Sign in or 
Location: null
Discussion: War/Battle Belts VS Load Bearing Vests
Category:
Discussion Forum /
General Discussion
Share this
Unassigned |
War/Battle Belts VS Load Bearing Vests
Aug 5 2011, 1:39 PM EDT
To many of us, this is an unknown topic. Most people are shown plate carriers and LBV-style rigs and often go for the simplistic chest harness. I travel down to Columbus, wife and work permitting, for rifle training whenever possible. While there, I use a plate carrier set up with the following (See pic in profile):3 x HSGI Double Decker Taco Pouches 1 x HSGI Triple Mag Shingle 1 x HSGI Mini Blowout Pouch 1 x Blackhawk HydraStorm Side Hydration Pouch 1 x Gerber LMF II Simple, non-cumbersome and provides ample carrying capacity for a training loadout. War/Battle Belts, on the other hand, are seeming more and more enticing to me as I research them. A rig designed to meet your needs, much like the LBV's, minus the ability to double as a plate carrier. I find that the belt rigs tend to provide greater mobility, especially if you are intending on carrying a bag for any reason. Now, without combining the two for the "all around, battle ready" scenario, which do you prefer and why? Do you find this valuable?
Keyword tags:
Battle Belt
Bug Out Bag
Bug Out Gear
Load Bearing Vest
Unassigned
War Belt
|
Monter22 |
1. RE: War/Battle Belts VS Load Bearing Vests
Aug 5 2011, 2:53 PM EDT
I believe that the lighter and less cumbersome you can make anything that you will be carrying around, the better. I dont own a vest or a belt but after looking up these belts, i would definitely buy one of those before i bought a vest. Besides, how much gear do you really need right at your fingertips? The simpler the better. All i need is ammo, my sidearm, knife, leatherman, lighter, my water, and a flashlight. The belt has more than enought room for all of this.
Do you find this valuable?
|
|
Monter22 |
2. RE: War/Battle Belts VS Load Bearing Vests
Aug 5 2011, 2:57 PM EDT
Ps. As creepy as fanny packs are, they are really usefull. When i go hunting i prefer my fanny pack over my hunting pack. Just thought that they are pretty similar to the battle belts. Do you find this valuable? |
|
Unassigned |
3. RE: War/Battle Belts VS Load Bearing Vests
Aug 5 2011, 4:57 PM EDT
I think your initial answer depends on the purpose of your belt. If you are looking for short term engagements, then yes I do agree with you. However, is your choice based upon a bug out scenario, training or neither?
Do you find this valuable?
|
oldannyboy37 |
4. RE: War/Battle Belts VS Load Bearing Vests
Aug 5 2011, 5:12 PM EDT
I hadn't tried out any of the newer battle belts but I do have an ALICE belt and some suspenders. It's a fairly comfortable rig. It's not all that "Hight Speed" but I think it would be great if you had to carry your stuff for a long ways. You can even hook it up with some certain pack frames. They're super cheap to outfit and if I don't get anything else I won't mind using it.I really like some of the Rhodesian chest rigs I've tried on. They felt like they were recently breathable. They also felt like they'd balance weight pretty well. I think I'd probably go with the chest rig. I can still wear a hydration back or a backpack with it (At the expense of having a few strap sets). I think I'd probably go with one of these. Do you find this valuable? |
|
Monter22 |
5. RE: War/Battle Belts VS Load Bearing Vests
Aug 5 2011, 10:43 PM EDT
"I think your initial answer depends on the purpose of your belt. If you are looking for short term engagements, then yes I do agree with you. However, is your choice based upon a bug out scenario, training or neither?"My plan involves bugging in. However, my shelter is going to be used as primarily as storage, and a safe place for me to sleep peacefully. That being said, i plan on leaving my shelter almost everyday to check up on things, scavenge, hunt, etc. Id leave most the stationary work for others to do. I would never stray all that far from base, so i really prefer the speed i would have with a belt compared to a vest. What about you? Do you find this valuable? |
|
Unassigned |
6. RE: War/Battle Belts VS Load Bearing Vests
Aug 6 2011, 12:22 AM EDT
"My plan involves bugging in. However, my shelter is going to be used as primarily as storage, and a safe place for me to sleep peacefully. That being said, i plan on leaving my shelter almost everyday to check up on things, scavenge, hunt, etc. Id leave most the stationary work for others to do. I would never stray all that far from base, so i really prefer the speed i would have with a belt compared to a vest.Since I currently have the vest setup, it's main use is for rifle training because even though we are on a closed course, I still enjoy the added "piece of mind" of having the plates for when I'm taking a course with others I've never met before, watching them muzzle sweep any and everything until they get their asses chewed out. That being said, in a bug out situation, I'm not so sure that I would be using the vest to full effect. Perhaps in the Fall/Winter, I could hide it under a hooded sweatshirt and still look "gray" but if I'm looking to stay low profile, I would tend toward the war belt. I doubt that I would stock it up as much as I would for a rifle course, and probably limit myself to two rifle mags, the holster and a few handgun mag pouches. Some food for thought. Do you find this valuable? |
|
Monter22 |
7. RE: War/Battle Belts VS Load Bearing Vests
Aug 6 2011, 10:51 PM EDT
"That being said, in a bug out situation, I'm not so sure that I would be using the vest to full effect. Perhaps in the Fall/Winter, I could hide it under a hooded sweatshirt and still look "gray" but if I'm looking to stay low profile, I would tend toward the war belt. I doubt that I would stock it up as much as I would for a rifle course, and probably limit myself to two rifle mags, the holster and a few handgun mag pouches.To me that is what it is all about, staying light, fast and keeping a low profile. The only time i think it is ok to "flex" would be when you are about to enter a planned out conflict that you were aware of ahead of time. Do you find this valuable? |
|
Unassigned |
8. RE: War/Battle Belts VS Load Bearing Vests
Aug 7 2011, 2:51 PM EDT
"To me that is what it is all about, staying light, fast and keeping a low profile. The only time i think it is ok to "flex" would be when you are about to enter a planned out conflict that you were aware of ahead of time. "The problem, as I see it, is this: people often get gear that's fun to play with, and then build scenarios to justify their playing with fun gear. I know this is the case because it's honestly how I got into survival preparation in the first place. I bought some guns when I was fresh out of college, read the zombie survival guide and starting putting a "zombie hunting" kit together, and then stumbled onto the more serious stuff like home food storage and all that. On the other hand, firearms-based defense DOES play a reasonable part of a well-rounded plan for survival, or at least it can. This includes a home-defense gun, firearms for procuring game, and perhaps a firearm you'd carry with you in the event of an evacuation. So far so good. A lot of people on the forums carry concealed anyway, there's no reason they would leave it behind. So you make sure your backpack doesn't interfere with your draw, and you're good to go. Simple and common setup. Then, however, there is the long gun. A .22 rifle is ideal for small game, a centerfire rifle is good for larger game, and in a fight, rifles trump pistols in most situations. Bugging out in a vehicle, you can have a few cased rifles in there no problem. But on foot, you want to carry a rifle, without attracting too much attention, that's a little trickier. An SBR AR, or an AK with a folding stock, fit well in a tennis racquet case. An AR can be taken down into halves and fit in most backpacks. These options, though, aren't quick to access. (Continued) Do you find this valuable? |
|
Unassigned |
9. RE: War/Battle Belts VS Load Bearing Vests
Aug 7 2011, 2:54 PM EDT
"(Continued)"Some people have said (and I'm NOT agreeing with them here) that if things are bad enough that they are evacuating from their home on foot, things are bad enough to justify walking out in full battle gear: tac vest, camo everything, rifle exposed, as a visual deterrent to harassing them. I don't think this is such a swell idea, myself. I've got all sorts of tactical gear, a helmet, body armor, tons of load bearing gear options, etc. Some of it I use during carbine training classes, but I think in an evacuation most of it would be left behind. I would want my rifle, my pistol, magazines for each, and means to carry and access. I keep looking for ways to do this discretely during an evacuation, but to be honest, I think it's an issue some people avoid talking about because there's no easy answer and that's why I'm encouraging discussion. Here's hoping more pitch in. Do you find this valuable? |
John_234 |
10. RE: War/Battle Belts VS Load Bearing Vests
Aug 7 2011, 10:32 PM EDT
The deal breaker for most people is that after a certain amount of gear, your battle belt can't carry all that stuff - a battle belt is a slightly more comfortable 1970s era LBC belt and suspenders deal. Other than that, a heavy vest is more comfortable than a heavy belt and suspenders - which is the point. A heavy LBC is also hard to go prone with.As for concealment, belt rig tends to win, though a battle belt specifically might be thrown out since it'd interfere with most concealment holsters. Do you find this valuable? |
|
Monter22 |
11. RE: War/Battle Belts VS Load Bearing Vests
Aug 7 2011, 11:04 PM EDT
@ UnassignedIn an apocalyptic world, i really dont see myself confronting unfriendlies all that often. I bought a butler creek side folding stock for my 10/22. Its light, and very compact; it is one firearm that i will always have on me. Red dot scope for accuracy and 25 rnd mags taped together for when i really want to pump some rounds out make it a nice little weapon. If i need my shotgun or rifle, ill take it and throw the .22 in the pack. As long as i still have it. Have you ever taken a look at lacrosse backpacks? I took mine and tried to fit my old pump .22 in the slot designed for a lacrosse stick, and what do you know it fit. Do you find this valuable? |
|
John_234 |
12. RE: War/Battle Belts VS Load Bearing Vests
Aug 8 2011, 12:18 AM EDT
| Post edited: Aug 8 2011, 12:20 AM EDT
"@ UnassignedApocalyptic would imply end of the world - conflict is bound to happen. Though most of us would plan for a short term, government gets control within a few weeks / months scenario where you aren't fighting "tooth and claw" for stuff, but I'd imagine conflict would still be a definite possibility. EDIT: Typo. Do you find this valuable? |
LJ126 |
13. RE: War/Battle Belts VS Load Bearing Vests
Aug 8 2011, 3:05 AM EDT
This is an interesting thread!I've been considering purchasing a pistol belt and some surplus H-Type ALICE suspenders to set-up similarly to AnalyticalSurvival's (a Youtube survival channel) BOB setup. I thought it was interesting how he uses his webgear as the bare level one of his BOB, then built a more inclusive BOB using a medium-size ALICE pack. He uses his webgear as the backbone of his kit - should he have to remove his bag for any reason he's got a basic kit attached to him at all times. Rather than go into more detail about his set-up when you can just watch the videos (if you're interested) here are links to his two videos on BOB's: P1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-kwB0g-1cU P2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TREim9mHs7k I think it's probably less expensive to do as above than most LBV's and plate carrier cost. A Blackhawk "Enhanced Web Belt" is about $22 at USCav, and new GSA schedule H-Type ALICE suspenders are $20. Belt keepers, ALICE clips and pouches/holsters would add to this price, but these or similar expenses exist for MOLLE plate carriers, which really start at around $60-70 and can cost well over $100. Don't get me wrong, I'd like a plate carrier and plates one day, and hopefully soon. I don't plan on or fantasize about the idea of getting locked into a firefight, but if the .Gov shut down because of the Z-Poc and everyone still alive went home to be with their families and to try to survive, it would just be a matter of time 'til the very powerful Mexican drug cartels started crossing the border to more fertile American soil. My front door is very close to that border - fewer than 40 miles exist between my home and Mexico at this very moment. I think this justifies the expense once I can afford to make the purchase. Do you find this valuable? |
|
John_234 |
14. RE: War/Battle Belts VS Load Bearing Vests
Aug 8 2011, 10:12 AM EDT
Hey, from one guy who likes belt rig to another, if you get H-suspenders, do something to those evil meathooks on the suspenders. I actually use a wide leather belt for some loads, and I actually loop the suspender and clip it to itself.
Do you find this valuable?
|
