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I am looking for opinions on the new beltless bags from Occidental Leather.
Maybe you have another “perfect” tool belt opinion. Thanks,
Rob Ells
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Rob,
Need to find someone who has sprung for a set. Anyone out there?
Are they better than the traditional Oxy system? I use OxyLights and find them excellent.
Some Stronghold thoughts on seeing the system:
I loved the cell phone holder on the harness. That's where I used to carry a quick draw utility knife - the handle towards my hand, as Mac Beth put it. Ah, nostalgia.
I wonder if this system will work. Couple of reasons:
Military Experience - The Army spends considerable time and money researching how the crunchies can carry more, better, and still fight on occasion. They still use a web belt with accessories in pouches (bags, if you will) stuck here and there. The whole thing is supported by a set of
suspenders in the form of an H harness. Most armies have come to a similar conclusion regarding their web gear.
I have had enough professional experience with their LBE gear to find that it really works - and fairly well. Load it down with 6-10 .223 mags, 2 canteens, assorted grenades, 2 knives, first aid kit, compass, poncho, a couple of C rats, assorted sundries and you are carrying a lot more than the average framer does.
Now you get to go hiking in places framers don't go. You can carry the load. With the belt closed, you can also engage in active and, on occasion, violent activity without the load shifting all over the place.
I would suspect that the Stronghold system bags will pendulum as you lean as there is no closure. I found in rock climbing that you could not afford sudden center of gravity changes like that when doing some edgy move. Go airborne. All the way. Now imagine that weight shift while walking about on the top plates.
Perhaps they should test the system at the bayonet assault course at Ft. Benning and some 5.8 pitch at J Tree..
Backpacking Experience - pack designers spend a lot of design time on ways to build a better waist belt to transfer loads from the shoulders to the hips where they are carried better.
The Stronghold system goes in the other direction: All the weight is on the shoulders. I had packs like that in the early days. They were murder. If lower back pain is an issue, get the weight down on the hips. I suspect it is from all the stoop labor.
The ToolBear Belt
I'd start with a really good waist belt from an internal frame pack. Perhaps a Gregory, Dana or Lowe. That will give you an engineered shaped belt with differential padding where you need it. Modify their shoulder harness into an H harness for the belt. Add some lumbar support - if not there already. Add belt holders for a heavy 2" web belt. Add Oxy bags to taste.
ToolBear
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ToolBear,
Interesting comments on the tool belt situation; sounds like you've had a bit of experience with this sort of thing. I agree with you on the back packing business; with no waist belt backpacks are terrible.
Maybe it's the weight issue at hand here; I never could stand my tool belt just as a tool belt. Then damn thing was always sliding down (maybe I've just got a skinny butt, I don't know) and of course, the more weight the worse it got. Finally, I added a heavy duty set of suspenders to the belt and have been, for the most part, happy with the results. The belt keeps things from moving around while the suspenders hold things up. Maybe there isn't sufficient weight to bother my back; this hasn't been a problem since putting the suspenders on.
In the end I suppose it's all personal preference.
Sam
*I wear belt w/ suspenders also. I don't think there is considerable weight on my shoulders. It takes several minutes for my belt to start to fall w/o suspenders so the suspenders can't be doing that much work, just a tug here and there as I bend and stand.
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Tool Bear,
Yup, If you've had some military experience you might just find your really nice set of bags modified to accept an
H-harness, 'specially if you got no ass/hips to speak of
to hold up yer belt. I tried several different arrangements
like those fancy suspender deals, but keep coming back to the h-rig...don't know why other than they seem to last a lot better in the high heat of the Mojave and my day-job
keeps me in deuce gear anyway...
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I am looking for opinions on the new beltless bags from Occidental Leather.
Maybe you have another "perfect" tool belt opinion. Thanks,
Rob Ells