Sunday, January 5, 2014

Wilderness Tactical Instructor belt: 5 year review.

A little over 5 years ago I bought a 5 stitch Instructor belt from Wilderness Tactical Products. They came highly recommended from pretty much every source I could find.



I consider these great belts. The 5 stitch model is plenty stiff, and does a good job of holding up your gun, extra mag, and all the rest of the stuff we tend to carry around every day.  An added bonus is these belts are made in the USA. 

I really like the way these belts work. You slide the belt through the buckle, around the moving post, and back out the way it came where you Velcro the tag end down so it doesn't flop around. You have  about a 5" adjustment range, and can adjust to any spot in that range. You don't have to worry about having a hole to line up where you need it. This is nice to adjust for when you have your gun on, when you don't, and for how tight or loose you want it. For instance, I wear the belt a lot looser when I am carrying AIWB than when carrying strong side. With the gun in front it needs more leeway to move with your body. 

I have worn this belt every day for over 5 years. The Velcro is wore out, on both the hook side and the soft side. There is also wear on the belt itself from my keys and holster clips running against it.  The belt itself is still very stiff and has non of the bend that cheap belts get after a while. I have no doubt I could keep wearing this belt and it would keep doing its job. I ordered one of these for my brother for Christmas this year and since I was already placing an order I figured I might as well order me one too...



One interesting thing that The Wilderness offers is you can send your belt back to have the Velcro replaced. They will do the hook side for free, or both sides for $15. Of course, you would have to pay for shipping both ways. I thought about doing this, but by the time I paid for shipping I would be close enough to the price of a new belt that I don't really know that it is worth it. Still an option though. 







When it was time for a new belt, I could have ordered from any of the newer companies that make gun belts these days. I knew the quality of Wilderness belts, and I knew they did everything I need a gun belt to do, so I ordered from the same company I had before and was not disappointed when my new belt arrived. If that isn't an endorsement I don't know what is. 



4 comments:

  1. Thanks for the 5-year update :) I bought mine about 6 months ago. I'm happy to get a first hand account of how long I can expect it to last. I also wear mine every day. This belt has turned me into a big fan of Wilderness Tactical.

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  2. These type of Tactical Instructor belt are very useful if you have gun. I also have one for my rifle and it it is very comfortable to carry gun by using this type of belt.

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  3. Good post....thanks for sharing.. very useful for me i will bookmark this for my future needs. Thanks.

    gun belt

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  4. I have been wearing a 5 stitch Wilderness belt several days a week for 11 years now (IWB with a Tucker Answer)and just ordered another one based on how long my first one has lasted.

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