Belt Loops…Seriously

The other day I was “jocking-up” before leaving the house with a new pair of pants. The belt loops were off a little and as a result I had to switch out holsters. No big deal, until I paid more attention to the variety of belt loops and their positions.

What’s the big deal?

I know, I asked myself the same question. Can I actually create enough material to make an informative blog about belt loops. At first I had my doubts, but when I went through the various pants and shorts in my wardrobe I figured it was actually doable. First off, why the big deal with belt loops. It’s a pretty simple answer, they hold your belt secure to your pants, but proper positioning of the belt loops aide in the placement of your holster for concealment. How many actually take the time to look more closer at belt loops and their position. After a quick glance at the the belt loops I’m pretty sure which holster will best accommodate.

What’s in a belt loop

To get right to the heart of the issue the most common casual wear pants are jeans or dungarees. I can use dungaree because I was in the Navy and know the history, but many of the more rugged “jeans” are modeled off them so ha… If you take a second you will notice depending on the size it will dictate the number of belt loops. As an average waist size I find my jeans have five belt loops. A few pairs of the more expensive pairs have six, the normal single belt loop in the rear has an additional loop.

Positioning

The majority of my jeans have belt loops at the 1 o’clock, 3 o’clock, 6 o’clock 9 o’clock and 11 o’clock position. So, when I want to wear a holster I have to wear one that either has belt loops positioned in front and to the rear of the pistol’s body or I have to use a holster with a split belt loop so I can slip the belt through the holster’s belt loop then the jean’s belt loop. I have noticed that a few belt loops are just a bit off either forward or to the rear that has really complicated my holster positioning. Then there are the extra wide belt loops that really complicate matters.

Rounding them up

Again, it goes back to living your life. If all you have is a couple pair of pants that work for your holster location it can make life very dull. Maybe that is ok, maybe that isn’t such a big deal. I break my pants down into three categories regarding concealing a pistol. There are those that are just right, the belt loops are thin and in the right position. Then there is close, I’ll make them work. This is where the belt loops are slightly off regarding position or the size of the belt loops forces me to adjust the position of the holster or the holster itself. There there is just the plain old goofy. These are the types of pants that location and size of the belt loops make it very challenging to the point I have to consider a different position all together for my holster. Take a second to look over your wardrobe , you might be surprised what you find.

I put a lot of thought into my selection of pants or shorts, believe it or not the belt loops are a big part of my decision. I am looking for a holster positioning that is consistent with all my pants so paying attention to the belt loops makes that happen. Every now and then I have some pants I either want to or need to wear that have some goofy locations, it challenges my skill at concealing for sure.