Answered -- Question about CSM Wilderness Instructor Belt

HikingMano

HikingMano

Joined
Sep 2, 2008
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I am going to buy a wilderness instructors belt and am trying to decide between the 5-stitch model and the CSM (combat shooters model). I will use this belt for hiking, and since I tend to carry stuff on my belt (knife, 1L canteen, multitool, pouch), I would like to know if upgrading to CSM is necessary or if the 5-stitch is stiff enough vertically to hold these items. I have a blackhawk belt right now, and the filled canteen seems to be too much for it. The canteen causes the belt to twist and collapse on itself, and it doesn't ride comfortably as a result.

Is there any downside to the CSM? For CSM owners, is it easy to roll or fold the belt up, or does the insert prevent this?

Thanks in advance :thumbup:
 
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I have a 5 stitch, and it's pretty damn stiff. I imagine the CSM would be uncomfortably so.

Holster001.jpg
 
Yeah, I don't want to drop all this money for a belt, and then find out it's too uncomfortable to wear (if I went with CSM).

Hmm, if you can carry that pistol around with no problem, then I'm guessing a liter of water in a canteen won't be much of a problem either. :thumbup:
 
the 5-stitch will be plenty. Had mine 8 years, wear it 5 out of 7 days a week, and it's still going strong. And I tend to hang a lot of junk off my belt (hate things in my pockets)...
 
Looks like it'll be the 5-stitch :thumbup:

I'm liking that the ends of the Wilderness belts are resin impregnated...the end of my blackhawk belt is getting pretty frayed.
 
+1 for the 5 stitch - I used one in conjunction with a Kydex holster/mag pouches (Glock 23, 2 spare mags, and a AR-15 mag) during a shooting class and found it to be plenty stiff.
 
I've had the five-stitch for about a year. Holds a steel 5" 1911 without much trouble. It's softened up nicely, but still holds the weight just fine.

The nice thing is you can send it in to have the nylon replaced if you change your mind: cheaper than a new belt.
 
FWIW, as part of my business we are an authorized stocking Wilderness Belt dealer and we only stock the 5 stitch and the Frequent Flyer model for those who must travel by airplane. We sell a truck load of these belts and I've never had anyone bring one back because they were dissatisfied or because they didn't hold up to the task at hand.

They will carry a reasonable amount of weight - a large handgun, magazines, flashlight, knife, multi-tool, ammo dump pouch full of ammo etc. So I'm confident this belt will hold the gear you've described with ridiculous ease.

The 5 stitch works extremely well and will hold up to a lot of weight. Any stiffer and then it is like wearing a chain saw blade around your middle as it will start to chaff you.

I'm confident the 5 stitch is more than adequate for your needs. The most challenging decision you now must face is "which color should I choose?" For the woods, one must wear OD green, for the desert; tan. For everyday black. Oh we must match our belts to the outting don't you know!

Where most people screw up is in selecting the correct belt size. They assume if they wear a 38 waist jean they take a 38 Wilderness Belt - NOPE! Take a seamstress type tape measure, or just use a piece of paracord and measure yourself through the belt loops. If you're wearing anything inside the waistband take that into consideration. Then get the belt closest to the nearest whole inch. So for example; don't be surprized if your Jean waist size is a 34 and the Wilderness Belt is a 36.

The key is to get the Velcro to end up approx half way when the belt is fastened so you have maximium flexibilty in your system. If you do not do this, then expect to return the belt at least once to get the correct sizing. Don't ask me how I know this! Take the time to measure yourself and you'll be glad you did.
 
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Wow Quirt, thanks for the detailed post. :thumbup:

I actually put in the order last night for a 5-stitch 1.5" (black for versatility), so it's good to have even more info confirming it was a good choice.

I was worried about the measuring thing, and I hope I sized it correctly. I did both methods they list on their site, and they seemed to agree pretty well. Woke up this morning though and remeasured myself because last night I sized for a pretty snug, bordering on tight, fit. I remeasured myself for a looser, just snug, fit and had to go up to the next nearest inch. I figure the 1 3/4" margin should give me more flexibility there.

I emailed them, so I hope it won't be a problem to go a size up.
 
My TI buckled 1.5" 5 stitch wilderness is about 3 years old now
I replace the "hook" side of the Velcro about once a year, other than that the belt looks pretty new.

It has held up well - it regularly carries my flashlights, multitool, cellphones, keys and a nalgene full of water (in maxpedition rollypoly)

If I ever manage to wear this one out, I will be purchasing another straight away, it is very comfortable, and gets better with age

Quirt is right - make sure you measure correctly, mine is a size to big, it fits, but is as tight as it goes - I should have ordered a size smaller
Makes sure you pull the measuring tape tight, like you would wear a belt when you measure your waist
 
I went on a hike with a howling rat on one side (~10-12oz) and a 4 inch 686 on the other(32+ounces) and it worked perfectly. I actually don't carry a gun anymore so I dropped to the 3 stitch.
 
Echo63 said:
My TI buckled 1.5" 5 stitch wilderness is about 3 years old now
I replace the "hook" side of the Velcro about once a year, other than that the belt looks pretty new.
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This sounds like a strong disadvantage. Wearing out a component in a year is worse than most simple leather belts. I always replace velcro on pouches with snaps because it wears out and doesn't work well when frozen or muddy.
 
I wear a Wilderness three stitch everyday, have for years. I'll bet my current belt is 5-6 years old and the Velcro is still fine. The three stitch has been fine for me as I tend not to load up the belt, probably only a medium sized handgun (Sig 239).
 
Check out the liger belt on the maxpedition website. I know it is not what you were looking at but it is a stiff belt that I find good for carrying my glock 23. Made in america, kind of like a rubber coated belt, looks like leather, but strong like nylon. cannot absorb water like nylon though.
Not cheap but I saw it as an investment that should last a while.

http://www.maxpedition.com/store/pc/LIGER®-GUN-BELT-BLACKOUT-16p276.htm
 
I guess I should update this thread since it's been resurrected.

I received my belt shortly after my last post in this thread. I used it for at least a year on my hikes. I had carried a few pouches on the belt, but I've since dropped items. Now, I only carry a canteen (1L) and a medium sized fixed blade, sometimes a point and shoot in a pouch as well. I've also carried a machete in a sheath a time or two. The belt I ordered held the items perfectly, and the 5-stitch was plenty stiff for my needs.

After being pleased with the original belt, I also ordered a Frequent Flyer belt in 3-stitch for everyday use and one less hassle in airport security. The 3-stitch belt proved equally capable of carrying my canteen and knife on hikes and is lighter to boot, so I sold my original belt a little while ago. I now use the 3-stictch Frequent Flyer belt for EDC and hiking/camping/backpacking.

Both belts have held up well over the year and a half or so of use and I have no complaints. I used both belts in muddy/sandy/dirty conditions and never had much of a problem with the velcro, especially with a little cleaning after really dirty use. As has been said already, if you're ordering a belt, make sure you get the sizing right.

Regarding the Velcro, it was never intended to function in securing the belt; it's simply there to keep the tag end from flapping about.

Wilderness Tactical site said:
The hook-and-loop fastener is only to retain the loose end from flopping around; the buckles are designed to secure the belt. They will quickly lose their stitching and be destroyed if the buckle is improperly used. With proper threading our belts should last for years. Of special importance, the Velcro® securing the end tab has no load-bearing capability on its own and the safety function of the Instructor Belts will be completely undermined if improperly used.

We recommend cleaning any lint or particles out of the hook and loop Velcro® once in a while to extend its life and maintain its adhesive abilities.
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On a side note, I do want to try a Liger Belt next :thumbup: I like that it looks a bit nicer for everyday use. I would have gotten it earlier had it not been for the cost.
 
brandonc said:
This sounds like a strong disadvantage. Wearing out a component in a year is worse than most simple leather belts. I always replace velcro on pouches with snaps because it wears out and doesn't work well when frozen or muddy.
Click to expand...

It's my fault it keeps wearing out.
I frequently use the Velcro to do the belt up - rather than looping it through the buckle properly - if I looped the webbing through the buckle every time and just used the Velcro to keep the end from flapping it would probably still be fine

I should probaly have said that first up
 
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