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[TheGearLocker]

We have a guest review this time around.  Please check Jonathan Higg’s review of Arc’Teryx’s H-150 riggers belt that was provided to us from the team at Uber Group.

-Eric

 

It’s true, most rigger belts serve their purpose well; they hold your pants up while providing a platform to mount your sidearm and pouches, as well as give you a retention point to attach into during vehicle operations so you don’t fall and earn a trip to the medic…or worse.  That’s all and good, but he downside of the countless number of retention belts out there in the market today is that they tend to be stiff and a bit on the heavy side with all of the hardware hanging off of the front.

H-150

 

Well, the team at Arc’Teryx LEAF has a solution: The H-150 riggers belt. Based on their lightweight climbing harness design, they essentially removed the leg loops and voila… the H-150 was born.  Oversimplification aside, Arc’teryx has committed years of research into their harness line so this redesign isn’t an overnight thought but rather a progression born from requests in the Law Enforcement and Military community.  Interesting enough, this is the only belt that Arc’Teryx offers across both their LEAF and civilian line, so the community feedback to drive the creation this product is evident.

 

The first thing we noticed in out tests is how light and thin the belt was, considerably more so than the other retention belts we own by coming in just under 6 ounces for the Large size.  This brought up the obvious concern on durability and use as a mounting platform, but after wearing our sidearm all day on the 2” H-150, those concerns were quickly put to rest.  We were especially happy to notice the lack of hip bruising/soreness that is normally apparent after a rigorous day wearing a pistol and 2 extra magazines, and that was a very welcome plus during the review period. All of this can be attributed Arc’Teryx’s Warp Strength technology, which is fancy marketing language for the removal of the vertical weaving on the webbing when it’s under the outer material to reduce weight and thickness all while retaining lateral strength. Call it what whatever you like, but it works; In our tests this belt didn’t give a millimeter when we used it to hang off the side of a small building.

H-150's Webbing

 

H-150 Riggers Belt Loop

 

The 2 part self-locking aluminum buckle was a nice change, and the integrated loops for the extra 3/4“ webbing was an additional nice feature.  It was really needed as the extra webbing on the Large sized belt wrapped around our body almost back to the kidney area. (Note: our tester was 6’ tall at 185lbs with a 34 inch waist) Even with the extra length, the belt fit correctly on our tester’s frame based on the stitched-in instruction label.  The only negative here is that the webbing got in the way of mounting our weak hand placed magazine pouches, but to Arc’Terxy’s defense, this belt was not designed to be a sidearm and/or pouch mounting platform.

Arc'Teryx's H-150 Buckle

 

While we’re on the subject of small gripes, let’s discuss the small black equipment loops placed on the left and right sides of the belt. While threading the belt through our beltloops the equipment loops got caught on ever single stop while we attempted to weave it on our pants.  While not a deal-breaker, it is annoying, so don’t expect a quick on or off of this belt if you are in a hurry.  The other concerns on the loops are the weight rating of 0nK; which translates to non-load bearing, and that’s if they aren’t hiding behind your pants belt loops like they were on our Propper BDU trousers. So when not being used to clip the business end of your unused retention lanyard, we’d only trust them to just a set of keys or a bundle of zip-ties.

Black Equipment Loops

 

Small gripes aside, the H-150 belt from Arc’Teryx LEAF is a strong entry in the sea of riggers belts on the market today. What’s even better is that this belt’s looks don’t scream tactical, so it can cross over into your casual life as well.   With color options of Black, Crocodile (as tested and pictured here), Multicam and Coyote they and sizes from XS –XL, they pretty much have everyone covered from a Law Enforcement/Military perspective. Its thin profile and light weight make it very packable, so it’s not going to weigh down your already heavy ruck or go-bag.

Bottom line, this is a very nice belt with a specific audience, and it serves its specific purpose well.  Coming in at MSRP $119 US it’s not for the thin-wallet crowd, but can you really put a price on a solid safety tool when your life depends on it?

 

 

About the reviewer:

Jonathan Higgs is an avid outdoor action sport aficionado that spent the greater part of his earlier years hiking, climbing or rappelling off any tall object he could tie a rope to. While still active in the outdoors, Jonathan currently runs Airsoftology, the largest independent airsoft-focused podcast with listeners in 73 countries across the globe.

You can find Jonathan at his website: www.airsoftology.com follow him on Facebook at www.fb.com/airsoftology or YouTube at: www.youtube.com/Airsoftologist

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