I thought that I would talk about belts today and some of the things that I have learned through the years.

Three different belts

The top one is a casual belt that I have worn for years. The bottom two are advertised a pistol belts. Hopefully the picture captures the thickness differences between the three belts. That increased thickness is an attempt to influence the stiffness of the belt. The theory is that increased stiffness keeps the pants and the firearm in place.

Belts held horizontally

The number of options available in gun belts are something to consider. The typical thickness are 1 1/2 – 2″. If you wear khakis or more dress pants beware of the belt width, thicker belts tend to not fit into more formal dress.

Then there is color. Again, if you are trying to coordinate your dress, consider having multiple belt option like black and brown. A tip here is that the holster hardware is often black, so black belts conceal Inside the Waist Band (IWB) type hardware better. I have more brown shoes and I think brown is more informal, so I tend to lean toward that color.

Belt length is subjective to your waist size. Many manufacturers offer measurement instructions so that you get a proper fitting belt. Depending on how you wear the pistol, you may need more length to carry IWB versus Outside the Waistband (OWB). My first belt I bought was at my peak of fitness and now no longer fits. Consider your weight trends when buying a belt, ideally you would be in the center of the belt holes when wearing your handgun in the preferred method. If you use a normal belt to measure your waist, be aware that those belts may stretch while you are cinching them up and give you a smaller waist size that you want. Hence, my first belt I ordered had little adjustment remaining (to get fat!).

These belts can be pretty pricy. I think my first one was $65. Since I was looking to replace my belt recently, I ran across a screaming deal from Midway USA. Normal price for the belts were $50, but I got special birthday pricing and paid $26 per belt. I just got them last week, so don’t know how well they hold up, but so far so good. Remind me and I will update after a year of wear.