Belts, some like them, some can’t stand carrying anything on them. As you could read on my 1st line article, I like carrying stuff on my belt. I enables me to distribute the weight and mission essentials.
In the beginning of my career I only used to carry a leatherman in a nylon pouch on my old BHI Riggers belt. After being issued an individual sidearm (the FNH FiveSeven), I purchased the excellent HSGI Sure-Grip padded belt. The HSGI belt was very comfortable but big. So the search for a smaller belt setup, combined with an inner belt for extra stability started…
What was I looking for?
- Slim profile
- Rigid enough and with MOLLE to carry pistol magazines and a holster
- With an inner belt for extra stability
- D-Ring on the front to attach a safety lanyard for heliborne Ops.
- Cobra buckle after good experience with my Sumo Gear EDC belt.
Luckily Sumo Gear just released some pictures of his new Mission Modular Belt.
I messaged Yanniek, the owner of Sumo Gear, asking for availability and a couple of days later I had a package delivered to my front door. Talk about fast custom work!
To be clear, Belgian SFG operators were involved in the design and the testing of this belt.
The system consists of three parts:
- The belt with MOLLE
- A full velcro inner belt
- The padded belt
Utilising the three parts, you are able to change your setup in function of your mission and the weight on your belt.
So let’s look at the MMB and why it has been made like it is.
The MOLLE belt:
Photo courtesy of Sumo Gear
The inside:
The MOLLE belt is lined with Velcro Onewrap. This material was used because it’s less aggressive so it won’t chafe and damage clothing as much if you choose to wear it without one of the inner belts.
The outside:
The outside of the belt is covered with a Cordura Laminate MOLLE-type system wich is light, low-profile, but incredibly strong. I was able to attach all my pouches with ease and they are very secure.
The belt isn’t as wide as the HSGI Sure-Grip. The reason behind this, is that the wider belt can hinder your movement when entering windows for example.
The buckle:
I chose the Cobra-buckle with a D-ring. A Cobra-buckle without the D-ring is also available, should you not need it.
The D-ring isn’t attached with an additional piece of velcro after some input from SFG operators. They need the D-ring fast and it doesn’t move, so the velcro tab isn’t needed.
The closure:
The end of the belt can be secured using Velcro Onewrap. He chose to use this instead of an elastic because it won’t strech over time. The piece of Onewrap can also be removed when attaching a belt-loop holster.
Photo courtesy of Sumo Gear
This makes the velcro part only 25mm wide, instead of the 7cm on their EDC belt. Resulting on less wasted space on the belt.
Photo courtesy of Sumo Gear
The inner belt
The inner belt is made using Polyamide covered in velcro. The choice of this material for the inner belt is because regular Nylon webbing has a “rolling” characteristic which didn’t really work for the inner belt.
The inner belt really keeps the MOLLE belt in one place, yet it can be easily removed when you need to. The inner belt is closed using velcro, so it won’t interfere with the cobra-buckle of the MOLLE belt.
The padded belt
The padded belt is an extra piece that gives you the option to carry heavier loads on your belt, without it becoming uncomfortable.
It is lined on the inside with spacer mesh and on the outside with Velcro. The MOLLE belt attaches without a problem, thus forming a stable platform.
The padded belt can be colour-matched with the MOLLE belt.
Options
The Modular Mission Belt is available in Coyote, Multicam and black.
It can be made with a cobra buckle with or without a D-ring.
You can order the belt as a set of the three belts or just with either the inner or the padded belt.
My thoughts
The belt is very comfortable and stays put, using the inner belt.
I’ve tested the belt during a field training as well as during the support of the Police.
It is a very sturdy platform that filled the need I had in a new belt. The pouches are secured, the belt doesn’t hinder my movement and doesn’t move around when running.
I’ve been able to hold quite a weight with such a compact belt.
The construction of the belt is what I expected from Sumo Gear. The quality control is amazing as is the shipping time.
I apologise for the lack of own pictures.
Disclaimer: I bought the belt and I’m not bound by or affiliated with Sumo Gear.
FMB
Fire Mission! 