TUFF Products EZ-Feed Cobra Ranger Belt (MSRP $80) – Robert H.

If you plan to carry a gun as part of your EDC gear a proper belt is essential.  The progression is usually starts with something like the 1 inch dress belt you’ve always worn that has never really been more than ornamental.  You strap your first firearm on your side and immediately start having issues.  First you notice each time you lower your pants in the bathroom the belt is inspired by Chubby Checker and does a twist that leaves you staring down the barrel of your own pistol!  Leading you to try and find new and inventive ways to occupy your gun while occupying a seat.  Later you will realize the added weight requires you to tighten your belt to keep the holster seated where you want and keep it from doing a less than popular lean into public space.  This tightening leaves you with a belt with elongated eyes that eventually begin to rip the belt leaving you with a valuable lesson on the need for a better belt.

Next you purchase something more substantial from a company like Levi because it’s an inch and a half wide and rugged.  Surely, this extra bulk will change your whole gun totin’ world.  Only it doesn’t really.  Sooner or later you will be seeking out a thick belt from a gunshow vendor in a width of 1 ¾ inches because the 2 inch belt you already bought won’t feed through the beltloops of your jeans but if you push like hell maybe this one will.  After all that, unless you landed on a pricey double thick gun belt you still aren’t going to be satisfied.

Skip the heartache and jump straight to a good belt that was designed to carry a firearm.  The TUFF EZ-Feed Cobra Ranger Belt has been part of my EDC for months now and I couldn’t be happier with it.  The belt adjusts easily to size and once fitted it is a quick snap of the cobra buckle in the morning and out the door to start the day.  The 1.5 inch width and double thick webbing slide easily into every pant I’ve worn.  The belt is comfortable, yet stiff enough to hold your weapon in position without worry of sagging or twisting out of shape.  The vertical webbing interspaced along the belt mimics and functions as M.O.L.L.E. compatible straps in case you are interested in some serious horizontal sheath action with your favorite blade. I personally carry enough EDC gear that a belt would cut off my circulation if I tightened it enough to shoulder the load alone.  So I routinely add suspenders to my belts to distribute the weight.  I personally like the Perry style suspender that slides under the belt to hook in.  With the Tuff Ranger Belt the suspenders stay in place without sliding all day due to the thickness of the belt and the friction of the webbing.  I originally went to this style of suspender to avoid metal clips as I have a nickel allergy.  In the past this has been an issue for me with belts as well.  It’s been difficult to find a nickel free buckle large enough for my belts.  With Tuff, I don’t have that problem.  I don’t know if the buckle is nickel free because it sits in place on the outer side of the belt in such a way it never makes contact with my skin.  So far,  my Ranger Belt has been nothing but a positive experience and I think you will like it as well.

A quick note on sizing; if your size falls at the outer edge of a range it wouldn’t hurt to buy the larger size.  The excess belt will slide easily behind the opposing side and be retained by an included Velcro vertical retention strap.  If you find your purchase is too large you can adjust the belt past the vertical on the buckle side and tighten down the belt.  If however, you are on the other end of the size range and you purchased a belt that was just big enough, you may find that you have the buckle adjusted out so far there will be no excess belt and the buckle is loosely hanging by the outer nylon strap.  In this case all you need to do is move the Velcro retention strap from the feed end of the belt over to the buckle side. Just strap it right around the belt and adjustable nylon strap and snug it up to your buckle.  It works perfectly, and leaves you with a more organized situation when adjusting to the extreme end of the belt’s sizing.

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