Slidebelts Survival Belt 2.0 by Brig Taylor’s : Review

Opinion

U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- One of the most overlooked things in a person’s gear is a good belt. Without a good belt, your pants will sag when carrying a gun concealed. There are many different options with belts from steel core to nylon. Even though it’s tempting to buy a discount JC Penney’s Belt, it is probably not the best option for an EDC belt.

Slidebelts Survival Belt 2.0

I was searching for a good gun belt and gave up. Lo, and behold on Facebook an AD popped up for the Survival Belt 2.0. Slidebelts. Brig Taylor designed the Survival Belt 2.0 for an everyday carry belt that can assist in emergencies. I decided to go ahead and give it a try and see if it would work for me.

The Survival Belt 2.0 is a modern take on a Wehrmacht type belt. The German military used Wehrmacht belts in World War II. The Wehrmacht style belt offers a superior fit and stability compared to their counterparts enabling the solider to carry more gear.

The Slidebelt is a ratchet style belt. The wearer pulls the strap through the buckle, and the ratchet holds the strap in place. Once in the place, there is zero movement of the belt.

Slidebelts constructed their belt straps of webbing covered in a nylon sleeve. The belt has an incredible1500 PSI of tensile strength. This belt is strong. It is almost impossible to stretch the strap.

The strap is also waterproof, abrasion resistant, heat resistant, and cold resistant. Slidebelts claims that the belt can be heated to 214 degrees before the strap will soften. I stuck the belt in a preheated oven that I set to 200 degrees for 30 minutes. When I removed the strap, it held the same rigidity as when first put in the oven.

To test the effects of the cold on the belt, I stuck it in the freezer overnight. When I removed the Slidebelt from the freezer the next day, it wasn’t frozen as I was expecting. It still flexed freely.

The strap is also extremely easy to clean. The material that Slidebelts chose to use is a lot easier to clean than the leather or fabric belts that I own. All the wearer needs to clean the strap is a wet cloth. After I used the belt for a month it still looked clean and new. Also, the belt is resistant to UV rays to prevent cracking.

The thing that separates the Survival Belt 2.0 from other offerings from Slidebelts is the buckle. Being a little bit of a prepper, I can appreciate the buckle. Slidebelts built in a lot of tools that the wearer can use in a pinch.

The first tool that is built into the Survival Belt 2.0 is that the buckle is a knife. Slidebelts made the blade of the knife out of AUS-8 stainless steel with a titanium nitride (TiN) coating. This coating gives the blade extra durability.

The blade doesn’t separate from the buckle. To use the knife, the wearer has to take off the belt or at least undo the buckle. This lack of a removable knife is one of the drawbacks I would like to see changed if Slidebelts produces a 3.0 version of the Survival Belt. It would make the belt more useful for the adventurer.

To open the knife on the Survival Belt 2.0 the user must pull open the release on the buckle, and then the blade can be folded out. This dual release mechanism is for safety. Slidebelts didn’t want the blade to open by mistake while the user was wearing the belt.

The four-inch blade on the Survival Belt 2.0 is sharp. I was able to cut through multiple materials without a problem. I even tried cutting through some leather, and it was easier to cut through the leather with the blade than I expected.

Slidebelts weighted the alloy face of the buckle for balance. It feels solid and well constructed. Most of all the balance helps when using the knife. It gives a good feel (as it can be with a buckle being a handle) in the user’s hand.

The second tool that Slidebelts included on the Survival Belt 2.0 is a built-in bottle opener on the back of the knife for when the wear needs that emergency beer. If the blade was removable, the bottle opener would be more useful, but it still works pretty well.

The second tool on the Survival Belt 2.0 is a mini LED flashlight powered by four LR621 batteries. Unlike the knife, the wearer can remove the flashlight without taking off the belt. The torch is useful for reading things such as maps or looking at things up close, but it isn’t great for looking at things from a distance.

The other side of the flashlight on the Survival Belt 2.0 is a Ferrocerium fire starter. Slidebelts designed the fire starter to work with the blade of the knife to start a fire in an emergency. It works pretty well. A good thing about Ferrocerium is that it will spark even when wet which is perfect for emergency situations.

Slidebelts made the base of the buckle on the Survival Belt 2.0 out of glass-filled nylon. A lot of quality knives from top manufacturers use the same materials for their blade handles especially in folders. It is a sturdy material that can take a beating.

Slidebelts designed the strap as a one size fit all design up to a size 48. According to Slidebelts, the wearer is supposed to remove the strap by using the fire starter to pull up a lever at the base of the buckle. The lever is extremely hard to pull up, and I was unable to use the fire starter to get the strap off the buckle.

I ended up using a metal bar to pop the strap off the Survival Belt 2.0 buckle. Once I did get the strap off; I used a pair of scissors to cut the belt down to my perfect size. Being able to make the belt an ideal size is why I prefer Wehrmacht type belts.

Pushing the lever back down to secure the strap back into the Survival Belt 2.0 buckle was incredibly difficult as well. I once again had to use the metal bar to help me re-secure the strap by pushing the teeth on the level into the strap. I had to push so hard that the buckle got scratched up, but it was on the inside of the buckle and not visible when I was wearing the belt. I can say for sure that the strap will not come off the buckle.

During my testing, I carried a Glock 19 to see how well the Survival Belt 2.0 would hold up over the month. The belt held up well with daily use. There was minimal sag. I credit Slidebelts with choosing the right material to use in the construction of the strap.

The 1.5-inch Slidebelts Survival Belt 2.0 is available in black, desert tan, olive drab, and classic brown. It sells for $150 although Slidebelts do offer a 15% discount off your first order if you join their webiste mailing list. Slidebelts produces their belts in the USA.

Slidebelts have a 45-day return policy and even will replace the strap if the user cuts it too short. Custom engraving is also available for an additional charge.

Readers can find more out about Slidebelts by Brig Taylor on their website at www.slidebelts.com/products/survival-belt

About John Crump

John is a NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. He is the former CEO of Veritas Firearms, LLC and is the co-host of The Patriot News Podcast which can be found at www.blogtalkradio.com/patriotnews. John has written extensively on the patriot movement including 3%’ers, Oath Keepers, and Militias. In addition to the Patriot movement, John has written about firearms, interviewed people of all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons and is currently working on a book on leftist deplatforming methods and can be followed on Twitter at @crumpyss, on Facebook at realjohncrump, or at www.crumpy.com.

The post Slidebelts Survival Belt 2.0 by Brig Taylor’s : Review appeared first on AmmoLand.com.