T.REX Open Source Files

We just released all the of 3D scans of all of the firearms and weapon lights that we have used to develop holsters for the last 5 years. We also released a bunch of new Sidecar files and a nylon pattern that you can sew at home. Now let's talk about why.

The Sidecar Spine System was developed with open source capabilities in mind. We tried to build the design around as many off-the-shelf tools and parts as possible, to both support our end users and other manufacturers. Anything that you build on top of the Sidecar Spine System can be distributed privately, publicly, or commercially.  All the design files exist on GitHub so you can easily create forks and revisions on a platform that supports industry-wide collaboration.

Over the past 10 years, we've used a lot of different tools during different phases of holster-making at T.REX. One of the most consistently useful tools in the shop has been our Einscan-SP 3D scanner. Over the years we have put up with its occasional glitches and buggy software to build a large library of scans, and we believe that one of the most useful things that we can do for the citizen defense industry is to give everyone access to this library.

The Sidecar Spine System is designed to be extremely modular and expandable. One of the best ways to expand your Sidecar’s comfort and concealability might be to literally expand its width. A number of users have discovered that extending the distance between the holster and mag carrier can improve comfort and stability for certain body types.

The infamous Sidecar Dual Wield Adapter started life as an April Fool’s Day joke, a joke which was actually available on our website as a limited-edition part. With it you could connect two Sidecar holsters together with exactly the right amount of separation for pistol optics and exactly the right amount of angle for a quick draw. Carrying akimbo is nice, but really, these files do not exist so that you can just print your own copies of things that we have already designed. Instead, we want them to be a  starting point for your own models!

The Chemlight Holder is one of our simplest nylon products, which makes it a perfect candidate to be our first open-source nylon pattern. Since it can easily accommodate batteries, chemlights, pens, or be used for cable management, it is a perfect candidate for modifications.

The Instinct 2X Solar has everything we love from the Instinct 2 Solar, along with a whole host of new features. These new features include Applied Ballistics integration, an onboard illuminator, incident detection, and a larger 50mm bezel. Garmin didn’t stop there, either. With the larger screen and other optimizations, the Instinct 2X produces 50% more solar power than the Instinct 2, increasing the already impressive battery life.