Equipment review
Recently, I have tried out one of the nylon Mission Belts. These can be found at missionbelt.com for around $35, which I think is an affordable price for a fairly sturdy belt. The thing about these belts that really intrigued me is it’s ratcheting system that locks the belt inplace instead of the conventional belt holes. The belt pushes through the buckle and there are teeth every quarter inch that the buckle locks onto. To remove the belt there is a quick release lever that disengages the teeth. The first manufacture with this locking system that I came across was actually Kore Essentials which can be found at koreessentials.com. The nylon gun belt from Kore Essentials is supposed to be twice as stiff as the leather gun belts they manufacture. They run around $60 on their website. The Kore belts are 1.5” wide, so they will fit perfect with everyday clothing. The Mission belts run a touch over 1.5” wide but have fit through all the belt loops on my jeans and pants just fine. The Mission belts come in multiple sizes, so there is not a need to trim the belt to length. The Kore Essentials belts only come in two sizes, so those will need to be trimmed to your desired overlap. The combination of the Mission belt being half the price of the Kore Essentials and I actually found them on the shelf at the Hide and Sole store here in Missoula influenced me to try theirs first. I have found the belt very easy to put on and take off with this ratcheting system. The Mission belt has been comfortable and rigid enough for inside the waistband carry, but I do still plan on trying out a nylon belt from Kore Essentials down the road, as it sounds like their belt doesn’t flex as much. This would really come in handy especially when carrying handguns outside the waistband.