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.
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.
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 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.
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)
So what’s more durable than jeans?
You probably want something a little more baggy, jeans can be snug around the thighs and that wears out the material fast. If you have the crotch fail then that is your problem.
There is also the material used, elastane and tencel/rayon have low tensile strength and wear out fast while polyester and especially nylon are very strong. Recycled materials are also weaker than they otherwise would be because the recycling process cuts them up. In general 100% cotton is good and I would give blends a close look. Wool and linen and ramie are all pretty uncommon in jeans and jeans adjacent things but despite their many other positive qualities they aren’t super strong; wool has a low tensile strength and linen and ramie tend to fail when bent a lot.
Also consider the weight and the weave, thinner material is going to wear through faster while thicker stuff is going to be tougher. Also a reverse sateen weave should last a little longer, it is like the twill leave in denim but oriented sideways so everything is smooth while going forward (and not smooth up/down but what can you do) so it catches and snags and stuff less.
So you will probably have a better time with some baggy or at least roomy reverse sateen cotton-poly or 100% cotton military fatigues. Or other pants with those qualities, just fatigues are common to see like that
Good luck
Work pants with aramid stitching.
Cargo pants and pants made from polyester.
There’s quite a range of quality and durability in denim, but it can be extremely durable. It was associated with physical labor in the US for a long time and especially in its old West (cowboys, railway workers, etc). You can still find a pair of jeans that will last you the rest of your life and then be sold in a vintage store, but they’re not cheap. Cargo pants have a similar range but I think they’re typically made of duck canvas.
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.
Doesn’t the elastic eventually perish? I think I had one that died.
I’ve been wearing one for three years. It’s just good.
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 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.
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?
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 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.
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 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.
I usually recommend seatbelt belts to friends because they are highly adjustable and very long lasting. I picked up the black GM one over 20 years ago, it stayed with me when my weight fluctuated 50lbs up and back down again. It was extremely useful in my old physically active job, I can catch the corner of a box on the buckle and hold heavier weight a lot easier.
I love it so much, I bought the TMNT belt as soon as I saw it and because I looooove ninja turtles 😬
That turtles belt is radical.
It’s turned into my every day wear belt lol
Foolish.
I bought two Grip6 belts like a decade ago, and they still show very little wear.
It’s a very simple design: a durable strap (no holes), and a buckle that’s just a solid chunk of metal (no moving parts).
I would highly recommend them at the prices I paid back then… But holy shit their prices have increased a lot. Still might be worth it as a BIFL, but still hard to justify for such simple parts.
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.
I just started making my own belts. Most leather belts are made of thin veneer of leather. It might even be marketed as 'top grain leather" to make it seem special. Get whole grain leather.
I bought parts from one of the last Tandy Leather retail locations. Brought them home and used my hole punches I picked up at Harbor Freight for a different project and some grommets I got for a different project and made a belt. Out of pocket cost was maybe $16. That belt will last me decades.
In theory I could knit some belts with any number of sturdy materials like leftover metal cables but I have never felt the need.
Who wants to wear one belt their whole life? Are we cartoon characters?
Look up the name of the community
Ooh, somehow I’ve never heard of these before. Somebody ahould start making them out of dandelion rubber, algae polyurethane, or a flexible formulation of polyhydroxyalkanoates.
About your jeans/suit trousers comment, do you have a recommendation for more durable pants as well?
Look for selvedge denim for jeans and duck canvas for other pants. I’ve had some luck with Naked and Famous, but they can be a bit pricy.
They’re still a bit pricey compared to the disposable pants you’d buy at a large chain store, but N&F has a brand (unbranded brand) that is notably cheaper and lacks the N&F branding.
do you have a recommendation for more durable pants as well?
I recommend Cargo pants and pants made from polyester.
Natural materials are always better and worth any costs comparative to the crap you’re praising OP.
Fuck polymers altogether.
