Belt Recommendations

I'm looking for a simple nylon belt to wear with a pair softshell pants that unfortunately don't have an integrated one. The requirements:

-cheap (under $10).
-simple, nylon or other synthetic material that won't absorb much water.
-prefer a clip-buckle closure, but harness style is okay too.
-don't want something like a typical everyday belt; I don't care for anything which is advertised with "doubles as urban wear", "looks good on the slopes and at the brewpub", or any of that other crap.

Any suggestions? I couldn't find anything at REI or Backcountry that wasn't over $10 (and most of the options were of the stupid "urban wear" variety). I'd also be happy to purchase anything used you might be interested in selling that meets the description.

Are you in Boulder? Go to McGucken Hardware. They used to have different color and even patterned webbing and plastic buckles. Buy a length of that and a plastic buckle or two D rings.

Couldn't cost more than a few bucks.

Good luck.
JW

Beat me to it by a few minutes, JW. Any hardware or gear shop should have webbing and buckles on the cheap, or if you're near a water sports shop a 1" NRS strap works great and you get instant cred with the river rats.

Winter or summer? In winter I found suspenders work better for me than a belt. If you spend more than $10 bucks on a belt the MH variety comes with a bottle opener on the buckle so that is worth at least $5 more bucks isn't it?

NRS(Northwest River Supply) has a strap for tying down boats to trailers and anything you could think of really. They come in a variety of lengths (I use 4ft), are waterproof, and will literally last years before the buckle won't clamp anymore. I have had mine for 8 years now.
Try this website:
nrsweb.com/shop/product.asp…;pdeptid=1188

Patagonia makes a really cheap line of belts that have a simple harness-style buckle. Cheap too, mine was $10 or $15. Not sure if they still make them though...

Best solution is a chalkbag belt.
Evolv and Prana and probably others sell one for about $4.

Standard 1" tubular webbing + small metal buckle = lightweight and cheap belt & another v-thread, or rap anchor for when the going get's tough!

JulianB wrote:I'm looking for a simple nylon belt to wear with a pair softshell pants that unfortunately don't have an integrated one. The requirements: -cheap (under $10). -simple, nylon or other synthetic material that won't absorb much water. -prefer a clip-buckle closure, but harness style is okay too. -don't want something like a typical everyday belt; I don't care for anything which is advertised with "doubles as urban wear", "looks good on the slopes and at the brewpub", or any of that other crap. Any suggestions? I couldn't find anything at REI or Backcountry that wasn't over $10 (and most of the options were of the stupid "urban wear" variety). I'd also be happy to purchase anything used you might be interested in selling that meets the description.

Go to REI but don't go to the clothes section... just go to the straps:
rei.com/product/380046/side…

3 bucks for a strap that would work as a belt...

Or just buy some buckles and one inch webbing.

After trying a variety of belts myself (Patagonia, MH, Bison, etc.), and never being satisfied with the buckles (too bulky, too weak, too heavy, etc.), I decided to simplify... I cut 1" tubular webbing to length and tie it to the appropriate tightness level around my waist. I use a Simple Simon Over for it's easy adjustability once partially tied, but assume other bends could work. As mentioned, the webbing could be repurposed as a knotted shoulder-length sling to bail off...

Ben T wrote:After trying a variety of belts myself (Patagonia, MH, Bison, etc.), and never being satisfied with the buckles (too bulky, too weak, too heavy, etc.), I decided to simplify... I cut 1" tubular webbing to length and tie it to the appropriate tightness level around my waist. I use a Simple Simon Over for it's easy adjustability once partially tied, but assume other bends could work. As mentioned, the webbing could be repurposed as a knotted shoulder-length sling to bail off...

Honest question, what advantage does this knot have over a square knot?

Generally speaking, the simple Simon is far more secure than the reef knot (aka square knot), and "especially effective in slick synthetic lines" (Geoffrey Budworth's The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Knots & Ropework). The reef knot, as per Budworth's book, is "strictly a binding knot, reliable only when pressed against something else"... but the simple Simon is truly a secure bend.

Specific to the webbing-as-a-belt scenario, I find the simple Simon to be quite nice to tighten once partially tied, and also to loosen the knot and extend the belt's length without actually untying the knot… both as a function of the fact that one side of the knot consists of a simple bight. The bight is easy to adjust by sliding the webbing from back to front or front to back, as needed…

I make mine with 1" tubular and sew on a platic snap buckle.