The Bump-in-the-Night Belt

We are familiar from literature and film of the idea of the barbarian warrior with the broad war belt around his waist, the knight strapping on his sword belt, or the Western gunslinger buckling on a gun belt before heading out to his fate at high noon. 

    Belts (also termed garters in past centuries regardless of the sex of wearer) were commonly used to not only gather clothing and hold it tight against the body, but were handy for hanging money pouches or purses, as well as items such as knives or swords; or, moving to more modern times, holding ammunition pouches and pistol scabbards. Important for our discussion here, such belts were not generally used for holding up one's trousers.

    Here are a couple examples used by the military in the early 20th Century:

World War I era "Sam Browne" Belt with cross brace
(Source: Wikimedia)

An early World War II improved M1912 web pistol belt
Source: "The U.S. Army M1910 Pattern Combat Equipment Web Belt"

And, of course, there is the quintessential Western gunfighter belt:

Note the buttons for attaching suspenders.
Source: Historical Emporium

The idea of such war belts or battle belts was a setup that didn't have to be worn at all times, but could be quickly strapped on (with weapons or accessories attached) when needed. 

    U.S. law enforcement primarily used Sam Browne belts through the 1960s, although many agencies had already started ditching the shoulder strap due to safety issues well before the 1970s in favor of keepers to connect the duty belt to trouser belts. The next big development was the Velcro duty belt. Rebecca Stone relates, at Police 1:

    With 1974 came a new uniform for the LAPD and a Velcro Sam Browne setup. According to Scott Carnahan, back in the '70s the LARD wanted to get away from the metal buckle because of its reflectiveness, which could potentially make officers a target, especially at night.

    He said that Neale Perkins, founder of Safariland, was working out of his garage back then when he developed a belt for the large agency with back hooks and Velcro to get around this problem. The result was a comfortable, buckleless duty belt. Debuted by Officers Reed and Malloy on the popular TV show Adam12, the design reportedly caught on in other parts of country.

This double belt system--an inner belt connected to an outer belt via a Velcro hook and loop system--seems to have become standard for most law enforcement, at least in the United States.

    Militaries have experimented with different ways for soldiers to carry a basic fighting load as well, going back and forth between belt and belt with webbing (i.e., suspenders) since at least the mid-1800s, with chest rigs and load bearing vests becoming more popular in recent decades. However, based on what I've been seeing, the double belt systems derived from the police duty belt designs have become more popular with "operators".  

    You could be forgiven for thinking that "fighting loads" and "battle belts" would have little application for the civilian outside of a post-SHTF, post-WROL situation requiring civilians to temporarily take on police or military type roles. If you carry a weapon daily, you will have one or more gun belts, appropriate holsters, and maybe even a magazine holder for when you leave your home; and, at home, even if you don't have a weapon on you, you probably have one readily accessible (e.g., a "night-stand" gun). I've written before, for instance, of grabbing a handgun that I can slip into a pocket when checking out bumps in the night.

    But is that enough? I thought so. 

    Then a few years ago I picked up a Sig P220 in .45 ACP. Because of certain of its characteristics, I decided that I would mount a weapon light on it and use it for my "night stand" gun (although that is not where I kept it). Then, in March 2020, I received a holster from Craftholsters that was designed to fit a Sig P220 with a weapon light (you can read my review of the holster here). The holster did not lend itself to concealed carry but was intended as a duty holster of some type. And thinking about it, it did seem preferable to have a holster and belt that I would quickly strap on when needed. 

    A few months later, in corresponding with a long time reader about chest rigs, battle belts, and other types of load bearing equipment, he described his set up using a belt with some kangaroo pouches attached in which he could carry both rifle and pistol magazines (or pepper spray). He selected gear from Condor to test out the concept because, as he described it, "it was inexpensive" and "if it worked [but] the Condor rig wasn't solid [he] could get something better" without being out a lot of money. However, he was mostly pleased with the results--he was able to successfully wear the set up while out and about while concealed and the gear seemed to work well.

    I picked up a couple of the kangaroo pouches he recommended (although they ultimately went onto a plate carrier) and proceeded to go down the rabbit-hole of researching battle belts and watching numerous videos on what belts to select and what load outs to have, many of which I've shared on this blog. I might as well have saved myself the trouble and just gone with what my correspondent had recommended, because that is basically where I wound up.

    I won't bore you with the details of my research or my journey to my final conclusions. I will just go over my conclusions based on my needs (or mission, if you will). Although it is exciting to imagine patrolling through the woods, defending one's homestead against marauders, or serving as a partisan like the Wolverines in Red Dawn, I don't have a large tract of property to patrol and am much more likely to be confronting someone breaking into my storage shed than fighting off marauders or troops of communist soldiers. My mission is home defense and, to a lesser extent, what I might want when engaging in recreational shooting. With that in mind, the gear that I would need to attach would be minimal: a holster (ideally the holster I mentioned above for my P220), a couple magazine pouches, and a pouch for a pepper spray container. However, I wanted the ability to add or change holsters or pouches should my needs evolve. 

    With that in mind, lets turn to the belt. The major division you will find in battle belts are those that are intended to simply go around your waist similar to the belts historically issued by the military (typical modern designs will use some sort of non-slip material on the back to help keep it from moving around too much)--which may or may not have attachment points for a suspender system--and systems using inner and outer belts. Of course, within those two basic divisions you will find varying quality, prices and accessories. For instance, several of the top end inner/outer belt systems include D-rings so that the belt can be used with ropes for hanging off helicopters.

    Since I wanted something that I could throw on over sweat pants, pajamas (ok, a pair of shorts), or a bath robe, the inner/outer belt systems would obviously not work. So, something basic to go around the waist. 

    I wanted MOLLE/PALS attachments so I could put different pouches on it which ruled out a law enforcement style belt. 

    And although I eventually decided that I didn't need to have the same belt used by the elite Special Operations guys (nor did I want to spend the money for such), my research had convinced me of the merits of a high quality buckle. One of the most widely used in the high end belts was a buckle produced by a company called Cobra. So, Cobra buckle it would be, if possible.

    So, after all of that, I wound up back with the belt my friend had originally recommended: the Condor Outdoor LCS Cobra Tactical Belt (which comes with a Cobra quick release buckle). I've provided an Amazon link, but I actually purchased it from a local seller so that I could examine it and try it on first. I will note that it is oversized as it is intended for wearing over heavy clothing. So, if you are going to use it almost exclusively in warmer weather, you might want to consider going down a size (e.g., from Large to Medium). 

    It comes in various colors. A coyote, which is what I purchased, as well as a green and a black model. I haven't seen them in any camouflage patterns, however. 

My basic belt setup.

    The belt actually can be used in a double belt system if you wanted: it just doesn't come with the inner belt, but instead has a slip resistant pad velcroed to the inside. This makes it more comfortable to wear on its own and helps prevent the belt from slipping around a bit. Will it totally prevent the belt from shifting? Probably not. That is one of the advantages of the double belt design; but, as noted earlier, the double belt system is impractical for my needs.

    I wouldn't be totally put off by having to independently purchase the inner belt. I noticed as I reviewed products that in many cases (not all, but many) I liked the features of the outer belt but not the inner belt, or vice versa, so it is something that I would probably change up over time anyway.

Close up of the inner pad.

    The belt comes with a Cobra quick release buckle which has a reputation of being a strong and tough buckle. There is a considerable amount of adjustment on each side to either open up or reduce the size of the belt. The adjustments for the outer belt also use a hook and loop attachment and connect underneath the inner pad. The advantage to this system is that you don't have to worry about the ends dangling around or having to roll them up in their own keeper; the disadvantage is that it is slower to make adjustments. I don't see having to constantly adjust the length, though, so I don't see this as a problem. If I was using this belt in constantly changing environments, or saw myself frequently adding or subtracting thick layers, it might be an issue--something that I will have to test.

Close up of buckle. It's steel.

    Rather than a kangaroo pouch system, I opted for a Condor double pistol magazine pouch. These are a generic sized pouch, but they have elastic panels to keep it reasonably tight, so they will fit a double-stack pistol magazine such as for the Glock 17, or the single stack .45 ACP magazines such as for the 1911 or, in my case, those used in the Sig P220. They have flaps that also protect the magazine and keep them in place, but I noticed that the flaps can be removed if you want to have faster access.

Double magazine pouch and dump pouch.

    I also included a Condor OC Pepper Spray Canister Pouch. The pouch is pretty large--bigger than my pepper spray canister, so I have used the pocket clip for my pepper spray to hold it higher in the pouch so I can grab it if necessary.

Holster and pepper spray pouch. You can see how I used the pocket clip on the pepper spray canister to make sure it didn't slip too far down into the pouch.

    And, finally, I put on a dump pouch I purchased years ago and which has since been gathering dust in a box, mostly for when I take the belt with me out shooting. 

    You will note that I don't have a flashlight pouch on this. My thinking is that if I was grabbing this in the night, I would also be grabbing a flashlight; and if it was the daytime, I would not need the flashlight. If I was going to use this for patrolling purposes--as part of a neighborhood patrol after SHTF--I can easily add a flashlight and pouch (I already have one) or carry one in a pocket using a pocket clip. 

    I haven't decided whether to attach my tourniquet and its pouch or leave it on my first aid kit, but I'm leaning toward including it as well. I've also been considering whether to attach a knife or collapsible baton. It is an evolving project. 

    Finally, because I intended it for quick access, I have installed a hook on which I can hang the belt at night. That makes it easy and quick to get to. I know that best practice is to keep weapons locked up, but I also think back to an article from Sheriff Jim Wilson relating the incident of a friend shot in the back by an home invader while his friend was trying to retrieve a firearm from a gun safe. And I don't have any young children to worry about.

    So, is this the setup that I would use for a combat or patrol load out? No. But that isn't my purpose with it. And if the situation were to change, I can reconfigure it with additional or different items.