Wanting to purchase a belt with the mollie set up. All i’ll run on it is a double pistol mag pouch and a single or double m4 mag,dump pouch and pistol rig. I’ve got a 31" waist and not looking at spending alot at first. All i will be doing is practicing pistol and ar drills, transistion’s. Just basic stuff to get started. Could someone give some options to look at or suggestion’s? thank you
There’s a sticky at the top of this section titled, “1st Line Belts”
https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=214
There’s 43 pages (over five years) of info there. Start from page 1 and read the entire thing.
You’ll save yourself a lot of heartache (and dollar bills).
Probably the most popular belt out there right now is the Viking Tactics Battle Belt a.k.a. Borkos Belt. It’s modularity makes it the front runner.
The HSGI Sure-Grip Padded Belt is also another good choice at a little bit less cost. The neoprene type liner on the inside makes it super comfy! And it stays in place very well.
And I’m sure somebody else will say it so let me beat them to it by suggesting a little search for war belts. This should turn up a few more choices and maybe some reviews.
One more thing. I hate when people make suggestions without answering the question at hand so that’s why this is last but it sounds like you can run all of the stuff you mentioned on just a quality “through the loops” belt. You may not even need to invest in a war belt yet. But that is for you to decide. Just a suggestion. Happy Shopping!
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My first question would be why do you need a MOLLE belt to begin with? I’m not questioning you wanting to purchase one but you did say that you didn’t want to spend a bunch of money so I’m just trying to figure out why you want the belt to begin with.
Everything you mentioned can be run off a regular belt without issue. I would recommend the Ares belt for this application if you wanted to add pouches or kydex to an “everyday wear” belt. I’ve heard good things about Jones Tactical and Volund Atlas belts as well but I don’t have first hand experience with either, but that will change when my Atlas belt gets here.
I try to run my gear as close to my EDC as I can as often as I can. With the exception of my drop leg rig, all of my belts and holster/pouches combos closely resemble how I carry gear daily.
That being said I have run several different belt systems over the years. The HSGI belt is a excellent belt that can be found at several reputable dealers for a good price and they are ususally readily available with little to no wait. The SureGrip belt paired with their Cobra Riggers belt is a great combo and can easily be thrown on and, for a belt that doesn’t have a velcro inner belt to attach to, it stays in place suprisingly well. You can find them at SKD in various colors.
http://www.skdtac.com/HSGI-Sure-Grip-Padded-Belt-p/hsg.510.htm
I decided to take the plunge and finally placed an order with Robert at US Grunt Gear for a custom belt setup. I have quite a few people who know more than me tell me that I had to own the Infidel belt. I sent him an email with a few quick questions and about an hour and a half later I got a phone call from him. This was after store hours and later in the evening time. We talked about my needs and what features I liked and ones I didn’t think I would use. He talked to me about why he sets the belt systems up the way he does and which belt fits my needs. I was blown away at his attention to detail as well as him taking the time to contact me about my order. Once it was all said and done my order was GTG and waiting in line. I don’t have the belts yet but his reputation precedes him and after talking to him on the phone I have no doubts that this gear will be bomb proof.
I ordered the original Infidel belt with some minor tweeks. Since each belt is made to order I was able to customize it to my needs. There is an “Infidel 2.0” that is offered now but I need to be able to attach subloads for gas mask, med kits, extra ammo, bangs, and other items depending on the situation and the original Infidel works better for those needs. I also picked up a Contractor belt to use when I have to wear my department issued entry vest. It sits too low on my torso to be able to run anything off my belt other than subloads, a drop leg, and a dump pouch. All of my ammo and support geat is run off the carrier. The Infidel is going to be used for running with a smaller plate carrier or for when I teach at the range or take a class where armor is not a requirement. Just be aware that Robert is currently working on a 10-12 week lead time for his kit.
I say all of that to say this, find what your NEEDS are before you just start spending money, especially if you are on a limited budget. If you want a MOLLE belt for comfort and easy of throwing on/taking off and for range wear/class attendance by all means get one. I’m just saying they are not mandatory. A quality belt (Ares, Jones, Volund) with some quality kydex will fill 99% of everyone’s needs.
I’m going through a similar search and debate on in-the-loops belt and molle. My main uses will be for carbine classes and also for pistol and carbine competitions.
In thinking about how I would employ my gear in a “real world” situation, being a civilian, I would likely want/need to throw the belt on quickly and go. That started me looking around for a war/duty belt like the Brokos, HSGI Sure Grip, BFG, etc.
I already had a Cobra style belt and all the holsters, pouches, etc., but it’s a PITA to string the belt through all the pants loops with all the gear. That’s fine for competition type events, but I wanted something more wrap and go.
I through the First Line Belts thread and then started looking closely at US Grunt Gear. After a bunch of research on their website, I had a whole list of stuff I was going to order from USGG. Infidel belt, pistol and rifle mag pouches, etc. I had a few questions about gear compatibility and recommended arrangements. After emailing Robert, he too took the time to call me WELL AFTER business hours his time since I am many time zones away. Like SwatCop, he really impressed me with the level of detail that he goes through and the time that he spent with me discussing my gear needs eventhough I am not LE/MIL. I realize he’s a VERY busy guy and I almost felt bad taking up so much of his time, but he wanted to make sure that I was getting what fit me.
I ended up ordering a Contractor’s belt, a couple of inner velcro belts, rifle and pistol mag pouches and a couple other smaller items. Like the OP, I will be carrying a pistol holster, two pistol pouches, two rifle mag pouches (four if I am using it in a rifle competition without my pistol mags on me), dump pouch, and probably smaller pouches for IFAK/Boo boo kit and stuff like notebook, pens, multi-tool, etc.
Since my gear load wasn’t that heavy, Robert recommended the Contractor’s belt as a first pass before going with the more expensive Infidel or Warhog belts (and longer lead times). I had mentioned to him that I was initially interested in going with both the Infidel belt and Contractors belt since I wanted the belt mounted mag pouches for those times that I wanted to run the gear off my pants belt. That I should run it like that first and then spend the extra money on the Infidel belt if I felt it would be a better option.
Anyways, I’m now in week three of my wait. Looking forward to the gear and getting to try it out. But from what I’ve experienced with USGG so far, I think I’ll be looking at more of their gear in the future.
One quick follow-up question. For those of you who live in colder climates that run war/duty belts, I assume that you typically run the belt outside the jacket?
If you wear your war/duty belt outside your jacket, do purchase a larger size than normal? I understand that it would depend on how much you have on, but I’m thinking probably a base layer and thinner fleece layer and a lighter rain shell. Just trying to gauge how much additional belt length I would need.
I live in Hawaii, where the weather is warm all year around, so I am not used to having to wear warmer jackets for training. I’m currently planning on a basic carbine course in Alaska in September and I assume that I will have to wear at least a rain jacket over a fleece. So I’m thinking that maybe a padded belt would work best in that application to wear over the outer layer.
I’ve seen some recent AAR’s where some buys appeared to have their gear inside some heavy parkas, but that was for an advances pistol course. However, for pistols, like CCW, I would think running the gear inside the jacket would be ok. But I wouldn’t think that would be the case for carbine courses.
I don’t mind eventually investing in a padded belt since I will likely attend a class in a colder climate again in the future.
I’ve gone through a total of three different padded war belts, a cop belt, and two over-belts.
If all I’m doing is the load you describe for a couple of hours I’ll add all that to my pants belt via clip-on pouches from Ready Tactical. If longer than that, I’ll use a Contractor Belt and Velcro Inner Belt from US Grunt Gear.
After reading the “first line belts” sticky, I settled on a USGG infidel belt.
I had been running my holster, mag pouches, and dump off a 1.5" belt and found things to shift too much for my liking.
Not only does the infidel deal with the pouches shifting, but the entire belt shifting via the inner Velcro belt.
Also, I plan to run a PSS kydex holster and the 1.75" webbing on the infidel is ideal for mounting kydex.
Hard to beat for the options you get with the infidel IMO.
Thank’s everyone for there input and I did go through 43 pg. thread but, i didn’t find my answer as of some that has posted in this thread.
What were you looking for?
If I were you, today, I would purchase a Volund Gearworks Atlas belt, width is preference. If you need the pouches my top picks would be two Comp-Tac pistol pouches, a Comp-Tac carbine pouch, and a BFG Helium Whisper dump pouch. If you need to save money replace the Comp-Tac items with Ready-Tac pouches. All of this will fit on a belt that is not molle. If you feel you need a molle belt the price and options can skyrocket. Make sure you have good basic gear first. More and more people are switching to 2 pistol and 1 carbine pouch. A small dump pouch adds a little extra.
I ass-you-me’d that he was looking for something he could remove more easily for long days at the range. Short days I’ll use my pants belt, long days I want something I can drop more easily. Long days in very remote areas I want something that includes a BOK.
Have you tried threading on a standard holster onto your Volund? Which direction did you go, over the “molle” or the other way? I haven’t tried yet but I have reservations about it.
I am set up to have that too, works great. Nothing like click and all the gear is off.
I have little issues threading the Volund through, although there are minor hang ups. The same hang ups I had with an Ares, Jones, and ESW belt though, so I assume they are a non-issue. They are a non-issue for me, someone who finds the cobra buckle on a ranger style belt to be annoying. I use the Volund as I would my Wilderness.
I suspect I’m headed back to my Wilderness after mucking around with all of these, at least for EDC. I wish they’d do one with a Cobra to make the head calls easier, but it’s even more annoying to spend half my morning threading holsters on and off.
Rob thanks for posting that Ready Tactical link. I’ve been looking for a spare mag carrier that isn’t twice the width of a magazine. After using them do you feel they are g2g for everyday use?
Not Rob_S. Definitely not Rob_S.
When I was in plainclothes, I often used the Ready Tactical pistol mag carrier (CCW version) on either a cheap Timberland belt or a 5.11 “leather” belt. My usual mag loadout was 2 in a Raven carrier, but on days where I was going from office meeting to office meeting, with little to no time working the street, I found the 1 mag loadout sufficient, yet comfortable for being a desk jockey.
I had no problems with the carrier, though I never left a loaded mag in it overnight out of concern for the kydex losing tension. I found that it carried well, retained the magazine without issue, and delivered an easy release of the mag for a reload. I also liked that the CCW version didn’t angle outwards and print through my cover garment. Very happy with it.
I also have one of Ready’s AR magazine carriers. I haven’t carried or run it as much as the pistol mag one, but it feels like its got an even better hold on the AR mag. I pretty much use it for range days, and once or twice for low profile SWAT days.
I used to carry in one every day. I hear a lot of criticism of them from here and there but I never had an issue with mine and have been using them for training and competition as well for a long time, and quite a few people have bought the AR version on my recommendation and I haven’t heard of any of those failing either.
My only issue is that even the CC version is a bit tough for me to conceal. I used a Cane & Derby single pouch now which holds the magazine much tighter in to my body.
I bet I own easily 10 of these, between CC versions and competition, 1.5" and 1.75", not counting the AR pouches.
I just ordered a few of these “permanent” versions to use on my ip-sic belt as well. No pics at the link but I’ll take some pics when they come in.
http://www.skdtac.com/Ready-Tactical-Pro-Grade-Pistol-Mag-Pouch-p/rdt.114.htm
If I had to guess their pro pistol pouch will look a lot like the Custom Carry Concepts BMC, which means it will be an awesome pouch.
Thanks for the responses. I currently have this one from PSS.
It’s very well made, doesn’t show, and the retention is perfect IMO. My only complaint is the width. I don’t like how much space it occupies on my belt. I think the shape and width contribute to how well it conceals, and I understand that going to a slender, box-shaped pouch might make it more visible, but I really want to try out something smaller.
The Infidel looked like a winner but the wait time:( I ended up ordering the HSGI Sure Grip a couple nights ago. We will see.
I hear ya on the wait… Buy once, wait once, cry once… Congrats on the HSGI though. Give us an update when you get the belt squared away.