IndestructiBELT, by Pat Cascio

IndestructiBELT- Thin, Stiff, and Comfortable

The folks at IndestructiBELT recently contacted SurvivalBlog and wanted me to test one of their belts. In short order, one was in my hands. Needless to say, when a company calls their belts “indestructible”, I just assume to take it with a grain of salt. Everyone hypes their products. We all know this. So, I put this belt to the test. As this is written, I’ve been wearing this belt daily for a month now, and I’m more than a little impressed with it. First off, the belt is thin, but it is stiff. However, the stiffness doesn’t make it uncomfortable in the least. From day one, it felt comfortable around my waist.

1970’s Guns Worn Slung Down On Thin Gun Belts

I hate to admit just how uneducated I was when I was in my late teens and early 20s. But it’s true. I thought I had the world by the horns and no one could teach me anything. Back in the day, in the early to mid 1970s, I lived in the Chicago, IL area. All the cops on the Chicago PD would wear their holstered guns on a very thin gun belt, gunfighter-style, which is, ala the Old West, slung down. Sure enough, they looked like they were always ready for a gunfight. And, I won’t even go into the poorly designed holsters those 4” barreled revolvers in. I lost count of the number of times I saw a holstered revolver flopping around on those thin gun belts. But it was the “fashion” at the time. I admit to stupidly wearing my duty/uniform gun that way, too.

Even when working plain clothes as a Private Investigator, carrying a small 2” Bbl snubby revolver at times, I wore the gun on my waist in a cheap and very thin dress belt. What was I thinking? When carrying a larger 4” Bbl revolver, I almost always carried it in a shoulder holster, a real good one, too. But wearing a gun on your waist in a thin dress belt wasn’t very smart. The gun would flop around, and it didn’t ride high and tight against the body like it was meant to be carried. Thus, concealment was compromised. More than once, the holstered gun would completely flop over upside-down, I kid you not, because of the cheap and ultra-thin dress belts I wore.

My Discovery of Double-Thick Gun Belts

Without pinning an exact date on this situation, it was probably in the early to mid 1980s when I discovered genuine double-thick, stiff, and wide belts that were meant for carrying a concealed handgun on the waist. What a difference it made. Instead of the gun flopping around, it rode high and tight against my side. And the gun was actually comfortable to carry all day long. Cheaper belts beat the daylights out of the side I wore my gun on. Back in the day, a good, double-thickness gun belt that was either 1.5-inches or 1.75-inches wide, would set you back $50-$75 and you had to wait. The guys who were making these belts didn’t have any in-stock,. They were made-to-order, but the wait was worth it.

Some Stiff Belts Are Uncomfortable

I have several dress gun belts that don’t look like gun belts. They were made by Uncle Mike’s– the famous holster maker who was originally from Portland, OR. The belts were made from a synthetic material that looked just like leather, and they had some kind of polymer “stiffener” inside the belt. This way, even a very heavy gun wouldn’t flop over when holstered on those belts. However, the material they used for the stiffener was stiff, very stiff. It made the belts more than a little uncomfortable to wear, which was not a good thing. I still have one or two of those belts around, too.

Springfield Armor Double-Thickness Belt Required a Break-in Period

I demand that my leather gun belts be double-thickness. I don’t mean double thin leather, I mean thick leather. A good leather gun belt should easily last 12-15 years and maybe longer. I recently retired one, and it about killed me. But it was worn and didn’t hold a gun next to my body like it was designed to do. I received a new heavy-duty double-thickness belt from Springfield Armory. It is super-tough and thick. The only “bad” thing is that it is so thick that it took more than two months for this belt to break-in and feel “just right” around my waist. To be sure, it is an outstanding belt.

I’m not sure what the material is, that the IndestructiBELT is made out of, but it is a black synthetic that very closely resembles fine grained black leather. It’s nice, very nice. Here’s one thing that I really appreciate. Most belts come with the holes in the belt, about an inch apart in distance. Of course, it goes without saying, that one hole is too tight and one hole is too loose. That never fails. The IndestructiBELT has the holes spaced ¾-inches apart, for a better fit. I love it!

These belts are also 100% made in the USA, too. They have a pull strength of 4,500 lbs. In one of their videos on the website, you see one truck pulling another truck with one of their belts. I wrapped my belt around a rafter and swung from it. There was no damage to the belt, and it did not stretch out of shape, either.

The Hype Isn’t There; This Belt Is Real

Now, about the hype that I spoke about earlier, all makers hype their products. Let’s take a look at what this belt is capable of. It resists: water, oil, dirt, chemicals, and all manner of outdoor environments. It is also resistant to salt water, which is very important, and it resists cracking and fungus, again, which is important where I live. (In the wet climate we have eight months out of the year, rain can cause mold and fungi on a lot of things.) There is also a lifetime warranty against defects, which is very nice. No other belt I know of offers this. It will not shrink or stretch, even under heavy loads. There are a lot of holes, for a lot of adjustments. Many belts short-change you on this for some reason.

The belt buckle is heavy-duty and stainless steel, which is another plus in my book. I especially like that it does not look like a heavy-duty gun belt. Those of us in law enforcement, as I once was, can spot someone wearing a heavy-duty gun belt. We don’t have to see a holster first. The heavy-duty belt is a tip. This belt looks very classy. They also offer a 1.25-inch dressy belt and one with hook and loop fasteners. Plus, listen to this, just about unlimited sizing. The hype isn’t there. This belt does everything they claim it will do.

Testing With Everyday Carry

So, the best way to test a belt is to, well, wear it. For a month, I wore the IndestructiBELT with my everyday carry gun, as well as with other guns that I was testing for upcoming articles. The heaviest handgun I had on-hand, was a Springfield Armory TRP 1911 Operator, which weighs in at 42oz unloaded. Add a loaded mag and on the off-side two loaded spare mags, and we are talking a lot of weight to carry around. It used to be, when I was younger, I’d carry a full-sized 1911 on a daily basis. However, most of my concealed carry these days call for a smaller package. My threat levels aren’t the same as they used to be. However, I do get nostalgic at times and strap-on a good ol’ 1911, just because.

For a week, I packed my TRP 1911 Operator on this belt. The gun rode high and tight to the body in a Blackhawk Products SERPA belt holster. The belt didn’t allow the gun to sag, not at all! And, the gun was actually pretty comfortable to carry. The full weight of the loaded gun with two spare mags and a multi-tool on my hip really wasn’t bad at all. Sliding holsters onto and off of a leather belt causes marks on a belt in short order, but it was not so with the IndestructiBELT. That was very nice indeed! Plus, as an added feature, the holster slid on and off easily, too.

Pricing, SurvivalBlog Discount, and Availability

I’m very impressed with the IndestructiBELT sample I received for testing, and the full retail price is only $49.99. That’s a lot less than a quality, custom-made leather gun belt. In addition, the folks at IndestructiBELT are offering SurvivalBlog readers a 10% discount. Just use the “ibelt18” code when you order online. What’s not to like here? You get a quality everyday belt that is suitable for carrying a concealed handgun. It’s light-weight, almost indestructible, and all things considered offered at a very fair price. This is a new company. They’ve only been in business since 2016, selling an American-made product. Check out their website.

I’m hoping to see a full duty belt in the future. Most police officers have more than enough equipment they have to wear around their waist every day. A lighter-weight belt would sure be a welcome addition.

– Senior Product Review Editor, Pat Cascio