Finally, A low-profile belt I can hide stuff in! If there’s one thing I love, it’s good beer. If there’s a second thing I love, it’s hiding stuff. I saw this belt online months ago and couldn’t wait to get my hands on one.
By J. Bridger, contributing author to SHTFblog and Survival Cache
I’ve been on the search for the perfect belt for a long time. I have a 5.11 riggers belt that holds up my pants, but the buckle is so obtrusive, I hate the way it looks when I wear a T-shirt. I’ve had a couple leather belts from western stores, but they aren’t good for anything other than displaying my buckles. Plus, you can’t play Guitar Hero without scraping up the back of the controller. Talk about first world problems.
The Dynamis Alliance LoPro Belt comes in 1.5” and 1.75” widths. The material is similar to what seat belts are made of, but a little stiffer. It uses strong hook-and-loop fasteners with a wide range of adjustment. I bought the smaller 1.5″ size so I could be sure it would fit in all my belt loops and holsters. It’s pricey, $59.99, but that seems to be on par with higher quality gun belts. It comes in black, with your choice or red or grey logo. There are three sizes: small (26”-30”), medium (30”-34”), and large (34”-38”). It’s also made in the USA.
The two things that attracted me to this belt were the low-profile design, and the ability to hide things in the pockets, of which there are three. The first sits at the small of your back and is perfect for a spare key. This is my favorite pocket because it is top loading and easy to get into. The others are side loading and are very hard to get things in and out of. The key pocket is about 1-1/8” from top stitch to bottom stitch and is 3” long.
There are two other pockets at the front of the belt, where the buckle would be. They are right up against each other, end to end. They are the same size as the key pocket but configured differently. One is made of solid fabric with a Velcro closure on the side. The Dynamis Alliance LoPro Belt is so narrow, and the pocket is sewn all the way to the end so when you pull on the Velcro, nothing happens. You have to get needle nose pliers or a pencil to cram in between the Velcro to open it. I can’t even get my pinky finger in there. Good luck getting your handcuff key or friction saw out of here with your hands behind your back. I don’t keep anything in this pocket because it’s so difficult to access. The last pocket is made of a mesh material. The Velcro is not sewn on the top and bottom all the way to the end, so when you pull on it, it comes right open. This pocket is still tight, but it’s easier than the other one to get into.
Related: Survival Gear Review: Escape & Evasion Gun Belt
Here I keep a razor blade, About 30” of Kevlar twine, a polymer handcuff key, and a couple $20 bills (I’m no Rockefeller). I can think of a million other things I’d like to keep in here, but it just isn’t possible. I have the contents wrapped with the string in a way so when I open it, I can pull it all out by pulling on the loop .
The Kevlar string I keep with a bowline tied at each end, so it’s ready to use as a friction saw to cut through rope, paracord, zip ties, or duct tape. The polymer handcuff key and razor blade speak for themselves. If you carry one, don’t forget to take it out before you go through airport security! I keep the $40 in case I find myself in a pickle that $40 can get me out of. Forty bucks is better than no bucks.
The Dynamis Alliance LowPro Belt feels sturdy and strong, and has no problem carrying my Glock 19 in its IWB holster. They don’t recommend you use it for OWB carry, and I’m not sure why. It certainly seems sturdy enough.
My complaints are few. The pockets can be difficult to get into, and harder to get things out of. If you put a handcuff key into one of the side loading pockets, you will never get it out. Unless you take the belt off, use needle nose pliers, and get lucky, its staying in there. For items like this, you have to devise some kind of pull tab system. I suspect the pockets would be slightly easier to get into with the 1.75” belt, but then I’ve had problems with belt loops and holsters at that size. Lastly, the belt material, Velcro, and pockets have made the belt bulky at the front. Loaded with a few items, the belt is still ½” to ¾” thick. For a lot of people this won’t be a problem, but for slimmer people in fitted shirts, you will have an odd looking “shelf” protruding from behind your shirt. If you have a belly, your shirts are not fitted, or you wear a flannel or other thicker material shirt, this is a non-issue. I think this could have been improved by distributing the pockets somewhere other than the front and sticking to the key pocket design instead of the side loading pocket. That’s my just two cents.
Overall, it’s a sturdy belt with the ability to give you a little extra piece of mind by carrying an extra key, some cash, and whatever other tools you fancy. I don’t mind paying a little extra for made in the USA products, and with the craftsmanship, I’d say it’s well worth it.
Pros:
High quality materials.
High quality craftsmanship.
Easy to don/doff.
Cons:
Pockets difficult to access.
The front of the belt still isn’t low profile.