To belt ot not to belt, that is the question

[SCone]

Whether it is neccessary to belt your weapon or just slide it onto the waistband of your jeans.

Went out today (another WallyWorld trip) with the Defender tucked inside the waist without a belt. Just using the clip to hold it in place on my jeans. Seemed to ride just fine, never moved around on me, tucked in tighter, and was more comfortable I think.

Any thougths plus or minus on carrying this way?

[Xander]

First, I think the bottom line is always going to be: What works best for you, works best for you, regardless of what works best for anyone else.

Two reasons why I personally won't wear a holster without a belt:

1) I carry all day long. 12-18 hours, typically. I've found that if I don't have the support of a good gunbelt, a couple of things happen in fairly short order. (I've only worn that way around the house.) First, the gun is more noticeable as it flops around more. Second, it's harder to keep my pants properly adjusted. Third, within a couple of hours, the lack of support starts to give me back pain.

2) The mass of the belt under the clip is what keeps it locked in place during a draw. Slipping it onto the waistband of my pants, or even just over a thin belt means that more often than not, the holster comes out of the pants when I draw rather than the gun coming out of the holster.

[pedalman]

The only way I carry without a belt is when my 38 snubbie rides in my pocket in a DeSantis Nemesis pocket holster.

Otherwise, the belt goes on for carrying my Glocks.

[MTICop]

I find that without a belt my pants will constantly need to be adjusted and the gun or holster (depending on OWB or IWB) will start a chaffing process that I in no way want to deal with. Therefore, I carry with a belt at all times. But that's just me.

[longtooth]

And very sound advice too.

[nuparadigm]

I'm unclear as to exactly how you were carrying: Was it:

(A) IWB w/no holster & no belt?

or

(B) IWB w/ belt & no holster?

[yerasimos]

Each of the handguns that I will trust with my life require a belt and a holster for proper carry and support. Such handguns carried al estilo mexicano, with or without a belt, might stay in place during a WallyWalk, but I worry they would not stay in place if I had to run, grapple, or otherwise do anything physically strenuous---which can easily happen during a fight.

I will admit to having considered ClipDraw attachments and Barami Hip Grips in the past, but never tried carrying them "live". At present I cannot seriously consider these and other holsterless carry methods; they may work well for "having a gun", but I am afraid they will be deficient for keeping that handgun ready for immediate, reactive use.

[Excaliber]

Each of the handguns that I will trust with my life require a belt and a holster for proper carry and support. Such handguns carried al estilo mexicano, with or without a belt, might stay in place during a WallyWalk, but I worry they would not stay in place if I had to run, grapple, or otherwise do anything physically strenuous---which can easily happen during a fight.

I will admit to having considered ClipDraw attachments and Barami Hip Grips in the past, but never tried carrying them "live". At present I cannot seriously consider these and other holsterless carry methods; they may work well for "having a gun", but I am afraid they will be deficient for keeping that handgun ready for immediate, reactive use.

First, I think the bottom line is always going to be: What works best for you, works best for you, regardless of what works best for anyone else.

Two reasons why I personally won't wear a holster without a belt:

1) I carry all day long. 12-18 hours, typically. I've found that if I don't have the support of a good gunbelt, a couple of things happen in fairly short order. (I've only worn that way around the house.) First, the gun is more noticeable as it flops around more. Second, it's harder to keep my pants properly adjusted. Third, within a couple of hours, the lack of support starts to give me back pain.

2) The mass of the belt under the clip is what keeps it locked in place during a draw. Slipping it onto the waistband of my pants, or even just over a thin belt means that more often than not, the holster comes out of the pants when I draw rather than the gun coming out of the holster.

Yerasimos and Xander have this exactly right.

In another post I mentioned my own very long ago experience with holsterless carry when the gun slid down my pants leg and onto the floor as I got up from the table in a restaurant. I retrieved it before anyone noticed, but I didn't need to have that happen twice to be able to figure out that wasn't the smartest thing to do.

Besides keeping your gun riding comfortably where it belongs and with you through vigorous activity, holsters have another advantage. LEO's who observe someone carrying a firearm in a quality holster usually lean toward figuring that they're probably looking at either another LEO or CHL holder. This is a good thing when there are both good and bad guys present in a situation they roll up on. They also know that holsterless carry is favored by bad guys who can't legally carry their guns and need to be able to ditch them at a moment's notice without having to explain how come they've got an empty holster on their belts. Of course, these are not hard and fast rules, but my own 20 years in law enforcement bears out that, while some good guys for whatever reason will risk carrying without a holster (undercover officers sometimes have to in order to blend in with the folks they're working among), it is really rare to find a bad guy wearing a quality belt and holster rig. I never saw it in the metro area I worked in.

[CHLDave]

I've found that if I don't have the support of a good gunbelt, a couple of things happen in fairly short order.

I don't mean to hi-jack the thread, but when you say 'gunbelt', are you referring to a specific type of belt (assumed to be more rigid) made to work with concealed holsters? I've seen the term used on other forums, but when I mentioned I was looking for a 'gun belt' at a LGS the guy asked me if I meant a tactical type gun belt for LEO use, which I responded with no, for a concealed carry type holster... he just gave me a puzzled look and pointed me to the holster rack.

I can see the need for this, because if I try to use the plastic owb holster that came with my SA XD with my regular leather dress belt, the holstered gun just droops off my side a good 3 or so inches, even if I really tighten it up.

Just looking for some clarrification, thanks!

[The Annoyed Man]

I don't mean to hi-jack the thread, but when you say 'gunbelt', are you referring to a specific type of belt (assumed to be more rigid) made to work with concealed holsters?

The answer is "yes," and you can find them from most reputable holster vendors. I own one made by D.M. Bullard, but Galco and other manufacturers also sell them.

A gun belt will be much heavier and thicker than a regular leather belt so as to support the weight of the pistol all day without deforming like a lighter, thinner, belt would do. They really do make a difference, and are well worth the investment.

[Excaliber]

I don't mean to hi-jack the thread, but when you say 'gunbelt', are you referring to a specific type of belt (assumed to be more rigid) made to work with concealed holsters?

The answer is "yes," and you can find them from most reputable holster vendors. I own one made by D.M. Bullard, but Galco and other manufacturers also sell them.

A gun belt will be much heavier and thicker than a regular leather belt so as to support the weight of the pistol all day without deforming like a lighter, thinner, belt would do. They really do make a difference, and are well worth the investment.

In addition to The Annoyed Man's suggestions, you might check out the offerings from The Wilderness, Maxpedition, and 5.11 Tactical as well. The 1.5 inch width is the most versatile, but the 1 3/4 inch belts give even more comfort if you often wear pants with very wide belt loops.

[Xander]

I don't mean to hi-jack the thread, but when you say 'gunbelt', are you referring to a specific type of belt (assumed to be more rigid) made to work with concealed holsters?

The answer is "yes," and you can find them from most reputable holster vendors. I own one made by D.M. Bullard, but Galco and other manufacturers also sell them.

A gun belt will be much heavier and thicker than a regular leather belt so as to support the weight of the pistol all day without deforming like a lighter, thinner, belt would do. They really do make a difference, and are well worth the investment.

To show an example of what The Annoyed Man is talking about, the belts I wear every day are these: http://www.thebeltman.net/bullhide.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I have two of them, in the 1-1/2" width, with internal stiffeners. I have one in black, and one in brown. They're a good bit thicker than standard belts nd offer far more support and a positive lock for holster clips, but since you can't really see the thickness with a long or bloused shirt, when I'm wearing them they look very similar to my other work and dress belts.

[pedalman]

In addition to The Annoyed Man's suggestions, you might check out the offerings from The Wilderness, Maxpedition, and 5.11 Tactical as well. The 1.5 inch width is the most versatile, but the 1 3/4 inch belts give even more comfort if you often wear pants with very wide belt loops.

I can attest to the Wilderness Frequent Flyer belt. In my line of work, I don't have to wear fancy clothes, so the casual nature of this nylon belt is perfectly appropriate for me. I have the 1.5" Combat Shooter's model, and I'm glad I have it. I have nothing against a leather gun belt, but my circumstances don't justify a leather gunbelt.

But as always, YMMV.

[Excaliber]

In addition to The Annoyed Man's suggestions, you might check out the offerings from The Wilderness, Maxpedition, and 5.11 Tactical as well. The 1.5 inch width is the most versatile, but the 1 3/4 inch belts give even more comfort if you often wear pants with very wide belt loops.

I can attest to the Wilderness Frequent Flyer belt. In my line of work, I don't have to wear fancy clothes, so the casual nature of this nylon belt is perfectly appropriate for me. I have the 1.5" Combat Shooter's model, and I'm glad I have it. I have nothing against a leather gun belt, but my circumstances don't justify a leather gunbelt.

But as always, YMMV.

The Frequent Flyer is a very comfortable belt (I have one too), and it can be used to support a gun, but that's not its intended purpose. It was designed to hold up your pants and get you through airline checkpoints without being stopped for metal in the buckle (it doesn't have any). It's not quite heavy enough for a good gun belt.

The Wilderness Instructor belt is much more substantial and does a much better job of supporting a gun. The version with the internal stiffener works even better for this purpose if the stiffness isn't uncomfortable for you.

[CHLDave]

Thanks for the links and info... those belts at http://www.thebeltman.net/bullhide.htm look great. Of course, the only concealed carry holster/belt configuration I've considered so far involves an un-tucked shirt so I guess the asthetics of the belt don't really count for much... but I'm still early in the process of finding what works for me.