In today’s article, Scott Wagner reviews the Crossbreed Confidant Multi-Mag Carrier 2.0 for concealed carry. If you carry a handgun, you might want to consider carrying a second magazine in case of a malfunction or extended fight. The author sets out to determine if the mag holster lives up to the company’s reputation. Crossbreed Holsters provided the carrier to the author for review.
Over the years, I’ve used a number of magazine carriers and pouches for off-duty use. There were a couple that slipped inside a pocket that protected the magazine and the bullets inside. Others attached to the belt. Some were constructed of polymer, others of nylon, and the rest were leather.
Over many years of time — and much to the chagrin of my long-suffering wife — the “upgrading” of my handguns to the latest and greatest versions often resulted in the accumulation of more additions to my collection of holster and magazine pouches that are no longer needed — at least for the moment. I am sure many of you are in the same boat.
So, wouldn’t it be great if one could find a single magazine pouch that would meet all your concealed carry or off-duty needs, regardless of which pistol you were packing?
Enter the Crossbreed Confidant 2.0
The Crossbreed Holster company has been around since 2005 and was one of the first holster makers to unite Kydex and leather together to produce some very unique and versatile holster and magazine holder designs. I still have some of their early holsters and pouches in my possession. I also had the opportunity to meet Crossbreed founder Mark Craighead around that time. Sadly, Mark died unexpectedly not long after I met him, and he did not live to see the extent and reach that his original product line has achieved.
The Crossbreed Confidant 2.0 is a magazine pouch that is designed to simplify life for everyday concealed pistol carriers and off-duty cops who might want to switch handguns from time-to-time, depending on mission or weather conditions. With a Confidant 2.0 magazine holder on your belt, you can have one concealment magazine holder that will work for all but the smallest pocket pistol magazines.
The best part of the Confidant 2.0’s interchangeability system is that there are no adjustments needed to the pouch to make the switch between single- and double-stack magazines. For example, if you were carrying a 9mm Springfield Armory SA-35 double-stack magazine in the Confidant and decided to carry a single stack Springfield Armory Mil-Spec .45 instead, simply remove the SA-35 magazine and replace it with the single-stack magazine. No manual adjustments are needed; simply insert the single-stack magazine and it automatically accommodates it.
The Confidant 2.0 is obviously the second iteration of the earlier Crossbreed Confidant “one size fits many” design. In reading through the literature concerning the 2.0, one thing really jumped out at me. The new 2.0 variation exists because of the input of customers; customers who liked the original well enough but saw some room for improvement.
The critical point is that the folks at Crossbreed listened to their suggestions and implemented some of the requested changes. Since I never tried the original Confidant, I will list the improvements that were made according to the Crossbreed website, along with the original features:
- The original profile was made slimmer, but still comfortably fits most common single- and double-stack pistol magazines.
- An integrated belt clip that is part of the back plate replaced the previous multi-piece design for greater structural stability on the belt.
- As before, the Confidant 2.0 can be worn as an IWB or OWB magazine holder.
- It still also fits 1.5” belts.
- It holds magazines snugly, yet allows for a smooth draw.
- No adjustments are needed to fit various magazines.
How the Mag Carrier Works
The Confidant 2.0 is a polymer open-top magazine holder with a honeycomb-patterned front panel and a plain black rear panel that forms the fixed OWB/IWB belt clip. On either side is an expansion joint that has four ports or slots.
Surrounding each port is what can best be termed a black rubber band that expands progressively from top to bottom as the magazine of choice is inserted, with the top port expanding the most and the bottom port showing the lowest amount of expansion or opening with the magazine inserted. The magazines are thus held in place by the friction and tension applied through the rubber bands.
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It should be noted here that the Crossbreed Confidant 2.0 can hold a bunch of different magazines from a wide variety of pistols. During my testing, I noted that it fit a wide variety, although Crossbreed advises it may not hold all double-stack .45 ACP mags.
Confidant Magazine Carrier in Actual Use
I have been field-testing the Confidant 2.0 for several weeks now and have determined it’s an amazing handgun accessory. In particular, I have been using it with a Nexbelt Supreme Appendix Carry Gunbelt. This has proven a good match considering the relatively thin profile of the Nexbelt. It slides on easily and the hooked shape of the clip keeps it firmly affixed on even a thin belt like this one. Of course, it works just as well on thicker leather gunbelts as well.
I have been using the Confidant 2.0 in conjunction with a couple of pet single-stack full-power 1911’s that I carry on rotation for church security duties. When worn under a covering shirt or sweater, it keeps the magazine close to the body in a vertical position for easy access. Drawing the magazine is smooth and easy, with just the right amount of friction tension to keep the magazine firmly in place.
The belt clip allows the pouch to slide easily once it’s mounted on the belt. This allows the user to move the Confidant 2.0 to the most comfortable place — and allows for personal variations in body mass and configuration. And if for some reason belt carry won’t work for you, the Confidant 2.0 can be carried in a pocket with the clip facing the outside, or in a backpack or purse. However, the belt carry mode worked perfectly for me, regardless of which pistol I carried along with it.
Final Thoughts on the Crossbreed Magazine Holster
The Confidant 2.0 is a spectacular piece of gear for that will accommodate the majority of standard pistol magazines on the market, and one of the best gear designs I have seen in years.
The only surprising thing about the Confidant 2.0 is its price — but not in the way that you are thinking. The price is $34.95 — which is a steal. This is a great price for a product that makes living as a concealed handgun carrier so much more convenient and affordable. It may be the only spare magazine pouch you ever need.
The Confidant 2.0 is available in tan or black for carriers that want it to match their other gear. If you want to carry two magazines, then purchase two and position them together. This brings me to my final point. There are many carriers that would like to carry two spare magazines. I would like to see Crossbreed bring out a double magazine pouch with two Confidant 2.0’s linked side-by-side. I think that would be well received by the concealed carry and shooting public in general, and a great option for this impressive product.
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