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From the desk of Jacob Paulsen
The 5 major failure points of today's gun belts
…and the only belt I’ve found that passes all five for everyday concealed carry.
How I got here
I didn't know what I didn't know
I had been carrying a gun every day for about 15 years before my search for the right belt really came full circle. If you’re anything like me, you’ve owned a handful of “gun belts” with different levels of stiffness, different materials and different buckles. Frankly, I was happy with most of them. I just didn’t know what I didn’t know.
I assumed the only thing a belt needed to be a good gun belt was to be stiff enough to hold up the weight of the gun. I was wrong. It wasn’t until I met a cop who happened to be a huge gun belt nerd that I started to understand the science behind the belt, and all the ways most gun belts fail the daily concealed carrier.
That led to a lot of testing. Below are the 5 criteria, or if you prefer, the 5 failure points, I now judge every gun belt by. The first one is obvious. The further you read, the more you might learn.
Jacob Paulsen
President, ConcealedCarry.com
Failure point #1
Too weak
Most gun belts don’t have this problem. It’s the least common failure, because by definition a gun belt is stiffer than an average belt. In fact, what I learned is that most “gun belts” are just a normal belt made twice as thick.
Of course, that leads straight to failure point number two.
Failure point #2
Too stiff
Stiffer is not always better. A belt can be too stiff. A gun belt is stiffer than an average belt for two reasons: to spread the weight of the gun across your whole waistline, and to keep the gun from sagging. When a belt is stiffer than it needs to be to do those two jobs, it’s too stiff, and that causes two problems.
Discomfort
Imagine wearing a circular band of steel around your body. Plenty of gun belts brag about a "steel core" or other materials that make them even stiffer. That fights you every time you stand, sit or bend at the waist.
Printing
Some "triple-thick" belts are so thick they print through your shirt. Most of us already worry about the gun printing. Now the belt is printing too?
I know one manufacturer that proudly says its belt is so stiff you can stand on it and it won’t fold. That might be great for a police officer carrying a ton of gear all the way around the waist. For the average concealed carrier, it’s just uncomfortable and revealing.
Failure point #3
High profile
I’ve had belts with buckles so big that friends who know I carry would tell me my gun was printing through my shirt. It wasn’t the gun they were seeing.
It was my belt buckle.
Keeping a low profile matters, and your buckle has to support that.
Failure point #4
Adjustability
An everyday gun belt should be easy to adjust, and adjustable in small steps.
A typical belt buckle adjusts in 1-inch increments. That isn’t good enough. Sometimes a quarter inch is what makes the gun more comfortable or better concealed.
There are plenty of “click” belts now that adjust in quarter-inch steps, but I’d rather not make a loud clicking sound every time I snug it up a bit. Another popular option relies on Velcro, which gives you unlimited adjustment but can also make noise.
Failure point #5
Non-conforming
This is a big one, and I’ve only ever seen one gun belt pass it.
When companies make a stiff gun belt, it’s naturally built to hold a circle shape, or maybe an oval. But your waist isn’t a circle or an oval. Most of us are fairly flat across the back (some of us even curve in a little at the small of the back) and rounder across the front (some of us rounder than others).
A regular belt is soft enough to follow that shape. A gun belt stiff enough to carry a gun is usually too stiff to follow it. It feels like wearing a hula hoop, and that isn’t comfortable or good for you.
Introducing
The Foundation Belt
The only gun belt I’ve found that passes all 5 tests, giving today’s concealed carrier comfort, concealment and function.
It’s rigid enough to do the job but keeps a low profile for concealment and comfort. And of the 10 or so gun belts I own, it’s the least expensive one I’ve ever bought.
Just stiff enough
Stiff where it needs to be, and nowhere else
The Foundation Belt is different in two ways. It’s built to be stiff enough to carry the gun and spread its weight, without being too stiff anywhere. And it’s only stiff where it needs to be.
See it in the photo? At the very back of the belt, from about 5 to 7 o’clock, the belt thins slightly. It still gives support there, just not as much as the parts of the belt that carry the gun.
That works well for two reasons. Carrying at 6 o’clock isn’t good for your back anyway. And that’s the part of the body where most of us curve inward a little. The extra flex lets the belt follow your natural shape instead of fighting it.
In the designer's words
Built by a cop with a bad back
“After carrying a pistol off-duty and concealed for over 16 years, I was always on the hunt for a belt that combined function and comfort. Several companies offer excellent belts made of very rigid materials. They worked great for standing at the range for 8 hours, but most of my day is spent seated in a vehicle or in my home office, and that’s where I decided I needed more comfort.
I ordered a sewing machine and materials and started prototyping belts with the help of my business partner. We found that most carry belts use a stiff material called SCUBA webbing as their center stiffening layer, which means the belt won’t mold to the wearer’s hips and creates a stiff, non-flexing area across the lower back. I wear a stiff equipment belt for work, which gets harder with age, and I have lower back problems from years of police work.
I set out to re-engineer a belt that would work for concealed carry and be comfortable. I carry appendix off-duty, so a low-profile buckle was essential, and being able to thread the belt in either direction was a must. We designed a belt that puts heavy SCUBA webbing only where you’d mount a holster, with lighter webbing across the lower back so the belt forms to your hips. The double-tapered end lets you thread it either direction.”
Bryan Eastridge
Co-founder, EDC Belt Co
The Tri-Glide low-profile buckle
The best buckle I've used
Easy to adjust, even on the go
The Tri-Glide buckle makes adjustments as big or as small as you need, quickly and quietly.
Built for concealment
The buckle is slim and low-profile to keep printing to a minimum.
Built to last
How it's made
- 1.5" wide, made from Cordura and reinforced nylon webbing
- Heavy SCUBA webbing only where you wear a holster: appendix to strong side, plus under the loop tape for threading through holster loops
- Softer webbing across the lower back so it conforms to you
- Double-taper cut with a non-reinforced tag, so it threads through your belt loops from either direction
- 5 rows of stitching for comfort and to keep the belt from rolling
What the professionals think
Trusted by trainers and cops
A note from Jacob
Why we carry it
I love this belt so much that I contacted the designer and asked if we could stock it and sell it. He said yes.
Today you can get the Foundation Belt for $54.99 in sizes 28–44 and $59.99 in sizes 46–50. That makes it not only the best gun belt I own but also the least expensive.
– Jacob Paulsen
Selecting your belt size
Get the right size the first time
For most concealed carriers, just order one size bigger than your pant size. Wear size 38 pants? Order a size 40 belt.
If you want to be sure: thread a tailor’s tape through your belt loops with your holster and any other accessories mounted, including through the holster’s mounting loops. You may need a hand. Take the closest size to that measurement in inches. It’s usually one size up from your pant size.
Example: EDC Belt Co co-founder Bryan’s true waist is 35¼” and he wears 36″ pants. With his Beretta Elite LTT in an AIWB holster and a JM Custom Kydex OWB mag pouch mounted, he measures 37¾”. Bryan buys a size 38.
Good to know
You can't tighten the belt below its nominal size, but you can loosen it by up to 3" (more if you don't need all the Velcro to make contact). So if you're on the edge, order the smaller size.
Easy size exchanges
Worried you'll pick the wrong size? Don't be. If your belt arrives and you need a different size, we'll swap it with no exchange or restocking fee.
Order
Pick your color and size
Black or Desert Sage, sizes 28 through 50.
$54.99 sizes 28–44 · $59.99 sizes 46–50
Sizing rule of thumb: order one size up from your pant size. Wear 38 pants? Order a 40. Get the wrong size and we’ll swap it with no exchange or restocking fee.
60-day money-back guarantee
If you're unhappy for any reason within 60 days, we'll refund or replace it. No questions asked.
No exchange or restocking fee
If your belt arrives and you need a different size, just swap it for the right one.
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