Why do I need a gun belt?
This is a question I asked myself for years. For years I carried IWB and OWB using a normal belt. Of course I didn't carry every day and rarely if ever carried all day. Even after I started reading and hearing about the benefits of a belt specifically designed for carrying a firearm, I still put it down to people trying to sell me stuff.
Then we became an armed agency. My position is on call also. Work did, eventually provide us with duty belts, which is fine for work when I am in uniform. When I'm in court clothes, plain clothes or off duty, it doesn't work as well. I tried carrying with the nylon uniform belt. Basically I spent all day pulling up my pants, not to mention how the weight of the handgun broke down the nylon belt. I started thinking hard about a better belt. The problem though is most gun belts are leather and expensive. Typical gunbelts seemed to run $80 to $150. That's a lot for a civil servant and single dad to invest without being sure something will work. So I searched for a cheaper option.
To make a long story short I found a few, and have tried some of them. Having a belt designed to carry a firearm helps a lot. The weight of the weapon doesn't drag down your pants, or exhaust you near as much. There is also the added factor that the gun stays put and is there when you need it. It also makes concealing it easier.
A gun belt is much stiffer than a regular belt. This can be accomplished in different ways. The traditional way it's done with leather is to start with a thicker piece of leather or stitch together several layers of thinner leather. Most makers use a heavy grade of thread and use a lot of stitches to increase strength and stiffness. Some nylon belt makers do the same things with nylon, starting with a heavy grade of strong nylon and using a lot of heavy duty stitches Another way stiffness is sometimes added is by placing something between layers of material. Often kydex or another type of polymer is used.
So now you are asking, so what are these cheaper ways to go. Well, first, I am not saying these are the way to go, I am saying these are ways you can see if a heavier duty belt might not work better for you. The firearm is a tool, but it's really just one piece of a bigger whole. Your firearm, ammunition, holster and belt all have to work together. It's kind of silly to spend $400 - $1,500 on a firearm, put it in a $20 holster and hang that off a $10 Walmart belt. I'll talk about holsters later.
The first item I'll throw out I haven't personally tried yet, and may not. I use a similar belt that works well. This is the rigger's belt. Rigger's belts run anywhere from $25 to nearly $100. The differences can be the buckles, the material, ect. A rigger's belt, if authentic, should include a rating for weight. If it doesn't have that, than it's possible the nylon webbing or fasteners are subpar. It might still function as a carry belt, I don't know. Rigger's belts are actually meant as rescue belts and to carry gear, but many people swear they make good carry belts. If you want to try one, I would suggest going with a known name. Blackhawk offers some around the $30 mark online.
I went with an instructor's gun belt. This is a belt designed similar to the rigger's belt, but it usually doesn't have the metal d ring and has a buckling system that isn't rescue rated. I wasn't planning on doing any repelling, and the lack of the d ring made it a lower profile My requirement was for an 1.5" belt. At the time, I could only find 3 companies online that offered the instructors gunbelt in that size, Blackhawk, Uncle Mike's, and 5 11. The Blackhawk belt and the Uncle Mike's belt were both stiffened with polymer inserts. The 5 11 was not. The Blackhawk belt was around $45, the Uncle Mike's was around $35 and the 5 11 was somewhere between $50 and $60. The Blackhawk was not available in the 1.5" in my size, so I went with the Uncle Mike's It's been great. The kydex insert is only in about 3/4's of the belt, so the part of the belt that fastens is not stiffened. It uses velcro to fasten, so it is very adjustable. It does look a little odd, but most people don't seem to notice it isn't a normal belt. The belt fits well with tac pants, cargo pants, jeans, but it can be a chore to feed through the belt loops of dressier pants.
I basically need 2 kinds of carry belts. I need something for casual dress and I need something more appropriate for dressier occasions. I saw a youtube video about Trakline carry belts. Trakline uses a ratchet buckle system rather than the traditional holes so it's more adjustable than a traditional belt. Currently they are available online from koreessentials.com around the $60 range. I've only had mine a few days. I've worn it three times. The first two I carrying the Glock 42 and it was great. Today I wore it to court and afterward added the 26 and 2 spare mags. So far so good.
It you want a more traditional belt, Alien Gear has released a leather gun belt that uses a spring steel core as a stiffener. I've had great luck with their holsters, so I suspect the belt would work great. They are selling them for a little under $60 and offer $15 off if you pair them with a holster. Another belt I haven't tried yet, but plan to soon is SOE's EDC belt. It's a 1.5 inch nylon web belt with tons of stitching, the youtube videos I've seen, it looks like a tough belt. It uses a 1 inch cobra buckle. I like the looks of the belt, and there are youtube videos of all the company's belts. It's also a company located in my state, so I can support a local business. If you are interested look up Special Operations Equipment. I will post when I try it.
The Uncle Mike's belt has been in use for almost a year. I've even used it as an inner belt for the duty belt. The Trakline, I've only had for about 4 days. I will post when I've had more time to let you know how it holds up. I'll also let you know when I get the SOE belt. It may be a coupld of months.
