When we think of the word, a simple iconic item comes to mind…something like this:

Turns out, there are quite a few types and varieties when it comes to belts. Some of them include, as you may have seen in the title, duty, police, leather, and nylon belts. Let’s take a look at each of them in some detail.

Duty and Police Belts

There is actually just a very minor difference between a duty and a police belt. To understand it better, we can simply say that the latter is a subset or a specific type of the former.

A duty belt in general is the type of thick gear that is worn around the waist by personnel such as security guards or watchkeepers. There are different slots, hooks, and pockets along the length of the strap which are used for keeping keys, guns, knives, or even something friendly…like a slim minimalist wallet.

The reason why this special gear is used for this type of storage is that normal belts can start to sag and droop under the weight of so many items. Take a normal nylon black belt, for example. If you were to slide some holsters, a phone case, walkie-talkie clips, and utility pouches on it, it would start to drop down in places and get bent out of shape.

However, a duty belt is made particularly for holding a glut of items and objects. They don\'t sag or drop and are an overall excellent solution for carrying around heavy gear without resorting to pocketing everything.

A police belt is pretty much more or less the same as the one discussed above. The only difference is that the general ‘duty’ gear is for all and sundry, namely all types of personnel, whereas these ones are particularly made for police use.

However, this does not mean that they cannot be acquired and worn by normal people and civilians. It simply means that there are, in such belts, certain elements that are particularly useful for an officer of the law.

You can probably get your hands on one of these and use them for your own purposes like storing some pocket knives, keychain accessories, a tactical wallet, etc. Just be sure not to claim to be a cop, because then you could get in trouble.

Nylon and Leather Belts

Nylon and leather belts are made for everyday casual use. Unlike the ones discussed above, they don’t serve a particular function nor are they made for a specific type or group of people.

However, there are a considerable number of differences in the materials viz. nylon and leather. It is due to these differences that anyone would opt for a leather belt over one made of nylon, and vice versa.

Products made with leather are generally more durable and tough. They can last for a long time and they typically have a tough time wearing out. They are also heavy in weight. Appearance-wise, leather is extremely aesthetic as well. If you go for some genuine top-grain or full-grain stuff, you will also get to enjoy the patina effect. You may be familiar with the patina if you own any of our leathery wallets like the Trayvax Contour or the Ascent.

However, they do come with the downside of requiring regular maintenance, and being a bit on the rigid and stiffer side.

Nylon, on the other hand, is flexible, elastic, and lightweight. It does not require as much maintenance and is easy to wash/clean. The material also doesn’t wrinkle and crack.

In other words, nylon can be put through some rough and incessant use and it will still come out whole. Opting for this material is a good choice for people who cannot trust themselves to be very careful with their belongings.

Where can I buy a duty/leather belt?

Nowadays, the most recommended method of buying almost everything is to go online. Platforms like Amazon and Etsy are great for finding reliable apparel items and products because of the whole rating/reviews system. By looking at what others have to say about a certain product, you can decide whether or not to go ahead with your purchase.

If course, we recommend Trayvax and our selection of belts. The Titanium Cinch Belt is high on the list!

Conclusion

The next time you want to buy a belt for yourself, take a minute and decide which one suits your need the best. Getting some hefty, police-grade gear can be a good choice if you always carry around a lot of heavy equipment. These types of utility equipment can even be useful for people like engineers, plumbers, and electricians for keeping their work-related paraphernalia.