As I'm sure you've
heard in many blog articles/websites/books, you really do have to dress for
concealed carry. Massad Ayoob has an
excellent section on this in his book "The Gun Digest Book of Concealed
Carry," and one of the articles of clothing he mentions is a belt. The reason for this should be fairly
obvious. Aside from your holster, the
single most important piece of gear for keeping your firearm properly secured
on your person is your belt. I would
personally consider it every bit as important as the holster. Think of them as a complimentary system. Spending a lot of money on one while
neglecting the other can easily lead to a failure of the system to perform as
required, IE., a $100+ holster hanging from a cheap Wally World belt is going
to sag and shift, at the very least becoming annoying, and at the worst
allowing your firearm to move out of position (or fail), causing your firearm
not be where it needs to be when you need it.
Don't even get me started on the guy I saw carrying a $1k pistol in a
Wally World holster hanging from a cheap cotton belt that probably came with
the shorts he was wearing.
For my needs, I
utilize two different belts: the Line One Belt from First Spear, and a Bianchi
Fancy Stitched Leather Belt. I purchased
the Line One Belt after seeing it online, and utilized it to carry my Raven
Concealment holster and mag pouch for a Glock 19/TLR-1 combo. The Bianchi normally supports my Colt
Lightweight Commander in a Fobus (I'm still waiting on my G-Code).
A little about the
belts:
The First Spear belt
is urethane coated nylon, and is 1.5 inches wide. You get your choice of black or tan (and
everyone knows everything is cooler in tan).
A major advantage of this particular belt is that because of the
urethane, it is virtually impervious to the elements and the age old issue of
leather stretch. It also requires very
little upkeep. It looks good, and from a
normal contact distance, looks like a standard pants belt. The price is also slightly cheaper than most
quality leather belts. The downside is
that this belt is normal belt thickness (approx 1/8"). It hasn't been an issue for me so far, but
with a higher ride holster or a heavier gun, it could be prone to cant.
As the name implies,
the Bianchi is brown leather with a stitched pattern, and is 1.75 inches
wide. This has become my go-to
belt. When paired with my Lightweight
Commander, I never have to worry about my firearm moving or sagging. I actually bought the belt on the
recommendation of a prior-service SEAL who had done PSD work and told me that
his unit had issued the belts to them, and had never had an issue supporting
their Sigs. The Bianchi is a little
thicker than the First Spear (approx 3/16"), and between the extra
thickness and width, provides a very stable platform for mounting a
holster. On the downside, it is leather,
it will require minor upkeep, and it will eventually stretch and need to be
replaced. I don't consider this a major
disadvantage, as nothing lasts forever, and just like you will eventually
probably have to replace your holster (if you use leather), you will eventually have to replace this
belt. It is a bit pricier than the First
Spear, but after wearing it for the last few months, I consider the extra money
worth it. The only annoying item I have
found is that not all my pants have belt loops that are friendly to this width
belt. It's something I will have to
watch for as I buy new pants.
Overall, I prefer the
Bianchi for its stability, and let's be honest, in a world of constant tactical
nylon bombardment, there is still something enduring about good old fashioned
leather.
-Woody
No comments:
Post a Comment