Nick Hoffer  — Founder of Hoftac Industries & Creator of the OMNIcarry Holster System

Most people don’t know this, but Hoftac Industries didn’t start with a big factory, a team, or investors. It started the way a lot of good ideas do — in a garage, with late nights, limited tools, and a lot of trial and error.

Back then, I was working another job, building custom holsters on the side for friends, customers, and anyone who needed something that actually worked. I wanted to own my own business, and holster making had a low entry cost — plus I already had the skills to make something better than what was out there.

Those early days were exactly what you’d imagine: learning manufacturing the hard way, fixing mistakes on the fly, balancing orders and family, trying new materials, trying new molds, and sometimes making the same holster three times because a customer swapped guns. It was chaotic, but it was honest work — and I loved it.

But as Hoftac grew, I kept running into the same problem over and over again:
I didn’t always have the right mold.
Sometimes customers didn’t even know what model gun they owned. And worst of all, if someone bought a new gun? I’d be making a whole new holster from scratch.

It didn’t matter how good I got at crafting Kydex — the system itself was broken.

For years, this pattern kept repeating. Thousands of holsters later, I realized something no one in the industry wanted to admit:

People don’t need a different holster for every gun — they need one holster that fits their lifestyle.

WHEN THE “OMNI” IDEA FIRST HIT

OMNIcarry actually started taking shape while I was working with another holster company. They specialized in universal-style holsters and wanted a Kydex version for their brand. I remember thinking:

“If it’s going to be universal, it actually needs to be multi-fit… not just one-size-fits-none.”

That was the spark.

The idea grew from there. We built prototypes. We sold a model to a larger company. We hit roadblocks. A partnership failed. But to be honest, that failure was one of the best things that ever happened to the product — because it pushed me toward a better generation of the idea.

I stepped away for almost four years, but I never stopped developing the concept in the background. I kept making custom holsters during the day, and at night I’d tweak the design — playing with materials, shapes, tension, flexibility — trying to create something that fit like it was custom molded for each model… without actually having to custom mold it.

THE GAME-CHANGER: RETENTION PLATES

Everything shifted when I began partnering with Adaptive Tactical.
Together, we imagined a retention system that had never been tried before: a flexible-but-rigid back plate paired with a durable shell that could flex itself into each firearm’s shape.

This was the breakthrough moment — the thing that finally made OMNIcarry possible.

The retention plates were the missing link. They gave the holster:

• A perfect fit across hundreds of guns

• Adjustable retention

• The ability to fine-tune the draw

• A custom-mold feel without the hassle

This was the holster I wished existed when I started carrying.

CHOOSING OMNICARRY OVER EVERYTHING ELSE

As Adaptive and I grew the product, retail interest started coming in. More dealers. More customers. More demand.

Meanwhile, custom holsters were still a huge chunk of my income — but I realized something important:

If OMNIcarry was ever going to become what I knew it could be, I had to bet on it completely.

So I made the call.

I stopped taking custom orders.
I walked away from guaranteed revenue.
And I went all in on OMNIcarry.

That was the moment Hoftac stopped being a custom shop…
and became a brand.

BUILT BY CUSTOMERS — EVOLVED BY CUSTOMERS

If there’s one thing that truly shaped OMNIcarry, it’s the community. Over the years, customers asked for:

• Better retention → we added retention adjustments

• OWB options → we created OWB kits

• 1911 compatibility → we released the 1911 shell

• Better micro pistol fit → the Micro shell was born

• Custom colors and patterns → we released color-change shells

• More compatibility → now 600+ fits and climbing

Every version of OMNIcarry exists because someone needed it.

The product grew the same way Hoftac did:
One challenge at a time.
One improvement at a time.
One customer at a time.

WHERE WE ARE NOW

Today, OMNIcarry is in stores across the country, trusted by thousands of everyday carriers who just want a holster that works — no overthinking, no overcomplicating.

And the crazy thing is?
We’re just getting started.