Duty Belt Help

[zjladyga]

Hello All!
I just want to start off by hoping everyone had a good holiday, working or not. It has been a tough year for our brothers and sisters. But it is good to always see us come together.

Okay, so duty belts... My department issues leather, and it's not working anymore. We are beginning to get more equipment than space for our belt. I am trying to convince our department to allow us to wear a nylon belt. We have one issued to us but it's not part of our Class B uniform. Now I know some of the more veteran officers have told me that nylon does not look as professional but I feel that you can make anything look professional. I guess what I am asking for is if anyone has any suggestions as to what I can do?

Oh, I brought forth a proposal for an external vest and we have one officer being fitted to give it a test run, but I am not holding my breath for that due to that fact that some of our Admin want to stay with the "traditional" leather look, even though I have tried to explain to them that we need to change our uniform. We do not even have BDU pants that would give us pockets on the sides of the legs.

Thanks in advance for all the help!

[1911user]

A belt is a belt is a belt. The nylon one ain't gonna hold more than a leather one of the same size. You want change for the sake of change. It appears the administration feels otherwise. Unless you can make a case, based on why Nylon is better, like it resists blood born pathogens or is better if exposed to water, your stuck with what the boss wants and that's LEATHER.

I'm old school and not a fan of BDU's for patrol. Special units/details, yes, that works. BDU's are not a professional look IMHO. If it doesn't fit on your belt, you don't need it, leave it in the car or in your locker.

[careerchange#2]

I agree with the above. I tried a nylon belt, and synthetic leather with a snap buckle and in bot cases I actually lost space on my belt because of the buckle size. Sounds like you need to take a look at space saving options, such as double cuff cases or slimline mag pouches or dropping some stuff rom your belt.

[CCCSD]

I'm always amazed that in 30 years of LE, I've never had a need for more pockets than a standard Class A/B pant offers. Guess all those arrests and investigations I did were just luck, since I wasn't all Tacti-cool...

[merlin436]

Nylon has it's place. For one, it's lighter. It's also easier to don and doff. I think it also holds up better to scuffs, scrapes and general use and abuse.

As was mentioned though you ll likely lose a lot of space in the front of the belt due to the buckle and general belt design.

If it was me, I'd push for BDUs. I personally don't see them as less professional, they're far easier to don and doff and they're far more utilitarian, they offer cargo pockets for storage options and they stand up to far greater wear than standard uniforms.

[1911user]

L

Nylon has it's place. For one, it's lighter. It's also easier to don and doff. I think it also holds up better to scuffs, scrapes and general use and abuse.

As was mentioned though you ll likely lose a lot of space in the front of the belt due to the buckle and general belt design.

If it was me, I'd push for BDUs. I personally don't see them as less professional, they're far easier to don and doff and they're far more utilitarian, they offer cargo pockets for storage options and they stand up to far greater wear than standard uniforms.

Merlin, please explain to us here how BDU's are easier to....as you say "don and doff" compared to other pants? Me thinks you've been taking lessons from zjladyga, who believes a nylon belt of the same size will hold more equipment. I'm old school, going on 36 yrs in this business of ours, but I'm not stuck in the last century and I readily embrace new gear and equipment. I also have to ask what do you keep in those BDU pockets that's so tactically important or needed on a personal level?

[merlin436]

Well, for one, and at least for my agency, name tags and badges are sewn on to our BDUs. There's no digging about for nameplates, no transitioning badges to outerwear. None of that. It's much a much simpler, more streamlined uniform platform.

As far as nylon belts go, I said you lose space wearing one.

BDU pockets? There are good for gloves, tools and a whole host of other things. I never mentioned "tactical"... I said utilitarian.

[axelfoley4]

Most departments around my area are all going away from nylon and staying with the leather. The guys who still have nylon gear in my department like it for its lightness, but it looks like crap because the fibers are all rubbed and frayed, and faded from the years of use.

Like others have said on here if you don't need it, it shouldn't be on your belt. Me personally I like to keep the least amount of items on my belt so when I get into a foot pursuit nothing cramps my style. I keep the less essential items on my molle vest.

[IrishSheepdog54]

My previous agency wore nylon. After a year our belts looked like total crap. Now as a Trooper, I don't have a choice... I have a high gloss leather belt, shirt stays, collar stays, shiny buttons, etc... However I've noticed that I'm just as fast running, just as capable in a fight, and only marginally less comfortable. On the flip side my officer presence has increase dramatically.

I'm a total gear nut, but the cargo pants, BDU uniforms, nylon belts, etc. don't make up for a lack of training and ability. The only thing I really miss is the outer vest carrier, but that is because of comfort in the summer. I've chased kids half my age down in foot pursuits in my coreframs and high gloss belt, and I'm not the most fit guy out there.


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[1911user]

Well, for one, and at least for my agency, name tags and badges are sewn on to our BDUs. There's no digging about for nameplates, no transitioning badges to outerwear. None of that. It's much a much simpler, more streamlined uniform platform.

As far as nylon belts go, I said you lose space wearing one.

BDU pockets? There are good for gloves, tools and a whole host of other things. I never mentioned "tactical"... I said utilitarian.

You said, "As far as nylon belts go, I said you lose space wearing one. " so, what you are telling us, if you have a 30" nylon belt and a 30" leather belt, the nylon will hold less equipment? Even with the disparity in buckles I find this hard to believe, unless your buckle is the same size as the Heavyweight Champion of the World's title belt. I, along with others here don't buy you belt excuse and it appears neither does your administration. BTW, I'm not trying to be argumentative, just don't know,where you are coming from. It's not even a question of opinions, but facts. Like I said originally....A belt is a belt is a belt.

Next...Are you a Police Officer or a Mechanic? Tools belong in a tool chest or your trunk, not in a police officers pockets, unless said PO is in a specialized unit. The only tool I carried when in uniform was, first a kniFe, then a multi tool after they became popular. And the multi tool fit on my belt. Now do a final comment/opinion...BDU pants are, IMHO, SLOPPY, but hey, that's just me. Good Luck to you in your quest to win over your agency's administration on the subject.

[merlin436]

It's the OP's agency that has issues with BDUs and nylon gear, not mine. My is accepting of both.

Leather belts, at least mine, have allowed me to place items along side and even over top of(such as a mag pouch) the belt buckle.

All my nylon belts, not so. The way they're constructed and the buckle arrangement makes them far to bulky to slide any equipment closer than, say, 3-4 inches on either side of the belt buckle. I suppose that someone could modify their gear to overcome those issues, but I've yet to see it.

As far as BDUs go, I'm a US Customs Officer.
I typically work cargo. I often stuff keys, locks, seals, tools, passports, IDs and whatever else in my cargo pockets to keep my hands unoccupied.

Does the OP need cargo pockets...I don't know. From the wordage of his original post, it seems he thinks he might.

[Shush]

Not taking sides - but what I've seen in our local store is that the nylon holders to go with the nylon belt are consistently wider/thicker than their leather counterparts. Having a 30" inch waist, I am seriously lacking real estate. We don't use nylon, but I thought about getting nylon personally for use on my side jobs, and I did actually lose space. Not alot - I could make it up (plus some) if I switched to a double-cuff holder instead of 2 individuals. But still, I did find that the various holders took up more space around the belt than on my regular leather setup. Just sayin.....

As for BDU pants (and shirts) - they have a place. I don't think they should be standard uniform, but I don't think they need completely ruled out. When we have to do a S&R, I wouldn't trade them for anything. When we are doing special tasks that don't really involve citizen interaction, they can be very useful (i.e. training, range day, etc).

[mookster]

I have a 28" waist... About 5 years ago I transitioned from leather to Bianchi accu-mold elite. It has the look of basket weave leather but the weight of nylon.

5 years of patrol and it still looks good, no fraying like nylon and it's not floppy like leather. Op, it might be worth investing on your own to get that.

[UnivPD]

Are y'all referring to bdu pants like the old ones like the military use to wear or something more modern like 5.11? We wear actual dress pants with cargo pockets. Looks great and you still have the cargo pockets to carry all your stuff.

I have worn leather and nylon belts and my current set up is an ares gear duty belt. I like the look of leather but that is it, the ares gear offers durability and stiffness / support for holster. Its the best duty belt imo.

[ateamer]

We recently switched from Blauer cargo pants to 5.11 Stryke. Best patrol uniform pants ever.

Yeah, yeah, they have extra pockets. Blahblahblah. Some people are just old and uptight and need to retire.