JTT: In Defense of the Walmart Belt

belt keepers walmart
February 28, 2017  
|  11 Comments
Categories: Musings

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Just The Tip: In Defense of the Walmart Belt

Dave Merrill

So there I was three beers deep in a Thai brothel at an EAG Shoot House class.

Given the nature of shoot houses in general and shoot houses with multiple parties in particular, all the instructors and students were properly armored up. Plate carriers, war belts—you get the idea. Normally when donning an overbelt I opt for a minimalist belt underneath, lest you end up uncomfortably stacking bigassed buckles together.

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And of course, that was one piece of gear I left at home and instead only had a bombproof belt with the associated large buckle around my waist. As a way to mitigate stacked buckle syndrome, I offset my pants belt buckle toward my left side (much in the way Matt Jacques outlines in this Just The Tip piece). At the end of a long training day, I acquired a new sensitive rub mark from the pressure of the overbelt on the oversized buckle of my pants belt.

What to do? The best option in Alliance, Ohio was to head to the popping Friday night hot spot that is Walmart on State street. After circumventing the meth heads and people trying to sell me gift cards for cash, I laid down $10 for a Chinamart belt to wear on my pants for the duration of the course. It was rather thin, formed from cheap leather (marked “genuine leather,” which is the lowest grade), with buckle finish that would wear off in hours rather than days or weeks, and it was anything but stiff and firm. Flaccid would be an appropriate adjective.

But it served its purpose. It held up my trousers and prevented issues with buckle stacking and rubbing when wearing a war belt. I fully expected to just discard it or toss it in the back of my closet when I finished the course.

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Laziness won the day, so obviously I didn’t just throw it away. Plus, you know, it cost $10. But sometimes when apathy and unintended frugality prevails, it can bring a lesson or two with it. And lesson number one was that when worn under an overbelt, a low cost belt can do the job comfortably.

In its base form, a belt is simply something purpose-built that holds your pants up. An improvised belt can be anything from a shoelace to a cargo strap (incidentally, the first riggers’ belts were just cut down A7A cargo straps). And if your only need is to hold up your pants, it doesn’t take much to accomplish that task.

The problems begin when we add weight to our waistline (from guns and gear, not from tacos and beer). That paltry pliable belt is going to stretch, sag, and roll. Over the years there have been many solutions to these issues. The traditional fix was simply to utilize thicker, sturdier leather. From the knights in England of yesteryear through the Sam Browne belt of your father’s generation, this was fairly satisfactory. Still, given enough time and weight these belts would stretch and have to be replaced. These days we have a myriad of options in both material and fastening: nylon, polymer-reinforced leather, carbon fiber stiffeners, Kevlar inserts, and more.

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If you want a sturdy belt to carry a gun all day, there’s never been a better time to get one. This is especially important if you’re carrying a gun and assorted accouterments outside the waistband on your dominant side. Sometimes for duty and war fighting rigs, suspenders are added for additional support and stability—most notably when a belt isn’t used in conjunction with a plate carrier or chest rig. Other times Velcro inner/outer belts are used. Or belt keepers if you’re as old as Hernandez.

This is all fine and good, but it’s not always an advantage depending on how you’re carrying. I carry a handgun every day, specifically a Glock 19 equipped with a Surefire X300U WML, which in the wide realm of concealed carry guns is on the larger end of the spectrum. I’m also a card carrying member of the cult of appendix carry (I will report in when I finally shoot my dick off). One day, for no particular reason sans perhaps that it happened to be near (remember: lazy), I donned that Walmart belt and clipped my holster into it.

Exploding-head

The world didn’t end.

In fact, that Walmart belt that would droop even under the meager load of a Glock 43 if it was at 3 o’clock and OWB was great with a Glock 19 AIWB. Sure, the belt flexes—and that ended up being a Good Thing. It allowed the gun to contour against my body and ultimately made for better concealment and a higher degree of comfort.

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The über thick and stiff belts kept my gun exactly in the same place all the time, which I found to be a hindrance for AIWB with some holsters. It’s not just about the belt either; with many super-sturdy belts, the buckle itself prints and gets in the way more than anything else. The pistol being able to angle with the body hasn’t spoiled the draw either, at least per the shot clock.

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There are several holsters and attachments specifically designed to allow the carried gun to do the same thing when worn AIWB regardless of the belt used: Foam wedges, RCS claws (used by about any quality holster manufacturer), and a number of improvised methods. But with my lazy Walmart belt, at least for my body and holster setup, no specialty items needed.

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[Yes, that is an insole. No one can say Melody Lauer isn’t awesome at upcycling.]

Has the belt stretched out? Yup. Has the buckle finish worn off? You betcha. Is it infinitely adjustable? No chance. Is it “tactical”? Absolutely not. Did I have to cut another hole in it with a pocket knife one day? Sure thing—but I didn’t scoff about it like I may have with a $100 belt.

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This el-cheapo special has been my daily wear belt since July of 2016. Eight months later it’s rather long in the tooth, but I strongly suspect it will last another couple of months before I have to replace it. And replace it I will, for the cost of about $10. The cost/benefit ratio is very high indeed.

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SDI

I won’t say that this will work for everyone in every situation. I strongly suspect someone with a larger lower abdomen won’t necessarily have the same results. Honestly, if you’re carrying more than just a pistol AIWB it’s probably not going to work out (my spare magazine goes in SnagMag, for instance) But at the end of the day, it might be worth the $10 just to give it try.

-DFM

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Dave Merrill

Dave Merrill

About the Author

About the Author: A combat veteran of the United States Marine Corps, Dave "Mad Duo Merrill" is a former urban warfare and foreign weapons instructor for Coalition fighting men. An occasional competitive shooter, he has a strange Kalashnikov fetish the rest of the minions try to ignore. Merrill, who has superb taste in hats, has been published in a number of places, the most awesome of which is, of course, here at Breach-Bang-Clear. He loves tacos, is kind of a dick and married way, way above his pay grade. You can contact him at Merrill(at)BreachBangClear.com and follow him on Instagram here (@dave_fm).

11 Comments

  1. Ernest J Stull

    Being a Killer mans son until the killer man comes ,LOL. I always go for what works for me and I don’t need the bling. Great Read on it doesn’t have to cost a fortune to get the job done.

    Reply
  2. joe

    What’s old is new again. In the old west a lot of places didn’t allow guns to be worn, so guys would cheat and conceal carry, often using sash type belts under clothes or leather lined pockets. Sometimes a belt that isn’t stiff is the way to go.

    Reply
  3. Mike

    Dave,

    What kind of holster are you using for your Glock 19 with Surefire X300? I’m running the same, and am still in search of the right holster.

    Reply
  4. Agarie

    What belt is the second one(from left to right) in th last photo?

    Reply
    • Dave Merrill

      Grey Ghost Gear UGF belt

      Reply
  5. Moose

    Hey! I ain’t as old as Hernandez and I still wear a Sam Browne Velcro outer belt with inner belt and keeepers. Yeah my agency still sees anything that isn’t a .357 six shooter as some space age technology. At least I’m halfway to retirement.

    Reply
  6. BTDT25

    I’m running Kramer Leather’s Double Thick Horsehide. Worth the investment in my book.

    Reply
  7. Boogur T. Wang

    Need does indeed dictate being solved by logic – good job.

    Stay Safe.

    Reply
  8. Ray

    Your a brave man. That’s a lot of dogma to challenge in one post.

    1. Everyone knows AIWB is unsafe and you’ll shoot your dick off.

    2. Everyone knows you can’t carry any firearm with anything less than an $80 belt.

    The internet is going to be very upset with you.

    Reply
    • Alex

      I prefer to assault my neither regions daily with a Glock 19 carried in a RCS Vanguard II. Or for my “full sized Friday” my 5″ 1911 in a G-Code incog, neither have shot my dick off although bthe barrel of that 1911 is making nice friends with my lil man.

      Reply
    • Moose

      #fact #interwebzdontlie #yeageriscrying

      Reply

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