For new officers watching this, Zach is on point with what he is saying. You're going to want all the things on your belt, overtime it will hurt you. Lower back issues and especially hip flexor issues will arise. After a while, recognize what you need and slim down to just that. Keep the rest in a bag in the front seat.
My Dept issues us outter carriers. Personally, I would recommend keeping everything you can take into a secure facility on your vest, and use the belt for everything you can't (gun, mags, ecw, blades, cuff keys, baton, etc).
@Cabbagepatch66 my previous depth was against load bearing outer carriers. My new one it is good to go, but after all these years, I'm used to everything on my belt. And if I have to wear my heavy vest I know I got everything I need on my belt.
@@colin1818positive indications on a video where he’s talking about something he enjoys with a camera in his face has nothing to do with how he treats people on the job lol
@@colin1818 giving praise baselessly is just as bad as throwing shade baselessly. Now show me where I was “throwing shade” because I never once said a bad thing about anyone here lmao. Telling me to grow up for pointing out a logic flaw? Ok bud
I’ve been wearing the Trex speed belt as my LE duty belt for about 10 months now. 10 hour days 5 days a week. Around 1200 hours total in the belt. Have had zero issues. It’s been super comfortable and reliable.
I have been wearing the trex speed belt since it launched by far the most comfortable duty belt I’ve worn over the last 8 years. Highly recommend it! The inner belt is awesome compared to anything I used prior. No issues either. Everything stays very securely in place when running or fighting with people. I don’t miss those damn belt keepers
Just bought one of the trex arms speed belts. Just a civilian here, but it looks and feels high quality and I'm glad to know its comfy from someone who wears it for hrs a day.
As an older…I SAID OLDER…retired Army fire breathing combat NCO I was recently told by a younger fire breather to keep my skills sharp. So here I am re-gearing myself and my how the gear has changed. I love shows like this that show me what to look for based on my needs and how to put it all together. Thanks gentlemen.
Lots of memories here, from a 20+ year cop's perspective. I come from the days of mandated 'clarino leather' gear (the heavy, shiny stuff shown at 24:35 in the video), belt keepers, & heavy, SW4506 duty guns. As an A type, very fit, young buck, I didn't think twice about the weight and barely thought about the long-term damage to my hips, back, and legs from poorly considered gear placement. Some of the old timers warned me, and I made minor adjustments, but I didn't feel discomfort, so I didn't think it would be a problem 'for me.' -Still, I was one of the first to transition to nylon gear and an HK USP when the opportunity came. My performance immediately improved, dramatically. It was MUCH more comfortable, MUCH lighter, and MUCH more secure. I noticed it, but still didn't think much about it... until a new chief came along and mandated everyone back to clarino leather and the SW4506. The discomfort was immediately noticeable, and the subsequent years with all that (and too much stuff on my spine & either side of my spine) took a toll that I now feel every day... even though I'm out of uniform and working in a suit every day. Be smart about your gear as it relates to your personal longevity.
As a former Infantry Marine ('81-'85) I can say after watching this, I needed an update. I volunteer for SAR (recent) and, my son is a COP, so there are going to be some conversations over time and trials to fine tune my hopefully improved belt. Thanks guys, good info!
The progression of equipment from the old LBE that I was issued and the old law enforcement belts is really astounding. I'd love to see more of these from different people. It's really great to hear "I do it this way because of these factors" instead of "you should do it this way". I use the inner-outer system where the inner is my daily wear belt and the outer has two pistol mags and two rifle mags on the right, drop pouch rear right, pistol left, and one more rifle mag left. I don't wear anything on the front because I found that even angled pistol mags interfered with bending over and going prone comfortably. I added the third rifle mag on the left to balance the belt, as I was feeling my hips being lopsided after a long day on the range (7.62x39 mags are heavy).
I completely agree with you about the changes in gear. The pure brilliance of breaking the LBE/LBV at the waist greatly improves mobility and hip rotation. First time in a full modern kit at 60 years old and I was amazed at the way it allowed me to carry 270 rounds 5.56, 60 rounds 9 mil and the rest of the essentials more comfortably than less weight in the old kits. It has me getting out and back into fighting shape again.
Good stuff. The one thing I still like older neoprene battle belt for a “bump in the night” belt. Mine is a HSGI slim belt that’s not as bulky as the VTAC. Because I have kids, I keep my home defense pistol in a quick access nightstand safe and rifle in a quick access safe in the master closet. Since it’s for home defense and not “battle”, I keep 2 pistol mags, 1 rifle mag, flashlight, pistol holster, OC spray, small “get off me” knife, cuffs, IFAK with a TQ, and some chem sticks. The belt hangs on the SecureIt fast box in the closet where I keep my rifle. Sitting next to the safe is a bigger med bag, large fire extinguisher, and one of those hiviz safety vests with “security” on it to don after an incident so I’m less likely to get popped by responding officers.
Some of the best gear options come from civilian applications. They are not limited by uniform restrictions or Mil Spec only gear. My old Basket Weave leather duty belt with the permeant buckle and keepers was not uncomfortable and everything stayed in place. Yes it took a little longer to put on but it was pretty effortless after a few times. Also less stolen patrol cars due to the quick snap key holders that are no longer seen.
As a 40 year old LEO, I keep just the essentials on my belt, because back and hip pain is a non-starter in my book. Gun, mags, cuffs, TQ, taser, and flashlight. Rifle mag, radio, another TQ, another set of cuffs, and multi tool on my vest. If policy didn’t prohibit it, my taser would be on my vest too. As it stands, it has to live on my belt in cross-draw fashion. But this is a great video.
Before I go any further, I want to thank you for still calling it Ft. Bragg. I spent time in the 82nd And I'm from NC. It will ALWAYS be Ft. Bragg to me. You just got yourself a subscriber. Now I'm going to watch the rest of the video.
Excellent video fellas. I had my first rig with an inner Velcro belt in the mid 90's that allowed you to do away with keepers and it was much more stiff than traditional leather rigs. It was made by Safariland. The only thing that wasn't Safariland on that rig was the mag carriers. I rigged two Blade Tech single mag carriers to work on the duty belt. I also keep a Blad Tech AR mag carrier behind my pistol mags. This way I always had an extra 20 round AR mag on my person. That kit was way ahead of its time. It would still be a relevant today. Nothing totally new under the sun.
Really appreciate you showing the different perspectives. I enjoy the occasional club competition match so I started using those styles of belts first and eventually started working into more of a 2-gun battle belt. The breadth of gear can definitely be daunting to new shooters so great to see this kind of dialogue.
Wow. This was a lot of good information. It also makes perfect sense why our law enforcement is switching to tact vest to hold all of their gear needed for the job. I wish all departments would grow with the times, and let our officers wear body armor and chest rigs to maybe help as well. Give them options so they can better find what works for them, so they can be successful at work. I get some people may say they don't need to look like our military, but when shyt goes bad, you want them capable to handle the threat. They need to stay ready so they ain't gotta get ready. Good information 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👍🏾
I'm so glad my department let us buy outer carriers this year. Still have the most important stuff on belt but the extras (Narcan, extra cuffs) can all go on the carrier.
Great video, I’m former Army and current LEO; I’m also a firearms instructor for my agency, this is good stuff, well done. There’s some excellent points these guys bring up
Really dig having law enforcement, civilian and military thoughts and advice on this topic! Super rad video. Thanks for sharing and thank you guys for your service and to Josh thanks for your channel, I love it!
My father carried a .38 special as part of his work uniform. When he got home he would unload it and leave the cylinder open. From the time that I started handing guns, it was ingrained in me to empty the cylinder of a revolver and to leave the cylinder open when I handed it to someone or in the case of a simi auto, remove the magazine, lock the slide back and check the breach to ensure that it is empty before passing the pistol to someone else. My father STRESSED ensuring that not only was the pistol unloaded but it was in a safe condition that could not discharge. Funny thing, when I go to a gun store or a gun show, I ask that they open the action before handing the gun to me to look at. And when I return it, the action is open before I return it.
For several years (4-5), I ran my LEO belt buckle at center back, or 6 o’clock position. This allowed me to push more of my tools forward, creating easier access and utilizing the space at front/center where the buckle normally resides. I have since been running the 5.11 buckle for many years and it only is about 1/2 the width of a traditional buckle.
I'm glad I found this video; it's going to help me out with my secondary tactical belt. My current duty belt (I'm a Correctional Officer in Ohio) is a Tacnex belt that I bought on Amazon for $36 and added other stuff that I needed. However, I still need to get the correct style of radio pouch, a second cuff pouch, and an OC pouch that properly fits the canisters we use at work.
I was a police officer for 9 years and here’s the truth: Police work is either boring or deadly. I found my 6 years in the military much less boring. But my military service was in the 80’s and my police service ended in the 90’s so we had shiny belts or web belts. Today’s fare is much better.
I too was an officer for about the same time frame. 2004 through around 2012... Velcro inner, plus keepers and all the "tacti-cool" high speed stuff. Being a "night shifter" I was able to stay away from the polished leather, heavy/stiff and HEAVY stuff. helped a lot.
Great video guys. I believe that there was actually a lot of crossover early on from LE to the more modern military style belt than military to LE. In LE, the velcro inner belt has been around for over 20 years while the military was still using the nylon webb belts or battle belt was more popular. Once that inner/outer style transitioned from LE to the military for the GWOT thats where the current innovations there then transitioned back to the LE world. It is a constant crossover between LE, Mil and the civilian competition wold that drives innovation.
Great attitude, speaking to those of us that aren’t cops /aren’t ex military, we aren’t “operators” but we *are* good guys and train like its life or death. Because it is. Amazing video!!
Started with the old basket weave 'Sam Browne', back in the early 80s, an actual night stick, a flipp'n Motorola brick for a radio, a full size mag light, a P220 w/mags, irritant, cuffs. Times changed and at the end of my 25yr career I went very minimal on the belt, I was rarely that far away from my unit to worry about having something available...I spent way too much time sprinting through yards and jumping fences to load myself up. The stuff coming out for the latest/newest generation of LE is awesome, wish it had started earlier.
We were rocking wheel guns until the late 80's when the Sheriff finally let us upgrade to 9mm or .45. I got rid of my old 586 and picked up a Sig 226. Welcome to the 20th century.
This video had me redoing my competition (pistol) belt while I was watching it. As a Marine, you're tactical one belt for both rifle and pistol. I'm thinking about going back to that now. Semper Fi.
A friend of mine who is still in law enforcement puts his belt buckle snap to his back. He still uses belt keepers, so you cant just undo the buckle and watch it all fall to the ground. What he has done is add shotgun shells where the buckle use to sit or add more mags and TQ. That buckle does take up a lot of valuable real estate on the front.
Zach is on point. As a West TN LEO with over 25 yrs in , I've worn everything from the old "Sam Brown" belts to the new stuff. I also have ALL the back and hip problems to show for 30yrs of playing in the streets. Great content as always, Baer Solutions !!!
I thank you very much recently just got a job for security. 12 hrs shift. What I'm running is mags in pocket in waist band holster. . Just bought my armor and duty belt. This video really help me with set ups for my belt.
You have to try different belt styles to find your home. I tried the Velcro inner belt and didn’t like the restricted feeling when jumping in and out of a car with foot chases, wresting around with perps and struggling. I tried hard to adopt, I found myself with a good thin leather under belt, would throw a stripped down gun belt with bare minimum equipment when in plain clothes. I used a keeper by the gun holster, a keeper in left front by 2 magazine pouches and 3rd by left rear handcuff case. Peeper spray clipped on left front pocket and asp in rear pants pocket. I worked in a unit where we were arresting 8-12 people in a 4 hour period with 80% foot chases and struggles. You need flexibility when you struggling. But when in uniform, the Velcro under belt was nice for patrol with minimal action.
It looks like you have a very good set up. We had tested/approved the velcro with and w/o emergency rope connector for our SERT/SWAT teams. I tested the velcro double belt system for companies when they were just being developed, gave my reviews then tested the models to be fielded when I was in our special operations division for many years. I tested firearms and ammo in arctic conditions in Alaska back in the late 70s-90s plus a lot of different gear regularly since with the firearms I was with the Troopers and the other gear with a larger 1,200 officer county dept in MD bordering Wash DC so it was always busy during the open air drug market times and all the related crime. The dual belt gave a more custom/comfortable than the outside belt with keepers for sure. I tested ones that clip buckled as well as a kind of fake buckle but it all velcroed down to ones with no buckle at all-all velcro to the ends. The same type stuff with the inside/outside vests. IF you had an outside vest to wear it HAD to be covered by your light jacket When I started we had wheel guns and no vests. 18 total rounds of goodness (6 in the revolver and 6 ea. in two speed loaders we tested when we were still issued drop pouches with 6 rounds in each of the two you had on your belt. The equipment has come a long way. Keep doing it my friends. Stay safe.
Zach is 100 percent right about extended magazine's in a vehicle. I work armed security here in Las Vegas as a city contractor. And I found getting in and out of a vehicle very cumbersome. The magazine would catch on the door getting in and out as well as what he was saying about the seat or center console pushing that gun into an uncomfortable place. So I run a standard capacity magazine in my P320 which is 17 rounds and have the extended magazine's as backup magazine's.
From starting in a bit of airsoft, I was quite quick of mind "keep it simple " when it came to how much and what stuff I want/need on my belt and or rig. Which really transferred well when going into the real steel and tactical shooting. And then just like in airsoft coming across people hanging everything they can on their belt or body. Like you really need it all or even use it. Its just mostly excess weight and bulk. Use what you need, not what you want.
Not a cop, just a civil. But I found this helpful for my shtf gear setup. Still sorting out my stuff for these scenarios, but this gives me something to contemplate for when it happens.
Dump pouch is ostensibly for spare mags. Realistically, there's a package of Swedish fish and some smokes in there Also, I set my belt up with a similar mindset to Josh. As a civilian, if I'm wearing it, I'm dismounted. I'd rather have as much of a system as I can on the belt, and I'm a lot less worried about sitting in a car. But Zach had some decent points, and I'm gonna want to rethink how I set things up to facilitate actually being able to drive a car while wearing it... good info. Thanks for the video!
Really liked this episode and I'm looking forward to seeing more of them (just discovered your channel). I find it humorous when the "old" leather duty belt was brought out and the statement was made, "could you see yourself wearing this" with the response being "no way". Time has a way of changing things... back "in the day", that was top of the line, much like what you guys were showcasing in your own setups. There could come a time when some newer young guns look at the current belts and go "what were they thinking?!" As Zach pointed out, in LE there is that line where you have to be presentable and professional without being too tactical. I'm recently retired from a 29+ year career in LE and things have changed! Since the last 14 years of my gear was of the type where I had to blend into the background of the public culture, I was definitely of the low imprint, hard to see variety. Now that my wife and I are on "our hill" in my hometown, we are looking for that set up that allows us to be ready to take care of ourselves, our family, and our neighbors, and this has been a great compare and contrast for this old dog in how to set up a belt for when we are out and about on the property and ready to defend home, hearth and country! Bravo Zulu for a good video! - Cold War Navy vet and retired LEO
I retired more than fifteen years ago, but was a Department Firearms Instructor and a Glock Armorer. We allowed some freedom in the setup of the Officer's Gear, but the Chief Mandated the Safariland SLS Holsters and Leather Basketweave Belt and Gear. I wore MY mag pouches horizontally facing the buckle of the duty belt for a fast draw and lower profile when sitting in the vehicle so the bottom of the body armor didn't hit the mag pouch. Of course, back then, they had the snap closures. We forbade Anything in the center of the back of the belt to prevent spinal injury if you were driven down flat on your back during defensive engagements or a fall. Nothing behind the four or eight o'Clock positions.
From a civilian context in my get home kit I keep a molle belt from WPS that holds a holster and a double mag pouch. I am also expementing with an old school alice rig with a butt pack with attached map pouch, 2 water bottle , spare mag pouch for my MCK chassis system. Before people hop over to tell me I'm wrong for being more overt, the area I'm in open carry is extremely common. Camouflage is extremely common. Dressing more "civilian" is just as likely to stand out. Also, being close to the border after what happened in Isreal, I believe that our context has changed, so being able to fight to my wife is important. I also keep a larger pack that this gear can be stuffed into if I really don't want to look aggressive. We don't know the situation until we are in it.
All of us will keep our country the constitutional republic that it Is. I just watched to see what yall had for a set-up , Happy about mine, id be considered the US military veteran dirty civilian !!!% . Blessing on you all !
-Left side of buckle Starting from the buckle 1)Cuffs 2)double mag side ways towards buckle 3)asp -Right side of buckle 1) gun 2)glove pack 3)med pack Taser, mag light, and radio on plates carrier
USCG here, I wear a Safari Land belt every day at work. It's the fake leather/vinyl but with a clip style buckle instead of the traditional heel bar buckle. We wear belt keepers like Zach had showed. We are required these belts due to the buoyancy rating (I believe it's neutral), we are constantly on boats and at a high risk of falling over. 30Lbs of gear will have us on the bottom quickly. It would be nice if we could use a inner/outer due to how quickly they can be put on. Everyone will be hanging out, then we get a call to go out and are gone in 5 minutes, putting those keepers on can be very difficult at times and definitely slow down our response time.
Took a break for 5-6 yrs but nice to learn and stay with the trends. Never knew about these belts. I've always just used my normal pants belts with my jeans. I would just put a nylon thumb break holster and a mag in my pocket when I first started off. Not sure if a actually need a tactical belt or not.
My agency still wears shiny leather equipment like Zach's old belt. One thing to remember in a ground fight the more on your belt the more you have to defend.
I wonder how these belts measure up to SOE Tactical belts. I personally love the use of suspenders. In the small of the back I roll up a military poncho or the type of emergency blanket that can also be used as shelter. Ponchos can be used for rain protection, shelters, field expedient stretchers and far more. Of course, my domain is usually the woods, forests and jungle like environments. Since I use many pocketed vests, the belt I use is of utmost importance. This allows me to distribute weight, reinforce my back and pretty much stay out indefinitely with a rifle and sidearm and at least a couple of knives. This allows me to move quickly and without a pack. I have developed this concept over years. In city, I go as a gray man but I can go vest and belt in that environment as well with a vest set up for city usage with armor ( complete upper ). Again the belt is very, very important and should be able to accept suspenders and have an inner belt to keep it in a fixed position. This is really a great video that adds some considerations to the many things I consider in my concepts. I am a 70 year old deactivated US Marine. Thank you for the video and I just thumbs up subscribed ! A friend always !
The Baer belt is a fantastic offering and the best I have used. I found that being able to direct mount the new Bladetech Tek Mount Minis to the belt makes it easily adjustable and I can QD mag pouches to easily change what I carry and how it is carried very quickly. As always great content and I am looking forward to another great class in December.
My belt is from a brand called bear armz, and its an inner/outer but has 2 options for the inner: a velcro internal that can be put through belt loops, and a padded rubber one for the old school battle belt style. Its my competition/bug out belt (same gun for both, and i do practical 2 gun matches), and i use the "normal" inner belt when its warm, and the friction belt over cold weather gear when its cold.
Great content BAER! I'm like most out here, just looking to defend my home and family. I run the T-Rex Orion. I can load it up and hang it by the bed. PIstol, mags, medical, dump pouch. It can be thrown on and go to work on a moments notice. Something you did not mention about the T-Rex Orion is the velcro straps inside that can be looped to your daily pants belt to secure it from riding up or moving around for those days on the range or specific mission. My belt (like all my kit) is never finished. Keep up the good work.
I run the same. Glad you mentioned the inner hook and loop straps for securing. I was thinking about those at the same time it was being talked about. Wondering if that's a newer addition to our Orion's maybe?
@@matthewcrino5826 I like the Orion for my purpose. I will say that attaching the velcro can be a chore but maybe no worse than putting two belts on. I find that most of the time the belt stays put nicely unless you're being pretty physical.
Greetings from Europe! Great content as usual. Thank you! You know, it's very interesting to observe how mission, circumstance, conditions and even transport on the battlefield impact the gear. Mission driven gear, again and again. And it's very interesting to observe that while US military and police teams are on their way to more light gear, on the other side of the ocean people return to old bulky battle-belts that you mentioned. Today in Ukraine warbelt is only secondarily the platform for carrying gear, primarily it's armor carrier. Only gormless instagram guys try to wear Cry JPS with these side strings, which they call the cummerbund, under hail of fragments of shells and mines. Today the minimum requirement is the cummerbund with side armor, plus ballistic collar, abdomen panel, deltoid armor, protective outer garment (groin protect), and finally lower back butt pad protector. It looks like medieval knight's armor. All this leaves its mark and makes adjustments to the tactics. Long story short, thanks a lot for the content again! Cheers
Our department in southern Cali progression of gear has been super flexible, which I love. Everything is for comfort and functionality. Majority of us run staccato XC’s, 2011 platform pistols, and outer carrier vest’s.
@RoninWarrior1776 good, ruining a persons life unconstitutionally is pretty bad. I don't live in Cali, and wouldn't due to laws, but at least it makes me feel a bit better not all the cops are wearing blinders
To any Officers looking for a great belt combo. I've spent a lot of $ on my set up, constantly switching it up and trying different gear. My final setup is a safeline defense outer belt with a wilder tactical urban assault belt pad that i leave velcro'd on the inside. it has comfortable padding and it does not move at all.
I’m strictly civilian and years ago, I was working for a boating supply and I was in our warehouse (a daylight basement sort of arrangement) paint room and got caught in a power outage. It was DARK. The emergency lights were less than adequate. I’ve carried a flashlight clipped in my left front pocket ever since. For years now it has been a Fenix LD12. I have use a Streamlight 1l-1aa or whatever that small dual fuel thing was. Use it a lot when I have to find something I dropped and have to look under a machine or something.
@gtcam723…you just HAD to mention Fenix flashlights 😂 I won’t (probably can’t) mention how many Fenix flashlights I own. I didn’t have the LD12, but it’s now on order. I’m hoping it’ll clip onto one of the two pen slots on my uniform’s left sleeve. The side light will come in handy when writing notes or opening and closing gates with chains/locks. For a Duty light(s), I’m currently carrying a TK16 v.2.0 and a TK20R (Two is one; one is none). Both lights have extremely long throws on high and both have dual tail switches that allow ON/OFF and change of brightness using just your thumb. Anyway, thanks for MAKING me buy another Fenix flashlight; I really NEEDED it 🤷🏻♂️😁
@@sax5055 lol see I have no brand loyalty except for specific applications. I had a Fenix headlamp. Unfortunately it was lost in a house fire. You are way down the rabbit hole 🤣
@@gtcam723”you are way down the rabbit hole 😂”. YEP, guilty as charged. Let the search continue for The ONE perfect Duty flashlight. See how I did that?..rabbit hole…The ONE (think Neo)…😉😂. Too much time being mostly retired.
I bought an Ideogear battle belt (molle system) on amazon, a black velcro underbelt is included, you pass the underbelt in your pant bet loops, then you grip the main molle belt on it. For the price tag it's an excellent product, very resistant and very stable, the belt doesn't change position like mentionned in this video. the pistol mag pouch from the same brand are also very reliables, magazine insertion is quick and they hold the mags strongly.
The Trex Orion is my personal favorite for the PNW. Most of the time its cold and wet here. So those velcro belts are awesome until you need to add layers and then those layers cover you mags and have snag hazards everywhere. Also that was hilarious when josh looks straight at the camera as soon as drew says "it depends" LOL
Geat show guys great equipment to. I joined the Marines back in 1987-1991. My entire family were Marines and Law enforcement. WW2-KOREA AND VIETNAM. Me Philippines, Pannama, South America and Nicaragua. I used Vietnam Era web belts with shoulder straps and harness. 1985 plastic buckle. Rook sack, butt pack, 2 M-14 mag pouches nylon. 2 plastic M-68 plastic canteens. A M-12 soft nylon flap over. With nylon mag holder. My MOS was 0317 forced recon sniper. I carried a Browning bolt action 300 grain win magnum. M-24. Leapold 4.5x55mm lens scope. Night vison scope and a heat thermal scope to. A Barret 50 cal some times. In 1992 came home. Went to college for police science degree. Then 16 week police academy. My dept. Out here in Wisconsin was old fashion. SAFARILAND Sam Brown BELTS with the buckle or 94. Plane black or basket weave. My was Basketbweave. With pouches same leather and plane or Basketbweave. SWAT TEAM was Condor molly duty belt with the cobra buckle. High speed gear taco pouches. End of story. We had. No tasers, no trama kits no tq, no dump bags. So this stuff you young bucks use is awesome.
Though I started with dump pouches in the military, will say though they work great for snacks the issue is most others know this so I prefer a large admin pocket for snacks. Though I will say because I worked mainly rual area's I did use a dump pouch lined with Velcro at the top and would have plastic bags with the opposite side on them the purpose was you weren't always close to the cruiser when you searched a suspect and have a place to put their crap worked well. The other use which made me giggle a brother used one when he had a kid and had it attached to the diaper bag(since than have seen few vets doing the same). Unfortunately my career dreams were cut shorter than expected and my invisibility complex came to a quick stop(between Mil, Other Jobs, & Public Safety they do have a high index for injuries and I had my fair share last one worst one paralyzed) though I still work in LE it's in a different limited role, so my belt setup is a mix of few things & mainly wear a 2 piece system for classes and comp stiff tactical belt for work like UC/Det setup (will say for those who never got to experience belt keepers your lucky as there was many very close calls which happens to everyone)As for belts I went through multiple dept upgrades, I forget brand but when we wore leather I actually had one that had padding on inside, when we switched to nylon not going to lie but suspenders helped a lot to get weight off your hips(almost like a lbv), my final upgrade before I got hurt we used outer carriers and I tried to move as much as I could like in the military to my carrier. It might be from my background & working in a rural area I never carried less than 3 spare pistol mags(never heard someone complain about having to much ammo in a gun fight but other reason we supplied our guns so besides rifles you might not be able to share) For my 2 piece belt system(as I mentioned above I'm paralyzed so I had to modify thing to work for me but fortunately I have knowledge I do) I run a 1.5" inner belt & 2" outer, I run my buckle offset and rt side just to keep things in place I do still run a baton behind the belt loop for holsters(between buckle and baton it keeps things where I want them) bc I am always seated I do run a dual strap SL dropleg holster with TQ moumt & use bladetech vs qls system bc it allows forward cant & ease of draw(it allows 360* rotation neat system), on my left front I run a GBRS ifak(made for sob but fits well lt front) then have a mid drop single strap SL plate again using bladetech for a triple mag holder as I can cant that fwd as well and keep spare tq taco next to it, I do run a forward angled rifle mag pouch behind the mid drop loops for ease & if needed for say 2-3 gun comp I can add a rifle taco to mid drop plate.
Yes I agree more people should run Load bearing suspender, webbing of sort sure don't hurt, I also had dreams crushed from injury, boating accident took my foot, All & I mean All I was destined to be was in military, my whole life brother, my Dad was SF Green Beret, two uncles SF too, Papa Pearl Harbor Survivor, Uncles in Scout Sniper, one 173rd Nam,one PT boat in Nam, point is I feel you brother,..hurts bad & can't ever completely fill that, but be careful out serving us.
I am now running the Kore battle belt due to the way it adjusts, Its heads and shoulders above the brands your showing. you're probably unaware cause its new.
Great video guys 👊🏼. Learned a lot. Working in EU security,its a good explanation about whats important to what and how about the setup that works for those involved. Thank you for making this video 🫶🏼. Stay safe my friends 🫶🏼
9:19 I will say that I typically prefer having my Velcro-only belt to use/wear as a civilian EDC belt. It's got none of the features or frills, but it does exactly what I want/need for my purposes. It does a damned good job at holding up my pants and gun/mags. I also like it becuase there's no metal on it whatsoever, so I never have to worry about it scratching things while I'm at work (since a lot of our material is $3000-$5500 per sheet anf we use about 40 sheets per day) or even taking it off when I go into a secure area. That makes it great for airtravel, court, and so forth (not that I have to do either of those frequently, thankfully, just nice to not worry about it.) The primary function of my belts is it hold up my pants (and accommodate a pistol, mags, and whatever I need to put in my pockets) without scraping/digging into my skin. I would be willing to bet that 90%+ of civilians would be in that same category, too. So I think a lot of us are going to have a strong preference of durability and comfort while keeping a CCW secure at all times. The first thing I do when I get up in the morning after getting dressed is putting my mags into my mag carrier and my gun/holster into my waistband. And aside from having to dismount the gun during work hours, I always keep it on until I go to bed. For me, comfort and ruggedness are by far the two most important features of a belt.
The sciatic nerve stuff is no joke. I’m a skinny dude with 6 years in LE and struggle to keep the small of my back clear. I’ve just gotten rid of everything I don’t need as the pain has increased.
I have a bladetech competition belt. It's perfect for my use. Held up extremely well. Im a huge bladetech fan. I have their drop offset and owb for mt glock 17 and their double mag pouch. It is my set up for running classes. I mostly practice ccw now so everything I do is iwb. Best ccw belt is the blue alpha low pro edc belt. So solid. Best daily belt in the world even if you dont carry a gun this belt is amazingly comfortable and supportive of a full size weapon
My duty belt for my agency has to look uniform and the same as the other Troopers. Coming from the military, I’ve always thought that was a major downfall with our Dept. The local guys in LE seem to have more leeway on what they want on their belts. We tweak the little things, but if there is a major difference, we are spoken to about it. And the sciatica…good Lord!!! 🥴🥴🤷🏼♂️
It can never be overstated how important good gear is, especially if it is something you need to wear. I worked in security for a bit and our company gave us really shitty belts and really shitty boots, even within the first few months of work I ended up with a knee injury due to the amount of pressure the belt was putting on me when running to emergencies all day. I upgraded to a belt that I found on my own and it improved my day drastically. We didn't even carry firearms due to canadian policy, but we always had a reason for medical supplies, gloves, and handcuffs.
Absolutely. I invested over $300 into a Bianci belt, good mag holders, surefire flashlight, etc. It is an investment, it can last a lifetime and be passed down to my kids if needed. When you take care of your gear, and when you buy for long term success, it really matters. The LAST thing I want to do is to be on a security shift overnight with a guy that has his belt halfway hanging off his ass, a crap retention holster, and also no non lethal gear.
I run my gun belt with four belt keepers so it doesn't eat up my clothing. Less wear and tear and it's very secure. I can wear a normal belt and throw everything on pretty quickly.
There is a reason a lot of people in law enforcement call these belts a Bat Belt, similar to Batman. When I first started out in law enforcement in 2004, I wore a belt similar to the high gloss leather belt, but mine had a piece of velcro on the bag for attacking to a under belt. I would use the belt keeper to help keep everything on me. I eventually went to wearing 3 handcuff cases, and yes, there were times I used all three and needed more. Some big guys may require 2 sets because they cant bring their hands together behind their backs. I eventually went to suspenders on my belt when my department went to wearing the vest on the outside in a carrier. This did help my lower back a lot. During my time in the military, I was a MP, we carried a pistol with us all the time. I would eventually start carrying the pistol in a drop leg holster on the front of my right thigh. I did this because of driving or sitting as TC in a vehicle, it was hard to get to the pistol, and as a driver even harder to get to a rifle if you needed it. I never used a drop holster as a civilian PD. Now as a civilian, I use a combination of how I set up my belt from being a LEO and in the Army. Remember, if it works for you, its not a stupid idea. Plus, I use what I have because its what I can afford. If you need to use old equipment in the beginning, dont feel bad, at least you have something to use.
When using belts with the PALS/MOLLE make sure the spacing is correct. If not you may have to modify your kit to position it the way you want on the belt. I use a 1/34" belt that requires me to cut extra slits in the MOLLE in the items I want to mount on it. If I had chosen a 2" belt it wouldn't be a problem. I wear my Blue Alpha belt loaded with firearm, magazines, IFAK, admin pouch, AR-15 mag pouch, phone, flashlight, two-way radio, water bottle 8+ hours a day working as a range safety officer or security officer.
i primarily do competition, We run our buckles in the back of the belt, pissing gets more complicated. usually gotta go for the zipper and snake it out but it offers more space in the front of the belt/
I am unfortunately from the older days of law enforcement and we used the old leather belts. When the department went from revolvers to pistols I carried my mags in a horizontal double mag carrier which kept the mags from pushing into me when sitting and they came out faster than in the vertical position .
Zach is so right about lights. Always have one on body. I technically always have two, one in the pocket to keep stuff off my belt line, and then a smaller one clipped on my lapel. I look a little bit like Robo Cop when I have it turned on, but it lets you be hands free while taking notes. My lapel light still puts out 500 lumens on bright mode so it can be pressed into service if the main light goes down or gets lost.
For many LEO, as mentioned, heavy duty suspenders that have loops to put on your inner belt will save your back and hips big time. I still believe in leather that lasts forever and place your keepers in place to keep your holster and magazine carrier in place.
Excellent video; been using various combinations of belts for ages, but this video gave me some new things to check out. Just goes to show there are always new things to learn. Thank you!
It's nice to see Zach is a police admin who is more concerned with practically, because usability and comfort is typically subjugated to "it's shiny and it looks good" for most police admins when determining if they will purchase gear.
I was hoping Josh was going to go into the theory behind why he carries what he carries. His belt has to work in conjunction with his survival/assault pack, and both belt and bag need to have multiday sustainment gear. Zachs belt is set up for 8 hours of wear. Baers belt set up for 48 hours of wear. Joshs belt needs to be set up for 3 weeks wear. Great job to everyone, i really enjoyed the content! Also, i didnt see a knife on any of the belts? Why?
I noticed an absence of a knife. I just recently added a knife to my belt, figuring where and how to put it so it is accessible from both hands and didn't poke or chaffe.
For new officers watching this, Zach is on point with what he is saying. You're going to want all the things on your belt, overtime it will hurt you. Lower back issues and especially hip flexor issues will arise. After a while, recognize what you need and slim down to just that. Keep the rest in a bag in the front seat.
My Dept issues us outter carriers. Personally, I would recommend keeping everything you can take into a secure facility on your vest, and use the belt for everything you can't (gun, mags, ecw, blades, cuff keys, baton, etc).
Or u pray u have an outer carrier
@Cabbagepatch66 my previous depth was against load bearing outer carriers. My new one it is good to go, but after all these years, I'm used to everything on my belt. And if I have to wear my heavy vest I know I got everything I need on my belt.
You can also get suspenders for your gun belt. That's what I did when I was on duty helped save my back some trouble.
@AmericanMinuteman95 yeah, I got the back defender, buy since being in a patrol car I find I don't need it as much.
Zach is the most law enforcement looking law enforcement guy ive ever seen.
This fuckin killed me
Ha ha ha
Stud. 💪🏻
10/10 he’s writing you that ticket.
Its like, tell me you're a cop without saying a word.
The way he speaks, presented himself, do things with a purpose, that sir is a good cop that we all need! Thank you!
You no idea what kind of cop he is from this video 🤦 speculation
@@69newportking - All indications are positive though. No need for you to throw shade baselessly.
@@colin1818positive indications on a video where he’s talking about something he enjoys with a camera in his face has nothing to do with how he treats people on the job lol
@@RealNaisuCinema How many times do I have to say "no need for you to throw shade baselessly"? Because you're still doing it.
Grow up.
@@colin1818 giving praise baselessly is just as bad as throwing shade baselessly. Now show me where I was “throwing shade” because I never once said a bad thing about anyone here lmao. Telling me to grow up for pointing out a logic flaw? Ok bud
I’ve been wearing the Trex speed belt as my LE duty belt for about 10 months now. 10 hour days 5 days a week. Around 1200 hours total in the belt. Have had zero issues. It’s been super comfortable and reliable.
I have been wearing the trex speed belt since it launched by far the most comfortable duty belt I’ve worn over the last 8 years. Highly recommend it! The inner belt is awesome compared to anything I used prior. No issues either. Everything stays very securely in place when running or fighting with people. I don’t miss those damn belt keepers
Just bought one of the trex arms speed belts. Just a civilian here, but it looks and feels high quality and I'm glad to know its comfy from someone who wears it for hrs a day.
Dawg I’ve been doing the same, I’m switching to baers belt tho. Wanna test it out.
As an older…I SAID OLDER…retired Army fire breathing combat NCO I was recently told by a younger fire breather to keep my skills sharp. So here I am re-gearing myself and my how the gear has changed. I love shows like this that show me what to look for based on my needs and how to put it all together. Thanks gentlemen.
Welcome, old timer.
Time eats at all of us
My father retired as a cwo2 from the Marines. He was just recently told by his old commander(ret) to buff up his shit. So i have as well
I bet you'd do just fine with whatever you are already familiar with, but we are definitely in a golden age of gear! So much great stuff out there
Lots of memories here, from a 20+ year cop's perspective. I come from the days of mandated 'clarino leather' gear (the heavy, shiny stuff shown at 24:35 in the video), belt keepers, & heavy, SW4506 duty guns. As an A type, very fit, young buck, I didn't think twice about the weight and barely thought about the long-term damage to my hips, back, and legs from poorly considered gear placement. Some of the old timers warned me, and I made minor adjustments, but I didn't feel discomfort, so I didn't think it would be a problem 'for me.' -Still, I was one of the first to transition to nylon gear and an HK USP when the opportunity came. My performance immediately improved, dramatically. It was MUCH more comfortable, MUCH lighter, and MUCH more secure. I noticed it, but still didn't think much about it... until a new chief came along and mandated everyone back to clarino leather and the SW4506. The discomfort was immediately noticeable, and the subsequent years with all that (and too much stuff on my spine & either side of my spine) took a toll that I now feel every day... even though I'm out of uniform and working in a suit every day. Be smart about your gear as it relates to your personal longevity.
Agree eith your sentiments. BTW I bet my life on the HK USP .40 and was well served for 6 years
As a former Infantry Marine ('81-'85) I can say after watching this, I needed an update. I volunteer for SAR (recent) and, my son is a COP, so there are going to be some conversations over time and trials to fine tune my hopefully improved belt.
Thanks guys, good info!
I'm sorry that your son is a cop. It breaks my heart just reading that.
As an older civi who is just now getting into the battle belt scene and trying to figure out a setup this is by far the best video I have seen. Thanks
The progression of equipment from the old LBE that I was issued and the old law enforcement belts is really astounding. I'd love to see more of these from different people. It's really great to hear "I do it this way because of these factors" instead of "you should do it this way". I use the inner-outer system where the inner is my daily wear belt and the outer has two pistol mags and two rifle mags on the right, drop pouch rear right, pistol left, and one more rifle mag left. I don't wear anything on the front because I found that even angled pistol mags interfered with bending over and going prone comfortably. I added the third rifle mag on the left to balance the belt, as I was feeling my hips being lopsided after a long day on the range (7.62x39 mags are heavy).
I completely agree with you about the changes in gear. The pure brilliance of breaking the LBE/LBV at the waist greatly improves mobility and hip rotation. First time in a full modern kit at 60 years old and I was amazed at the way it allowed me to carry 270 rounds 5.56, 60 rounds 9 mil and the rest of the essentials more comfortably than less weight in the old kits. It has me getting out and back into fighting shape again.
Good stuff. The one thing I still like older neoprene battle belt for a “bump in the night” belt. Mine is a HSGI slim belt that’s not as bulky as the VTAC. Because I have kids, I keep my home defense pistol in a quick access nightstand safe and rifle in a quick access safe in the master closet. Since it’s for home defense and not “battle”, I keep 2 pistol mags, 1 rifle mag, flashlight, pistol holster, OC spray, small “get off me” knife, cuffs, IFAK with a TQ, and some chem sticks. The belt hangs on the SecureIt fast box in the closet where I keep my rifle. Sitting next to the safe is a bigger med bag, large fire extinguisher, and one of those hiviz safety vests with “security” on it to don after an incident so I’m less likely to get popped by responding officers.
Some of the best gear options come from civilian applications.
They are not limited by uniform restrictions or Mil Spec only gear.
My old Basket Weave leather duty belt with the permeant buckle and keepers was not uncomfortable and everything stayed in place. Yes it took a little longer to put on but it was pretty effortless after a few times. Also less stolen patrol cars due to the quick snap key holders that are no longer seen.
Josh is like the little brother just along for the ride! Lol love all you guys! Especially the DC boys!
As a 40 year old LEO, I keep just the essentials on my belt, because back and hip pain is a non-starter in my book. Gun, mags, cuffs, TQ, taser, and flashlight. Rifle mag, radio, another TQ, another set of cuffs, and multi tool on my vest. If policy didn’t prohibit it, my taser would be on my vest too. As it stands, it has to live on my belt in cross-draw fashion. But this is a great video.
Before I go any further, I want to thank you for still calling it Ft. Bragg. I spent time in the 82nd And I'm from NC. It will ALWAYS be Ft. Bragg to me. You just got yourself a subscriber. Now I'm going to watch the rest of the video.
Excellent video fellas. I had my first rig with an inner Velcro belt in the mid 90's that allowed you to do away with keepers and it was much more stiff than traditional leather rigs. It was made by Safariland. The only thing that wasn't Safariland on that rig was the mag carriers. I rigged two Blade Tech single mag carriers to work on the duty belt. I also keep a Blad Tech AR mag carrier behind my pistol mags. This way I always had an extra 20 round AR mag on my person. That kit was way ahead of its time. It would still be a relevant today. Nothing totally new under the sun.
Really appreciate you showing the different perspectives. I enjoy the occasional club competition match so I started using those styles of belts first and eventually started working into more of a 2-gun battle belt. The breadth of gear can definitely be daunting to new shooters so great to see this kind of dialogue.
Would love to see a follow up with advice on conceal carry belt setups
Wow. This was a lot of good information. It also makes perfect sense why our law enforcement is switching to tact vest to hold all of their gear needed for the job. I wish all departments would grow with the times, and let our officers wear body armor and chest rigs to maybe help as well. Give them options so they can better find what works for them, so they can be successful at work. I get some people may say they don't need to look like our military, but when shyt goes bad, you want them capable to handle the threat. They need to stay ready so they ain't gotta get ready. Good information 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👍🏾
I'm so glad my department let us buy outer carriers this year. Still have the most important stuff on belt but the extras (Narcan, extra cuffs) can all go on the carrier.
Great video, I’m former Army and current LEO; I’m also a firearms instructor for my agency, this is good stuff, well done. There’s some excellent points these guys bring up
Really dig having law enforcement, civilian and military thoughts and advice on this topic! Super rad video. Thanks for sharing and thank you guys for your service and to Josh thanks for your channel, I love it!
My HSGI belt setup helped a ton with the sciatica issues. And I love not having keepers to have to rip off lol.
My father carried a .38 special as part of his work uniform. When he got home he would unload it and leave the cylinder open. From the time that I started handing guns, it was ingrained in me to empty the cylinder of a revolver and to leave the cylinder open when I handed it to someone or in the case of a simi auto, remove the magazine, lock the slide back and check the breach to ensure that it is empty before passing the pistol to someone else. My father STRESSED ensuring that not only was the pistol unloaded but it was in a safe condition that could not discharge. Funny thing, when I go to a gun store or a gun show, I ask that they open the action before handing the gun to me to look at. And when I return it, the action is open before I return it.
For several years (4-5), I ran my LEO belt buckle at center back, or 6 o’clock position. This allowed me to push more of my tools forward, creating easier access and utilizing the space at front/center where the buckle normally resides. I have since been running the 5.11 buckle for many years and it only is about 1/2 the width of a traditional buckle.
I'm glad I found this video; it's going to help me out with my secondary tactical belt. My current duty belt (I'm a Correctional Officer in Ohio) is a Tacnex belt that I bought on Amazon for $36 and added other stuff that I needed. However, I still need to get the correct style of radio pouch, a second cuff pouch, and an OC pouch that properly fits the canisters we use at work.
I was a police officer for 9 years and here’s the truth: Police work is either boring or deadly. I found my 6 years in the military much less boring. But my military service was in the 80’s and my police service ended in the 90’s so we had shiny belts or web belts. Today’s fare is much better.
I think u were too honest for most people.
I too was an officer for about the same time frame. 2004 through around 2012... Velcro inner, plus keepers and all the "tacti-cool" high speed stuff. Being a "night shifter" I was able to stay away from the polished leather, heavy/stiff and HEAVY stuff. helped a lot.
One of the best videos on UA-cam about belts and gear. I too am older and just now getting into owning a gun and gear. Thanks
Me too Mark ... 😢 BROCOCK GHOST with 30 cal @,50 yds grouping a $, coin. These men are fantastic. God bless AMERICAN 🙌
Mark holosun he510C - GR. CHECK IT OUT . SICK @ 6 OZ - QD
Great video guys. I believe that there was actually a lot of crossover early on from LE to the more modern military style belt than military to LE. In LE, the velcro inner belt has been around for over 20 years while the military was still using the nylon webb belts or battle belt was more popular. Once that inner/outer style transitioned from LE to the military for the GWOT thats where the current innovations there then transitioned back to the LE world. It is a constant crossover between LE, Mil and the civilian competition wold that drives innovation.
Great attitude, speaking to those of us that aren’t cops /aren’t ex military, we aren’t “operators” but we *are* good guys and train like its life or death. Because it is.
Amazing video!!
Good points, especially in these seriously uncertain times.
priceless info brothers. I ve been through two wars, and find your channel fascinating. Always something knew.
Have seen many belt videos… this one was still very thorough and impressive!
I love the point of views from different backgrounds on gear. Great information.
Started with the old basket weave 'Sam Browne', back in the early 80s, an actual night stick, a flipp'n Motorola brick for a radio, a full size mag light, a P220 w/mags, irritant, cuffs. Times changed and at the end of my 25yr career I went very minimal on the belt, I was rarely that far away from my unit to worry about having something available...I spent way too much time sprinting through yards and jumping fences to load myself up. The stuff coming out for the latest/newest generation of LE is awesome, wish it had started earlier.
We were rocking wheel guns until the late 80's when the Sheriff finally let us upgrade to 9mm or .45. I got rid of my old 586 and picked up a Sig 226. Welcome to the 20th century.
Always great content. Would rather have 1-2 drops a month with great content, rather posts everyday with mediocre content.
Keep up the great work!!
This video had me redoing my competition (pistol) belt while I was watching it. As a Marine, you're tactical one belt for both rifle and pistol. I'm thinking about going back to that now. Semper Fi.
A friend of mine who is still in law enforcement puts his belt buckle snap to his back. He still uses belt keepers, so you cant just undo the buckle and watch it all fall to the ground. What he has done is add shotgun shells where the buckle use to sit or add more mags and TQ. That buckle does take up a lot of valuable real estate on the front.
Zach is on point. As a West TN LEO with over 25 yrs in , I've worn everything from the old "Sam Brown" belts to the new stuff. I also have ALL the back and hip problems to show for 30yrs of playing in the streets. Great content as always, Baer Solutions !!!
I live in TN. Military vet. Iraqi freedom. Love what you are doing
Everything the officer said is bang on truth. Very good officer. Great video.
I thank you very much recently just got a job for security. 12 hrs shift. What I'm running is mags in pocket in waist band holster. . Just bought my armor and duty belt. This video really help me with set ups for my belt.
Great video. Zach is extremely precise about law enforcement. Glad I watched this video. I’m definitely sharing with fellow officers
You have to try different belt styles to find your home. I tried the Velcro inner belt and didn’t like the restricted feeling when jumping in and out of a car with foot chases, wresting around with perps and struggling. I tried hard to adopt, I found myself with a good thin leather under belt, would throw a stripped down gun belt with bare minimum equipment when in plain clothes. I used a keeper by the gun holster, a keeper in left front by 2 magazine pouches and 3rd by left rear handcuff case. Peeper spray clipped on left front pocket and asp in rear pants pocket. I worked in a unit where we were arresting 8-12 people in a 4 hour period with 80% foot chases and struggles. You need flexibility when you struggling. But when in uniform, the Velcro under belt was nice for patrol with minimal action.
Perfect timing I just bought a whole belt set up 2 hours ago! Thank you sir
It looks like you have a very good set up. We had tested/approved the velcro with and w/o emergency rope connector for our SERT/SWAT teams.
I tested the velcro double belt system for companies when they were just being developed, gave my reviews then tested the models to be fielded when I was in our special operations division for many years. I tested firearms and ammo in arctic conditions in Alaska back in the late 70s-90s plus a lot of different gear regularly since with the firearms I was with the Troopers and the other gear with a larger 1,200 officer county dept in MD bordering Wash DC so it was always busy during the open air drug market times and all the related crime. The dual belt gave a more custom/comfortable than the outside belt with keepers for sure. I tested ones that clip buckled as well as a kind of fake buckle but it all velcroed down to ones with no buckle at all-all velcro to the ends. The same type stuff with the inside/outside vests. IF you had an outside vest to wear it HAD to be covered by your light jacket When I started we had wheel guns and no vests. 18 total rounds of goodness (6 in the revolver and 6 ea. in two speed loaders we tested when we were still issued drop pouches with 6 rounds in each of the two you had on your belt. The equipment has come a long way. Keep doing it my friends. Stay safe.
If you carried your off duty weapon it added 5 additional rounds
Zach is 100 percent right about extended magazine's in a vehicle. I work armed security here in Las Vegas as a city contractor. And I found getting in and out of a vehicle very cumbersome. The magazine would catch on the door getting in and out as well as what he was saying about the seat or center console pushing that gun into an uncomfortable place.
So I run a standard capacity magazine in my P320 which is 17 rounds and have the extended magazine's as backup magazine's.
“Liked” immediately because you said you don’t give a shit if it’s liked or not. Great info.
Great information, thank you all for what you do.
Thanks for the invaluable info and insights you guys. One of the best belt discussions I've found
From starting in a bit of airsoft, I was quite quick of mind "keep it simple " when it came to how much and what stuff I want/need on my belt and or rig.
Which really transferred well when going into the real steel and tactical shooting.
And then just like in airsoft coming across people hanging everything they can on their belt or body. Like you really need it all or even use it.
Its just mostly excess weight and bulk.
Use what you need, not what you want.
Not a cop, just a civil. But I found this helpful for my shtf gear setup. Still sorting out my stuff for these scenarios, but this gives me something to contemplate for when it happens.
Dump pouch is ostensibly for spare mags. Realistically, there's a package of Swedish fish and some smokes in there
Also, I set my belt up with a similar mindset to Josh. As a civilian, if I'm wearing it, I'm dismounted. I'd rather have as much of a system as I can on the belt, and I'm a lot less worried about sitting in a car. But Zach had some decent points, and I'm gonna want to rethink how I set things up to facilitate actually being able to drive a car while wearing it... good info. Thanks for the video!
Really liked this episode and I'm looking forward to seeing more of them (just discovered your channel). I find it humorous when the "old" leather duty belt was brought out and the statement was made, "could you see yourself wearing this" with the response being "no way". Time has a way of changing things... back "in the day", that was top of the line, much like what you guys were showcasing in your own setups. There could come a time when some newer young guns look at the current belts and go "what were they thinking?!" As Zach pointed out, in LE there is that line where you have to be presentable and professional without being too tactical. I'm recently retired from a 29+ year career in LE and things have changed! Since the last 14 years of my gear was of the type where I had to blend into the background of the public culture, I was definitely of the low imprint, hard to see variety. Now that my wife and I are on "our hill" in my hometown, we are looking for that set up that allows us to be ready to take care of ourselves, our family, and our neighbors, and this has been a great compare and contrast for this old dog in how to set up a belt for when we are out and about on the property and ready to defend home, hearth and country! Bravo Zulu for a good video! - Cold War Navy vet and retired LEO
I retired more than fifteen years ago, but was a Department Firearms Instructor and a Glock Armorer. We allowed some freedom in the setup of the Officer's Gear, but the Chief Mandated the Safariland SLS Holsters and Leather Basketweave Belt and Gear. I wore MY mag pouches horizontally facing the buckle of the duty belt for a fast draw and lower profile when sitting in the vehicle so the bottom of the body armor didn't hit the mag pouch. Of course, back then, they had the snap closures.
We forbade Anything in the center of the back of the belt to prevent spinal injury if you were driven down flat on your back during defensive engagements or a fall. Nothing behind the four or eight o'Clock positions.
From a civilian context in my get home kit I keep a molle belt from WPS that holds a holster and a double mag pouch. I am also expementing with an old school alice rig with a butt pack with attached map pouch, 2 water bottle , spare mag pouch for my MCK chassis system. Before people hop over to tell me I'm wrong for being more overt, the area I'm in open carry is extremely common. Camouflage is extremely common. Dressing more "civilian" is just as likely to stand out. Also, being close to the border after what happened in Isreal, I believe that our context has changed, so being able to fight to my wife is important. I also keep a larger pack that this gear can be stuffed into if I really don't want to look aggressive. We don't know the situation until we are in it.
Thank you all; great information.
Best video I've seen showing the different belt setups.
All of us will keep our country the constitutional republic that it Is. I just watched to see what yall had for a set-up , Happy about mine, id be considered the US military veteran dirty civilian !!!% . Blessing on you all !
-Left side of buckle
Starting from the buckle
1)Cuffs
2)double mag side ways towards buckle
3)asp
-Right side of buckle
1) gun
2)glove pack
3)med pack
Taser, mag light, and radio on plates carrier
this was awesome. never thought i would be so excited about belts...
USCG here, I wear a Safari Land belt every day at work. It's the fake leather/vinyl but with a clip style buckle instead of the traditional heel bar buckle. We wear belt keepers like Zach had showed. We are required these belts due to the buoyancy rating (I believe it's neutral), we are constantly on boats and at a high risk of falling over. 30Lbs of gear will have us on the bottom quickly. It would be nice if we could use a inner/outer due to how quickly they can be put on. Everyone will be hanging out, then we get a call to go out and are gone in 5 minutes, putting those keepers on can be very difficult at times and definitely slow down our response time.
Took a break for 5-6 yrs but nice to learn and stay with the trends. Never knew about these belts. I've always just used my normal pants belts with my jeans. I would just put a nylon thumb break holster and a mag in my pocket when I first started off. Not sure if a actually need a tactical belt or not.
Nice video!!! Informative. Thought provoking. I appreciate you Baer Solutions!
you won me on Ft Bragg, thank you. I thought I was the only one refusing to call it a different name. Im a subscriber now :)
My agency still wears shiny leather equipment like Zach's old belt. One thing to remember in a ground fight the more on your belt the more you have to defend.
I wonder how these belts measure up to SOE Tactical belts. I personally love the use of suspenders. In the small of the back I roll up a military poncho or the type of emergency blanket that can also be used as shelter. Ponchos can be used for rain protection, shelters, field expedient stretchers and far more. Of course, my domain is usually the woods, forests and jungle like environments. Since I use many pocketed vests, the belt I use is of utmost importance. This allows me to distribute weight, reinforce my back and pretty much stay out indefinitely with a rifle and sidearm and at least a couple of knives. This allows me to move quickly and without a pack. I have developed this concept over years. In city, I go as a gray man but I can go vest and belt in that environment as well with a vest set up for city usage with armor ( complete upper ). Again the belt is very, very important and should be able to accept suspenders and have an inner belt to keep it in a fixed position. This is really a great video that adds some considerations to the many things I consider in my concepts. I am a 70 year old deactivated US Marine. Thank you for the video and I just thumbs up subscribed ! A friend always !
The Baer belt is a fantastic offering and the best I have used. I found that being able to direct mount the new Bladetech Tek Mount Minis to the belt makes it easily adjustable and I can QD mag pouches to easily change what I carry and how it is carried very quickly. As always great content and I am looking forward to another great class in December.
My belt is from a brand called bear armz, and its an inner/outer but has 2 options for the inner: a velcro internal that can be put through belt loops, and a padded rubber one for the old school battle belt style. Its my competition/bug out belt (same gun for both, and i do practical 2 gun matches), and i use the "normal" inner belt when its warm, and the friction belt over cold weather gear when its cold.
Great content BAER! I'm like most out here, just looking to defend my home and family. I run the T-Rex Orion. I can load it up and hang it by the bed. PIstol, mags, medical, dump pouch. It can be thrown on and go to work on a moments notice. Something you did not mention about the T-Rex Orion is the velcro straps inside that can be looped to your daily pants belt to secure it from riding up or moving around for those days on the range or specific mission. My belt (like all my kit) is never finished. Keep up the good work.
Please, tell us all about yourself.
@@johnqpublic2718Stop showing your child’s face on the internet; have you learned no OPSEC?
When someone comments please tell us all about yourself....
Kinda like w.t.f.!?
I run the same. Glad you mentioned the inner hook and loop straps for securing. I was thinking about those at the same time it was being talked about. Wondering if that's a newer addition to our Orion's maybe?
@@matthewcrino5826 I like the Orion for my purpose. I will say that attaching the velcro can be a chore but maybe no worse than putting two belts on. I find that most of the time the belt stays put nicely unless you're being pretty physical.
Greetings from Europe!
Great content as usual. Thank you! You know, it's very interesting to observe how mission, circumstance, conditions and even transport on the battlefield impact the gear. Mission driven gear, again and again.
And it's very interesting to observe that while US military and police teams are on their way to more light gear, on the other side of the ocean people return to old bulky battle-belts that you mentioned. Today in Ukraine warbelt is only secondarily the platform for carrying gear, primarily it's armor carrier.
Only gormless instagram guys try to wear Cry JPS with these side strings, which they call the cummerbund, under hail of fragments of shells and mines. Today the minimum requirement is the cummerbund with side armor, plus ballistic collar, abdomen panel, deltoid armor, protective outer garment (groin protect), and finally lower back butt pad protector. It looks like medieval knight's armor. All this leaves its mark and makes adjustments to the tactics.
Long story short, thanks a lot for the content again!
Cheers
Our department in southern Cali progression of gear has been super flexible, which I love. Everything is for comfort and functionality. Majority of us run staccato XC’s, 2011 platform pistols, and outer carrier vest’s.
Hey man, I'm pretty sure those carry more than 10 rounds
@@Thekulprit92 it absolutely does.
@@RoninWarrior1776 do as I say not as I do?
@@Thekulprit92 it’s called discretion, I do not have to enforce that specific law if I so choose not to and I have yet to do so.
@RoninWarrior1776 good, ruining a persons life unconstitutionally is pretty bad.
I don't live in Cali, and wouldn't due to laws, but at least it makes me feel a bit better not all the cops are wearing blinders
To any Officers looking for a great belt combo. I've spent a lot of $ on my set up, constantly switching it up and trying different gear. My final setup is a safeline defense outer belt with a wilder tactical urban assault belt pad that i leave velcro'd on the inside. it has comfortable padding and it does not move at all.
I’m strictly civilian and years ago, I was working for a boating supply and I was in our warehouse (a daylight basement sort of arrangement) paint room and got caught in a power outage. It was DARK. The emergency lights were less than adequate. I’ve carried a flashlight clipped in my left front pocket ever since. For years now it has been a Fenix LD12. I have use a Streamlight 1l-1aa or whatever that small dual fuel thing was. Use it a lot when I have to find something I dropped and have to look under a machine or something.
i actually ran over a streamlight 1L over at work with a toyota forklift about 6 times for shits n giggles still works and only has a couple scrapes
@gtcam723…you just HAD to mention Fenix flashlights 😂
I won’t (probably can’t) mention how many Fenix flashlights I own. I didn’t have the LD12, but it’s now on order. I’m hoping it’ll clip onto one of the two pen slots on my uniform’s left sleeve. The side light will come in handy when writing notes or opening and closing gates with chains/locks.
For a Duty light(s), I’m currently carrying a TK16 v.2.0 and a TK20R (Two is one; one is none). Both lights have extremely long throws on high and both have dual tail switches that allow ON/OFF and change of brightness using just your thumb.
Anyway, thanks for MAKING me buy another Fenix flashlight; I really NEEDED it 🤷🏻♂️😁
@@sax5055 lol see I have no brand loyalty except for specific applications. I had a Fenix headlamp. Unfortunately it was lost in a house fire.
You are way down the rabbit hole 🤣
@@gtcam723”you are way down the rabbit hole 😂”. YEP, guilty as charged. Let the search continue for The ONE perfect Duty flashlight. See how I did that?..rabbit hole…The ONE (think Neo)…😉😂. Too much time being mostly retired.
@@sax5055 lmao then you have to figure out where to keep all the acquisitions
Thanks for this video. It's a great longform piece that really went through the pros of different setups. Very useful info.
I bought an Ideogear battle belt (molle system) on amazon, a black velcro underbelt is included, you pass the underbelt in your pant bet loops, then you grip the main molle belt on it. For the price tag it's an excellent product, very resistant and very stable, the belt doesn't change position like mentionned in this video. the pistol mag pouch from the same brand are also very reliables, magazine insertion is quick and they hold the mags strongly.
The Trex Orion is my personal favorite for the PNW. Most of the time its cold and wet here. So those velcro belts are awesome until you need to add layers and then those layers cover you mags and have snag hazards everywhere.
Also that was hilarious when josh looks straight at the camera as soon as drew says "it depends" LOL
Geat show guys great equipment to. I joined the Marines back in 1987-1991. My entire family were Marines and Law enforcement. WW2-KOREA AND VIETNAM. Me Philippines, Pannama, South America and Nicaragua. I used Vietnam Era web belts with shoulder straps and harness. 1985 plastic buckle. Rook sack, butt pack, 2 M-14 mag pouches nylon. 2 plastic M-68 plastic canteens. A M-12 soft nylon flap over. With nylon mag holder. My MOS was 0317 forced recon sniper. I carried a Browning bolt action 300 grain win magnum. M-24. Leapold 4.5x55mm lens scope. Night vison scope and a heat thermal scope to. A Barret 50 cal some times. In 1992 came home. Went to college for police science degree. Then 16 week police academy. My dept. Out here in Wisconsin was old fashion. SAFARILAND Sam Brown BELTS with the buckle or 94. Plane black or basket weave. My was Basketbweave. With pouches same leather and plane or Basketbweave. SWAT TEAM was Condor molly duty belt with the cobra buckle. High speed gear taco pouches. End of story. We had. No tasers, no trama kits no tq, no dump bags. So this stuff you young bucks use is awesome.
Though I started with dump pouches in the military, will say though they work great for snacks the issue is most others know this so I prefer a large admin pocket for snacks. Though I will say because I worked mainly rual area's I did use a dump pouch lined with Velcro at the top and would have plastic bags with the opposite side on them the purpose was you weren't always close to the cruiser when you searched a suspect and have a place to put their crap worked well. The other use which made me giggle a brother used one when he had a kid and had it attached to the diaper bag(since than have seen few vets doing the same).
Unfortunately my career dreams were cut shorter than expected and my invisibility complex came to a quick stop(between Mil, Other Jobs, & Public Safety they do have a high index for injuries and I had my fair share last one worst one paralyzed) though I still work in LE it's in a different limited role, so my belt setup is a mix of few things & mainly wear a 2 piece system for classes and comp stiff tactical belt for work like UC/Det setup (will say for those who never got to experience belt keepers your lucky as there was many very close calls which happens to everyone)As for belts I went through multiple dept upgrades, I forget brand but when we wore leather I actually had one that had padding on inside, when we switched to nylon not going to lie but suspenders helped a lot to get weight off your hips(almost like a lbv), my final upgrade before I got hurt we used outer carriers and I tried to move as much as I could like in the military to my carrier. It might be from my background & working in a rural area I never carried less than 3 spare pistol mags(never heard someone complain about having to much ammo in a gun fight but other reason we supplied our guns so besides rifles you might not be able to share)
For my 2 piece belt system(as I mentioned above I'm paralyzed so I had to modify thing to work for me but fortunately I have knowledge I do) I run a 1.5" inner belt & 2" outer, I run my buckle offset and rt side just to keep things in place I do still run a baton behind the belt loop for holsters(between buckle and baton it keeps things where I want them) bc I am always seated I do run a dual strap SL dropleg holster with TQ moumt & use bladetech vs qls system bc it allows forward cant & ease of draw(it allows 360* rotation neat system), on my left front I run a GBRS ifak(made for sob but fits well lt front) then have a mid drop single strap SL plate again using bladetech for a triple mag holder as I can cant that fwd as well and keep spare tq taco next to it, I do run a forward angled rifle mag pouch behind the mid drop loops for ease & if needed for say 2-3 gun comp I can add a rifle taco to mid drop plate.
Yes I agree more people should run Load bearing suspender, webbing of sort sure don't hurt, I also had dreams crushed from injury, boating accident took my foot, All & I mean All I was destined to be was in military, my whole life brother, my Dad was SF Green Beret, two uncles SF too, Papa Pearl Harbor Survivor, Uncles in Scout Sniper, one 173rd Nam,one PT boat in Nam, point is I feel you brother,..hurts bad & can't ever completely fill that, but be careful out serving us.
I am now running the Kore battle belt due to the way it adjusts, Its heads and shoulders above the brands your showing. you're probably unaware cause its new.
The second you said that shit about brag you got my sub. Lead the way!
Great video guys 👊🏼. Learned a lot. Working in EU security,its a good explanation about whats important to what and how about the setup that works for those involved. Thank you for making this video 🫶🏼. Stay safe my friends 🫶🏼
just got my first built as a civilian. this was a great!
9:19
I will say that I typically prefer having my Velcro-only belt to use/wear as a civilian EDC belt. It's got none of the features or frills, but it does exactly what I want/need for my purposes. It does a damned good job at holding up my pants and gun/mags. I also like it becuase there's no metal on it whatsoever, so I never have to worry about it scratching things while I'm at work (since a lot of our material is $3000-$5500 per sheet anf we use about 40 sheets per day) or even taking it off when I go into a secure area. That makes it great for airtravel, court, and so forth (not that I have to do either of those frequently, thankfully, just nice to not worry about it.)
The primary function of my belts is it hold up my pants (and accommodate a pistol, mags, and whatever I need to put in my pockets) without scraping/digging into my skin. I would be willing to bet that 90%+ of civilians would be in that same category, too. So I think a lot of us are going to have a strong preference of durability and comfort while keeping a CCW secure at all times.
The first thing I do when I get up in the morning after getting dressed is putting my mags into my mag carrier and my gun/holster into my waistband. And aside from having to dismount the gun during work hours, I always keep it on until I go to bed. For me, comfort and ruggedness are by far the two most important features of a belt.
Excellent video. Thanks for showing multiple uses and methods.
The sciatic nerve stuff is no joke. I’m a skinny dude with 6 years in LE and struggle to keep the small of my back clear. I’ve just gotten rid of everything I don’t need as the pain has increased.
I have a bladetech competition belt. It's perfect for my use. Held up extremely well. Im a huge bladetech fan. I have their drop offset and owb for mt glock 17 and their double mag pouch. It is my set up for running classes. I mostly practice ccw now so everything I do is iwb. Best ccw belt is the blue alpha low pro edc belt. So solid. Best daily belt in the world even if you dont carry a gun this belt is amazingly comfortable and supportive of a full size weapon
My duty belt for my agency has to look uniform and the same as the other Troopers. Coming from the military, I’ve always thought that was a major downfall with our Dept. The local guys in LE seem to have more leeway on what they want on their belts. We tweak the little things, but if there is a major difference, we are spoken to about it. And the sciatica…good Lord!!! 🥴🥴🤷🏼♂️
It can never be overstated how important good gear is, especially if it is something you need to wear.
I worked in security for a bit and our company gave us really shitty belts and really shitty boots, even within the first few months of work I ended up with a knee injury due to the amount of pressure the belt was putting on me when running to emergencies all day. I upgraded to a belt that I found on my own and it improved my day drastically. We didn't even carry firearms due to canadian policy, but we always had a reason for medical supplies, gloves, and handcuffs.
Absolutely. I invested over $300 into a Bianci belt, good mag holders, surefire flashlight, etc. It is an investment, it can last a lifetime and be passed down to my kids if needed. When you take care of your gear, and when you buy for long term success, it really matters. The LAST thing I want to do is to be on a security shift overnight with a guy that has his belt halfway hanging off his ass, a crap retention holster, and also no non lethal gear.
@@Officialprodbytreybeatsand yet that’s 90% of security…
@@Shieldel That's a standards issue. A personal one, and a company one.
Great video stuff has come along way since sam brown belts and the old military belts I have a double layer midway comp belt and a condor
2nd time I have watched this. Great video. One of the best.
I run my gun belt with four belt keepers so it doesn't eat up my clothing. Less wear and tear and it's very secure. I can wear a normal belt and throw everything on pretty quickly.
There is a reason a lot of people in law enforcement call these belts a Bat Belt, similar to Batman.
When I first started out in law enforcement in 2004, I wore a belt similar to the high gloss leather belt, but mine had a piece of velcro on the bag for attacking to a under belt. I would use the belt keeper to help keep everything on me. I eventually went to wearing 3 handcuff cases, and yes, there were times I used all three and needed more. Some big guys may require 2 sets because they cant bring their hands together behind their backs. I eventually went to suspenders on my belt when my department went to wearing the vest on the outside in a carrier. This did help my lower back a lot.
During my time in the military, I was a MP, we carried a pistol with us all the time. I would eventually start carrying the pistol in a drop leg holster on the front of my right thigh. I did this because of driving or sitting as TC in a vehicle, it was hard to get to the pistol, and as a driver even harder to get to a rifle if you needed it. I never used a drop holster as a civilian PD.
Now as a civilian, I use a combination of how I set up my belt from being a LEO and in the Army. Remember, if it works for you, its not a stupid idea. Plus, I use what I have because its what I can afford. If you need to use old equipment in the beginning, dont feel bad, at least you have something to use.
When using belts with the PALS/MOLLE make sure the spacing is correct. If not you may have to modify your kit to position it the way you want on the belt. I use a 1/34" belt that requires me to cut extra slits in the MOLLE in the items I want to mount on it. If I had chosen a 2" belt it wouldn't be a problem. I wear my Blue Alpha belt loaded with firearm, magazines, IFAK, admin pouch, AR-15 mag pouch, phone, flashlight, two-way radio, water bottle 8+ hours a day working as a range safety officer or security officer.
i primarily do competition, We run our buckles in the back of the belt, pissing gets more complicated. usually gotta go for the zipper and snake it out but it offers more space in the front of the belt/
I am unfortunately from the older days of law enforcement and we used the old leather belts. When the department went from revolvers to pistols I carried my mags in a horizontal double mag carrier which kept the mags from pushing into me when sitting and they came out faster than in the vertical position .
Zach is so right about lights. Always have one on body. I technically always have two, one in the pocket to keep stuff off my belt line, and then a smaller one clipped on my lapel. I look a little bit like Robo Cop when I have it turned on, but it lets you be hands free while taking notes. My lapel light still puts out 500 lumens on bright mode so it can be pressed into service if the main light goes down or gets lost.
For many LEO, as mentioned, heavy duty suspenders that have loops to put on your inner belt will save your back and hips big time. I still believe in leather that lasts forever and place your keepers in place to keep your holster and magazine carrier in place.
Excellent video; been using various combinations of belts for ages, but this video gave me some new things to check out. Just goes to show there are always new things to learn. Thank you!
It's nice to see Zach is a police admin who is more concerned with practically, because usability and comfort is typically subjugated to "it's shiny and it looks good" for most police admins when determining if they will purchase gear.
I was hoping Josh was going to go into the theory behind why he carries what he carries. His belt has to work in conjunction with his survival/assault pack, and both belt and bag need to have multiday sustainment gear.
Zachs belt is set up for 8 hours of wear. Baers belt set up for 48 hours of wear. Joshs belt needs to be set up for 3 weeks wear.
Great job to everyone, i really enjoyed the content!
Also, i didnt see a knife on any of the belts? Why?
I larp in the mountains with my trex speed belt and yes, a big knife on it.
Agreed lmao
I noticed an absence of a knife. I just recently added a knife to my belt, figuring where and how to put it so it is accessible from both hands and didn't poke or chaffe.
Great vid gents. What you need on your belt is dependant on it's purpose and the task. That's why i have two set ups. Lol