Arcade Belts
Belt
Rating
| Rating: | 8.8 / 10 |
| Value for Money | 2.3 / 2.5 |
| Comfort | 2.4 / 2.5 |
| Versatility | 1.8 / 2.5 |
| Durability | 2.3 / 2.5 |
Arcade Belt Review
It’s rare when I don’t wear a belt with a pair of pants, it’s something that has been ingrained in me from childhood. Wearing a belt with hiking pants has always been a bit hit or miss thing given finding a belt that doesn’t dig in or feel uncomfortable under the pack cummerbund is a hard task; until now. Gill and I recently had the opportunity to test out a couple of the belts from the Arcade range.
In my case it was a standard fitting belt, in Gill’s case it was a slimline belt. Really the only difference between the belts is the width as the length is the same, fitting people with a waist of up to 101 cm (40 inches). The standard belt width is 3.81 cm while the slimline belt is 3.17 cm in width. Deciding which belt to use really comes down to the width of the belt loops on your pants and then choosing the colour. The long version of the belts suits waists up to 127 cm (50 inches).
Speaking of colour the range is huge and while the full range doesn’t come into Australia, there is enough colour choice to make a fashion statement and if you purchase more than one, you can dress depending on how you feel on the day.
The material in these belts is stretchy, soft and very comfortable to wear and the best way to think of it is as a similar type of materials you get on headlights or ski goggles. The belt feels really comfortable on, even with a full pack you really don’t notice its there. I have found that even sitting at a desk all day the belt feels really good and you can be forgiven for forgetting it’s there. The belt clip is very slim and lightweight, and comes with an easy clip fastening and is very low profile. If there is a weak point to the belt it is potentially that the buckle, while durable, I suspect if you drop something heavy on it at the wrong angle it could break.
When you purchase this belt you will find it cinched up to a reasonably small size so I suggest that unless you have a very small waist, loosen it up most of the way and then tighten as it’s a bit hard to do once you have it on. Any excess length on the belt sits behind the belt itself so you don’t have any loose tongue flapping about. The belt is rated to a waist of 40″/101 cm and at the time I tested it out, I was close on the limit. The Australian distributor of Arcade Belts now has good supplies of the long version of this belt which suit waists up to 127 cm (50 inches).
My original Arcade Belt lives permanently on my hiking pants and when its washing time, I leave the belt on the pants and wash it at the same time.
This has now become our go-to belt and we will be buying a few more to get a range of colours into our wardrobe.
We Like
- This is about as comfortable as belts get, hiking or otherwise and I love it
- A wide range of adjustment – regular size fits waists up to 40″, the large size fits waists up to 50″
- Low profile comfortable belt buckle
- Fits just about any pant loops
- A range of colours
- Stretch fabric so the belt doesn’t dig in
- Leave on the pants and wash at the same time
We Don't Like
- Limited use, it’s a belt
- Like other hiking belts, it’s on the dearer side
Best Uses
- For keeping your pants in place
Buy One
You can purchase the Arcade Belts from Wildfire Sports or from Wild Earth
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Investment
AUD $49.99 RRP
Other Versions
Slim or standard width in a variety of colours
Arcade Belt Blackwood – Navy/Green colour
Arcade Belt Ranger Slim fit – Heather Wine colour
Arcade Belt Blackwood – Navy/Green on
Arcade Belt Midnighter Long Black on
Arcade Belt close up of buckle
Arcade Belt – close up of buckle open showing two halves
Arcade Belt Regular versus long. The regular belt is aimed at waists up to 40″ with the long belt aimed at waists up to 50″
Disclaimer
This review was done with product the Australian distributor