Ok, the topic of belt and holster has recently come up for me and I need some help. First, I am not an “operator”. I don’t dress like I am ex military nor do I have a beard trying to portray myself as something I am not.
I’m a regular guy… I wear jeans and t-shirts with cross trainers almost everyday. I also wear a casual style belt.
The holster I use regularly is a stealthgear iwb ventcore. Seems to work fine for me!
I am looking for some direction on belts and possibly a new holster. Anyone have recommendations or thoughts on this based on my dress attire?
Another option is the ratchet style belts which are awesome for when you carry or not. What I like about them is you can dial in exactly the right fit with and without the gun. It sucks when you’re between belt holes and you are either too tight or too loose.
I have the Kore and Next belts, I think the Kore is a little higher quality.
I have two Kore belts, a Liger belt (not sure if still made), a Magpul Tejas, and a V Development MenlnfaoaigrsoW$%^% (may have misspelled that) belt.
If my belt will be showing I run the Kore. If not I run the V Dev Group. I don’t use the Tejas as much as it is too thick to be comfortable and the Liger is great when I’m a weight that fits it…
Check out “Ares Gear”. Their least expensive belt, “Aegis”, runs about $95.00. You can do a search for reviews, they’re pretty much 5 star ratings. I like how the buckle/belt is easily adjustable for any shrink and swell in one’s waistline. It seems I’m always in between belt holes. Top quality gear.
I have the Blue Alpha Gear low profile belt. It is quality and a really good value. Aaron Cowan (Sage Dynamics) has a review up on youtube if you want to check it out
Just did a follow up on my thread of the Alonso Defense Emissary belt. If all you wear are just basic belts then this is a great alternative. No tactical buckle or velcro. It is made of rigid 1.5" black scuba webbing. Not sure if you would prefer leather or are fine with nylon or the scuba webbing.
I have 2 of The Blue alpha gear LOW pro. They are just OK in My opinion : The Belts that were really nice were from Boxer Tactical. Unfortunately Amazon at the time banned him posting his Belts and he never recovered financially from that : Please understand the BAG belts are made the same. My Boxer Tactical belts are just way superior for adjustment and comfort : The guy just got screwed over in a Market where who you know or who you are .Influence whether you get a fair and honest shake breaking into the Gun and Gin Gear Market :
For web style belts check out Bison Designs. Made in the United States and very durable. If you sign up for their emails you will get a 20% off coupon. I have owned a couple of different models for a long time and I just recently bought this one:
I picked them up while doing research for articles, and I’ve been very happy with my leather belts from Relentless Tactical. Very sturty belt, and cheaper than the Magpul option.
It is a solid synthetic so it is stiffer than leather but not as stiff as those with a plastic insert. And it has holes every 3/4” instead of the standard 1” so it adjusts much better for gun thickness. Perfect for my IWB needs.
I’m a retired GI but we dress pretty much alike. I wear cargo shorts a lot 9 months out of the year, and khakis to work. I work on a military base, so I’m only carrying in the evenings and on weekends.
I have 4 Kore belts, and they are all I wear since 2017. Leather for dress, nylon for jeans and shorts. I have zero complaints…love them. Get on their mailing list and wait for a discount…
If you’re carrying IWB with an untucked shirt it shouldn’t matter what the belt looks like, right?
The gold standard is the Wilderness Tactical Instructor belt. It’s what the 511 and such are copies of. They’re 100% made in the USA and super high quality. I bought one back in 2011 and wore it nearly every day until I decided to get a fresh one a few weeks ago. It was kind of arbitrary since the old one is still in nearly as good condition as the brand new one.
I use the Wilderness instructor belt for IWB carry. I would like to have one wiithout the V loop part on the buckle. Not much chance I will need to use a carabiner during my daily activities. I found a ridgid belt is needed more for OWB than IWB.
As one whose work clothes are coat and tie, the best DRESS belt I’ve found, is the Comp-Tac kydex reinforced belt. At 1 1/2" wide, it just squeezes through most dress slacks belt loops, and the kydex reinforcement is appreciated, when you’re carrying a 1911 OWB (I use a Crossbreed hybrid holster).
Concealment is always important, but if you’re always in a jacket, you can tailor this setup a little more towards comfort.
I’ve been wearing a couple belts now for roughly a decade. The Beltman makes excellent leather belts. They are very rigid, but conform to your body contour over time.
For low-profile synthetic belts, the First Spear Line One belt is hard to beat, and I haven’t heard a single person say anything about what my belt looks like on four continents when I have worn either of these, and they are reasonably rigid.