Slashdot Mirror
Ask Slashdot: Is There a Good Device Holster?
gurps_npc writes "I have seen several technology holsters. There are a lot of good ones for cell phones, but I am looking for something larger — for a tablet (Nook/Kindle/Nexus/iPad). There is, however, a direct trade-off between being discreet and having decent carrying capacity. Has anyone found an ideal balance? I would love to hear from people with direct experience. Do you look like the worst kind of geek hipster while wearing it? Any feature I should look for? I found one from a company called techslinger, but it looks a bit too geeky for me (double-sided makes it really stand out)."
Good news, you won't have to worry about looking like a hipster at all. You will however, look like the worst kind of utility belt nerd, and there's no getting around it.
nice advertisement!
When I was travelling around Europe, for getting through airports I sewed my own leg-webbing for my phone and it's accessories out of black canvas. It wound up being very low profile since I wear black cargo pants normally, but was much easier to take off quickly in airports (and kept everything spread out for X-ray scanners) and allowed me to keep my phone much higher and closer to my belt (which was great for making sure I had my phone on me and keeping it easy to keep an eye on).
Carrying a tablet the same way could probably be done pretty discreetly - a 7" tablet would easily fit along the space of one's thigh without standing out at all. But I seriously doubt you'll find anything to buy - break out the sewing the machine and see what you come up with is my recommendation.
If you need to carry around stuff that does not fit nicely in a pocket, get a purse. I understand the attraction of slinging out your tablet with lightning speed. But really, despite our male need to have tools right where and when need them (it is both genetic and cultural, I guess), unless you need your other hand to hang on to your other tools (or a branch), a purse is really way more convenient for carrying around bulkier stuff.
To holster your equipment I recommend a jockstrap or brassiere.
Unless you are built like a low-poly linebacker, there isn't anywhere on your torso where something as large as a tablet won't rest awkwardly with at least one protruding corner, unless you wear a McMurdo-grade winter jacket at all times.
Since you can't hide something of that size, you might as well go with a small messenger bag, which will have the same capacity as a very large holster; but won't look utterly ridiculous.
This is a true scene from the early 2000's when I was involved in some Linux conferences as a speaker...
Imagine if you will a white male, late teens/early twenties. Full length leather jacking swaying as he walks the floor. His sunglasses obscuring where he is looking. He is clearly carrying something under the leather jacket, but you can't quite see what it is...
Something catches his attention from across the floor. Quickly he moves across the aisle, his jacket and whatever is underneath following a split second later, the inertia of something heavy slowing it down. He walks across to a booth, and nervously asks a question or two. He looks agitated and frustrated. He adjusts his glasses reaches under his jacket and pulls out... His laptop.
I think it was LinuxWorld in 2000. There was a guy that had all his gadgets attached to cables under a full length Morpheus-style jacket. I swear, everything up above is true (well maybe not the agitated and frustrated part).
I can't quite recall if his sunglasses where nose-clip glasses...
I'm sure that you can find something from the Hello Kitty line.
Why is Snark Required?
Just get a bag. Backpack or sling-type bag, depending on preference. Don't use belt pouches or anything like that. Ever. It doesn't make you look like a geek or hipster, it makes you look like an idiot. It's like having a bluetooth phone thing on your ear. Sure if you can strap a thing to your body under a jacket like a gun holster that is probably a good thing, it won't attract pickpockets and you won't have to carry a bag. But then you can't take yuor jacket off without looking like an idiot.