Hey guys.  Interested in putting together a war/shooters belt and have little to zero idea of what to look for or where to start.

I’ve researched this forum board but haven’t found much entry level advice.  Apologies if it’s there and I’m overlooking it.

Can we have a thread schooling us on war belts and where to start?   I don’t understand inner vs outer belts and everything in between.

Point me in the right direction if the info I already there.

Thanks.

Thanks for the vid.   That was good.

Well, lots of ways to go these days.  The "war belt" has morphed into almost an EDC belt, so a lot depends if you plan on using it for every day carry, or is it strictly for overt carry/range work.

In regards to the two-belt system, basically you have an inner pants belt, which can be worn stand-alone if you like.  It will either have a low profile buckle, or none at all; simply using Velcro for closure.  This belt will typically have some loop Velcro sewn on the outside of it.  Some belts use the classic police "keepers", which are just loops of webbing (normally 4), which also bind both belts together.  Either way, your "war belt" is now anchored to your pants belt, so it won't sag or move around (well, as long as you are wearing pants that fit you, pulled up in the normal position around your waist, with the belt cinched up snug).  This is a good system because it supports the weight of pistol gear without the use of suspenders.  It gives you some versatility because you can take the war belt on and off without having to thread it in and out of your belt loops.  Good for classes and training.  Also good as a first responder rig.

A note:  Some mfg's use 2" inner belts on their designs.  I think this is not optimal.  I use 1 1/2" webbing because it will fit the belt loops of most modern pants these days.  Unless you have some mongo tactical trousers, you may find 2" a bit much.  So I would look for a system with both inner and outer belts at 1 1/2" width.  1 3/4" might work with some/most pants, but I like 1 1/2" mo better.  I also like the 1" cobra buckle as a closure on the outer or war belt.  It matches the width of the 1 1/2" webbing much better for every day wear or just comfort whenever you have it on.  Unless you are from Texas and have a big rodeo prize buckle already; then never mind.

Now another option.  If you don't want to tie both belts together, you can kick it old school ranger style with suspenders.  With a good set of suspenders, that have some stretch built in, you can "float" the warbelt on your waist, letting it raise and fall, as you maneuver.  Look at pics of Pat Mac for a good example of this technique.  You typically wear the belt slightly looser, so it can level out as you kneel, squat, whatever (but with a handgun, you might snug it up more and use the shock cord for stretch).  This might be an issue for some, depending on your build.  The pistol can shift position somewhat, as this was a classic rifle patrolling rig before wearing handguns became de regueur.  But it's still a valid technique if you set it up properly.  This was usually done with the larger, padded belts, which have fallen out of favor with some.

A word on width.  This is a rapidly moving target as new designs seem to come out daily.  I like a 1 1/2" width, but there are also 1 3/4", and 2", 3", and 4" designs.  It all depends on if you want some kind of "molle" system on there for pouch attachment, which calls for the wider belts (usually 3"-4"), or if you are going to use dedicated belt pouches in either nylon or kydex (or both).  They all have their plusses and minuses; it really depends on you and how you plan to use it.

Thanks for the thoughtful response.

For every day general purpose, I do 1.5" belt width.  So this will be something to consider.

Yeah it would make sense for you to keep this width.  Your regular pants belt would only need to be upgraded with Velcro, or, just use 4 keepers to tie it in with the war belt.  Or get a new inner belt that is 1 1/2" wide.    I like 1 1/2" "Scuba" belt webbing (very stiff nylon) for the outer or war belt.  Typically 1" webbing is sewn around the perimeter and used to anchor both sides of a 1" Cobra buckle.  The buckle itself is the same width of your belt, so it doesn't look weird or anything.

Now, with this set up, you would be looking for good belt holster/pouches in kydex or kydex/nylon blend.  Many choices here.  Look at Blade Tech, Safariland, and G-Code for starters.  Then look at some of the custom stuff (ebay is a good place to start).

This is a continual process.  If you're like the rest of us, you will end up with many different products, as you experiment, refine, and/or discover new concepts.

Attached File


Here’s mine
Doesn’t get much more “entry level” then this.
All from Amazon!

No real world testing short of wearing it around the house.
I wear it as a separate belt over my pants.

Thanks for all the replies guy.

What about this.....
https://www.tacticalassaultgearstore.com/padded-belt-sleeve.html

My question is, how does that outer belt secure down and not slide around???    Looks like that thing would slide all the way around you.

It's on sale and has good reviews but I don't want it sliding all around.

Thanks.

Unless you're wearing PVC or leather pants where the inside can't get a grip on anything, it isn't going to slide around.  The inside of all battle belts I've seen are either straight cordura or another rougher material.  Also, a lot of outer belts can use velcro on inner belts for better attachment together.  Some do, some cheaper ones don't.

I tried to watch the video posted, but it was painfully slow, this isn't rocket science, it's more of an art/personal preference.  For a war belt, get an inner belt and an outer belt, put them together, add gear, figure out what you need to change, do it all again.  Add suspenders if you weren't blessed with anything to hold it up, or start a weight training program with lots of squats and deadlifts.  Once you think you have it right, go try to sit in the seats (all of them) in your vehicle, find out "wow that sucks if I have to be mounted" and move stuff around again.  Buy another belt, say "hey I've got enough left over to have 2 different setups!" and keep going.

Some tips I have:

Too much stuff gets in the way, only carry what you really need on your belt, everything else goes in your pack.
Buy once, cry once, but there are some good quality belts that don't break the bank.
If it isn't comfortable (well, as it can be) you're not likely to wear it.
If it works for you, cool.  Nothing wrong with trying other people's ideas, but at the end of the day you are the one using it not them.

Lots of good info in this post.....I'll just add my 2 cents as I've seen the "battle belt" trend personally evolve over the years.

The inner/outer belt combo is where its at for me now.  This totally eliminates any movement of the belt up or down when moving or running.  It also helps support the weight of your gear as long as you are not overloading things.

On that note, my belt is based off of a "lo pro" load out.  This is just my pistol, 2 mags, handheld flashlight, ifak and tourniquet.  I would occasionally keep an AR mag on there depending on where I was going.  For range work I'll add a small dump pouch and maybe a couple more pistol mags.

For the money, I dont think you can beat the AWS belt and components.

Edited to add....looks like AWS has their own forum in the Industry area now.

I have been running a war belt for many years now, and have seen all the iterations.... for the money, The AWS belt is hands down what you want... great value and can be adjusted to suit your needs.

Get a belt... run 2 pistol mags, one rifle (can always add a second one) and a good dump pouch and maybe one small utility pouch along with a good holster (I recommend a Safari land ALS on a 1.5 drop down panel.

Get out and use it and move stuff around, add/ delete until you find a good combination.

Just my $.02

Double tap

That’s kinda my plan.  NOT gonna load it up with weight and junk.

2 pistol mag pouches
2 rifle mag pouches
Holster

Maybe a dump pouch
Maybe a flashlight pouch (doubtful)
Maybe glove hook

That’s it.  Not a buncha garbage.

Get out and run and move with it and see how fast you ditch the drop leg. I loved my drop leg. Ditched it. Moves around. Tighten it?  Cuts into circulation. Run a longtime?  Chafing.

They suck. Great in theory.

this. Another additional plus of having a holster fixed to my belt instead of on my leg is that I always know where my pistol is, no matter what crazy yoga position I find myself in.

This is mine, a basic but nice "entry level" belt. I buy once, cry once. Good gear doesn't go bad. All I need for what I do, give or take a few variations for what I'm doing, but what on here never leaves. You can get high quality gear for great deals if you keep your eyes open or shop during sales if your strapped for cash.
HSGI Slim Grip
Cobra Rigger belt
Esstac mag pouches
Bladetech holster

Nice!

Skd that’s a nice setup and kinda what I’m after.

2 questions
1)does your belt slide around or up and down while you wear it?  How do you anchor it down?

2)those esstac pistol mag pouches-how well do they work securing metal mag bodies?  I want those and plan to use them for my Sig 320 with the metal magazines.

Thanks

Not SKD, but I use that exact setup.

I wear a Velcro inner belt (no buckle) if I am training/in class as my pants belt, and then make sure to line my warbelt up on it. It doesn't move at all regardless of my movement (sprinting/up/down/dropping to prone behind cover/whatever - none). If I am wearing it over a soft shell jacket or fleece, it does tend to ride up a bit if I bend over at the waist, but will settle right down with minimal effort after getting upright.

I shoot M&Ps w/ metal mags - I have lost only one in training so far, while doing a peel drill and going to ground repeatedly (luckily I found it - damn they're expensive). Esstac says to heat the kydex with hair dryer and bend it in a bit more (more tension) for metal mags. If you mess it up they'll replace it I believe.

Hope that helps. I am really happy with my setup.

Thanks man. I saw where the esstac guy responded to another thread asking the question about metal pistol mags.

Appreciate your  response

So one thought I have had as I do more classes - I had initially thought, "I need maximum pistol magazines" - but then I finally realized, if I have a chance to grab my belt, I also have a chance to grab my carbine. In that case, I go from a pistol-focused load to a carbine-focused. My belt doesn't need to reflect EDC, it needs to reflect a "new normal" - where my rifle and first aid kit are part of the equation. DO I need more magazines for pistol classes or pistol practice? Sure. But if I think there is much chance of a gun fight, I will have 90 rounds of 5.56 before I even entertain the 9mm option.

-shooter

This is the reason I went from 3 rifle/2 pistol mags on PC to 4 rifle/0 pistol mags. I then have the option to where EDC pistol/mags or add the lite battle belt w/ pistol, 2 rifle/2 pistol mags to supplement the PC as needed.

Even if it's a pistol only class, I can decide to wear EDC gear, battle belt, or something in between depending on what I want to train with.

Who is the dude in the video?  He never says.

Garand Thumb, believe he is a JTAC. I like a lot of what he says.

I am running the same belt and love it, have a SLS holster, IFAK,  and 2 pistol/carbine tacos. Have shot a few matches and gone through some classes with no complaints.