If you carry a gun and wear it in a way requiring a belt for support, you know the value of a quality pants belt. Even if you don’t carry a gun, a quality belt is just more comfortable to wear. When I was a rookie cop, I first realized I needed a good belt to support the weight of carrying a handgun. I went to my local gun show and found a guy selling belts. He swore they were “made of the highest quality leather” and could easily handle a holstered handgun. I fell for it and within a week the belt had broken in and would fold like a taco with any weight on it. It was at that point I learned the lesson of what makes a real gun belt.
A pants belt made to carry a gun must have some type of stiffener. Typically, it is made of two or more layers of material with a Kydex or metal liner sandwiched in the middle. Many companies make good belts with this feature and they hold up a gun very well. I have written about quality belts and holsters for over 15 years and have a closet full of great belts. The problem I continually ran into was I always seemed to need to add an extra hole or two to get the perfect fit I wanted. Now, this could be due to the fact that I’m an Italian married to a Mexican (we do like food in our house!), but it is largely due to belts fitting differently as you wear different pants or different holsters. Then a few years ago I stumbled onto a revolutionary product known as the ratchet belt.
The ratchet belt does away the traditional holes in the belt and instead uses a ratcheting teeth system to allow the belt to adjust in ¼” increments. This allows the wearer to get that perfect fit. But not all ratchet belts are created equal. There are many companies making ratchet type belts but there only a few making quality gun belts. One of my favorites is Nexbelt. Ratchet belt technology has been around for over 25 years, but mostly overseas. Nexbelt was one of the pioneers in bringing it to the U.S. and continues to refine and advance the technology. Their belts and buckles truly are made from the highest quality materials. The variety of belt colors and materials along with the many different buckle designs is amazing. They have a combination to fit whatever adventure awaits you.
My latest favorite Nexbelt is the Supreme Appendix. This belt has a smaller buckle which makes is easier to wear off to the side if you want to wear a gun in an appendix carry fashion. I like to wear this belt when teaching CCW classes and have found it very easy to put an IWB holster on and off during demos.
I started wearing Nexbelt about 4 years ago and it is my go to belt. I always get the perfect fit, regardless of the clothing/gun/holster combination I may be wearing. The belts are super durable and look great. If you haven’t tried one yet, get on it! You won’t be disappointed.