You might be surprised how passionate concealed carriers can get about their belts. Or, if you’ve been doing this for a while, you might not be. But what the vast majority of trainers and subject matter experts agree on is that there are certain qualities that make a belt “good” for every day carry (EDC). The EDC Foundation belt has those qualities.
Origins of the EDC Foundation Belt
Bryan Eastridge, the creator of the belt is 19 year LE veteran who was looking for a good solution for an off-duty belt. In his own words:
I set out to re-engineer a belt that would be functional for concealed carry and comfortable to the wearer. I carry appendix off-duty so the need to have a low-profile buckle was paramount and the ability to thread the belt either direction was a necessity. We designed a belt that places heavy SCUBA duty webbing only where you would mount a holster and a lighter webbing that extends across the lower back to allow the belt to form to the hips. The double-tapered end allows the belt to be threaded in either direction.
The end result? The EDC Foundation Belt. I met Bryan at the 2021 Revolver Roundup, where he noticed the belt I was wearing, a now discontinued Graith/Mastermind Tactics Specialist belt. I personally like the Specialist, but felt like it was lacking in a couple of areas, especially for appendix carry. Bryan explained that in many ways his product was like an improved version of the Specialist and offered to send one my way.
Testing and Evaluation
I’ve never really reviewed a belt if I’m being honest. However, the act of wearing a belt every day is a pretty rigorous test. As a result, the test protocol was simple. Use the EDC Foundation belt as my EDC belt for at least a month. I’d then compare it to other products I’ve used in the past. Often, living with an item is its best test.
On a daily basis, the belt would carry either a Ruger LCR in a Dark Star Gear holster, or a Ruger GP100 10mm Wiley Clapp in a JM Custom Kydex holster. Add a Shivworks Clinch Pick to the belt as well. My pants pockets have POM pepper spray, a Microtech Trodon, and of course my phone, wallet, etc. The three key metrics for reviewing the belt are 1) Comfort, 2) Durability, and 3) Access to gear.
Comfort
When loaded down with gear, the EDC Foundation Belt is flexible in the right places, specifically across the lower back. You want the belt to conform to your body there, because a too-rigid belt will ride too high and cause back pain. Trust me. For comfort, I’m giving the EDC Belt a 10/10. I did long car rides, sat for hours at my desk, and walked for miles. The belt’s construction distributed the weight of my gear evenly across my hips and prevented any “hot spots”.
Durability
Here I’m going to have to give the belt a 9/10. One small piece of stitching on the tongue started to come out, but that was easily rectified with a lighter. Not bad, considering I’ve been wearing it every day since December.
Access
Access to gear is super important. A good concealed carry belt should retain your gear so it’s in the exact same spot no matter if you’ve been sitting, standing, driving, etc. A proper holster helps as well. The belt and holster should work together to make sure your gun is always accessible. The EDC Foundation Belt does a great job with this. Through the time wearing it, and even right now, I never found myself having to adjust my gun to get it “back” where I wanted it. Because the belt’s flexible where you need it to be, you can cinch it to an appropriate level of pressure and your gun doesn’t move.
Bryan sent me the EDC belt for free, which I genuinely appreciated. Depending on your side, the Foundation belt runs from $45-$49.99 on their website. If you’re looking for a thoughtful solution for an appendix carry CCW belt, check out the Foundation from EDC Belt Company.
