Gear Review: Ratchet Gun Belt for concealed carry, open carry

Whoa!  A leather gun belt with no holes? Whether driven by daily concealed carry or modern sleek style, buyers of the Ratchet Gun Belt get both in one classy package.  Top grade leather, custom fit, and reinforced for heavy use, the RGB sets itself apart from your run-of-the-mill belt.  Is it a high-priced fad or a leader in what all belts will soon aspire to be?  Guns.com finds out.

Ratchet Gun Belt

The Ratchet Guns Belt is essentially a one-size-fits-all 48” trimmable length, 1-1/2” width belt, though they do offer a 60” lengths for the bigger boys as well.  What makes the belt unique is the ratchet track design, which allows adjustment in 1/4” increments.  Wearers get the perfect fit every time without reaching for the nearest hole.

RGB’s are anti stretch, sag or fold-over with a military-grade reinforcement layer sandwiched between two full grain leathers. The handcrafted RGB comes very neatly packed in its own wooden box.  The buckle is housed in a soft cloth pouch, while the mounting hardware and allen wrench come in a plastic baggie.

All five styles of the Ratchet Gun Belt come with a limited lifetime warranty, as well as a 30-day return/exchange policy.  If you do not love your new belt, you can return or exchange it for 100% refund up to 30 days from date of delivery, as long as it’s all original with the correct packaging.  The warranty covers the usual material and craftsmanship defects.

RGB Options

The RGB is available in a number of variants:

• The Mamba: Black belt, black buckle, black stitching. This was our test belt.
• The Condor: Black belt, steel buckle, black stitching.
• The Viper: The only brown belt in the collection. White stitching. Out of stock but expected back shortly.
• The Cobra: Black belt, steel buckle, white stitching.
• The CA King: Black belt, black buckle, white stitching.

All belts, regardless of options, retail for $119 on the RGB website.  Additional buckles are available for $29.  Be sure to “like” RGB on social media, as they have been running pretty nice discounts recently.

Wearing the RGB

We received our RGB in black-on-black Mamba style.  As the belt comes in a generous 48” length, we followed instructions and trimmed it to our actual belt size through a little trial and error fitting.  Remember, measure twice and cut once,

The belt blank is very clearly marked in length increments to simplify the process.  Though we did try heavy duty sharp shears, using a sharp utility knife was the best way to go, per the company.  It is one serious piece to cut through, with double-layer leather and an insert, and I admit it was a little unnerving to start slicing through such a nice piece of leather and stitching.

There’s no need to worry about the rough end and seam unraveling, however, as it then fits inside the provided buckle and is held firmly there with four teeny, tiny provided set screws.  Kudos to the company for including an extra in case one finds its way into your shag carpet.  That system also makes it easy enough to swap out buckles for another from the company, should you opt for a different style down the line.

The reinforced insert proved itself ideal for daily carry and heavy use without sacrificing comfort or wearability.  This is the first reinforced hole-less belt I’ve worn, and also the first belt I’ve been able to carry heavier guns and accessories with no belt sag whatsoever.  The RGB was comfortable, did its job, and looks good, though it does take a little getting used-to when you always wear the same ‘ol “holed” belt.

The Ratchet Gun Belt company is certainly not the only ones on the market offering belts with a holeless, trackline mechanism. In fact, the trackline is showing up more and more as belts go holeless for a better fit and cleaner look.   However, not only does the company dote on the gun-carrier’s market, the RGB is the only product in their line and they are quite dedicated to doing it right.  Though we are seriously sad to see multiple Made-in-China stamps on both the belt and packaging, the company does offer excellent U.S. based customer service in Cincinnati, Ohio.  We hope they will at least offer a full Made-in-USA belt in the future.  For what it’s worth, our dealings with the company revealed an incredibly courteous and responsive staff.

Our wooden belt box also included a 9mm casing-turned-something-with-a-tie-tack-back.  The cleaning cloth is a nice touch for those belt buckle polishers walking among us, and the buckle came in its own travel bag. The attention to detail is certainly not lacking. And these folks can wax poetic about belts like I never imagined. Check out their video here: If you still don’t believe the RGB folks are belt-nuts, check this quote from the website:

“R.G.B.s are made from cows born and bred from Italy, America and Argentina. R.G.B. only picks the best full grain aniline leather. This is the most natural and soft leather, which only composes 5% of the cow skin. We apply the aniline leather on both the inside and outside of the belt. The dyes are thoroughly penetrated through the leather to offer the best quality, durability and does not show scratches. Each belt goes through 13 procedures all by experienced artisans. The handcrafting process takes more than 3 weeks in total. We proudly declare that the overall quality of R.G.B. is many times better than our competitors. We believe that paying close attention to all of these details make the difference.”

Conclusion

While it’s hard to justify spending over $100 on a belt, quality and security often come with a price.  Our major knock was spending that dough on a non-US production item, but we have hopes for the future and were pleased with the durability and function of the belt.  The RGB team does one thing and they do it well.  The craftsmanship is top notch, as are the company contacts. So next time you’re in the market for a dressy belt, or looking to upgrade your daily carry rig, give the folks at Ratchet Gun Belt a chance to improve your sense of style and protection.

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