5.11 Men's Tactical Operator 1 3/4" Belt

I really like this belt. I knew beforehand that the Velcro strap would be a bit cumbersome, and it is, but I am relieved to find out that the belt cinches up EXACTLY where you want it with relative ease. The cinching hold is done entirely with the heavy-duty buckle. The Velcro is only used to secure the extra flap. However, everyone needs to be cautioned: I doubt if anyone has belt loops on any pair of pants that will allow the excess flap to go inside the belt loop (on your right side), so you just go over the belt loop and secure it with the Velcro. If you also want to carry something on that side of your body, like a Leatherman Multi-tool with a closed-loop pouch, up toward the front (like the 1 to 2 o'clock position) where the belt has Velcro, then you have to do an extra step. Normally, this would be difficult to snake the excess belt flap because in the tight space, the two parts of the Velcro will grab. But, I found a really neat way to get around this using a simple credit card (which just happens to be the same width as the belt). First, you put the Multi-tool on the belt between whichever pants loops you want (on jeans, I carry mine between the first two loops). Then you cinch up the belt to desired tightness around your waist. Next you slide the credit card underneath the Multi-tool loop. Then you insert the loose end of the belt under the Multi-tool loop, but OVER the credit card, which effectively isolates the two parts of the Velcro. While holding the credit card in place, you simply slide the belt flap the rest of the way through. This trick will work on any closed-loop sheath that you want to carry on the belt on that side. As I had already foreseen the need for something like this before I ever purchased the belt, I did not deduct any stars in my rating. The belt is extremely heavy-duty ballistic nylon with quality workmanship (as far away from cheaply made as you can get). As long as I take relatively good care of it, I don foresee it ever "breaking down". When needed, I also will use this belt to carry my G-Code holster which has a belt slide that has 1 3/4" slots. I just tried it and it fits perfect. This nylon belt will definitely support the weight of gun and holster and just about any other gear you want to carry without getting deformed.

This belt is a perfect for tool belt - Infinitely adjustable length, stiff enough to support heavy tool pouches without curling up, and very nicely made. This is the third belt like this that I have bought - Two are used as tool belts and one is an outstanding regular everyday belt; I am a big guy and used to go through leather belts about every 9 months because they stretched and became permanently deformed - I was obviously expecting too much from leather. These belts fit through belt loops in my jeans, hold my pants up, even over my big gut, and last forever. I am still wearing one I bought 5 years ago.

Size - Large. Length on the made in China tag says 36 - 38 inches. Length is good on the short side but, can be up to 41 inches on the long side and still use the appropriate length of velcro. The width is right on 1 3/4 inches. Color is a nice dark black. Web weave is nice and tight with the web double thick for most of the length of the belt. Stitching looks to be of high quality with it being very heavy in the area around the buckle. Velcro is very good not the poor loose loop and hook you find on cheap straps and such that can fray and become a mess. The buckle is steel and has a very nice black oxide type coating that so far has been durable. My web holster for my 9mm (which weighs about 32 oz loaded), double magazine pouch(for double stacked 9mm magazines), baton holder and other items do not twist or pull this belt uncomfortably. Of surprising good quality being manufactured in sweat shop China, 511 must have very good quality controls in place. My only beef is the tacky [...] stamped on the buckle. Very highly recommended.

This is a first quality product... very strong and durable...great tactical look for everyday wear..

I wanted something simple, tactical-looking, and durable. I'm a fan of many other 5.11 products and decided to try this belt, stepping up from a free version with plastic buckle that came with some 5.11 pants I bought a year earlier. I've worn this belt a lot, sometimes daily, and over a year later, it's in very good condition. The leading edge of the belt webbing, the angled part, is becoming very slightly frayed. I've had one issue with this belt, several months ago, which was that the sliding metal piece in the buckle fell out. I put it back in, fiddled with it, and couldn't really see how it came out. Nevertheless, it fell out a few more times over a period of about two weeks. Not while I was wearing it, but while I was undoing the belt (to take down my pants). Then for no apparent reason, this stopped happening, and it hasn't fallen out since. It's for this reason I give it four stars inside of five, but it hasn't stopped me from buying two more of the same belt in different colors since then, both of which have been fine so far. UPDATE 6/25/2015: I think it's about three years since I wrote the first part of this review. I've finally had to replace this belt. The webbing was starting to wear, in the area where the loop folds over the go through the buckle. Just the top edge was wearing, but the frayed bits were making it difficult to pass the webbing through the buckle. Overall, it was a very high-quality product that lasted over three years of near-daily use. There was the incident with the metal sliding part of the buckle falling out a few times, but that never happened again. I was happy enough with this belt to buy the exact same one as a replacement.

The best belt for owb or iwb carry. I have been wearing this belt for 3 years every day and it has served me extremely well. It's very heavy duty, comfortable and stable, the perfect combination when carrying a sidearm. The Buckle and Velcro makes it possible for easy and secure adjustments to fit you and stays put. After 3 years of heavy use, my belt is still in great shape and operating perfectly. I had to purchase another one in a larger size to better fit with an iwb ccw. The ONLY issue I've found is the very large difference in sizes when switching to the next size up. I expect it to be bigger, thus my reason for purchase- but it's a lot larger and puts the Velcro closure at its smallest setting. My belt a size smaller is very close to its largest setting. While both fit well, a little truer to size would make it 11/10.

Fantastic, high quality belt! The belt itself is quite rigid but still very comfortable; perfect to hold the pants up and easily support an inside or outside the waistband holster. What I wanted to comment on primarily is the sizing: I typically wear a 36 waist / 34 length in most pants / slacks / jeans. If I measure my actual waist where my belt sits, it's around 38-39 inches (google "vanity sizing" and you'll see why we all wear a pants size a few inches smaller than our true waist size.) I took the advice of many prior reviewers and ordered one size larger, meaning I chose the XL...perfect fit! So although it says XL is 40-42, if you wear 36 pants (meaning probably an actual 38-39 inch waist), the XL should fit great! It wasn't too big without an inside the waistband holster and had plenty of room once I loosened the belt some to accommodate the holster. Overall, a very high quality belt and great value at Amazon's price point...

It used to be easy to buy good, rugged, outdoor clothing. You'd go to your local Sporting Goods store (now gone) or open up the Woolrich, Pendelton, or Eddie Bauer catalogs and find what you need. But today Eddie Bauer and Pendleton sell mostly fashion gear, and Woolrich doesn't even make their famous wool pants (although they still have the Malone bib overalls, thankfully.) Even Filson is selling fashion gear along with their traditional tin cloth. There are still a few suppliers of real working clothing. Filson is one. Railrider makes great synthetic pants for camping and expeditions. And 5.11 makes some really rugged stuff, too- like this belt. Have you ever tried to buy a nylon web belt that won't slip, or roll up under hard use? All you can find in most "outdoors" stores are cheap copies of military web belts and lightweight woven belts more suited to a pair of chinos worn poolside in the Hamptons. But these are the real deal. 5.11 got started making stuff for cops and the military, but their clothing and accessories are great for hikers, hunters, anglers, climbers and just about all other adventurers and travelers. This belt is wide, thick, heavy, and as far as I can tell, indestructible. It has a solid metal buckle that won't slip, and to back it up and keep the loose end from flapping about, two strips of velcro. YOu can hang all sorts of gear from it, and it's not gonna roll or sag. It was designed to carry the 20+ pounds of gear that cops carry, but it's just as good for carrying water bottles, cameras, GPS, and other gear that a hiker might need to haul. This is not a belt for casual wear about town, unless you're one of those who likes to dress like a commando at the shopping center. But for holding up your pants and your gear when you're in the back woods (and of course for police, fire, and rescue professionals) it's the best belt I've found.