Looking for a good gun belt.

[Chuck Whitlock]

Being that you have one of these belts, how would you compare the stiffness/flexibility of it compared to a dress belt that is fairly flexible?

I consider the dress belts that you buy at clothing stores to be flimsy, and are better at separating you from your money than they are at actually supporting anything.

Also, I don’t mean to sound like a broken record but what is your body type like? Do you have a gut?

I'm 5'5", maybe about 230, and wear 42" Duluthflex jeans/pants/shorts. I have a substantial gut, but relatively athletic below said gut.

Do you sit down a lot for hours at a time like I do?

I drive a desk at work now, and spent at least the previous 20 years driving a patrol car. Last 5.5 years have been 12 hour shifts.

Does your belt have to be tight almost to the point of being uncomfortable just to hold everything up?

No, but I have enough butt that my belt doesn't slip past it.

Does it also put pressure on the top and the bottom of the belt kind of like I said before if a belt was so stiff that it made you feel like you were wearing a steel band around your waist?

There is something to be said for perspective. I'm used to wearing a police gun belt, with a whole lot of crap on it. In my desk job now, I wear a dress shirt and tie, jeans, and cowboy boots. I use a Magpul Tejas belt to support an all-steel Browning Hi-Power, two reloads, a pair of oversized S&W Universal hinged cuffs, and a cell phone, all OWB. That Magpul belt is that stiff, and is too stiff to wear a gun IWB. On my own time, by choice, if I'm mucking about in public, I'm wearing an all-SS 1911 Commander IWB on my right hip and an all-SS Kahr K9 IWB on my left hip. That's a lot more than most cops are willing to tote around, but...for me...the wilderness belt supports it all without digging into me. I've also acclimated myself to wearing a duty sized sidearm IWB of the past couple of decades. There have been times where a particular gun/holster/position has become downright painful, and I've had to make an adjustment.

[corneileous]

I consider the dress belts that you buy at clothing stores to be flimsy, and are better at separating you from your money than they are at actually supporting anything.

Oh I know, I was just curious how flexible they were and where they were compared to that line that separates a dress belt from a gun belt in terms of flexibility because not all gun belts are the same when it comes to that.

I'm 5'5", maybe about 230, and wear 42" Duluthflex jeans/pants/shorts. I have a substantial gut, but relatively athletic below said gut.

I drive a desk at work now, and spent at least the previous 20 years driving a patrol car. Last 5.5 years have been 12 hour shifts.

No, but I have enough butt that my belt doesn't slip past it.

There is something to be said for perspective. I'm used to wearing a police gun belt, with a whole lot of crap on it. In my desk job now, I wear a dress shirt and tie, jeans, and cowboy boots. I use a Magpul Tejas belt to support an all-steel Browning Hi-Power, two reloads, a pair of oversized S&W Universal hinged cuffs, and a cell phone, all OWB. That Magpul belt is that stiff, and is too stiff to wear a gun IWB. On my own time, by choice, if I'm mucking about in public, I'm wearing an all-SS 1911 Commander IWB on my right hip and an all-SS Kahr K9 IWB on my left hip. That's a lot more than most cops are willing to tote around, but...for me...the wilderness belt supports it all without digging into me. I've also acclimated myself to wearing a duty sized sidearm IWB of the past couple of decades. There have been times where a particular gun/holster/position has become downright painful, and I've had to make an adjustment.

So which Wilderness belt do you have, the 5-stitch? I would assume if you’re carrying all that then you’d want the stiffer one over the 3 stitch.

I wouldn’t be carrying that much but with my suspenders, I’m probably fine for casual carry out in public. I’m just trying to get past the hurdle of maybe being able to someday carry OWB all the time, not just for casual wear in public but, I’m fine if I can’t.


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[Chuck Whitlock]

Oh I know, I was just curious how flexible they were and where they were compared to that line that separates a dress belt from a gun belt in terms of flexibility because not all gun belts are the same when it comes to that.

True. I have some cheaper leather gun belts from...I believe...DeSantis, and the leather stretched in fairly short order.

So which Wilderness belt do you have, the 5-stitch? I would assume if you’re carrying all that then you’d want the stiffer one over the 3 stitch.

I have 3 FF belts. One is 1.75" and two that are 1.5". I honestly don't recall if they are 3- or 5-stitch. I just ordered a D-ring belt from MM.

I would recommend, from what you've posted upthread, to try the 3-stitch version.

I wouldn’t be carrying that much but with my suspenders, I’m probably fine for casual carry out in public. I’m just trying to get past the hurdle of maybe being able to someday carry OWB all the time, not just for casual wear in public but, I’m fine if I can’t.

Funny enough.....after pounding all that out on the keyboard this morning, I had to make a quick run to the grocery store this afternoon. I just didn't feel like putting all that on. A micro .380 went into my offside front pocket, and my LW 1911 Champion 9mm went into the IWB holster, with two reloads on the other side of the belt. Was more comfortable.

I should further mention that 1) I live in a coastal south Texas community, where I can dress like a beach bum and blend in just fine, and 2) as a Texas peace officer, the only real NPE's for me are Federal installations, so casual concealment is the order of the day and there are no real repercussions if my armed status is "discovered". I believe that those data points are relevent to the discussion. As the saying goes, YMMV.

[corneileous]

True. I have some cheaper leather gun belts from...I believe...DeSantis, and the leather stretched in fairly short order.




I have 3 FF belts. One is 1.75" and two that are 1.5". I honestly don't recall if they are 3- or 5-stitch. I just ordered a D-ring belt from MM.

I would recommend, from what you've posted upthread, to try the 3-stitch version.



Funny enough.....after pounding all that out on the keyboard this morning, I had to make a quick run to the grocery store this afternoon. I just didn't feel like putting all that on. A micro .380 went into my offside front pocket, and my LW 1911 Champion 9mm went into the IWB holster, with two reloads on the other side of the belt. Was more comfortable.

I should further mention that 1) I live in a coastal south Texas community, where I can dress like a beach bum and blend in just fine, and 2) as a Texas peace officer, the only real NPE's for me are Federal installations, so casual concealment is the order of the day and there are no real repercussions if my armed status is "discovered". I believe that those data points are relevent to the discussion. As the saying goes, YMMV.

I’m patiently waiting for a response from Wilderness for their opinion of what would be best for my situation. So far I’m kind of interested in the low profile edc belt but it kinda looks like the only difference between the low pro and the FF is the buckle.

But around here, I’m not really concerned to much if someone thinks I may be carrying but if I can find a belt that doesn’t feel like a steel band around my waist, I’m going to get some button up collared shirt sleeve shirts that will probably conceal much better than any T shirt.


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[corneileous]

Instead of waiting, I called Wilderness and the lady I spoke with recommended the FF belt due to the buckle being more centered on keeping the belt tight whereas the Low Pro belt relies more on the Velcro to keep it tight so this weekend I may measure myself to see which one I need and I might just try that FF in the 3 stitch. I just wish I had more of an idea of it’s vertical rigidity compared to my Kore belt, my Volund belt and my dress belt that’s just one layer of webbing.

I guess all I can do at this point is just try it and even if it doesn’t work out for when I’m at work, if its less stiff than my other two gun belts then at least it should work better for casual, around town wear.


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[Chuck Whitlock]

When you get it in hand, if you still think it's a little stiff, twist it around and moosh it up into a ball a few times to get the "new" stiffness out of it.

[corneileous]

When you get it in hand, if you still think it's a little stiff, twist it around and moosh it up into a ball a few times to get the "new" stiffness out of it.

I really am interested in trying it and even though I said before that even if it does happen to be a little bit more flexible than my other two gun belts, I’m just still a little bit reluctant to try that frequent flyer belt not because of what brand it is but just because of the fact that I just really don’t know how much less stiff it is from those two belts I have and even if it is less stiff, if it’s still going to pretty much cause the same issue as the other belts have when I sit for long hours. Because at least one thing about it, when I’m not at work in this truck, my Kore belt really is not that bad by itself and with my new undershirt suspenders, I’ll be able to wear it a little looser which should help against discomfort tremendously.

I don’t know, decisions, decisions… Lol.


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[corneileous]

Being that I was recommended to try the inch and a quarter frequent flyer three stitch, I don’t think I ever thought to ask but will that narrow of a belt work OK with a gun holster that has holes that are made for an inch and a half belt width? I mean, we’re only talking less than an eighth of an inch on the top and the bottom of the belt but I guess it never hurts to ask.


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[Chuck Whitlock]

The belt width should match the belt loops on the holster. 1/4 inch on each belt loop adds up to a lot of play that you don't want.

[corneileous]

The belt width should match the belt loops on the holster. 1/4 inch on each belt loop adds up to a lot of play that you don't want.

That’s kinda what I figured. I dunno, I may try one of these belts someday, I may not. I’m going to try to look this weekend for some new dress jeans so since these new Hikers undershirt suspenders are working really well, I’d like to do a few test runs with either one of my two gun belts being a lot looser and pants that are looser to see how it works for casual wear before I decide to get another belt.


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