Battle belts or duty belts are one of those pieces of gear gaining popularity for home defense, military/LE, and competition purposes.

For the user, these belts allow equipment to be carried around the waistline instead of wearing load-bearing vests (LBVs) or body armor. This option enables people to train “slick” or quickly respond if they hear things go “bump” in the night.

Battle belts also allow individuals to complement the equipment they already carry on their LBVs or body armor. One new entry into the realm of battle belts is 5.11 Tactical’s Maverick Battle Belt.

5.11 Tactical's Maverick Battle Belt

Mavericks 2-Part Retention System

The Maverick Battle Belt is a two-part belt system. The first part of the system is the inner belt. The inner belt is a single piece of laminated nylon webbing with a loop face for the outer belt’s hook tape. The inner belt also has hook tape on the belt so that a wearer can secure it around their waist. Besides the hook and loop tape, the belt features a small square pull tab with the 5.11 Tactical logo. Making it easier to release the belt quickly while wearing it through belt loops.

Right out of the box, I noticed the belt has a natural curve shape with a broader flair on the belt’s bottom so that the belt sits securely on my hips. The inner belt also has some stiffness, which helps prevent painful experiences when carrying gear around one’s waist. I also tested just the inner belt to hold my pants up. And it worked exactly as expected. I didn’t have to worry about adjusting my pants while moving or getting in and out of vehicles.

5.11 Tactical's Maverick Battle Belt
The Maverick Battle Belt is a two-part system with an inner belt and an outer belt.

The second part of the battle belt system is the actual battle belt or outer belt. This belt differs from the inner half in that it is constructed with two pieces of nylon webbing and laminate MOLLE webbing. The outer belt also has hook tape on the inside, which secures the inner belt’s loop tape.

The outer belt also has some extra length, allowing the wearer to adjust it to the size of his or her waist. As with the inner belt, the outer belt was pre-formed with a natural curve that helps the belt sit on the top of my waist, which is the optimal place for gear to sit when wearing a battle belt. Additionally, the outer belt is stiffer than the inner belt. Preventing any potential sagging when the gear is attached to the belt.

Along with the laminate MOLLE webbing, 5.11 Tactical made an excellent move by putting a COBRA® buckle from Austri Alpin on the front of the belt. This buckle is a solid one and helps secure the battle belt. I appreciate the design of the buckle, which requires you to press in both the top and bottom wings of the female end to release the buckle. This design ensures that the belt is not accidentally lost. Especially when crawling over brush, vegetation or anything that can inadvertently depress one of the wings.

While testing, the goal was to determine how well the belt retained my range equipment. I mounted an Improved First-Aid Kit (IFAK), a handgun, and AR-style two magazine pouches to this test out. In terms of retention, the laminate MOLLE webbing does an excellent job of keeping the pouches in place.

The webbing is stiff enough to keep the magazine pouches from moving around when practicing reload drills. I also ran and jumped around while wearing the belt to determine how much the belt and equipment would move. The combination of the hook and loop tape in the two-part system and the rigidity of the laminate webbing and belts worked well. The components worked together to keep the pouches and IFAK from bumping around while moving during the test.

5.11 Tactical Maverick Battle Belt Specs courtesy of 511tactical.com

  • Outer belt constructed with proprietary TAC-LAM™ high strength laminate, dual nylon webbing and hook backing for inner belt attachment
  • Laser-cut laminate MOLLE
  • Inner belt constructed with nylon webbing and loop face
  • Ergonomic curved shape
  • Austri Alpin COBRA® buckles
  • TAC-LAM™ Nylon Cordura® laminate | Nylon Webbing
  • 1.75″ belt width
  • Sizes: SM-2XL
  • Weight 0.345kgs
  • MSRP: $140.00
The Maverick utilizes the robust COBRA® Buckle and the laminate MOLLE webbing

Final Thoughts

The Maverick Battle Belt is a great system and piece of kit for anyone to have.

This battle belt works well to hold gear securely around the waist while moving around on an open shooting range or other terrains. The Maverick also achieves the goal of providing a person with a way to carry magazines.

Plus the appropriate first-aid supplies all while keeping a low-vis profile. Lastly, this belt would be helpful in situations where there is not enough time to don the full “battle rattle”. Making the Maverick a great “get up and go” piece of equipment.

This article by Tim Gauthier was originally published by thegearbunker.com.

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