Elastic belts are free size and normally don’t tear at all. meaning they can last for life.
I am kind of surprised that they are not commonly recommended in the anti-consumption/ buy it for life communities. Despite the fact that replacing normal belts with them at scale would save the world shitload of resources that are spent on normal belts annually.
Side note: I don’t recommend wearing jeans or suit trousers on daily basis, as there is more durable options that can last for longer time.
Photo is for example, as this is a generic item.
That just feels like giving up. My belt is the first indicator that I need to lose a couple of pounds.
Idk about this, dog. Elastic always seems to be the first thing to wear out on my clothes so I’m not excited to try it on a belt. My leather belts seem to be immortal, are you using good leather belts or cheap ones?
Elastic wears out.
Not BIFL.
Any options that aren’t plastic, but still business casual? Or that I can wear out and not look like my dad?
Cant remember when I last wore a belt. But isn’t the entire point of them is to be adjustable.
It is but traditional belts are only adjustable by increments set by the manufacturer. Elastic belts allow total control by the user.
As someone who does need to wear a belt with most of my pants, it makes a huge difference.
There are ratchet belts now that have much finer control of sizing than ones with holes.
That sounds complicated.
They’re easier to put on than a normal belt. It just slides through the buckle (clicking each segment it passes), and you stop when it’s tight enough.
Ahhh. I hadn’t even heard of them until now.
I love my ratchet belts.
Normal belts have a limited adjustability and can tear very rapidly.
I got one of these years ago and its held up really well. I work construction and have skinny hips and this does great double duty as a tool belt.
Depends on what kind you get. The belts you are talking about are made of two thin strips of leather sewn together with a cheap backing material. A solid leather belt will last decades and you can always punch more holes in it if you lose or gain weight.
I bought one of these a few years ago and it’s still in great shape despite frequent use.
Way better, and more comfortable, than a traditional belt.
Obviously it’d be better if they were made from sustainable materials but the fact that these outlast traditional belts by a wide margin is good.
Elastic belts have rubber cores which very quickly degrade like the elastic in underwear.
The elastic in underwear lasts a lot longer if you don’t put them in the dryer. Unless you regularly enjoy the sound of a buckle hitting the drum over and over, it’ll last a while in a belt.
These loose their elasticity over time, which is rather rapid in hot weather. I had a couple for summer, each lasted 2 seasons.
Real thick and plain leather lasts much longer (I have a hand - me - down I got 25 years ago that has distended and become ugly but works as intended), unless in wet weather where leather the requires a shitload of maintenance not to rot. Quality vegan leather lasts long from what I heard, but I have yet to go through the one I already own.
Quality “nylon” belts last rather long too if the metal parts are thick, but tend to either slip a bit or bite hard but damage the fabric. The ones that close over are the best, ones with the roller slip more. I prefer the ones made from cotton over nylon personally, as they are more confortable but last less.
Crap “leather” belts made of two thin leather strips with a padding inside don’t last very long, even higher quality ones.
Real jeans last long, but thick fabric with no elasthane whatsoever is dissapearing from usual stores as thinner with elasthane is easier to manufacture and fits “better”.
Doesn’t the elastic eventually perish? I think I had one that died.
I was going to say… I’ve had an elastic belt that basically disintegrated when I pulled it out of the closet after not having worn it in 15 years (wore it for 5 years before that).
“For life”? No. Pretty long time? Probably.
I’ve been wearing one for three years. It’s just good.
I have one that has lost elasticity and has become warped, but I do think they’re better than traditional belts.
Interesting, I didn’t know they could lose elasticity. Maybe after more than 5 years of use?
I can’t tell from pictures, but I do not believe the belt in the picture is elastic. It looks like Nylon which isn’t elastic and should last for a long time. It will wear out, but with care should last for a lifetime. I’ve seen elastic belts similar to the above, and those the elastic will get old and wear out in 10-20 years. Belts like pictured can also be made of other fibers (both natural and synthetic), that are not elastic. Some of them will last longer than others - it is important to know what the belt is made of, not just the style.
All elastic material degrades with time and use, this can be made worse by environmental factors like heat or moisture.
A good quality leather belt will outlast any elastic one, quality leather belts are just harder to find nowadays.
I do think these are preferable to normal belts, but every one I’ve worn with regularity has torn rather dramatically in the middle of the workday. One of them I had to replace with a power cable.
“He’s raggin on your cord, dude.”
Elastic ALWAYS breaks down and is made from polymers and nylon crap.
Horrible advice. Buy good quality leather and it lasts decades.
Shit advice OP.
Buy good quality leather and it lasts decades.
Where can I find these? Every time a belt wears out I buy a more expensive leather one looking for one that will last. I have not yet found one that stays in good enough shape to wear to work after a year of use. I’m buying new belts every year and moving last years belts to my home/rough jeans use.
Best advice is to learn how to identify real leather vs laminated shit. Once you can tell by sight, smell, feel you can thrift great items. Also going to markets and craft fairs, you can stumble across artisan leather makers (but even then you gotta make sure they are using quality products)
I bought mine at artisan fairs, from leatherworkers. Been wearing it for more than five years now every day. It shows a bit of wear, but I think it will last at least another five
A flea market. Find a local leather worker and they can make one super fast with good quality leather. “Genuine Leather” is one of the lowest quality leathers out there.
You’ll probably need to take care of it if you want it for work. Cleaning and conditioning it.
Personally, I avoid belts that are narrow, like 1" wide, as I think they like to twist more if they have to do a lot of lifting.
I’ve heard good things about NAB Leather, but have no personal experience.
What you want is single-piece full-grain leather about 10-12 oz weight. (This is a leather thickness measurement, not the weight of the belt.)
I find that trade shows (e.g, home/garden shows) often have a few vendors who make top quality belts.
i’ve been using the same cargo strap as a belt for the past 15+ years and it’s still going strong. infinitely adjustable, too.
Though leather belts stretch over time, the only belt I ever had that actually broke did so after more than a decade of heavy use when the metal buckle eventually gave in.
I have a textile hiking belt (Fjellräven) that I am not particularly happy with. It doesn’t really stay firm over time when walking for hours and hours, and adjusting it underneath the backpack is a pain. An elastic belt with a normal buckle would probably have been better.
How does a belt like the one in the image work? There are no holes, which I guess is a point of them, but do you just cram the metal of the buckle through the weave there or how does it hold?
through the weave.
Yes, exactly. The buckle pin goes through wherever you choose, so the sizing of it is also more adaptable. I have one and use it daily, very happy with the type.
