This is a review of the MGear MultiBelt Pro – a not-so-ordinary tactical belt with a buckle that incorporates a small but handy tool. It is advertised as a tactical belt suitable for everyday use as well as hiking, camping, and other relevant outdoor activities. We are interested in such products. And with that said, we managed to test the belt and write up this review. Here, you will find everything we’ve found about the specifics, pros, cons, and best use of the MultiBelt Pro.
Before we discuss our impressions and experiences in detail, let’s get to the Quick specs section.
Table of Contents
Quick specs: MGear MultiBelt Pro
Price: $70.00
Length: for a waist up to 106.7 cm (42″)
Weight: 294 g (10.4 oz) belt with a mini tool; 258 g (9.1 oz) belt without mini tool
Width: 4.4 cm (1.75″)
Material: Nylon (44 mm x 6 mm nylon webbing)
Unisex: Yes
Where to get it: MGear (get 10% off your purchase using code CT10 on the checkout page)
Notable features:
- A highly abrasion-resistant double-layer nylon webbing.
- Carbon fiber buckle frame, aluminum anodized buckle assembly, and neodymium magnetic locking mechanism.
- MGear Klaw multitool (or a folding coin knife) attached to the belt buckle can be really useful.
- Hook-and-loop surface outside allows for a secure custom fit.
Pros:
- Strong and heavy-duty tactical belt, engineered to provide simplicity and security. The nylon webbing is solid, durable, and abrasion-resistant.
- Robust workmanship. The belt is well-made and comes with a solid buckle.
- The construction is semi-rigid and doesn’t stretch. You can attach anything to this belt (pouch, etc.) without worrying that it will deform.
- The magnetic locking mechanism is easy to use for quick on and off. Moreover, the belt doesn’t need constant readjustments.
- Looks cool and comes with a velvet bag with drawstrings for easy storage.
Cons:
- The rigidity makes it keeps form so this belt takes more space than an ordinary belt unless stored in the velvet drawstring pouch it comes with.
- One of its biggest pros is one of its biggest cons – it’s heavier than we’d like a belt to be. Moreover, lots of outdoor pants weigh in the range of 300 g to 500 g and the belt’s own weight is around 300 g.
- Harder to adjust than a normal belt as mini adjustments are possible but difficult and time-consuming to do.
- The buckle might be too large for some people plus it digs into your belly while sitting.
Summary
The MGear MultiBelt Pro is a solid tactical belt with a magnetic locking mechanism for easy and quick on and off. Crafted from stiff and strong nylon and designed for everyday use, it is tough and hard-wearing and comes with a bonus – a belt-buckle knife or multitool. The belt feels comfortable in most situations.
Detailed review
Material and construction
Typically, tactical belts are made of 100% synthetic material, which is either nylon or in some cases polyester or rarely some other man-made material. In this respect, the MGear MultiBelt Pro does not differ from typical tactical belt designs such as the 5.11 Trainer Belt. In addition to the nylon webbing, it has all sorts of metal parts that service the overall construction.
The belt configuration consists of a nylon strap, metal, and rubber components:
- nylon strap with hook-and-loop closure
- carbon fiber buckle frame
- aluminum anodized buckle assembly
- neodymium magnetic locking mechanism
- three rubber belt loops (you won’t need to wear more than one at a time)
You get your belt in a velvet belt storage pouch with a drawstring closure. The MultiBelt Pro fits wonderfully inside. Packed this way, the belt takes considerably less space.
The nice design, robust construction, and top-quality craftsmanship are noticeable. This brings us to the next section.
Weight and durability
The MultiBelt Pro weighs close to 300 g (the actual weight is 294 g or 10.4 oz), which is comparable to the weight of other popular tactical belt models such as the 5.11 Maverick Assaulters but heavier than the lightweight Helikon-Tex Cobra. While the weight can act as a deterrent, don’t forget that it allows hanging a phone holster and other equipment – something unthinkable for a lightweight hiking belt.
The tough and hard-wearing construction has strong and tight webbing and is triple-stitched on the length for added durability. Additionally, stress points are double-stitched. Moreover, there’s a “Box-and-X” pattern of stitching for added strength. We’ve only tested the MultiBelt Pro for a couple of months and the material has held up well so far. Of course, it is too early to judge the durability of this belt as a good tactical belt should survive for at least a few years. Thus we’ll update you on this.
Fit, comfort, and functionality
The MGear MultiBelt Pro is surprisingly comfortable given its semi-rigid construction and especially its weight of almost 300 g. Now, if you’re used to wearing tactical belts, it may not be that surprising but for avid outdoorsmen who are used to wearing much lighter and more flexible belts, it will definitely be a surprising thing. The belt feels comfortable so you’d hardly notice it even during all-day hiking trips in the mountain. Still, it isn’t designed for those who prefer to travel lightweight and it would scarcely become their go-to belt for outdoor adventures.
The stepless hook-and-loop length adjustment system ensures an individual fit that complies with the body of the wearer and his/her preferences. But keep in mind that the fact that the material is neither very flexible nor stretchy means that the user will need to put some effort into getting a good fit.
There are two main problems that we’d like to highlight. Firstly, the buckle digs into your stomach while sitting. It isn’t super uncomfortable but it’s definitely something worth mentioning. Secondly, the proper fitting takes time and effort. Adjustment takes a bit of practice especially compared to most traditional designs that come with holes. This is not very practical and can be a bit annoying especially if you intend to use it for any outdoor sport and activity or use it at work daily.
The belt can easily hold accessories with loops (such as water bottle holders) or IFAK and other pouches that come with MOD Straps.
As we mentioned earlier, the belt comes with a coin knife or a multitool (we got it with a coin knife). Initially, its utility seemed to be not very high as we were unaware of the benefits of the belt-buckle knife. However, we found out that this coin knife of excellent build quality is a small but useful tool. Here’s more about it:
- the diameter is around 4.1 cm (1.6”)
- the compact design allows one to put it unnoticed into a pant or jacket pocket
- if worried that you can lose it, it has a hole for a keychain or neck carry
- the hawkbill folding blade is sharp enough to be used for mundane cutting tasks (cutting open boxes, mail, packages) or for outdoor travel (cutting rope)
- the blade can be folded out with one hand (needs a bit of practice)
Length and width
The belt should always be the length that allows it to fit well without being too long unless it is crafted from a trimmable material such as nylon or polyester. Officially, the length of the MGear MultiBelt Pro is such as to allow for up to a 106.7 cm (or 42″) waist. However, we are confident that it will also fit those whose waist circumference is an inch or two larger than this.
The width of the belt is 4.4 cm (or 1.75″), which is a somewhat average width for a functional tactical belt. As with most heavy-duty belts, the webbing is wider and can fit only wide-loop pants. The good news is that there are lots of pant models with loops that are good for belts with up 5 cm (or 2”) or even greater width. However, we’d like to highlight an issue. It looks as if, given the width of hiking pants belt loops, there shouldn’t be a problem to wear this belt but the problem is that the loops of such models often seem to be way too fragile. So, we’d recommend pairing this belt with tactical pants whose loops are typically bigger, wider, and stronger, i.e. more reliable. Take, for instance, the Helikon OTP pants. The MGear MultiBelt Pro pairs well with these trousers (see the image below).
Conclusion
The MGear MultiBelt Pro blends tactical utility with thoughtful design. It is a bit pricey, but no doubt of high quality. As with all similar products, this belt has some strengths and weaknesses. In this case, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages by a wide margin. While it probably won’t become our go-to belt, it is rugged, reliable, and comfortable enough for everyday use as well as for different outdoor activities.
Disclaimer: Valentin Shekerov (Camotrek.com) received a sample belt for this review.
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