As I set up the personal gear I want the topic of pistol belt/ war belt’s has come up. Got to love the name these things got. Probably some marketing genuis, the old give it a cool CDI Rambo sounding name so folks will buy one plan. Basically the war belt is a padded, molle type belt or belt sleeve one which stuff like a holster, mag pouches, etc can be mounted. Anyway the ability to mount all manner of MOLLE stuff onto a belt easily would be nice.

Thanks to the joy of the internet I got to look at a lot of other people’s setups. One of the more comprehensive and interesting threads is the Ultimate Battle/Scout Belt Thread; formerly Sigboy Scout Belt  over at Zombie Squad. Folks seem to go in two directions. Some basically do a modern version of the old school LBE. These folks are running 4+ rifle mags, 2+ pistol mags, a holster, a knife, some admin pouches, maybe a canteen or two. These folks definitely run suspenders, often big padded H type ones we remember from the LBE era. Other folks use it more as a beefed up pistol belt with some mags, a holster, etc. Depending on their body type and how many mags they are running these folks may go with a thin set of suspenders or not. These folks will typically use a chest rig or run additional pouches on a plate carrier if needed.

So I have been thinking this could be a good way to go. I am definitely going to fall into the second group. I will rock the gear but I am not so sure about the big ole MOLLE belt. I have seen setups like this on a normal rigger belt. Just a pistol, 1-2 spare mags each rifle and pistol and maybe a knife. To me the idea of having what basically amounts to a pistol belt set up for the range, home defense and times where I want a gun but don’t need a full load out is appealing. Also something that would work as part of my overall setup instead of a whole nother rig appeals to my cheap side. 

I still have to do some thinking on the matter but this is my plan. An ATS or HSGI war belt, two double taco mag pouches (though the cheaper condor rig I just bought may fill the role in the short term due to cost), a holster probably from Safariland, a knife, maybe a small admin pouch to hold a compass, etc to fill out the level 1 kit, and possibly a minimalist trauma kit.

Are you running a warbelt? If so what type and how do you like it over just a pistol/ duty belt?