I’ve recently re-learned a lesson I never should have forgotten. For some reason, I’d gotten into the bad habit of carrying every day with a regular leather belt. You know the kind. Just a thin strip of leather that looks fine, but is far from ideal when it comes to comfortably supporting your everyday carry gun and holster.
I’m not really sure how or why I devolved into that bad habit, but I’m glad that’s now, once again, in the past. And I have the We the People Independence Leather Belt to thank for it. I’ve been wearing this thing daily for about five months now and it’s one of the best non-tactical gun belts I’ve ever tried.
I have tactical-style belts. Lots of ’em. You know the kind…reinforced nylon instructor and COBRA buckle belts that are great when you’re at the range and don’t mind looking operator-ish. And they’re fine for working around the house or yard. They work really well, but they look less than stylish.
When you want to look nicer and you want your belt to blend in, you need something in leather. But it needs to be more than just leather to give you the strength and rigidity you have to have to carry your gat comfortably all day and make it easy to conceal.
The We the People Independence gun belt is all of that. This American-made belt has what the company assures the buyer is a layer of quality vegetable-tanned leather that comes from “patriotic cows.” You have to respect that level of bovine devotion to the right to keep and bear arms.
The important part comes in behind the leather. The cow hide is reinforced with an incredibly sturdy layer of what WTP calls “SCUBA nylon” that’s a blend of nylon and polypropylene. WTP say polypropylene gives the belt more flex that polyester (as in a seat belt) with just as much durability. After five months of daily use, I haven’t seen any sign of wear.
Most important, the belt is more than rigid enough to support anything you’ll be attaching to your belt — holster, mag carrier, knife, phone pouch…whatever — while still being able to move with you for all-day comfort. The Independence gun belt simply will not sag or let your holster flop away from your body.
The Independence has a sturdy metal buckle and is lined with a layer of slick nylon fabric that allows the belt to slide easily when you’re putting it on or taking it off. This is the only leather gun belt with this kind of layer that I’ve seen and it’s a big plus.
This isn’t an inexpensive belt, but gear that you’ll want to use every day because it works well seldom is. The impressively well-made We the People Independence Leather gun belt will run you $109. It may leave your wallet a little lighter, but if you save your shekels and buy one, you won’t regret it.
