BLACKHAWKPadded Patrol Belt and Pad - Coyote Tan

First problem is sizing and adjustment. The small is still pretty big for an average to athletic build in the 32-36 waist range but I'm a 32 and the small works for me at the very tightest adjustment. Also keep in mind, this is to be worn on the hips, above the belt line, on top of the belt holding up your pants. So it ends up being tighter than your normal waist measurement if you wear your pants below your belly button. Additionally, the mechanism for securing the adjustment is not exactly user friendly so expect to have to double the excess over itself and secure it behind the permanently attached velcro closures; you will probably have to secure the excess with medical or similar tape or by sewing it permanently to your desired fitment. Tape continues to work fine for me. Second major problem is compatibility with STRIKE and other MOLLE attached accessories. I really had a problem securing the STRIKE platform for my Serpa XD9 service model because the webbing is doubled at the top and overlapped. It's hard to explain until you see the webbing because it looks typical from the pictures but this is a pretty unique web configuration. Anyway, the STRIKE platform barely fits and only fits one way but the upside is that it is very secure and this translates to a very stable and responsive holster. With the versatility of the STRIKE and Serpa combination, you have a really solid and relatively versatile pistol belt that keeps weight off your lower back and allows you to adjust and compensate for different load outs. From buckle to buckle towards the right my rig runs: flashlight pouch with a 2AA powered 180 lumen LED for crossdrawing the light with my left hand, my immediate right hip is STIRKE/Serpa XD9 4", right rear is a Cold Steel SRK in factory kydex belt sheath, left rear is a NCStar jumbo folding dump pouch, left appendix is an IFAK in a Maxpedition zippered pouch and left hip to buckle is a Blackhawk triple mag pouch with retention and velcro over straps. All this weighs about 28 lbs give or take and feels very comfortable and it is all accessible. All said and done, it is well worth the money for a pretty quick set up, inexpensive grab-and-go for a dedicated purpose. With a buttpack this type of belt could be a three day fighting rig at 40+ pounds for a battle rifle but that's kind of pushing its intended philosophy of use. This is the type of rig I dedicated to my fighting pistol to grab and go and it works and is comfortable once it's set up. Recommended definitely but be ready to get your fingers sore trying to figure out the webbing.

First, BlackHawk is very good stuff, especially for the money. I use several pieces of their gear regularly and the quality is very high for the price. You can pay more for only marginally better quality. I have other pieces of gear from tier 1 manufacturers that the BlackHawk pieces feel and seem comparable to.OK - here is the issue on BlackHawk Padded belts - choosing the size. I am a 34 waist and I have both the "Small" and "Extra Small". I started with the Small size first many moons ago for my second belt setup, my original setup being a tier 1 belt manufacturer. (I found this first BlackHawk belt very satisfactory and it's seen a lot of use). The Small fit fine, but I felt like there was too much adjustment slack that had to be taken up. I thought, "crap, I bought too big", which seemed really contrary for a 34 waste size to be in a "Small". I wear the belt so it rides right on top of my hip bones, slightly below my true "waist" and this put the end of the padding at my 1 and 11 o'clock positions. I was fine with that, just seemed like a lot of slack to have to fold up into the velcro.My most recent purchase many more moons later was for the Extra Small. Thinking I did not want as much slack, I figured this would tighten things up and based on sizing chart, would still fit me. It does fit me and it did take away a lot of slack, but it also took away a SOLID six inches of belt/webbing and by my count, five molle webbing loops. Instead of the pad ending at 1 and 11 o'clock, the Extra Small padding/webbing ends at 3 and 9 o'clock positions. Initially I was kinda peeved about this and frustrated with their sizing and design. However I toyed around with my setups and find it is a nice compliment if I change up my load. With the smaller amount of webbing real estate, I have a more clear front and can ride slicker on front and get more comfortably prone. Additionally, I can cant the belt about 1 turn of the clock, say 10-15 degrees and can easily make room for a thigh pistol holster. This is not as easily accomplished on the "Small" one size up.I think you could easily apply my experience to anyone with a larger waste, moving up in sizes respectively. I would suggest you get a feel for how much real estate you want around you and order accordingly. Like I said, moving sizes for these two I lost a lot of webbing, but I essentially pick some of that back up being able to accommodate a thigh rig.

The good, it looks like there's three rows of webbing, and there are, but the middle row is double width. Top row overlaps it. So there are two rows of molle/pals but the center row is wider to accomodate BTS and some of those smaller pouches that only use one row of molle.I like the way the end of the web felt is finished and the keepers were a nice touch. I have a similarly styled belt from Tactical Tailor and one of the things I originally would have like on that belt were keepers.The bad. As others have mentioned, the molle ends too far back. The wide section of webbing, presumably for use with BTS attachements, is a little too far back for use with a holster. I put attached my blackhawk holster and instead of being at my side at 3 o'clock, it was shifted back to 4.The buckle adjustment with the velcro keepers is a pain. In theory, you put on the belt and pull both tabs to tighten the belt, once under load, the belt shouldn't slip. But the keepers connect on the back of the belt. So if you cinch down the keeps, it's a little more challenging to tighten the belt. Also, the keepers are too long, they're easy to trim, but they dont' really cinch down tight on the belt, so in the end, they're really just in the way. I cut mine off, then I slipped off the original buckle and slid on a better one. Unfortunately, that adds 5-10 dollars to the cost of the belt depending on which buckle you choose, and how you get it. The most economical way for me was to buy a 10 dollar set of buckles on amazon because anywhere else I found the individual buckle on the internet was 5 dollars for the buckle and 5 for shipping.

small loops make it very difficult to thread straps

Tough product, I've worn it for about 2 weeks in the field and it's held up pretty well, nothing is WRONG with it.Could definitely use a better system to keep the straps tight, they slip immediately after tightening them which isn't great but doesn't do too much, just can never have them super tight.The biggest complaint is that it is compatible with issued molle straps, but the weaves are too small and it takes a solid few minutes to get your stuff weaved since it's so tight, especially if your issued gear is old or floppy. It's not a huge problem I just had to take some pliers and force them through, but be mindful of it if you're trying to throw on your crap quickly, especially if it's not broken in yet.-Marine Lt.