Magpul Tejas El Original Belt
Finding a great #gunbelt that does a good job of keeping the weight of a #pistol and #holster off of your pants that doesn't cost an arm and a leg isn't the easiest task. When #Magpul introduced the Tejas El Original Gun Belt at SHOT Show 2016, I took close notice because the Tejas El Original might be exactly the belt that I have been looking for thanks to its unique construction and very palatable price point.
Disclaimer: All photos are from when I originally bought the belt. I have bee using the Tejas El Original daily for over a year and a half now. I didn't need something that was going to support the weight of a full-size gun since I normally carry my Glock 43 in an older Stealthgear USA Ventcore holster but sure so appreciate a stiff gunbelt that I don't need to cinch down to keep the gun where I want it.
The magic of the Magpul Tejas El Original is that they have combined top grade bull hide leather with a reinforced polymer interior. I went with the Chocolate color since most of my leather goods are a darker brown than the light brown color and I detest black leather for some reason. The color is a nice, dark brown with a nice sheen to it and has worn rather well over the last year and a half. The leather is still in very good even with holsters being out on and taken off over the course of the last 18 months or so and the reinforced polymer looks like the day it was new even with 18 months of sweat and wear attacking it.
One feature that I really appreciated that was included on the Tejas El Original is the tool-free fasteners. While I don't reconfigure my belt often, depending on the pair of pants, I may have a need to remove the belt loop in order to get the buckle in the right place to accommodate my Old Style Designs holster. The tool-free fasteners appear to be MIM parts, but since they are just holding the belt together, they aren't exactly a high-stress part. The chrome plated buckle is stylish and functional in my opinion. I found that my acid sweat would eat some of the finish off over the 18 months I have been wearing the belt, but it still remains corrosion free and functional even though some of the finish has been removed. Even though I didn't take a photo of the holes, Magpul uses an 8 hole system where the holes are placed at 3/4″ apart so that the wearer can get as close to a perfect fit as possible with a traditional style belt.
