A normal belt has about six holes and adjusts in one-inch increments. Unfortunately, I don’t. Whether it’s the difference between a Beretta Nano, GLOCK 19, or crushing a chicken fried steak at Dahlia’s, it’s easy to find oneself “between holes.” Kore Essential’s Trakline belt has no holes, instead adjusting in 1/4-inch increments on a ratchet-like track . . .
Kore sells three swappable gun belt buckles and leather gun belts in brown or black, plus slick little hangers that the buckle ratchet latches right onto for hanging the belt(s) vertically in your closet.
The belt comes really long — 54+ inches.
And you simply trim it to size — the general rule is adding 4 inches to your pant size. Obviously I’d recommend erring on the “too long” side at first, as you can always trim off more but can’t add length back on.
Inside Kore’s gun belt, sandwiched between two layers of leather, is a poly-core. Basically, it’s a plastic strip that adds stiffness and torsion resistance to the belt, helping it better stand up to the weight of a pistol and other EDC gear.
Once cut to length, it’s a simple matter to add one of Kore’s buckles. The buckle in this review is the X3 style. Flip the lever down to drive seven sharp teeth into the belt, locking it very securely in place. The back side of the buckle is actually designed to work as a bottle opener, too.
The real trick, of course, is the track system. Instead of holes, the spring-loaded buckle “tooth” ratchets into the Trakline track at quarter-inch increments. There are 40 steps, giving you a good six times more adjustment options than a typical belt. Not only that, but there’s about 10 inches of adjustment between loosest and tightest, which is a lot more than a holey belt, too.
To loosen the belt, simply squeeze the tab on the bottom of the buckle. This lifts the tooth and allows the belt to slip right out or, if you’ve just had that Texas-sized breakfast, loosen up by a notch or two. It’s really easy and fast.
The end result is a great belt for everyday concealed carry purposes. Or, heck, for nicer occasions — gun or no gun — as it’s very nice looking rather than giving off that more gruff and tough tactical or utilitarian feel of most gun belts. 
The Kore Gun Belt also works great for OWB carry and competition use. It’s more than stiff enough both vertically (doesn’t sag) and torsionally to hold the weight of a gun plus a bunch of spare magazines without having to wear it uncomfortably tight.
After seven months of use, the two biggest standouts with the Kore Essentials Trakline Gun Belt are the granular adjustability and the surprising stiffness and load carrying ability given the “dress belt” look. I’ve very much appreciated the quarter-inch adjustments. So much so, in fact, that I punched an extra hole in one of my other belts between the two factory holes that I used to bounce back and forth between, having never found that Goldilocks zone in either.
If I could change anything about this belt, it would be additional flexibility in the “wrap-around” direction. This isn’t unique to the Kore Gun Belt, but when carrying IWB with a comfortable amount of snugness, there’s a gap in front of and behind the holster. That is, a gap between the belt and me. A floppier belt does a better job of conforming around the shape of the holster, which I find comfortable and even more “concealy,” but then again a floppier belt usually necessitates a tighter fit to support the weight of a gun.
On balance, I find that running a stiff belt like this one, adjusted looser, is more comfortable. The exception is with a relatively lightweight gun and a well-broken-in, floppier belt that has molded itself to the gun lump.
At $59.95 for a belt plus buckle and $25 for an additional belt, I’d definitely recommend the Kore Gun Belt here to anyone in need of an everyday carry belt that doesn’t scream “tactical.”
Heck, it’s at home from casual wear to business suit, yet despite the Kore’s refined looks it does the job as well as most of the significantly thicker, heavier gun belts. All while providing far more adjustment options, swappable buckles and belts, and size-it-yourself convenience that alleviates concerns of mail ordering the wrong size.
Specifications: Kore Essentials Trakline Gun Belt
Material: Genuine leather with polymer core for additional stiffness. High-grade zinc nickel alloy buckle.
Width: 1.5 inches
Thickness: 5.5 mm
Size: Trim to size; fits waists from 24 inches to 54 inches
Adjustment: 40 adjustment points in 1/4-inch increments
Warranty: 1-year warranty and 30-day money back guarantee
Origin:Â Designed and headquartered in San Diego. Manufactured in Asia (belt in China, buckle not specified).
MSRP: $59.95 for a belt plus buckle package. $25 for an additional belt. $29.95 for additional buckles.
Coupon Code:Â Enter “TTAG”‘ for 10% off; no expiration.
Disclaimer: Neither TTAG nor any of its writers receive any compensation whatsoever based on orders or anything else related to these belts. Knowing the review was pending, Kore asked if I’d like to include a coupon code for our readers. I almost said “no,” but figured I’d just add this sort of disclaimer as an assurance that there’s no conflict here and go ahead and take the offer to save any armed intelligentsia belt buyers a few bucks.
Ratings (out of five stars):
Comfort * * * * *
Quarter-inch adjustments are just awesome. The belt is also stiff enough that it can carry weight on its own, alleviating the need to hold your gun and gear up via the tight squeeze method.
Utility * * * *
Designed to support up to four pounds of guns, mags, and gear. Which it does. And it looks classy and unassuming while doing so. Plus, the belt buckle — easily swappable, mind you, for other buckles or onto other belts — is a bottle opener. And again, quarter-inch adjustments allow it to fit properly around all of the guns and holsters in your collection, both before and after Thanksgiving dinner.
Quality * * * *
The finish quality and materials quality of the buckle is very nice. It feels solid and operates smoothly, has no burrs or finishing marks, no mold lines, etc., and it has the appearance of quality as well. It’s a nice piece. The belt is also very nice but maybe not quite as nice. Fit and [very even] finish, edge detail, stitching, and quality of the “track” are all way up there. The leather is real leather, which is excellent, but it’s of average quality.
Overall * * * *
The Core Essentials Trakline Gun Belt is a really great belt and, at under $60, is also a strong value. I’ve heard advertisements for this style of track-adjustable belt on the radio for many years but basically blew it off as a gimmick. It isn’t. The adjustment is extremely fast and easy, highly secure, and the comfort difference between quarter-inch and one-inch adjustments is very easy to appreciate in practice.
Ahem. Iron broken?
Ha!
B U S T E D !!
My first thought also.
As JS is about the age of my oldest, I grinned and grimaced at the same time.
Nothin’n but love J !!
BTW- the last photo looks like it belongs with a resume going with a porn application.
Oh, man, you are right!
Geeze, Jeremy, are you ‘advertising’? You might wanna re-crop that last pic…
(And is there such a thing as “High-grade zinc nickel alloy”?)
LOL!
1) it’s hot and humid here in TX and those bad wrinkles under my right bosom came from the seatbelt. I spilled water from my YETI on myself (and my computer) while getting into the car and it dried under a seatbelt haha
2) I don’t have an iron anyway so…
3) the style of the shirt isn’t exactly seersucker but it’s mostly linen and is supposed to have some light wrinkly character to it
4) I’m just happy to see you. I wanted that to be the lead photo but it’s portrait rather than landscape and that’s an issue. Saved the best for last instead 😛
5) no dang clue. But it isn’t like other cast zinc stuff I’ve seen. It’s seems very dense and non-porous with a fine, smooth, hard surface finish.
Wow. Not sure about that last pic. I’ve never seen a dude from that angle before. I didn’t much care for it.
Other than that, good review.
That shirt was perfectly pressed just before the photo shoot began. But it’s linen. See the sequence of photos here for explanation:
http://magnificentbastard.com/features/linen-it-sucks
At least iron the placket
The belt is stamped Genuine Reinforced Leather. That says to me that the reinforcing is genuine. Shouldn’t it be Reinforced Genuine Leather?
/smartassgrammarnazi
i once went canoeing for a week and forgot to bring a belt. we had some clothes line and i wound up sporting a daisy may klampett thing for the duration. solid. infinite adjustability. and i could use it to line dry my unmentionables.
I can empathize; after any significant time in the bush or or a very different and challenging environment my gear develops more string, tape, etc and my clothing undergoes a metamorphosis from semi-casual rural/street wear to apocalypse survivor in a matter of days. I guess I admire function over form, or perhaps I just enjoy striking a dramatic figure.
You just mentioned your unmentionables.
I’ve been wearing one of these consistently for close to a year now and love it. When I sit down I can loosen it a notch or two. When I stand up I can snug it up again to keep my right side from sagging. One caveat: I think I broke the buckle doing dry fire practice using a Alien Gear IWB holster that has fairly strong retention. Kore replaced the buckle for free and claimed the newer batches would be stronger.
Love mine. I’ve always had an issue with belts due to a small waist (28″) and a general lack of body structure for a belt to ride on, no waist so to speak, so it sits on my hips. The adjustability of the belt is awesome. Does a good job of holding the weight as well.
I love mine as well! It’s holding up nicely. Comfortable and strong. It’s border line life changing to adjust the belt for sitting and standing.
Obviously that can be done with a normal belt, too, but it’s WAY more discreet plus faster and easier with this belt. Just squeeze the release to let it out a notch or two, then push the non-buckle side farther into the buckle to tighten it up again. No pulling the tail out of the buckle or having to expose it to see the holes, etc etc. Can be done quickly even one-handed.
I couldn’t agree more. This belt, a Vedder holster and my S&W shield are my everyday carry now. I don’t think it can get much better than that combination.
You’ll notice poor reviews around the internet about this belt but take them with a grain of salt. This belt is the real deal. It even carried my 1911 securely. I believe that those reviews were either earlier versions or not the actual gun belt version.
Might be worth while to mention in this article to be sure that you order the actual gun belt. Kore offers a lot of belts that aren’t meant to carry the extra weight from a firearm and some may find their website unclear with making that distinction. Ordering the wrong one would certainly bring unsatisfactory results.
Great review Jeremy!
I bought one of these a couple years ago. Love the idea, but it didn’t function as well as I’d hoped. It was my EDC belt for a year and a half. The finish has worn off the buckle, the leather has cracked in several places and the buckle never really kept a solid bite on the belt. I loved having 1/4″ adjustments. I am considering buying another, though, for use as a dress belt. I personally don’t think it quite works for every day wear
Was it actually their “gun belt” version? Because this is beefed up vs the normal one, including the buckle (buckles between the two aren’t compatible). They’ve apparently improved all of the buckles though in the recent past.
It was indeed their gun belt version.
I roll with a Bison Last Chance belt. Adjustable to millimeters with no special gadgetry.
$20 at REI.
Or I use a Kuhl belt (forget the model) that’s set and forget with a climbing style buckle, also adjustable to millimeters with no special tech. Also available at REI… Like $25.
I wear an “Instructor Belt” sometimes as well, but it’s kind of a different animal from a leather business casual / dress belt looking affair like this Kore piece, eh?
I guess I hadn’t really consider the “look” because I offset my buckle on to my left hip and with a black belt the buckle kind of disappears if I’m in dress clothes and the black blends in.
Of course, if I ever buy a light colored suit it would be kinda obvious…
I’ve had one of these for a few months. Would only rate comfort 3 stars due to the rather sharp edges on the inside top of the buckle that dig into your skin, particularly when sitting. Might just be the buckle design I picked but it’s annoying.
I’m going to give this a try; I am often pocket-carrying my XDS in a business suit all day, but would love to have the option to try an IWB or even OWB on the 2 weeks a year I can bear wearing a suitcoat outside here in Austin. With my current belts for the suit, a belt-clipped holster is just out of the question, and the “traditional” gun belts…well, they just don’t work in a suit 🙂 We’ll see if the width of the belt can work with the slacks. It’ll be close.
You coming to our meet up tonight at Casa de Montecristo on 360? 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. I’ll bring the belt so you can check it out 🙂
I wear one daily. It’s pretty good. It’s not a heavy-duty gun belt. Don’t hang a lot of equipment off of it, I’m not even sure how well it would work with a real brick of a handgun like a Gen3 smith, but for a glock it’s ezpz.
The pivot pin on mine came apart after about 9 months, and they immediately sent me a replacement buckle.
I’ve owned the brown Kore gun belt for a year, and love it! Had to wait after Christmas for a black one. Great Gun Belts!
Kore gun belts are the BEST belts I have ever had. I just bought my third belt and own one for every occasion. But most importantly I love the quality. I’m a detective in Houston, Texas and I need a strong firm belt to hold my gun and gear in place and not suffer from waist discomfort due to over tightening the belt. This belt does all that.
I’ve used several different gun belts but the Kore tactical belt is amazing. It’s the best CCW belt I’ve ever worn. My whole family and some guys I work with have them now. They also love them
I liked my first Kore gun belt so much, I ordered a second. Only gun belt I wear whether or not I am carrying. Feels great, looks great, sturdy and stylish. What more could you ask …
I’ve been carrying for 24 years, mostly concealed. I bought the thickest, stiffest leather belts I could find for a reasonable price. But I just got a Kore tactical belt and I’m very impressed to say the least. Not only is it a perfect fit every time, it carries my M&P 9pro just as comfortably as my Glock 43 in and out of the waist band. My opinion, great belt and great price! Worth checking out.
For my needs Kore makes the best reinforced belt for edc hands down! All the other belts I’ve had have a hard time fitting through the pants loops. The strap relies either on velcro or nothing at all and the belt always loosens up. But my Kore belt is super easy to adjust, fits through the loops very easy, stiff enough to support my firearm, holds the tightness very well and looks low key and stylish.
I love my Kore gun belt. It’s very sturdy and the ability to adjust it in small increments is wonderful. With my job I go from standing to sitting and/or driving frequently. The ability to easily adjust the belt a little when transitioning from one activity to another is so convenient. When I ordered I got the tactical belt, an X1 buckle and an additional leather belt. I thought I would try them out and just switch the buckle from the tactical belt to the leather belt when I need a nicer looking ccw belt. Well, I love the belts so much that I just ordered another buckle so I won’t have to switch the buckle from one belt to the other. You won’t be disappointed with this belt.Â
Kore gun belts are all that I use now. I’m a veteran NRA Certified Pistol Instructor as well as a Certified Concealed Carry Instructor for my home state. Part of my curriculum talks about the importance of EDC gear, like your holster and your belt. My Kore belts check all the boxes: high quality, good rigidity and really easy to adjust. The quality assures that the belt won’t break down with use, especially when you wear them daily like I do. The rigidity allows the belt to take the weight of the firearm making it easier for me to wear for hours at a time. I like the ease of adjustment with the track system because my waist size changes throughout the day. It’s not a big deal until you have a firearm strapped to you making you uncomfortable after mealtime. But to me the most impressive thing about the belts are the value. I researched and found similar styles for 25-95% more than the Kore belts retail price. But Kores numerous buckle options are stylish and don’t have the “shoot me first” tactical look that I try to avoid when I’m out in public. I often get asked during classes what belt I wear and will take mine off for people to check out. I usually do this after my “Don’t buy your gun belt at a department store speech”. On top of having great belts, I can tell you first hand that Kore’s customer service is A+.
The guys at Kore have great products and great customer service. I’d gone through quite a few reviews looking for a good reinforced gun belt with the ratcheting adjustments rather than holes. I landed on Kore Essentials and decided to buy 2. After I made my purchase, I went back into the site and was greeted with a popup ad that advertised 10% off on your first purchase, which I did not receive having just made my first purchase. I was a little upset about this that I didn’t see it before. I sent Kore an email and saw within hours that they had already credited my account with the discount that I mentioned. WOW!!! Once I received the belts, they were very easy to cut and size and attach the buckle. I love the ratcheting system that allow you to make the tiniest adjustments to your tightness based on what you are wearing or standing or sitting or whatever the situation is. I’ve worn the 2 belts for several weeks now, and really show no wear from my holster clips and they look great. I wear them with jeans or slacks and will be replacing any other belts that I’ve used in the past.
Belt arrived broken, customer service was worse
The belt buckle arrived defective. I wrote to ask what was up and got a fragment of a reply: “use a flathead”. I responded three times and got no reply. So I Tweeted Kore and got no reply. Then I called the phone number and got no reply. Then I wrote to them from another email address and asked a vague question about a guarantee and got an immediate reply. That told me what I needed to know: they don’t care. So I called them on it and told them that they refused to help me when I was complaining but when I seemed to be a prospective customer they wrote back right away. They then gave me the runaround and Shawn the customer service guy was very sarcastic and told me that I broke it when he, in fact, has no idea what happened. They never asked what happened. So I called again to complain about Shawn. I never asked for a free belt but they kept saying that they can’t send me one. I told them repeatedly that I was calling to tell them that Shawn was rude and they kept telling me they can’t replace the belt. Long story short: they’ll take your money, they won’t stand by the product and they will be condescending. There are other such belts on the market. Stay away from these knuckleheads.
I’ve been a cop for 29 years and have used about every type of holster and carry position there is including leather and nylon belts. But Kore makes the best gun belt there is. Its a very comfortable and secure way to wear my holster. We used to say it’s NOT comfortable, but comforting to have your gun. But now I can say it’s comfortable AND comforting to have my gun on me.
TRACK SHOWS THRU SURFACE
I too absolutely Love the 1/4″ adjustability. The gunbelt is plenty structural enough to hold a compact Glock & related. It still looks mostly good after half a year, but the plastic track is showing through the surface leather where the buckle presses against it. I would’ve thought the ‘poly core’ would prevent the buckle from pressing the surface leather down into the back of the track, showing its indents, but no.
Received one for Christmas took it out of the box seen made in CHINA rolled up put it back in the box very disappointed refused to bow to child labor and home of the killer virus! You would think for $60 it could be made here! Thanks for nothing Kore!
If you dislike the mistreatment of children I don’t recommend looking into US defense contractor’s drone strikes. Although I do agree buying local is better, less emissions from shipping.
Hah, company headquartered in San Diego which means probably every “assault gun belt” sold must be reported to Gavin. I can say this because I lived in Cali for 40 years before escaping. Also, the belt is made in China which means you are funding Commies if you buy one. Sounds like a non-starter to me.