I’d like to think I’m smart enough to know this answer but, is a 1.75” belt inherently more stiff than a 1.5” belt? Or does the extra width make it susceptible to bending lengthwise?

Is Beltman still what everyone is using? Isn’t there a member here who took over his father’s business? I’d like to use him.

Can not answer the first question, but received a belt from Beltman about three weeks ago.
Top quality.

PC

two belts constructed the same way would be of equivalent stiffness. If stiffness is what you're after a steel core belt will meet that need at whatever size.

I use the 511 trainer belt bc it has a stiff plastic inner piece and holds any holster and doesn’t fold over like leather.

IIRC the beltman uses a double layer of leather, so it’s very similar to the one I use

The gentleman you are referring to that took over his dad's business is Mike Dare, at Armour belts:

https://armourbelts.com/

I have one of his, and one of Beltmans, and they are both fantastic.

In general, I think for two similar belts, the wider belt was stiffer (ie - wilderness 1.75" vs 1.5").

But the wider belt gave me back pain. For my body and posture, I guess the 1.5" is a better fit for me.

For IWB it's fine. For OWB wearing more gear, I think the wider would be better. I think you can get a stiffer 1.5" as another option - never tried it.

I’ve got Milt sparks belts and Kore belts. But for the single actions I wanted to use the crossdraw holsters I have I wanted to use a larger belt.

I’m gonna give it a try over my actual belt, kinda cowboy style, to see how it goes. I like being able to easily take off a holster throughout the course of the day when working around the property and what not.

I have a bunch of Beltman belts. Well made, last forever and still look good as new. I don't have a 1.75, but I have a few 1.5 and 1.25. I would imagine that the 1.75 would be a bit stiffer than the the 1.5

I've been wearing a Versa carry 1.5" wide belt for about 5 years.
The 1/4" thick Water buffalo hide is still very stiff.
Got ran through the washer and dryer and thought it would be toast like my other one.
Didn't shrink at all and still rigid.

I have several Beltman belts but I'm still wearing the first I bought more than a decade ago.
Can't seem to wear it out. Some from the original Beltman and some from the present owners. Both have been great with excellent customer service.
I wear the 1 1/2 and have no need for anything stiffer, or with any sort of stiffener added.

I could echo the above, except I only have two. One from the original Beltman that has been worn hard as a work belt, while farming. I can only describe the use it has had as abuse for over ten years. Would have to look through the carcass of the old mail server to see when I bought it. It is still going strong. The second is from the new owners, gets used in my “going to town” clothes (still jeans, just not abused), and is not only still going strong, it still looks great.

I’ve read so many great things about Armour Belts on these pages that I keep thinking I need to try one of those. The thing is these darned Beltman belts keep going so well I haven’t needed another.

Both my belts are 1.5 inches, neither is reinforced, and they have worked just fine in most pants (one or two slacks couldn’t take that wide a belt, but that just another excuse to not wear fancy slacks. I’ve never been tempted to try a 1.75” belt as I think there’d be a lot more problems with it not fitting in belt loops. But heck, if your use case is to wear it over another belt, why not?

1. You can't go wrong with a Beltman belt. Mine is nearly 20 years old. I'd still be wearing it, but it got too short.

2. There is no real advantage of a 1¾" width, and one disadvantage: they can be difficult to pull through pant and holster loops, assuming said loops are even that wide to start with.

quote:

but it got too short

Yeah.....belts seem to shrink with age, no matter what they're made of......

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:
1. You can't go wrong with a Beltman belt. Mine is nearly 20 years old. I'd still be wearing it, but it got too short.

2. There is no real advantage of a 1¾" width, and one disadvantage: they can be difficult to pull through pant and holster loops, assuming said loops are even that wide to start with.

The ‘disadvantage’ you speak of is the real advantage of 1.75” belts. They fit most men’s pants loops, and if you’ve got a holster with 1.75” loops that is the size belt you should use. Tight fit in loops and holster means nothing moves around; the belt doesn’t shift and the holster doesn’t slide or wobble.

^^^ None of that has been my experience.

I’m a big fan of Armour belts. I have had two for over ten years and one of them I have worn almost everyday. It is no where near being worn out. The other is for the rare occasions that require a dressier look than my day to day requires. I just picked up a third last with the embossed leather and it may be even better than the ones I already own. I cannot recommend Mike and Armour Belts highly enough.