Discreet Carry Concepts vs Ulticlip

The Ulticlip was the first clips that were introduced with the intention of using a holster without having to wear a belt. At that time, holster hardware was extremely mediocre, at best. The Ulticlip was a godsend. 

Discreet Carry Concepts accomplished the same thing but in a drastically different manner. Today, we’re going to compare Discreet Carry Concepts vs. Ulticlip to see which is the best holster clip for you. Each of these clips has their pros and their cons. There are definitely situations where one clip will work better than the other and there is no one-size-fits-all solution, but we have found that one clip will work better in most situations. We’ll cover that at the end of this analysis.

Ulticlip

The Ulticlip has a locking clasp that allows users to tighten the clip on their clothing or whatever the clip is holding to. This is a common design amongst all Ulticlips. That clasp has evolved over the years, but the basic design remains the same. To take the clip on and off, you’ll have to undo this clasp, which could be considered a weak point of the design. 

As I stated earlier, Ulticlip has improved the design over the years with the older versions of the Ulticlip (e.g. the original Ulticlip and Ulticlip 3) sometimes having issues with the clasp easily becoming undone.

On occasion, I’ve had clients give me feedback that certain Ulticlips would become undone when entering their car. What would happen is that the clasp itself would get caught on the steering wheel, and when they would go to sit down, it would come loose. 

In their updated versions, they’ve changed the design of the clasp so it won’t get caught as easily and become undone by making the clasp more rounded and lower profile.

Ulticlip 3

The Ulticlip 3 is just a regular Ulticlip with slots in the bottom portion for mounting.

The original Ulticlip just had a one-hole mounting system that wasn’t that great for almost anything. You had to make sure that the bottom hole was really tight as that was the only hole keeping the clip itself attached to the holster. 

The basic Ulticlip may spin through if it isn’t tight enough, but the 3 with the slots allows you to get two or three mounting screws in the Ulticlip and holster.

The positioning of the slots means they would work with a wide variety of Ulticlip holsters and knife sheaths. The Ulticlip 3 was the first Ulticlip holster clip that really would work well with a Kydex holster.

Having the ability to get two mounting points on your Ulticlip holster is a big deal.

As I mentioned earlier, the Ulticlip had issues with easily becoming undone if the clasp hit something at just the right angle. This was also a major design flaw on the Ulticlip 3, but at the time it was still better than any other option on the market.

Discreet Carry Concepts did not exist, nor did the updated Ulticlips that we’re about to discuss.

Ulticlip 

The normal Ulticlip is the same as the Ulticlip 3, except that it only has one mounting hole at the bottom as we mentioned earlier. Nothing more we really need to say about that.

Ulticlip XL

The Ulticlip 3 is what I would call a light-duty solution. It was not the most durable clip in the world and didn’t feel the most durable. So Ulticlip decided to introduce the Ulticlip XL, which was a beefed-up and improved version of the 3. This clip is substantially larger and really serves a different role than the normal Ulticlips. 

A downside of the Ulticlip 3 is that it could only be attached to clothing. If you tried to attach it to a belt, the clip would quickly wear out and just didn’t work that well for long.

The reason for this is the clip was very short for concealment purposes.

It worked very well for certain applications, but if a user wanted to use this for normal concealed carry with an untucked shirt, then they were out of luck.

When you’re carrying a firearm, a belt gives you a lot of support, and if you don’t have the ability to attach your Ulticlip to a belt, then you’re going to be better served with a different holster clip in most scenarios. They realized this and introduced the Ulticlip XL. 

Belt

The Ulticlip XL has a much longer clasp that is wide enough to fit over a 1.5-inch belt.

It’s extremely heavy-duty. The edges of the clasp itself are also rounded so you don’t have to worry about the clasp easily coming undone like its predecessors.

The XL also has slots and holes on the back just like the Ulticlip 3, allowing it to mount to a variety of positions in the holster.

Personally, I don’t have many uses for the Ulticlip XL. It’s very large and bulky and wouldn’t be my choice for concealed carry. 

We’ll cover that later in this DCC vs. Ulticlip comparison. The XL is just extremely bulky and I don’t see what it does over existing clips. Having the ability to mount an Ulticlip over a belt doesn’t seem that important, especially at the time when you can get something like Soft Loops that were just as secure and lower profile. 

There are perhaps some niche applications for the Ulticlip XL that I’m not seeing. It could be similar to the applications that I am going to mention below. The Ulticlip XL would actually work great if you wanted a very stiff, secure mount in a purse or bag.

Ulticlip Slim

The Ulticlip Slim took some features of the XL and the 3 models and combined them for one cohesive, streamlined piece. It looks a lot more like an Ulticlip 3 than the XL, but when you look closely, there are some features that are definitely improved over the original 3. 

The Ulticlip Slim has two slots at the bottom for mounting and the sides of the mounting portion are actually rounded. This rounding is a nice touch as it seems to make the clip less sharp. The angles on the locking clasp also seem improved, and even though there’s no rounding on this locking clasp, it’s much more low-profile and seems less likely to hit something and disengage. 

They did a pretty good job with this design, but it still has one issue. The clip is fairly wide from the back of the clip to the front of the clasp at around three-eighths of an inch. That may not sound much, but it is a decent amount when carrying concealed.

I personally use the Slim when carrying concealed with a small gun in a cowboy boot. This is the only clip I have found that will hold very well to that boot. Sure, I could use the Ulticlip 3, but that has a decent probability of undoing at the clasp when you pull up your jeans to draw. 

I haven’t found this issue with the Ulticlip Slim. It’s too bad they don’t make a version of the Ulticlip XL that is slimmer in profile for this task either. The Ulticlip XL is around a half-inch tall from the back of the clip to the front of the clasp. That’s just too much to conceal effectively.

Discreet Carry Concepts

Discreet Carry Concepts clips are extremely low-profile and use a different locking technique than the Ulticlip. In fact, they don’t really lock at all. The Discreet Carry Concepts clips are heat-treated spring steel, which makes these clips retain a lot of holding force. 

Even though they don’t have a mechanical locking system like it’s competitor, these clips will actually hold better to clothing than its competitor. One area I’ve found they do not do as well is leather. I wish the Discreet Carry Concepts clips would work on a pair of cowboy boots to hold a knife or a gun holster because they are lower-profile. Unfortunately, that type of force just doesn’t work as well for that application.

The Discreet Carry Concepts clips have a small tooth cloth-grabber at the bottom of the clip, which really digs into your clothing and prevents the clip from becoming undone. In fact, a lot of people find these clips hard to initially get off. They aren’t that hard to get off, however, as long as you develop the right technique. 

Profile

While the smallest Ulticlip is around three-eighths of an inch thick, the Discreet Carry Concepts clips are around three-sixteenths. The DCC clips also definitely work better if you plan on mounting them over a belt.

Discreet Carry Concepts makes both short and long clips.

The long clips are designed to carry over a belt, while the shorter clips are designed to carry without or over one.

Either DCC clip style will work without a belt, but the short ones are obviously shorter, so they’re less likely to stick out below a shirttail or anything like that.

To sum it all up, the Discreet Carry Concepts clips are going to work better for inside the waistband (IWB) carry and pretty much every major field of application. The Ulticlip has some advantages when you’re carrying off the body like in a purse or a backpack.

If you’re trying to mount a holster or sheath in a boot, then you definitely want to go with the Ulticlip.

Ulticlip 

Pros

• Works better on thick solid materials like leather
• Lots of mounting options
• Works with cowboy boots

Cons

• Bulkier 
• Locking clasp

DCC

Pros

• Perfect for fabrics
• Low-profile 
• Lots of mounting options
• Works well with tucked-in shirt

Cons

• Doesn’t hold as well to leather

I hope this has been helpful. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below!