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So I finally got me a good IWB tuckable gun holster. Really excited about it, as I have been using a cheap nylon holster I bought at a gun show a couple months ago. I bought it from Katy Gun Gear, very friendly people, and I would definitely recommend them to anyone. I would now like to get a good gun belt to go along with my new holster. I have been looking a little at a couple brands on the internet, beltman, a&g, the wilderness, better belt usa. Has anyone tried the perfect fit belt from better belt usa? http://www.abetterbeltusa.com/contour-b ... elt-99-95/ Every leather belt I have ever owned starts making a V after wearing it a couple months, so I'm curios how well this will work out, especially with a holster clipped on.

I just asked this same question in a fb group, LOL. Will be watching this thread for replies ;)

The only gripe I've had with my Beltman belts is that, after several years of flawless service, they are too short now.

I use the CompTac belts with the Kydex reinforcement. They come "contoured" (broken-in) and for *my* uses, I have the velcro sewn onto them at manufacture. If you don't use velcro-clips on your holster, this isn't necessary, and if you change to the V-clips in the future, you can put velcro in after-the-fact.

I wear one of my three nearly every day, and don't get any "v-notches" at the loops, and they hold up quite nicely.

The construction of a true gun-belt is an eye-opener compared to even the best/stiffest off-the-rack belts. The support they offer to your gear is incredible, and they (at least for me) ended the movement of a holster and the backache that can come with carrying a full-sized weapon and backup mags. Balancing the weight on your belt helps a ton too. If I carry just the pistol, my lower back doesn't feel so hot after a day on my feet--if I put the pistol on one side, and a pair of mags on the other, I can be on my feet all day without noticing anything.

Any of the quality gun-belt manufacturer's products are great. Galco, BeltMan, Comp-Tac, Bianchi, 5.11, Wilderness, all make good quality belts that will make a huge difference for you.

To my knowledge, all of Wilderness' belts are nylon "boy-scout/GI) style, and 5.11 offers both leather and nylon. The rest of the manufacturers I mention make mostly leather products.

The 5.11 series of leather belts are a great starting point if you don't want to drop upwards of $75-100 on a gun belt as a first try. Many surplus stores carry the leather series, and locally (in Houston) I've been able to find them in the $35 range -- in the price range of a good dress belt.

The only problem with most gun belts is their width -- most gear, and most belts, are setup for 1.5" loops/slots these days--it's a great standard, and it works perfectly with jeans, and "kahkis" in my experience...my good suits, not so much--won't go through the loops. I keep meaning to either have a custom 1.25" belt made, or to have a tailor fashion me some belt loops that will support the 1.5" belts I prefer...just haven't gotten it done yet.

And since I haven't seen it mentioned here yet (and it seems that you already are aware of this) -- the belt is the foundation of any carry system. I would rather carry a $5 holster on a good belt than carry a top-of-the-line holster on a belt that won't support the rest of the rig.

As for JALLEN, I think you may have identified a cross-platform/cross-manufacturer design flaw there--my belts seem to be shorter some days than others too...what's up with that?

I have been using a 1.5 inch and 1.25 inch Rafter S black shark skin belts for over 15 years. They still look great and handle a IWB holster really well. I have not seen any V shapping at the back or loops. These belts are very stable. I do not see their website any longer but they do show up at the Dallas Market Hall shows. The 1.25 inch belt works great with suits or dockers.

Since I have retired and OGG* is my preferred fashion statement I like and use The Wilderness belts. The instructor belts with jeans, cargo pants, and shorts the frequent flyer belts with dockers. I have one pair of "dress" slacks and one "dress belt". Neither has been used since the last funeral I attended.

*OGG "Old Guy Grunge"

http://www.volundgearworks.com/belts/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

$50. Nylon and plastic. Wash with soap & water and hang dry if needed.
Been wearing mine almost every day for >1 yr. No problems.

This image is not me... it's from their web site. I have no affiliation with the seller, other than being a satisfied customer.
They also make a Cobra buckle version for $75.. I'm happy with the G-hook.

My Wildnerness Instructor 5 stitch belt has no sagging or V after 2 years.

My Tucker Gunleather 2 layer bullhide 1.25" dress belt has no sag or V shape after 5 years.

My Hanks Amish belt (single layer 1/4" thick) has developed a V shaped sag after 1 year (or maybe less), but is still plenty usable for really small things like Shield, PM9, CM9, etc

I have a Beltman on order to replace my Hank's Amish belts

JALLEN wrote:The only gripe I've had with my Beltman belts is that, after several years of flawless service, they are too short now.

They shrink. I've noticed this myself.

I got mine from http://www.bullhidebelts.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and i got the western style gun belt but they have many belts to choose from. Beware though they run short, they recomend ordering 4 inches above your pants size (which I did) and when it got here the first time I was on the last hole with 6 holes behind. I contacted them and they were very nice and helpful and although I had to send it back but they made me another belt in a bigger size for free and shipped it back down to me for free. I ended up getting a belt 7 inches bigger than pant size and with my gun in holster it's perfect with plenty of room to grow (hopefully not) i could have gotten away with 6 inches so i would recommend ordering 6 inches above your pant size! they are a good quality though and look great!

I've had my Wilderness 5 stitch instructor belt for a short while now and very much like it. My G19 in a leather IWB holster rides very nicely on the belt without sagging. It was not too expensive, either. I think I paid $40 for it during a Father's Day sale.

JALLEN wrote:The only gripe I've had with my Beltman belts is that, after several years of flawless service, they are too short now.

i've had this same problem. They start to shrink and I am forced to get a new one with a larger belt size.

I use the CompTac Kydex belt for my IWB. No sagging or deforming issues.

I use a military issue Riggers Belt (nylon) for my owb (paddle style) holster. No issues with it either.

My belts were in shrinking mode. I went to the Dominican Republic for 9 days and lived without air conditioning. I gained a notch or two back on my belts. It's not a particularly good solution, but it was effective...

My two cents...