Setting up a new training belt

[HeavyDuty]

I haven’t had a dedicated training belt in a number of years, but I’d like to start taking classes again. This may be a fool’s errand since my mobility is taking a hit, but staying active on one of the things I’m supposed to do.

So…

I’d like something modular, I can see doing classes with different pistols. To start I think I’d like to build it around my LTT 92. I don’t need a full war belt, so what - overbelt, keepers, holster, two extra mags, small med kit?

What are y’all using for training rigs?

[vcdgrips]

YMMV Greatly- When I am taking training, I make a concerted effort to run with what I EDC with. IMHO You do not NEED a "training belt" for the shooting you are doing UNLESS you are training in inclimate weather when it is raining/snowing. In that very slim sliver of time, having a stiff belt with your mag pouches holster threaded on a belt that is sized large enough to go on and cinch up over outerwear is essential if your are training with an OWB which some places/classes require.


In a pure, I AM the trainer context where folks are working from a non concealed range holster, it is NICE but not NEEDED to be able to "keeper on" a "training" belt. Do my thing, take it off and stow it for the AIWB ride to lunch off range and/or home.


Belt 1 is for Glocks an was the first one I built from stuff I just had about with the exception of the holster.

From left to right: 2 Glock OEM mag pouches, an old Blade tech AR Pouch, Blackhawk Gladius light and light holster, Maxpedition Dump Pouch, Bianchi Belt Keepers and a safariland GLS Holster for Glock 19, 17, 34, 35, 41 sized gun.

Belt 2 is set up very similarly and matching in all black as I was a bit more directed in my purchase of the belt (35.00 off of eBay, made in the USA etc.) and the holster (35ish as well). The black rig is set up for a 5 inch 1911. Note the addition of the earpro hanger. Note that the flashlight carrier and ear pro hanger can move between the belts easily.

I have used the dump pouch to carry a small FAK ( and/or extra mags, ammo etc) though I fully concur that best practice would be to have something truly dedicated mounted on the belt.

Bottom Line- You work hard for the money and you deserve to get whatever makes your happy that works in this realm. I simply think that you probably have everything you need already and it just needs to go on a dedicated belt that has some stiffness like a Wilderness 5 stitch with the polymer insert or other stiff Cobra buckle belts as shown below.

Let us know what you do.

99486

[littlejerry]

What are you training for?

Modular has more to do with the specific holster mount and mag pouches than the belt itself. Any competition oriented 2 piece belt will hold up just fine for classes any maybe even better than a "tactical" belt.

[stomridertx]

I haven’t had a dedicated training belt in a number of years, but I’d like to start taking classes again. This may be a fool’s errand since my mobility is taking a hit, but staying active on one of the things I’m supposed to do.

So…

I’d like something modular, I can see doing classes with different pistols. To start I think I’d like to build it around my LTT 92. I don’t need a full war belt, so what - overbelt, keepers, holster, two extra mags, small med kit?

What are y’all using for training rigs?

One thing I am grateful to have discovered is the wonders of 3m Velcro One-Wrap. I use the Esstac belt and using 1" One-Wrap I can attach molle pouches anywhere on the belt I want without needing external molle on the belt and without losing velcro attachment to the inner belt. They fit tight to the belt and don't move at all. I'm not sure why this hasn't caught on more but it works flawlessly. I've even used the 1.5" One-Wrap to extend expensive belts when my gut has gotten out of control.
99495

99496

[HeavyDuty]

One thing I am grateful to have discovered is the wonders of 3m Velcro One-Wrap. I use the Esstac belt and using 1" One-Wrap I can attach molle pouches anywhere on the belt I want without needing external molle on the belt and without losing velcro attachment to the inner belt. They fit tight to the belt and don't move at all. I'm not sure why this hasn't caught on more but it works flawlessly. I've even used the 1.5" One-Wrap to extend expensive belts when my gut has gotten out of control.
99495

99496

That’s pretty slick.

[littlejerry]

The velcro stuff eventually fails. OK for light duty use but still not ideal. I used to use it to mount BFG 10 speed pouches to my biathlon rig but they started tearing pretty quick.

I switched to using AWS LAB belt panels to adapt pouches to a 1.5" Velcro belt:
https://awsin.com/50727-lab-molle-panel/

They work awesome and are super durable.

The LAB belt itself is OK, but I wish it was a little stiffer for my purposes. I added suspenders and it's good for running with ~3 AR mags, 4 Glock mags, G19, and a small bottle of water. Any more than that and it gets a bit floppy. Some races need 6+ rifle mags and I opt to use a BFG bandolier to carry overflow.

[HeavyDuty]

What are you training for?

Modular has more to do with the specific holster mount and mag pouches than the belt itself. Any competition oriented 2 piece belt will hold up just fine for classes any maybe even better than a "tactical" belt.

Missed this. “Training” only as opposed to a warbelt, a good overbelt that is set up with a holster and possibly even mag pouches that attach in a modular fashion (QLS or the like) for taking classes. I’d prefer to use simple keepers to anchor it over my Wilderness, I wish I’d kept my duty belt but it’s long gone.

[HCM]

Missed this. “Training” only as opposed to a warbelt, a good overbelt that is set up with a holster and possibly even mag pouches that attach in a modular fashion (QLS or the like) for taking classes. I’d prefer to use simple keepers to anchor it over my Wilderness, I wish I’d kept my duty belt but it’s long gone.

Unless someone is making you run an old style police duty belt with keepers there is no reason not to run a padded war belt or inner / outer Velcro / MOLLE belt system.

The two-part Velcro belts are probably the best, however, the padded war belt with the nonslip material inside is easier to throw on over rain gear or cold weather clothing (or a suit).

[HCM]

YMMV Greatly- When I am taking training, I make a concerted effort to run with what I EDC with. IMHO You do not NEED a "training belt" for the shooting you are doing UNLESS you are training in inclimate weather when it is raining/snowing. In that very slim sliver of time, having a stiff belt with your mag pouches holster threaded on a belt that is sized large enough to go on and cinch up over outerwear is essential if your are training with an OWB which some places/classes require.


In a pure, I AM the trainer context where folks are working from a non concealed range holster, it is NICE but not NEEDED to be able to "keeper on" a "training" belt. Do my thing, take it off and stow it for the AIWB ride to lunch off range and/or home.


Belt 1 is for Glocks an was the first one I built from stuff I just had about with the exception of the holster.

From left to right: 2 Glock OEM mag pouches, an old Blade tech AR Pouch, Blackhawk Gladius light and light holster, Maxpedition Dump Pouch, Bianchi Belt Keepers and a safariland GLS Holster for Glock 19, 17, 34, 35, 41 sized gun.

Belt 2 is set up very similarly and matching in all black as I was a bit more directed in my purchase of the belt (35.00 off of eBay, made in the USA etc.) and the holster (35ish as well). The black rig is set up for a 5 inch 1911. Note the addition of the earpro hanger. Note that the flashlight carrier and ear pro hanger can move between the belts easily.

I have used the dump pouch to carry a small FAK ( and/or extra mags, ammo etc) though I fully concur that best practice would be to have something truly dedicated mounted on the belt.

Bottom Line- You work hard for the money and you deserve to get whatever makes your happy that works in this realm. I simply think that you probably have everything you need already and it just needs to go on a dedicated belt that has some stiffness like a Wilderness 5 stitch with the polymer insert or other stiff Cobra buckle belts as shown below.

Let us know what you do.

99486

Training belt set ups also make it easier to throw on for dryfire. But I made it easier. You make it to do dry fire to more likely you’ll actually do it.

[HCM]

One thing I am grateful to have discovered is the wonders of 3m Velcro One-Wrap. I use the Esstac belt and using 1" One-Wrap I can attach molle pouches anywhere on the belt I want without needing external molle on the belt and without losing velcro attachment to the inner belt. They fit tight to the belt and don't move at all. I'm not sure why this hasn't caught on more but it works flawlessly. I've even used the 1.5" One-Wrap to extend expensive belts when my gut has gotten out of control.
99495

99496

You can do this with zip ties toI.

[HeavyDuty]

Unless someone is making you run an old style police duty belt with keepers there is no reason not to run a padded war belt or inner / outer Velcro / MOLLE belt system.

The two-part Velcro belts are probably the best, however, the padded war belt with the nonslip material inside is easier to throw on over rain gear or cold weather clothing (or a suit).

Any suggestions for a padded warbelt for a padded nonwarrior?

[Lon]

I’m a huge believer in the taco pouches for training belts. Pistol mags, lights, knives, multi tools, sharpies, whatever. Same for the rifle tacos. Mags, phones, timers, whatever. I also run the Safariland QLS system so I can switch holsters easily.

99507

[HCM]

Any suggestions for a padded warbelt for a padded nonwarrior?

Padded I've had good luck with the HSGI slim grip version with an HSGI cobra buckle belt inside.

If back / mobility is an issue, consider HSGI or VTAC suspenders with it for keeping some of the weight off the hips / back.

Velcro there are several - including Blue Alpha, RDR gear and CORE. I've also heard good things about the AXIL belt.

I'll echo Lon's recommendation for the versatility of HSGI taco pouches for training.

I'm also a fan of Safariland QLS for system for swapping holsters. I'm running it on the True North aluminum belt hanger but the Safariland cant adjustable belt loops CUBL/VCUBL work too.

[breakingtime91]

I just got the Trex speed belt. Big fan. I have it set up as a "fighting" belt. Holster, pistol mag, AR pouch, horizontal AR pouch (awesome for reloads in the prone if worn at the 6 o clock), dump pouch. Easily handled the weight. Plan on getting a tenicor zero underbelly so I can take off carry gear when training carbine, stick belt on, and then take off and redon carry gear.

[Darth_Uno]

Any suggestions for a padded warbelt for a padded nonwarrior?

Most of my training is just with an AIWB holster and mag carrier, and 2 OWB mag carriers.

For days I want more than that, I got the G-Code Scorpion lo-viz because it was the don’t-think-too-hard setup, plus some extra rifle and pistol tacos. But normally I run it with 3 rifle mags and 1 pistol. It’s pretty modular so I can shuffle around components depending on what I think I need that day.

https://www.tacticalholsters.com/category/belt-combos/

For my purposes, this is more warbelt/rifle-centric but you could load it up with pistol mag carriers if you wanted to.

[stomridertx]

Any suggestions for a padded warbelt for a padded nonwarrior?

I use the Wilder Tactical velcro pad on my Esstac belt so I have the option to run a velcro inner belt or attach it over existing clothes. I keep the pad on it while it's in the closet so I can put it on quickly even if I'm in comfortable clothes.

https://wildertactical.com/belts-accessories/belt-pads/urban-assault-pad/

[TGS]

I generally use the CCW belt on my pants, and attach a holster and mag pouches.