Belts trending away from 1.75" options.

[Hambo]

I'm fairly young at 27.

Hey, kid, no skinny jeans and no skinny belts! I wear 1.75" belts because I can dress any way I want to, every single day. And because I'm cool.

[Cory]

Hey, kid, no skinny jeans and no skinny belts! I wear 1.75" belts because I can dress any way I want to, every single day. And because I'm cool.

I'm not the skinny jeans type. I think they look girly. I don't have anything against 1.5" belts I just dont have or need any.

But, my 2 year old says I'm cool. So I got that going for me I guess.

-Cory

[Cypher]

I know this is a little off topic but this is one of my pet peeves



If you're making pants that are set up for a 1.75 belt wouldn't you think that you'd make the belt loops out of a little bit wider material so you can make the seam where they're sewn into the pants a little bit stronger?

[JTQ]

As folks have mentioned, the 1.5 has been the default for a long time. Check holster makers (OK, kydex and Safariland duty type stuff doesn't count), and you'll find the 1.5" is their default loop, and has been for quite some time.

Of course you are fairly young, been in the military, and I'll guess you spend some time in 'tactical pants", so your viewpoint may be a little different.

[Cory]

As folks have mentioned, the 1.5 has been the default for a long time. Check holster makers (OK, kydex and Safariland duty type stuff doesn't count), and you'll find the 1.5" is their default loop, and has been for quite some time.

Of course you are fairly young, been in the military, and I'll guess you spend some time in 'tactical pants", so your viewpoint may be a little different.

Not unless jeans and cheap shorts are "tactical".

-Cory

[Maple Syrup Actual]

The only pants I own, of any sort, that won't take a 1.75" belt are my suits.

For years I wore a 2" leather belt in all of my jeans. It was a tool belt around 1/4" thick and had two rows of holes with a double-pronged buckle. Like this, but two layers of leather:

https://www.amazon.ca/Mens-Heavy-Dut.../dp/B01M9BXBEA

That was the only belt I ever had to consciously choose pants to fit. And even then most jeans took it fine, from cheap Wranglers to fancy Naked&Famous. All my work clothes fit it. My motorcycle jeans fit it. My leathers fit it. And it was way, way bigger than a 1.75 gun belt.

I have a Volund in 1.75 and a Gear Dynamics in 1.5. The only reason I specifically went with the 1.5 was that GD had a big sale on their last few in 1.5 grey so I bought one. I'm not anti-1.5 or anything, I have just never had an issue with a larger belt and I'm a big guy so a bigger belt doesn't look out of place on me, and I have lots of stuff with 1.75 loops.

Personally I suspect this whole shift towards 1.5" belts has a lot to do with the number of gun carriers who dress in "office casual". I could be totally off-base with that but like the OP I rarely encounter pants that won't take a wider belt. I think if I worked in an office environment I would have a pretty different baseline for pants, and I also suspect that the gunternet is dominated by people with constant access to a computer at work. These factors taken together, I think, affect the larger trends we see in gun culture. Again this is just an idea that I have; not intended to be a knock on anything but the thoughts in the OP have often struck me also and I have always found it strange that I never seem to encounter pants that won't fit a larger belt, even though clearly tons of people must require a narrower one.

[TGS]

1.5" works in all of my pants, as well as working as an inner/outer belt system, as well as working as the belt in my HSGI setup.

1.75" doesn't.

1.75" doesn't do anything that 1.5" doesn't.

Thus, no reason to buy 1.75". It's superfluous and complicates matching holsters with belts with pants.

There's more important things to focus on in life.

[Wendell]

...I've never used a 1.75" gun belt since the mid 90s.

Me too. I remember using a particular 1.75" belt, this is back in the nineties, between '95 and '98. As I recall it, it was a PAIN to thread through the belt loops of most of the trousers that would fit it, and not all of my trousers fit; that too was a pain. In '98 I started shooting IPSC, and - when buying new (more-competitive) gear for the sport (i.e.: belt, holster, and pouches) - I was faced with the major decision of choosing either 1.5" vs. 1.75". I went with 1.5", and I'm glad that I did; it was the right decision. Nowadays, I tell everyone (who asks) to just buy everything in 1.5".

[LtDave]

Had 1.75" belts back in the '70's. Fit all my pants fine since I didn't wear dress clothes too much. By the mid '80's I was using 1.5" or 1.25" belts exclusively. Haven't purchased a 1.75" belt in a looooong time.

[vcdgrips]

FWIW- Random Belt Musings. Full disclosure, I own a 1.5 inch tapered to 1.25 2 ply leather gunbelt, 2 1.5 inch Ligers, 2 reinforced 1.5 inch 5 stitch Wilderness Frequent Flyers, 1 5 stitch 1.5 inch Wilderness Instructor and 1 1.75 5 stitch reinforced Wilderness Instructor's Belt.

1.75 leather and most nylon will not fit in the vast majority of suit/slacks loops and has not done so since at least the late 80's/early 90s when I started shooting. It fits serious brand jeans and work pants all day long.

1.5 leather tapered to 1.25 is a most elegant solution for those who have to wear a suit/ sports coat most days and was/is a go to set up for me along with a 1.5 Liger belt.

1.75 leather/nylon was the go to solution in the 80s's onward as modern semi automatic pistol craft was being developed at Gunsite et al. The gun recommended pistol was a heavy, all steel 1911 with two 7/8 round mags outboard. The payload only went up from there is you added a flashlight and/or cuffs. Ergo a 1.75 purpose designed 2 ply leather or 1.75 inch 5 stitch reinforced nylon belt was the gold standard. it is no accident that Wilderness was the first leader in the nylon belt industry given its location in AZ, proximity to Gunsite, quality, functionality etc. IIRC they sewed ( and may still) for Galco nylon offerings as well who are also AZ based.

If i was going to only own 1 belt today, it would be a 1.5 inch Liger.

If I was only going to own 2 belts, it would be the Liger and a 5 stitch type (or functional equiv.) nylon belt from any number of makers. I would only consider reinforced models if I was carrying a non polymer, full sized gun.

I would only be thinking about a 1.75 inch gun now if my default set up was a heavy non polymer gun with two mags, and other stuff that was on the belt line and I did not have to dress up and I ever thought I would have to rappel with the belt on.

Thank you for indulging this rambling post

YMMV Greatly