A quick one today. I got some pants from LA Police Gear
recently, and a tasty treat was thrown in with each pair, a colour matched
belt! At first I was skeptical. The pants themselves were already on special,
what kind of belt would just be thrown in for free. Well, let me show you the
TDU Belt from 5.11 Tactical.
The belts are 1.75" (about 45mm) wide and made of a
really heavy nylon webbing, stiffer and thicker than seatbelt material. A very
sturdy polymer buckle sits low and flat, with only a slight tab protruding from
the belt-facing side. Being a non-metalic polymer, this buckle will be
metal-detector safe, meaning it's one less thing for me to take off when I
visit an airport. I have yet to fully field test it with my partners, but
initial studies indicate that being of a more traditional style, it not as
tricky as a Cobra buckle to undo at first pass.
The webbing is triple stitched, with a broad bartack, giving
it a stiff connection to the buckle, without adding any more bulk. The tongue
of the belt is heat-cut at an angle, for easy feeding through the buckle, with
plenty of slack at the size I have to double-back for extra security, a habit I
picked up both in SCUBA and rock-climbing.
This is a lightweight but very sturdy belt, simple in the
extreme and made to last. Even though I've had no problems going through metal
detectors with my Ultimate Riggers Belt, the all-plastic look of this one would
make it less of a drama.I'm really happy with this, and it (and its
tan-coloured counterpart) give me a couple more belt options to add to my
collection. Having your pants fall off at the wrong time is BAD for survival.
Photos Courtesy of Josh Orth.
Thank you Josh for writing this review!
5.11 Australia
