsters often don’t understand how hot the “Cold War” really got, at times.
I bet those holsters are gorgeous, between the basketweave and Oxblood, and it warms my heart to hear about vintage Colts that are still on duty.
I’ve never owned a Simply Rugged holster, but a good number of the holsters I’ve made for myself were inspired by his work. The fact that he uses forgiving designs like the pancake helped me have enough success early on and stick with it. I also really like that Rob makes holsters for guns that get neglected by a lot of other folks, my 3 inch SP101 in particular.
Rob makes ‘em for just about anything! When I asked him what the weirdest request was that he’d received, he said he once got an order for one of the S&W Bone Collector guns (those were .460s and .500s, with long barrels—about 15” OAL”) equipped with a scope and bipod! He made the requested chest holster for it.
Great writeup and it’s good to see Rob’s work getting the attention it deserves. I own at least 3 or 4 SR holsters and they have all been excellent and durable in ever way. It’s pretty hard for me to want to experiment with any other makers at this point, when I know exactly what I’m going to get from Simply Rugged.
And this just reminded me that it’s time I finally order a pocket holster for my 442 Pro from them. 😉
Owning two Simply Rugged Holsters–one for a J-frame and the other for an autoloader–has convinced me they are very good quality, reasonably-priced products.
Good quality leather is not hard to find. Quality craftsmen are, however, great treasures. Always good to have them given good press here.
I was looking on their sight a week ago thinking about a George Patton type rig for my Ruger Blackhawk. Not everyone wants to play cowboy with single actions, but a reasonably close replication of Gen. Patton’s rig for his SAA might do the trick.
Visions of stag handles, riding breeches and polished helmets! I love it!
Great article Mike. Nice write up about Rob. Thanks for continuing this most excellent blog.
He is a great guy and an excellent holster maker. I have used his Silver Dollar and Sourdough pancake holsters, Defcon, and Cumberland as well. All work as advertised and his holsters have gotten even better over time.
One thing I really appreciate is that his turnaround time has never changed and that’s a compliment as other leather holster makers seem to have to ridiculously long lead times.
Rob is always very responsive to emails and definitely willing to work with you.
Great products, great people and besides, I love the smell of Hermann Oak Leather in the morning. 😂
Thanks Sean! I know Rob works really hard to keep things that way, and you’re right—it’s definitely one of the things that separates Simply Rugged from many other makers.
I only have one holster from Rob but he was more than patient and helpful getting me the right pocket protector for my 2″ Bulldog. I will be ordering a chest rig for my 45 Colt Redhawk for my hunting this upcoming fall. Great guy who really cares about his customers and their needs… even it is a lowly pocket holster!
Nothing lowly about a pocket holster! You’d be hard-pressed to find one for a Bulldog, outside of Rob’s shop. I’m not surprised he was able to set you up.
Col. Mike,
I own two of Rob’s holsters and they are wonderful. The Silver Dollar pancake for my K frame brings back memories of carrying my service revolver in a Roy Baker pancake. It is also comfortable and concealable both with inside the pants carry and on the belt. But the one I most like is The Cattleman for my 4″ model 27. The way Rob construced the holster is uncanny. The cant angle and height of the butt above the holster due to the holsters loop placement allows a natural grip on the pistol that results in the sights being in correct alignment when drawn. These features, whether bringing the gun to eye level or from the hip ala Bill Jordan (as us old-timers were taught to shoot in the academy) are remarkable. This is one of the very best holsters I’ver ever used. By the way Rob is both a great guy and a gentleman. I can’t say enough about his wares. They’re simple, of good craftsmanship and great to use. I’m old and I LIKE LEATHER HOLSTERS!!
Carl, thanks for the outstanding testimony about Rob and his holsters! The outpouring of favorable comments here in these pages really tells the story, doesn’t it? It’s obvious Rob and his crew are doing things right, to have so many satisfied customers.
There’s no substitute for good leather, and there will always be a home for it here at RevolverGuy. You’re certainly amongst like-minded friends, in this group.
Thanks for reading, and for all of your prior LE service!
I own several of Rob’s holsters, a combination mag pouch and flashlight holder, several belts, and a variety of cartridge carriers. I favor oxblood and border stamping for a simple but refined adornment, though I had one covered in Cape Buffalo hide. I met the man at the rifle range once and agree he’s both a gentleman and a character. His products and service stand with the best I’ve seen, including the work of Milt Sparks. Shop with confidence!
First time reading your fine magazine. I own 5 different SR products. Two holsters, a Chesty Puller harness, an ammo holder and a rifle sling. I will be soon ordering 3 others. I don’t see a need to shop anywhere else. I had one very small order order goofed up, Rob answered my email on Saturday evening, the replacement was in the mail Monday morning. Customer for life.
Ed, thank you for your testimony about Rob and Simply Rugged. I couldn’t agree more! Rob is a good, honest man, and runs an honest business. His products are excellent. I can’t recommend him highly enough.
Now’s a good time to provide an update on my Simply Rugged leather pocket holster. It’s probably been over a year since I purchased it and wear it daily, often carrying it several miles to and from the grocery store. There’s just a little wear to the “rough side out”, mostly a slight darkening of the leather.
This holster should last many years, maybe the rest of my life. Glad I bought it.