6/18/08 - These are the EMDOM USA/MM Battle Suspenders - a project that has been in work and development since the end of 2006. I'm always looking to improve upon existing designs, and while I was collaborating with EMDOM on other projects I saw elements of EMDOM's other products that I felt could be used to create a pretty good suspender, so Ken and I put our heads together on this one as well. The goal of this project was to make the best, most comfortable set of suspenders that we could, for pistol/combat belts that would be comfortable and low profile for under armour. I wanted more comfort than webbing-only suspenders while remaining less bulky than a fully padded harnesses/LBE. I also wanted it to be comfortable with heavier loads, simplify the attachment method, use lower profile hardware and eliminate the possibility of the shoulder straps slipping off the shoulders.

Key Features -

7/22/08 - CTOMS (Canadian Tactical & Operational Medical Solutions, Inc) is a company dedicated to providing training and equipment for the medic and soldier, LE officer and paramedic, SAR technician, first responder and health care professionals that go into harms way and those that provide medical care in remote and dangerous places. Besides specialized tactical medicine equipment, CTOMS also makes Rescue and Extrication equipment, like their X-Belt™ PS featured here, which might be the most technical battle belt I've seen yet.

The X-Belt PS (Padding System) consists of CTOMS's X-Belt QR, padded molle sections, and removable suspenders.

X-Belt QR - At first glance, the X-Belt QR (Quick Release) might look like a traditional riggers belt, but a closer examination reveals some differences. Instead of being lined with loop velcro on the inside, the X-Belt QR is instead covered completely with loop velcro on the outside, to adhere to a duty belt placed over it. It has the familiar V-ring loop secured by a velcro tab at the front of the belt, with a notable exception - it's sewn to a 3" extension which 'pops out' and extends the V-ring from the belt to clear load bearing equipment, body armour or other equipment that might otherwise hamper access to the V-ring. In addition to the velcro tab that goes through the V-ring to secure it to the belt, the extension also has velcro on the back side to 'quick secure' it flat to the belt.
There is an additional 'mobile' drop down V-ring for rear attachment during rescue drags and as a quick attach point. This rear V-ring slides on the belt and is removable.
The X-Belt QR uses a black Austrialpin Cobra buckle for convenient donning and doffing - a feature that I prefer to the traditional rigger's belt with friction buckle. It also eliminates the wear on the running end of the velcro that other riggers belts can suffer from over time. The X-Belt is constructed of double thickness webbing with a plastic stiffener insert to prevent buckling and folding when loads are hung from the belt.

Padding System - Now this is a pretty unique design. The X-Belt PS padding system is not just a sleeve through which the X-Belt QR (inner belt) is threaded through. It's actually made up of four separate pieces. Due to the photos on my site being used as a reference by overseas manufacturers who steal other people's designs/intellectual property and sell the counterfeit gear on rip-off sites, I have decided not to illustrate the design in too much detail here. Sorry to those who want to see more detailed photos, but I do want to protect unique designs as much as possible. Fight the rip-off gear manufacturers by not buying their products.

Side panels/pads (2) - The two side pads wrap around the hips at the front and extend around to the small of the back. They are fully padded and are lined with a wicking mesh material which looks like Drilex. A rigid plastic stiffening insert is sandwiched between the X-Belt QR and pad to prevent any buckling or sagging of the belt under load. The center stitch also prevents rolling and slipping of the pad relative to the X-Belt QR or outer portion and creates a small 'breathing channel'. Normally, padded belt sleeves have a channel where the inner belt goes through, with the outer portion sewn down at the top and bottom, with some openings on the bottom for attaching stuff to the inner belt. The X-Belt PS sleeve is completely open at the bottom, and the outer portion is more of a 'flap' than a 'sleeve'. The outer portion folds over the inner belt, leaving it open at the bottom so you're not restricted to a single place along the inner belt to hang a load from. The inner belt is threaded through some belt loops sewn to the pad, which has a single row of molle webbing at the bottom. The outer 'flap' secures to the pad with velcro and a snap tab at the front of the belt. The outer flap has 10 columns and 3 rows of molle webbing on it.
There are two suspender attach points (one with a D-ring) on each side pad (more on that later). An ITW web dominator clip is supplied and mounted on the left flap to provide a means of securing the X-Belt QR V-ring on the extender.

Rear panel - The rear panel is non-padded, and overlaps and connects the two side panels in the rear. At each end of the rear panel is a molle connector, which secures the ends to the side panels. The rear panel can be attached anywhere along the molle webbing on the side panels, thus providing girth adjustability. The inner belt runs through two belt loops on the inside of the rear panel. There are 12 columns of 3 rows of molle webbing on the rear panel. Also on the rear panel are four suspender attach points, the two rear with D-rings.

Rear pad - The rear pad slides over the inner belt and is centered between the two side pads. The pad is lined with non-slip material.

Suspenders - There are eight attach points on the X-Belt PS for suspenders; four of them have plastic D-rings. The others are webbing loops. Why so many? To better support a loaded belt. Eight support points provide a more even load distribution than four. The suspenders have only four straps, so this is accomplished by elastic shock cord between the attach points. The suspenders themselves are constructed completely of webbing and have no adjustability; ending in loops at the ends of the straps. The shock cord passes through the end loops and the suspender straps end up somewhere in-between each attach point. I like the idea of a more evenly supported belt, but I feel that the elastic shock cord isn't the best solution, the way it's set up like this. The elastic shock cords provide the only means of adjusting the length of the straps. A tall person will have much longer shock cord loops than a short person. As the length of the shock cord changes, so does the amount it stretches. Shorter lengths stretch less. To adjust the suspenders, you have to adjust the length of the shock cord. Being a short person, I had a lot of excess shock cord left sticking out, so I cut it off. This means that I cannot lengthen the straps once adjusted, unless I leave some excess sticking out. Adjustments requiring loosening and re-tightening the shock cord. I'd like to see the main adjustability incorporated into the suspender straps with triglides instead of relying on the shock cord only (I've mentioned this to CTOMS).

One of the issues I've had with too much elastic on suspenders is that the more load you add, the more the elastic stretches. So, it's not a consistent distribution of weight between the shoulders and the hips. Granted, elastic on the rear may help prevent the belt from riding up when bending down, sitting or squatting, but suspenders are designed to offload weight when your'e standing up, and should be optimized as such. After trying the X-Belt PS loaded up and playing around with the adjustments, I replaced the front shock cord loops with 550 cord for a more solid offload (no stretching in front). This is just personal preference/opinion, and once adjusted, the CTOMS suspender setup might work just fine for others.

3/28/08 - If you want an every day wear web belt to hold up your pants that is stiffer than a thin BDU web belt, but don't need the thickness or features of a riggers belt, the D-Belt Urban Tactical Belt from Crosstac might be your answer. The D-Belt is somewhere in-between the two, providing enough support and stiffness for carrying a concealed weapon or other EDC items on your waist.

The D-Belt uses Mil-spec Type 7R 1.75" wide webbing for the outer layer and is available in tan/khaki (they call it coyote), black and foliage green. It gets its stiffness from a polyethylene insert that prevents rollover from heavy items, but is thin enough to flex and contour to your body and not feel like you're wearing a piece of cardboard around your waist. The poly insert has a scalloped "D" shaped cutout in the back on the top of the belt (curved side down - red shaded area in the photo below), which creates a crush area in the top area of the belt against the loop at the small of the back and eliminates the bowing in and out of the belt in the middle of your back that many vertically stiff belts suffer from. The belt won't bow out and catch on stuff or bow inwards and poke you in the back. The insert is sandwiched between the outer webbing and the inner black webbing/lining (Mil-spec Type 12U 1.75" webbing) for comfort. The main portion of the belt is less than 1/8" thick, and I found it perfectly compatible with different kydex holster clips I had, which a riggers belt was too thick for.

The D-Belt utilizes a dark grey Bourdon Forge buckle for infinite adjustability (which some prefer over pre-spaced holes in the belt). Note that while the D-Belt is solidly built, it's not meant to be used as a safety belt or attach point, like a riggers belt. The belt tongue (loose end) is secured with velcro, and is angle-cut so it's easier to thread and less likely to catch on clothing or your hand brushing by. The tongue also has 'speed bumps' - vertical stitches which are meant to prevent the tongue from unthreading through the buckle when taking your pants on and off. I found these weren't needed, actually; the patch of velcro on the tongue is more effective and stops the tongue from passing through the buckle. It's something to consider if you're in a public restroom loosening your pants to go 'number 2' and the loose end of your belt slides off a loop, dumping your cell phone or pager (or heavier metallic item) on the ground.

I've actually been using a D-Belt since last September, when Crosstac was still working out the sizing details, which included the length of the tongue, velcro etc. It's not as easy as it may seem, and each size has to be proportionally adjusted (it's not just a matter of making the main portion shorter). One belt had too short a tongue and didn't engage the velcro patch and the other had too long a tongue (which made it extend too far along the side). The latest belt I was sent is spot on, I'm happy to report. It's available in five sizes which fit a range of waist measurements. The sizes are a bit confusing, as they run from XS to XL, but don't correspond with BDU/trouser sizing. I'm a medium in my pant size, but an XS in the D-belt. I've asked them to simply mark the belts with the range of waist sizes they fit (33"-35" etc) instead of 'XS' for example, so we'll see what happens. The measurement is based off your true waist size over your pants, not your pant size.

So, for the past 6 months I've been using the first version I got (only difference was length), and it's a very comfortable belt. I like the added stiffness even if I'm not carrying anything on it because it just seems to support my pants better than a plain thin web BDU belt. I also tried it out with a full size 1911 and two mags on the opposite side, and didn't have any complaints about it at all, for the few times I wore it. Quality and stitching is excellent. So, if you're looking for such an in-between belt, the D-Belt is one to consider.

12/31/07 - Another item from John Willis, the original owner of SOE (Special Operation Equipment) and owner of Original SOE Gear is the Trouser Belt. The Trouser Belt is an excellent daily belt or travel belt due to its metal-free construction. The Trouser belt is available in plain colours, or with camouflage wrap (MultiCam shown here), and in two variants.

The Trouser belts come in even waist sizes, and are 1.5" wide. Instead of a buckle, there's a single ITW triglide. The belt end has to be threaded through the triglide each time. When donning or doffing there's actually enough length to leave it on the pants and not unthread the end through the triglide every time. A length of velcro is sewn to the end and to the belt to secure the loose end.

The other variant has a hidden zipper compartment on the inside of the belt - meant to be used as a money belt. It will hold folded bills or pieces of paper in the compartment. Just a very simple, low profile, practical trouser belt with the typical OSOE bomb-proof construction.

12/10/06 - John Willis, the original owner of SOE (Special Operation Equipment) is back to doing what he does best - making bomb-proof, overbuilt nylon gear. His new company is Original SOE Gear and he's been busy doing custom work. One thing that hasn't changed is the attention to detail, quality and workmanship that customers of the original SOE were used to.

MultiCam Riggers Belt - John put together this Crye MultiCam Rigger belt, for those who really can't live without a perfectly matching belt for their Crye MultiCams pants. He took 1000D MultiCam Cordura and wrapped it around the 1.75" Type 7R MIL-W-4088 webbing. It's a fully functional Riggers belt, and has a forged steel camlock buckle and parachute hardware V-ring attach point. While I've never used a rigger's belt for rappelling, I've used one of John's original SOE belts for years, occasionally as a safety line hookup when working at heights, and also as a pistol belt.

It's lined inside with loop velcro and the V-ring retaining tab is made out of MultiCam cordura. As you can see below, it's a perfect match for the Crye pants.

2/22/08 - Here is Original SOE Gear's Tapered War Belt Sleeve, which is a padded MOLLE belt sleeve. Last year, John Willis sent me one of his Modular War Belt sleeves, shown below in the far left photo. It's a sleeve for use over a rigger's or duty belt that provides MOLLE webbing for pouches and padding for comfort. It has four rows of MOLLE/PALS webbing and is internally lined with velcro to interface with an inner belt. However, at 5.5" tall for its entire length, it was better suited to taller guys than me. I'm only 5' 7" with a short torso, and the width of the belt got in the way of my mobility when kneeling, squatting, bending at the waist etc. A taller, bigger guy would probably have no issues. I told John "y'know, I'm just too short to use it" and he asked me what I'd like to see in a lower profile war belt sleeve.

This is the feedback I sent John:
- 4.5" in the back instead of the current 5.5", and tapered down to 3.5" in the front. Taper from bottom to top (so the top is straight). Start the taper at the rear of the side openings. So, for the same size War belt I was sent, the back 10 columns of PALS would have 4 rows, and the front/side 6 columns would have 3 rows of PALS.
- Instead of lining the whole belt internally with velcro, only put the velcro for about 6" in the front on both sides, and leave the rest un-velcroed. It'll make sliding the internal belt in and out easier, and would still be as secure.
- Line the inside of the belt with drilex or mesh instead of cordura.
- The front suspender D-rings should be moved back about 1.5 to 2" so they're placed where they support the most weight. A bit further back, and it'd be able to support the side pouches and the holster a bit better.

A little while later, a War belt sleeve showed up exactly as I had imagined and requested. That's the thing about John - he'll make exaclty what you want and do a great job at it.

Here's the rundown of the new 4 to 3 row Tapered War Belt Sleeve:

6/23/05 - LIGER PRODUCTS (LIGHTWEIGHT EXTREME RESISTANT) has introduced a new belt designed for concealed CCW or everyday wear: the LIGER gun belt. LIGER Products is owned by Cliff Oak Inc., the parent company of MAXPEDITION Hard-Use Gear. The LIGER belt is made from a synthetic developed for LIGER PRODCUTS, dubbed 'Ligerthane', and is a composite of a high-strength polyester fabric core embedded in a resin with polyurethane coating, which makes it waterproof, mildew, rot and solvent resistant. It has a slightly rubberized feel to it, and will not slip on the waistband, which also aids in locating a holster or pouches. The belt is smooth on the interior and the exterior has a 'Ligerderm™' pattern, which gives it a look and feel of textured leather. The belt is 1.45" wide, and is stiff along its width to prevent roll over. The material is 1/8" thick. The attractive LIGER logo is heatstamped on the inside near the buckle end. It's a picture of a Liger, of course, the hybrid offspring of a male Lion and female Tiger, and the largest non-naturally occuring member of the cat family.
The solid aluminum buckle and integral hook is machined out of a billet of T6-6061 aluminum and Type III anodized. The hook is not a separate piece that is welded on. The belt is riveted to the buckle using two 3/16" stainless steel rivets. The buckle comes standard in anodized black or grey finishes. A custom/limited run of a dark green finish with logo was done for the Usual Suspects Network. The buckle is a simple, clean design with a flat front (perfect for custom engraving).
Determining the proper size is done by using a tape measure and measuring around the pants you're going to wear the belt with, through the belt loops, NOT your pants waist size. If you wear a handgun inside the waistband, measure WITH the gun and holster there. The belt is then cut to size and the measurment you supply will be to the middle hole. Two additional holes on either side are punched with 1" spacing. A leather hole punch can also be used to create additional holes, in-between existing ones if necessary.
The belts come in Black, Green and Khaki. The green is sort-of OD. Comparing it to a Vltor green modstock, the belt has a bit more brown in it. The Khaki is actually closer to coyote, and is almost an exact match to the Simonich Gunner Grips shown below.

5/15/08 - Another cool offering from TAD Gear is the RDDP (Rapid Deploy Dump Pod), available in two sizes: small (Sz1) and large (Sz2). Like the Maxpedition Rollypoly (MM Folding Dump Pouch), the TAD Gear RDDP is a folding dump pod/pouch meant to provide a quick means of additional storage on the belt or rig for magazines or other items at a moment's notice. However, the way it's designed and folds up is completely different from the Rollypoly (it was actually designed in part by a buddy of mine who has the initials 'MM' coincidentally).

The RDDPs consist of a 420D oxford nylon dump pouch that is sewn to and enclosed by a 1000D cordura clamshell pouch with a YKK coil zipper going round the top and both sides of the clamshell. There are two zipper pulls and pulling on the pull tab at the top front of the pouch pulls the zippers apart from the top and opens the clamshell and allows the dump pouch to unfold and deploy. The dump pouch doesn't have to be folded up - it can just be scrunched up as the 420D nylon is thin enough not to be too bulky. The 420D pouch material is responsible for the very compact size of the closed RDDPs.

The clamshell portion has TAD's 2TAC webbing straps at the back for attachment to any MOLLE-compatible platform. The Sz1 pouch as a single strap and the Sz2 has two. The dimensions for the two sizes as as follows:
Sz1 - 1" deep x 5" tall x 2.5" wide (closed). 10.5" tall x 4.5" diameter dump pouch (open).
Sz2 - 1" deep x 5" tall x 3.5" wide (closed). 10.5" tall x 6" diameter dump pouch (open).

The dump pouch portions have a round bottom and a grommet drain hole. A single cord lock with shock cord cinches up the top opening.

I've illustrated both Sz1 and Sz2 RDDPs below mounted to my OSOE tapered war belt sleeve. You can see how compact they are closed. A tug on the pull tab is all that's needed to deploy the pouch. Takes about a second. The 420D pouch material has its pros and cons. Because of its light weight and low bulk, it enables the RDDPs to have a very compact footprint when closed. However, it's more prone to swinging and moving due to the lack of stiffness. It'll definitely accomodate empty rifle mags, but they'll bang about a bit more than a 1000D cordura dump pouch. For this reason alone, I feel that the RDDPs are suited more as an emergency dump pouch/general purpose/evidence pouch rather than a dedicated pouch for empty rifle mags. The Sz1 will fit a Nalgene water bottle and if I were going to use one of them for rifle or pistol mags (or shotgun shells), it'd be the Sz1 just because it's easy to stuff too much in the Sz2. For general purpose and lighter weight/bulky stuff, the Sz2 is great, and it'll hold quite a lot.