Threshold of Maximum Acceptable Floppiness…

I came up with a new personal engineering term this morning during morning walkie! I’m so proud.

I’ve been carrying a medium-frame .44 revolver every day for something over 12 years now, with the exception of about six months starting late 2016 when I tore a rotator cuff and couldn’t draw a proper pistol. First it was an old beater .44 Special snubby, then a like-new Taurus Tracker, and now my third-hand-at-least M69.

You’d think I’d be used to it by now, right? And in fact except for my unfortunate habit of judging things by how I feel about them right now, I certainly had. But lately the pistol on my belt has been bugging me. A lot. It just always seemed to be in my way, and I was always aware of the weight. And I blamed it on the pistol, which was kind of stupid given that the pistol hadn’t changed. The holster had.

I got this holster in late 2015, wore it nearly every day since, and like all things leather it just plain wore out. It was an angsty couple of months while I determined what to do: I really didn’t want to buy a new leather one which would have to be cut on immediately to accommodate the optic. There was nobody around to talk to concerning custom leather or kydex. Then I remembered that Fobus makes a plastic holster that I’ve found perfectly acceptable for two different pistols and that they do make one to fit an L-frame – so I knuckled down and spent the money online…

…and that solved the problem affordably – with just a tiny bit of sculpting for the optic – and all of a sudden my revolver isn’t a burden anymore. The whole package weighs just under three pounds loaded, and it turns out that a little bit of floppiness goes a long way toward that weight making itself felt on your belt.

Speaking of belts, this seems like a good time for a product recommendation…

For over twenty years I used leather tool belts to hold my pants up. They’re thick and wide enough to make a good basis for carrying stuff, duh, and they used to last a long time. But the last one I bought a few years ago was cheapened to the point where I was no longer happy with the practice. So last summer, after much procrastination, I painfully spent money on an actual EDC belt.

To color me skeptical would be an understatement: I’m leery of innovation in very basic gear and was fairly sure I was throwing away good money. In particular…

There’s a ratchet on the buckle, which catches on…

…plastic teeth on the back of the belt – and while that should eliminate the problem of a conventional belt always being just a little too tight or too loose depending on when you last ate, I expected that was going to be the failure point: Those plastic teeth would wear out in short order, right?

Well, I’m still waiting. In fact it continues to work great. The belt is very stiff, and holds a waistful of gear nicely. It’s been over a year and so far the only point of failure has been the enamel on the buckle which has a tendency to chip. And I don’t care about that. I’ve been shockingly happy with this belt. Just saying.