Off piste, sure, but not a subject hoi poloi generally have an opinion on.
A Belt to hold my jeans up
I've got a smart black leather one for work, so was thinking canvas/nylon. Something that can be abused in the in garden/workshop (as abused as a belt gets) and not get damaged by grit like a leather one would.
The canvas double D ring thing I got on a pair of jeans when I was 16 slips, it's pretty annoying.
I've seen these adverts for these "Holsta" belts which seems to tick the boxes, just a bit weirded out by the mad buckle. Seems a bit OTT? Its not stopping me falling out of an F15 or Dakar truck.
Any experiences of such things or recommendations worth sharing?
https://holstabelts.com/products/holsta-belt
Don't you have to be a weapon... for a Holsta belt?
And yes it does look like a seat belt.
these cheap and cheerful belts by Helly Hensen are great - sold in lots of places for far more than they should be - I actually picked up the first one I got for about £3 I think but you'll seem them for £20 sometimes.
I like webbing type belts over conventional belt buckles for work clothes as you tend to end up with heavy stuff in your pockets and I like being able to adjust freely so your trousers stay up without being too tight.
However theres a lot of crap webbing belts around and I particularly don't like the sort of metal toothed clasp type buckles - I spent a pretty penny on a fjallraven one that was really uncomfortable to wear becuase the back of the buckle really pokes into your guts. Then it would just ping undone anyway. Useless - I wore it a couple of times then got rid of it
Compared the other webbing type belts the Helly Hensen ones they don't slip and the buckle/clip/clasp thing is bulky but flat on the back and nice and rounded so doesn't poke you in the guts and being plastic its warm compared to metal clasps too. Becuase my workwear gets pretty dusty I've bought a few of them and just them on the trousers while they're in the wash as I usually have one set of clothes on, one in the wash and one drying so it saves having to keep threading the belt on to different trousers every morning
I've got a similar buckle to that one in the OP on a Trakke bag - lovely bits of engineering but too heavy and too thick/ bulky for a belt ( you'd probably be limited as to what trousers actually have big enough belt loops you can feed the buckle through). They belong on something like a harness rather than a peice of clothing
I've got a couple of these, for jeans, seem decnt, but the leather is pretty stiff untill its broken in a bit.
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my most worn belt over the last 20 years
is actually a utility strap
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never slips undone, no pinched fingers from buckles, infinitely adjustable to fluctuating bodyweight and clothing sizes, slim smooth buckle, unobtrusive, pairs with anything in black colour, strong (150kg ‘load’ capacity), breeze through airport security, holds up heavy chainsaw trousers, could also bundle up yurt poles to a roof rack…
•••••••
Military webbing strap £5 delivered
•••••••
My current belt is the old Karrimor nylon belt which they don't sell anymore with heavy metal belt buckle (might just be fine for jeans but not sure about other trousers).
Some good ones at Heinnie and they look very similar to Karrimor belt buckle with metal buckle but nicer design.
I rather like these:
I’ve got several webbing belts made by a company called Eagle Creek, which have a zip sewn on the back that allows a few folded notes of whatever currency you need to carry, and which I’ve worn for years. Unfortunately the plastic buckle can sometimes snap off the pins that act as a hinge, and similar ones are very difficult to find.
However, I’ve found some with the same money belt function, which are wider, and have a much better buckle on Amazon, and they’re much more durable and reliable, and very comfortable to wear with all sorts of trousers, shorts, etc, and should be just the ticket; not having holes, you just push the end through a slot in the buckle, pull until the desired tightness is achieved then push down on the buckle.
Couldn’t be simpler.
Secure Travel Money Belt with...
Apologies, had an issue trying to get the Amazon link to work, and it wouldn’t, so here’s the info as a screen grab…
Excellent, fairly stiff webbing, the free end pushes into a slot in the free end of the buckle, you just pull until it’s tight enough, then push the buckle down to close. Pull up the free end to release.
How much grit do you get on your belt? If your belt is exposed, do you get grit inside your trousers?
I don't think I've ever had to clean a belt, something hangs over it be it a t-shirt, jumper or jacket.
Why not get a leather belt? I've still got the same one I bought in 1997. In that time I've put leather cream on it twice.
These were recommended in a past belt thread. https://www.chadwickbelts.co.uk/product/the-lifetime-belt-68/ The chap does other styles too.
edit. Ah re-reading I see that a leather belt is OT for the OP’s request. Sorry. The seatbelt-fastening webbing belt is a bit OTT imo OP. I have a couple of webbing belts. One came with some eastern mountain sports walking trousers - a simple thing with a plastic clip-buckle that pushes together but has a ‘quick release’ unfastening by pressing one end of the buckle. Slightly nicer than the push together buckles that you have to squeeze to undo, similar to some Rohan belts I think. The other is a Cactus clothing one that is simpler - webbing with a small sewn together loop at one end and an almost S-shaped metal clip. The loop goes over one arm of the S and then the belt is tightened by friction with the other side of the S.
Screwfix often have mesh belts? For garden or outdoor work braces/suspenders can be a better choice if you’re weighing down your trousers with ‘stuff’.
Given the choice of a webbing belt or leather belt for garden work I’d opt for a leather one. They’re hard wearing, look better with age, sort of sustainable, and less likely to be mistaken for a ‘tactical’ or utility belt of the thrudark sort. Having said that I see the fastener on their utility belt is a squarer version of my Cactus one.
I bought a couple of Arcade belts this year from Sportpursuit this year. They are pretty darned good. Stretchy and adjustable, minimalist buckle, comfy. Just the thing for holding jeans up.
https://arcadebelts.co.uk/collections/all-belts
For general diy / garden / outdoor stuff I'm quite a fan of elastic workbelts
Work just fine, and don't dig in when you are squatting or moving about.
https://www.screwfix.com/p/site-cullen-belt-black-28-46-/132kc
don't dig in when you are squatting.
You know you are supposed to drop your troosers before taking a dump, right? 😉
I mostly prefer a leather belt, but I do have one of these which I wear with work trousers/shorts. It's pretty good but the buckle is a little bulky.
Ive been through the same process looking for something to wear on my salopettes and RevRace trousers.I’ve had a basic nylon belt with a fold over clip that doesn’t stay shut
bought a copy of that holster belt from Aliexpress a few years back and never wear it. The bulk left is large and uncomfortable and it looks ridiculous.
Still trying to solve the same problem I got one of these which actually works well. Tough enough can hang tool holsters from it when digging. Buckle has no sharp edges so it’s decent to ride in and it stays done up. I think postage ended up making it a bit more expensive than I thought it was going to be
The leather belts I wear with my jeans are both military surplus
If you want to try a belt like the Holsta belt but without spending daft amount on it then you can pick up something very similar on Amazon Haul for silly cheapness
I bought one to see what it was like and I'm actually quite impressed with it, it certainly holds my troos up without issue.
If you're after something similar but a bit less 'industrial' there are also these, which work very well too.
My favourite belt and one I use every day is an Restrap one, it has a very strong elastic webbing band and a fidlock buckle, so its very secure but also easy to undo. Sadly they seem to have stopped making them, wish I'd bought a second one but would probably be relatively easy to buy the parts and make a similar one myself.
Arc’teryx conveyor.
I mostly prefer a leather belt, but I do have one of these which I wear with work trousers/shorts. It's pretty good but the buckle is a little bulky.
I have a fair bit of Helikon-Tex gear, it's very well-made for the price in my experience.
I use one of these daily; https://arcteryx.com/gb/en/shop/heliad-belt-38-9654
No I did NOT pay £40 for mine, I got a bunch in different colours and sizes for a tenner each from the Arc'Teryx Outlet. The whole belt weighs less than most of my other belt's buckles on their own do! At first I thought it was a bit flimsy feeling/looking, but It's stood up to a summer of solid adventuring with zero noticeable wear
I’ve got some Grip6 belts that are great, I picked them up in the states 10 years ago but they’re silly expensive now. Aliexpress do a fairly convincing copy for £8 though!
I got a nice black wide leather belt at next around £20, I’ve had all the weird webbing ones with the funky mechs and the nylon ones and tbh they all look a bit naff, you look like some middle aged hiker 🙂
I know OP said no Leather, but Stihl belts are great. Last for ages, £20ish.
My Tesco jeans come with a belt, seems to keep them up ok.
I got a nice black wide leather belt at next around £20, I’ve had all the weird webbing ones with the funky mechs and the nylon ones and tbh they all look a bit naff, you look like some middle aged hiker
Who is actually going to notice, or even give a toss about what belt you’re wearing? I’ve nearly always got something like a tee shirt or fleece over the top of whatever I’m wearing, like jeans, (very occasionally), combat trousers, (mostly winter when it’s cold), or shorts, (the rest of the year). Those webbing money belts are brilliant, they’re wider than most belts intended for outdoor activities and/or clothing, they’re very light, the buckle system is, tbh, one of the simplest and neatest I’ve found in years of buying and wearing, and on occasion, making belts.
I have made several leather belts, and been very happy with them, but micro-adjustable leather isn’t really an option, whereas something like that money belt is probably the easiest I’ve found, just pull until ideal comfort point is reached, push the buckle closed, job jobbed!
The one leather belt I wear with jeans, if I’m doing ‘smart casual’, really needs redoing - the buckle is one that my dad wore possibly for much of his life, and the leather had started to tear, the chrome on the buckle had worn away completely, just showing the brass underneath, and I found an old leather belt I could re-purpose, but it’s actually a bit too narrow, so I need to get hold of a strip of quality leather, and make it look good again.
Stitching thick leather is not as easy as it used to be, but this’ll be a one-off.
Not that anyone else will ever notice it, for reasons given above, it’s just a connection to my dad that’s important - I would guess it’s getting on for a century old, it’s 58 years since he died, and maybe worn for 20-30 years before that.
You say that , you could just use some cable ties on the back of your trousers but strangely people don’t seem to do that.(I may have forgotten a belt in work on a few occasions)
Don’t forget the disadvantage of micro adjustable belts, they suffer the same issue as any elasticated trousers that they don’t give you the warning signs that maybe your eating too many pies and before you know it yer a fa…. 🙂
Have a look at the Grip6 range - infinitely adjustable, nylon, smart ish
Arcade belts. Comfy as!!!! (They stretch - perfect with jeans).
Patagonia Techweb is what you want.
I have has one for 20 years and aside from patina on the buckle it's as new.
I have a belt similar to the Holsta one in the original post and it is very good but what I find annoying is having to remove and refit the male part of the buckle when swapping between trousers. I use it for work trousers and have a leather belt for more casual wear and so sometimes do not wear it for a few days and inevitably the free part of the buckle tends to have disappeared when I go to use it. This probably says more about my disorganisation than the belt itself and a tidier person would not have the issue.
The point about using a traditional belt is useful too - there is a traditional Cossack story that a man who reached the last (loosest) hole on his belt had become too stout for military service and would have to resign his status.
Buy leather, this guy is local to me & makes a leather work belt for working:
https://www.neilgriffinleather.co.uk/category/belts
I spent a pretty penny on a fjallraven one that was really uncomfortable to wear becuase the back of the buckle really pokes into your guts. Then it would just ping undone anyway. Useless - I wore it a couple of times then got rid of it
I've got three of them and think they're great. Comfortable and secure, certainly never had one pop open.