MSW’s model Sam shows off the Talon Tactical Cobra Belt!
If you’re like me, you’ve bought your share of belts. Like holsters, I have a bin full of belts that I’ve bought, worn once, and will likely never wear again. Some are too flimsy, others don’t fit quite right, and others are a pain to don and/or doff. Still others fray too easily, and don’t last long. Don’t get me wrong, there are quite a few good belts out there. For example, the Brass Monkey Performance Competition Belt is the centerpiece of my range gear and holds all of it together.
That said, I am always on the lookout for a practical everyday belt that is easy to put on and take off. It has to be sturdy enough to carry my daily gear, but not so rigid that it is uncomfortable to wear all day. It can’t have so much dedicated hardware that it takes 10 minutes to thread all my gear through it, either. One of my standbys is made by The Wilderness. I have used them for a long time, and my favorite version is the Titanium Instructor Belt. I’ve got nearly half a dozen of them and I wore them all the time for years.
So when Mike Benedict of Talon Tactical turned me on to his Talon Tactical Cobra Belt, I figured it had a tough act to follow. Like many of the toughest belts on the market, Talon Tactical’s belt uses the Cobra Buckle manufactured by AustriAlpin, specialists in mountaineering equipment, where equipment cannot fail. Cobra buckles are load bearing, quick-release fasteners commonly specified for applications where long term reliability and performance are the highest priority. Certainly overkill for an everyday belt, but I don’t mind. Most importantly, unlike belts that must be threaded through the buckle, the Cobra allows me to get out of the belt during those emergencies that frequently occur after a meal at SuperMex.
Both the webbing and thread were specially selected for this application. The webbing is stiff enough to support your holstered weapon and magazine pouches without having to sandwich a piece of polymer stiffener in between. The thread is extremely abrasion resistant and I am told it will not fray even after a year of continuous use. I’ve been wearing the Talon Tactical belt for several months and it still looks and feels brand new.
With most riggers belts, the free end is threaded through the buckle and the free end is secured with velcro. With the Cobra Belt, the belt is put on the same way as a typical riggers belt, except the buckle allows the wearer to get out of the belt in a hurry. The end result is a belt that is no harder to put on than a riggers belt, but is much faster to doff. The Talon Tactical Cobra Belt has quickly become my favorite belt for casual, off duty wear on a daily basis. It is the perfect blend of rigidity, comfort, and convenience.
Ultimately, it is a belt, so I won’t try to make it into more than it is. Try it out and you will find it to be an attractive, practical, belt for everyday casual wear. And it will hold your gear.
SOURCE: http://www.talontactical.com
What is the belt width? TT’s website doesn’t say.
1.5 inches.
Look’s good, i’m just not big on a Cobra buckle for an everyday belt. The best nylon style belt i’ve come across is the Volund Gearworks Atlas belt. It has the most low profile buckle system i’ve found that work’s the best for me with AIWB carry. Worth checking out.
Seriously? Only belts I’ve gotten rid of don’t fit anymore – currently own Wilderness, Ares, and VTAC..
Do you have any sizing recommendations to avoid the “tail” being too long and interfering with gear? Ideally a <6" tail would be about ideal. It looks long on "Sam" and the TT site has limited pictures.
I have been using Wilderness forever but all the Cobra buckle belts I have seen look impractical for daily changing of gear/pants due to the long tail.
Dennis.
Tim,
Since you’re a Wilderness belt wearer also, how do these belts run size wise compared to the Wilderness belts? Thanks!
Sizing is pretty similar to the Wilderness Belt measurements. The belt is mine so it is big on Sam since she is tiny. I agree that many Cobra buckle setups make daily donning cumbersome. This isn’t one of them. It goes on about as easy as a Wilderness (with one extra step of removing the buckle before putting it on) and then it is good to go.
I just got a couple in and am suitably impressed! Slimmer, less noisy, and with a more positive belt tension retention than the Wilderness belts I have been using for many years. Thanks Tim for the heads up on the first Cobra belt that actually works for those of us stringing on gear everyday!
Based on this article and review, I purchased a Talon Tactical Cobra Belt. I got it in all black with with the cobra buckle at 1.5″ of width. First impression was that it felt noticeably stiffer than other belts. I was curious how this would play out once I had it on me as in: would it cut into my waistline being tight, would it be difficult to arrange my EDC gear? Those type of observations. First week, I wore it with my slacks at work. These are active days, 10 hours long, a lot of moving. I never really noticed at all that the belt was there. The convenience for taking it off was welcomed. After a test week without much drama and no gear distribution, I went for it. Holster, full size gun, spare mag fully loaded, knife and thick canvas pants form TAD gear. Again, quite strangely, I never felt at all like I was wearing a belt. All of my gear was there, it never moved position, and doing some dry fire drills from concealment proved to be a confident practice. I must tip my hat and give my condolences, this is a hell of a belt. Thanks, Tim, for bringing our attention to it and thanks, Mike, for some badass gear.
I’m thrilled to see you all like the belt as much as I do!
Tim,
Would you consider this belt for use as an under belt to a “sam brown” type duty gun belt ?
Thanks