Padded / tactical belts

Need a new belt, as well as up my game from basic double laminate leather belts. Doing more involved classes this fall, warrants better than basic street gear.

Wat you running & why, 2 pc or 1 pc padded? At what point is it throwing $$ away, vs. getting a durable unit.

HSGI, is one of the recommendations in the mid lever price range.
https://www.highspeedgear.com/belts


One of the shooters has this , been running it moderately hard for 1.5 yrs. Just concerned with it at a $40 price point, if anyone else has heard or seen it.

https://tacticon.com/product/battle-belt/



The list goes on.

https://www.brownells.com/shooting-a...rod138459.aspx

I have about 8 belt setups(i know i have a problem lol)

Now that being said, I think you need to ask a more specific question. Because the use case or philosophy of use for your belt determines manufacturers and setup.

So my favorite gun game(USPSA,3GUN,TACRIFLE) belt is currently my CRspeed 1.5" 2 peice belt. Its super stiff. Crspeed is an awesome belt IMO, its stiff but offers just enough flexibility to not feel like you have a hoolahoop around your waist. The Double Alpha academy belt is also very nice but VERY stiff. This belt setup gets used with either a race holster or a holster with no secondary retention for quick speed access to the gun. Im running cr speed versa max pouches which are old skool pouches but awesome and very durable. This belt setup is built entirely for speed. If your gonna do alot more 3gun matches, id recommend a safariland els belt with els mounts for being able to quickly and repeatedly swap gear around and maintain consistent location. Id also recommend a buckle strap upgrade(think of a snowboard binding strap)

Now for more of a tactical belt, which is primarily used for being very tough and being able to carry your secondary and ammo loadout plus medical. Being able to make holes and plug holes is a good rule of thumb. This belt setup is also typically used with a level 2 or 3 retention holster, your mag pouches are typically more secure. The belt isnt specifically built for speed, although with pratice you can get very fast with this setup as well. I also run a 2 peice belt for this setup. A Lead devil 1.75" full mollle belt with standard inner belt is my favorite belt to date, ive been issued the ronin senchi belt as well as the ferro bison and I like the lead devil more. Its stiffer then the bison and just as stiff as a senchi but is thinner then the senchi in design, so a happy medium. Im currently running a safariland 6354/6340 holster on a true north holster drop, with 3 essetac pistol kiwis and one rifle kiwi with a coyote tactical solutions burrito med kit. And a BFG micro dump pouch. I also add a spiritus systems jsta pouch on my weak side depending on what Im doing or if I need to carry more rifle/pistol mags and random stuff.

At this day in age, I really only see the use case for using a padded war belt for when you cant wear a 2 peice design or if its something you want to throw over your clothing while in cold weather. Like over a parka or thick insulating jacket. I ran a padded one peice design back in 06-09 and then totally transitioned over to a 2 peice belt design and never really looked back tbh. Everyone has unique use cases and requirements, so do whats best for you and what works for you. Try to not overload your belt with un needed shit and run it and have fun training!

Also you mentioned "running more involved classes"..... again it depends on what kind of class it is for. what type of belt would be best. If Im going to a pistol 1 or 2 class, im running my tactical belt with med kit and what not. But if Im going to a class hosted by a top USPSA/IPSC/ competitive shooter, then im running my competition setup.

Whatever you choose, run it and have fun doing it! Pratice with your gear and dont let any dumbass TRY to make fun of you for wearing kit, those guys are idiots lol.

Thats my long winded 2cents haha

I like padded belts, you can wear them for days with comfort. I find hybrid/2 piece belts to be tough on the hips with the 500D belt webbing and there are some 1000D out there. Also, having a big chunk of metal right in your gut is not fun when you're at altitude, in weather, or in the cold. Padded belts can also be worn overcoat.

Check out ATS Tactical, good prices and they put up with a couple of prima donna units out of Ft Cambell so their stuff is made right.

My take on belts:

As we age I would say get a belt with suspenders to better distribute the load and also to fight the mid section gravity distortion. Also allows you to run a small hydration setup on your back which will keep you sharp and in the game.
Cobra buckle for sure. I have a plastic buckle on my old belt and I had a situation where it was half undone.
If you run a pistol go with the Safari Land retention system. Friends don?t let friends run Serpa.
For rifle mags I like the tacos but they add size and complexity, but they run AR/AK/FAL mags. Same story for pistol mags. But this is where I would improve and settle on dedicated AR and pistol pouches once I figure out what they are.
A small rolly Polly mag pouch is handy for quick changes or spares.
Don?t forget a blow out kit. If you are training stuff gets whacky.
And is this a dedicated training rig or a general rig? Either way set it up and modify and keep going until you like it.

Looks like all 3 of you more than answered my questions. I'm doing a 3 day AR instructor course. Then transitioning over to secondary instructor for carbine classes, and or primary for intro AR down the road. Figure get a jump on this, instead of waiting till the last day. Thanks

I really like the idea of the 2 piece (have about 4 of them) but keep going back to the padded. It seems more versatile and comfortable.

I've been using the the 2-piece belt from G-Code in classes for years. I landed on that after not being happy with the larger battle belt setups that never stayed in place.

The G-Code belt is the right stiffness for me and together with their clips, makes it super easy to swap your setup around very quickly if you want to change pouches or holsters. Slap the inner belt on when you leave the house and quickly wrap on the outer belt with everything mounted when you get to the range. At the end of the day, take off the outer belt and be on your way.

Bump for worthwhile thread.