The single most important part of EDC if you carry a gun is often a piece that people cheap out on. It’s not your flashlight, gun, knife or reload. It’s your belt. A proper belt is a requirement if you plan on carrying all that gear and double if you’re carrying a gun.
We have reviews a few belts in that past that worked great as EDC, but all had one fundamental flaw. Items needed to be removed from the belt as you changed pants and then threaded back in between belt loops for the new pair.
Police officers solved this problem a long time ago. Most belt rigs run outside the belt loops by attaching to a thinner inner belt via Velcro, belt keepers or both. You thread on a simple inner belt via the belt loops, then strap around the heavier and loaded down duty belt.
G-code has recently perfected this system IMHO with the new contact series Operator belt. These are adjustable belts that allow for 4 inches of adjustment per size from 28” to 56”. They are available in 5 colors Black, Coyote Tan, OD Green and Air Force Grey. These American Made belts are fastened by your choice of Cobra Buckles with or without a D-Ring.
What’s so special?
Think about how much time you spend changing gear from one pair of pants to another. Also, as you change pants, the belt loops may move and interfere with holster positioning. With these belts, you can fit your holster, magazines, med kit, etc. to the belt one time and get perfect positioning.
Range usage
No matter how much money I spend or training I take I will never be Batman. I have given up on building the perfect utility belt to be prepared for everything, I mean do you know how hard it is to find Sharkoff?
The one exception to this is when I take training courses. In pistol classes, I carry 3 reloads, OWB Holster, medkit and often a flashlight. If we are running Carbine classes its 3 AR mags, 2 pistol mags, and a medkit. At lunch time, I face the dilemma of unloading all that gear or going out looking like Mad Max.
With the G-Code Contact Series belt however I can pop off the outer belt. Slide an appendix carry rig into my pants secured via the inner belt and be on my way with a reload in my pocket.
The evolution of my belts
When I started taking training courses, I went and bought a ton of gear, which now sits in my closet. Train like you fight an often quoted motto that I have learned to appreciate. I carry more mags in class then I carry for efficiency of the class based on the round counts. However, the holster, gun and mag carriers I run are the same ones I wear every day. It only makes sense that the belt I should use is the belt I would use every day. There was a big push for “War Belts” a few years back. However, those belts are MOLLE gear that is usually not compatible with your typical load out. More importantly, they are much larger and higher on your body than a standard belt. So all that effort of training is thrown out the window when you don’t have access to your fancy “War Belt” on the street. The contact series even if you decide not to wear it every day will more closely represent what you would have on you in an actual self-defense scenario. That said there is no reason that as long as your corporate dress code allows that you can’t get away with wearing this in a civilian environment.
Does it do what it’s supposed to?
Yes, it does. The belt is rigid enough to be used as a proper gun belt. I mentioned earlier that belts are one of the most under-appreciated pieces of gear. I see concealed carriers often wearing some cheap piece of crap Wal-Mart belt to support an OWB holster and it makes me cringe. You can see the belt warp at contact with the holster. This is impractical and dangerous. Even if you don’t buy the Contractor Series Operator Belt from G-Code, please buy a quality gun belt that fits your wardrobe needs but is designed for carrying a pistol.
Practical Usage
I have been wearing this belt off and on based on my environment for the last 2 months. It is heavier and more rigid than my previous EDC belts which took some getting used to. The largest hassle is having 2 belts to undo when taking a deuce. As long as your bladder control is more advanced than a 7-year-old the extra 10 seconds to get undressed is manageable.
It’s important to note that the belt size you buy is not your waist size. The belt has to go around your waist, pants, inner belt, and your gun if IWB. I was sized right on the edge of the sizing and went for the smaller size as I am trying to lose weight. This was a mistake that thankfully G-Code was excellent about correcting. If you’re close, get the larger size. It is far easier to make these belts smaller than it is to expand them past the listed measurements.
If you keep these things in mind when ordering the belt then likely you will be very pleased. I have 2 of these belts now. One is set up in my range bag and is used only for range trips and classes. The other is configured for everyday use and has been a real morning time saver. I’ll also mention that when you configure the kit for the range the RTI wheel setup G-Code uses makes changing holsters super easy. We will have more on this in our upcoming holster review in conjunction with the new G-Code car kit.
You can buy your Contact Series Operator Belt direct from G-Code here: http://www.tacticalholsters.com/product/BELTS/GSG001.html The belt retails for $85 up to 48” and $5 for larger sizes.
