Nowdays， the item "Tactical Belt" has often been mentioned in the industry. So what exactly is a "Tactical Belt"? Let’s explore the past and present of the tactical belt. Speaking of "tactical belt", first of all we have to talk about the belt, this creative and smart accessory. It has been with mankind for thousands of years and has now become a must-have item in people's wardrobes, so much so that we are so accustomed to it that we ignore its unique design wisdom. According to historical records, the purpose of belts can be summarized into two types: functional accessories for craftsmen or soldiers to carry tools or weapons, and accessories that symbolize religious honors or serve as jewelry decorations for nobility.
The Western cowboy wearing a belt and jeans set the tone of American tough guy culture. Their influence on belts is reflected in the rich design of belt buckles - representing heroic performance on the ranch or in rodeos. With the evolution of the times, belts have also evolved into different materials, designs and craftsmanship, but what remains true is that they still inherit the two major demands of functionality and decoration. The concept of "tactical belt" mainly follows the functional requirements of past belts in war.
Origin: Spring and Autumn Period and Ancient Greek Era
First seen in the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period in China and the Ancient Greek era in Europe, soldiers wore them to secure their armor and carry swords, as well as bags full of battlefield necessities, including water. At this time, the tactical belt is usually fastened with a "Japanese buckle". At the same time, there is also a belt on the pants inside the armor. It can be seen that the distinction between the inner belt and the outer belt has existed since ancient times.
Military belt in the modern sense
Tactical belts in the modern sense began in the late 19th century. After the Civil War, the U.S. military began to uniformly adopt canvas belts. Compared with traditional leather belts, pure cotton canvas belts facilitate large-scale standardized production and meet the large-scale equipment needs of the modern army.
Today, military and law enforcement agencies around the world generally consider tactical belts to be part of their uniforms. This is because wearing a tactical belt may actually be more practical and more convenient for various missions than wearing a pair of military pants.
The uniform of the American army in the early days of World War I
Military belts come in various types such as buckles and pin buckles. Common military belts mostly use single-needle or double-needle Japanese-shaped belt heads, and buckle pins are used to fix the belt. The U.S. Army took a unique approach and developed a brass belt head equipped with a "sliding locking lever". There is a sliding rod inside the belt head that can move in the guide groove on the side of the belt head. The rolling rod will move with the canvas belt. Roll in the guide groove and lock tightly to secure the belt.
From 1950 to 1960, the Sam Browne Belt was very popular in the United States. It features a wide leather strap tied around the waist and another thin shoulder strap across the torso. Since the inventor, the British officer Sam, lost his left hand, he used this design to stabilize the scabbard. This kind of belt was later often used to carry heavy firearms. The development of military belts reached the late Vietnam War, and nylon material was the first to be used by the US military. At that time, the US military's "M1967 lightweight equipment" became famous during the Vietnam War. Nylon material is very suitable for military belts. Compared with leather belts and canvas belts, nylon belts have higher strength, softer feel, excellent wear resistance, waterproof and low-temperature resistance, and are light in weight. They are especially suitable for large-scale standardized production. As a result, this multi-functional nylon belt began to become popular all over the world.
The emergence of the police belt
Not only in the military, but also in the police field, tactical belts are everywhere, and police multi-functional belts are also single police equipment for public security police stipulated by the Ministry of Public Security. The police service belt is used as a carrying system, and its purpose is to solve the problem of carrying and accessing equipment for individual police officers.
If we go back to London at the beginning of the modern police force, we find that the police equipment is only sticks and whistles at best. In 1764, batons began to be introduced. It was not until 1994 that the British police began to standardize their uniforms across the country and included duty belts as essential equipment in order to be able to wear batons. Prior to this, British police officers usually carried their equipment in handbags or modified pockets.
With the professionalization of the police, the equipment of individual police officers has also been improved, and adding an attached bag to the duty belt can solve the problem of storage and carrying. Since its development, the police service belt has formed a complete system: outer belt + inner belt + belt loops + attached bag + leg hanger (optional) + straps (optional).
Today's Tactical Belts
With the differentiation of various military services in modern warfare and the emergence of transition methods such as aircraft landing and rappelling, in addition to the core functional requirement of wearing portable equipment, other functions such as rappelling have been developed.
The broad concept of tactical belts can be said to be functional belts evolved from military and police duty belts, including training belts (Instructor Tactical Belt), rappel belts (Tactical Riggers Belt), shooting belts (Gun Belt), and duty belts (Duty Belts). Belt) and so on.
How to choose a tactical belt To judge the quality of a tactical belt, we mainly judge from the following four points: 1. Width: The ideal width of the belt should be between 4cm and 5cm. This is because the wider the strap, the better it distributes the weight. 2. Hardness: Excellent load-bearing capacity. When a 2-pound or 3-pound weapon is put in the holster and fixed, it will not sag or curl under the load. 3. Sturdy: Wear-resistant, durable and tear-resistant material. 4. Fasteners: Different application scenarios require very different fasteners. For example, the tactical rappel belt has a harder texture and has a triangular hanging loop on the side for mounting the D-ring that connects the rope. While the type of closure the buckle has is
important, the bottom line is that it's sturdy and able to support the weight of the gear you're carrying. In addition, easy adjustment and fast disassembly are also necessary.
All in all, a good tactical belt with a dedicated drive belt that keeps the belt in the right position no matter what you are doing. Additionally, when finding the right tactical belt, be sure to consider what kind of mission you will be using it for. If you're just looking for a concealed belt, you probably don't need a lot of extra features. Tactical operations and field missions are more likely to require D-rings and metal buckles to carry all equipment easily and comfortably.
