6 Best Survival Belts You’ll Want To Wear Daily

By Will Brendza |
Last Updated: March 11, 2023

Survival belts have come a long way…

When thinking about belts, I bet the last thing that comes to mind is versatility.

Because the primary function of a belt is to hold up your pants (or discipline children).

And since the latter is frowned upon, we’re left with the basic task of holding up one’s trousers.

Beyond that, they are of limited use on a day-to-day basis, right?

That’s what most people think.

But belts are surprisingly useful. A belt can be one of the most functional accessories you wear.

A good solid belt is durable, designed to cinch and bind, and can secure things in place. They can also work as a makeshift self-defense tool.

When you really stop to think about it, the survival uses for a good belt are nearly endless. And more recently, belts have become available specifically for survival.

Some survival belts are not much different than regular belts but with much-improved durability. While other survival belts are designed with built-in survival tools and functions.

That’s why finding the right survival belt can quickly become overwhelming.

So in this article, we’ll first cover the following survival belt topics:

• Best Survival Belts On The Market Today

• The Many Survival Uses For A Belt

• An Extra Note – On Survival Ingenuity

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Best Survival Belts On The Market Today

Different belts serve different purposes.

And the survival belt niche is growing fast; not all survival belts will accomplish the same things. So when selecting a survival belt, it’s important to consider your goals.

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The Many Survival Uses For A Belt

Serious Medical Belt Uses

Tourniquet

Any solid belt can make a great makeshift tourniquet (which is why heroin users are so fond of them).

If you must stop bleeding, slip off your belt, and cinch it uptight. Whether it’s to stop a massive cut or in preparation for an amputation, in a pinch, a good sturdy belt will get the job done.

The Belt Tourniquet

Injury elevation

With broken bones or joint sprains, elevate. Elevating an injured limb is key to helping it heal faster.

With a belt, create a loop to hold the injured limb and fasten it to something above you.

Splint Fastener

You’ll want a splint if you, or someone in your party, break a bone. That means attaching a rigid, straight object to the outside of the broken limb to hold it in place.

Pipes, straight branches, and ski poles all work perfectly for this. With your belt, you can secure one or more makeshift splints in place around a broken bone. Keeping it stable to avoid further damage.

A Lethal Self Defense Weapon

A whip

Yeah, using a belt as a whip is a great way to get people to take a step back. Swing a belt can generate enough whip force to break the skin and cause bleeding. And if you’re swinging the buckle end, you can inflict some serious damage. Because now you have an improvised flail.

I’ve even seen some people fasten a rock in a loop at the end of the belt, which also works in a flail-like fashion.

How to Use a Belt as an Improvised Weapon

Garrote

It doesn’t take a hyper-creative mind to figure out how you might choke someone with a belt.

Sling

You can turn a paracord belt into a projectile-launching sling with only a few modifications. Send rocks or other projectiles hurtling with greater force than your own arms alone.

Slings are a rudimentary, ancient, reliable form of projectile weaponry.

How to Make a Paracord Rock Sling

Make a Spear

Take a knife, and strap it to the end of a long stick using your belt.

You’ll have to stick a few holes in your belt to do this effectively. But in desperate times, weapons are more important than pants-holders, so keep your priorities straight.

Physical Restraint

You took a hostile prisoner captive and must restrain them. Or maybe someone in your group has gone crazy, and you want to keep them from hurting themselves.

Well, belts are great makeshift restraints. You can secure someone to a tree or pole or use them more like handcuffs. Without a rope or actual cuffs, belts are your next best option.

Secure emergency handcuffs

Fastening Things For Easier Hauling

Carry Many Items

Wrapping your belt around a stack of books, a bundle of firewood, or a bundle of tools allows you to secure them into a single bunch. Making carrying a bunch of stuff much easier.

Cordage

When two objects need binding, but you haven’t any cordage to bind them with, slip off that belt and use it!

You can use the belt as a whole, or if the need arises, you can cut the belt into strips of leather. In this way, you get a multitude of thin cords with which you can secure whatever you need to.

Hoisting Food

At night, you will likely want to keep your food elevated up and out of harm’s way. Belts are great for exactly this purpose. Fasten your food all together into a bundle, tighten the belt around it, and hang it up in a tree.

Storing it up high will keep it away from unwanted thieves and other would-be scoundrels.

A Survival Belt To The Rescue

Pull People Out Of Harm’s Way

If someone falls into a hole, a well, a ditch, or quicksand, you can use your belt to save them. Like a rope, it will extend your reach by several feet, making it easier to pull them to safety.

Drag a Stretcher

If a group member gets injured or you’ve killed a big game, you’ll want a stretcher to move the load. And if you are alone, that means you will have to drag it alone too.

Which is easier with a belt or two fixed up as strap handles.

An Extra Note – On Survival Ingenuity

So now that you know how to turn a belt into a meaningful survival tool, you should feel comfortable with your odds. Right? Well, sort of.

If you do, that’s great because confidence is half the battle for survival.

But it isn’t the belt that will save your life. It’s your survival ingenuity. Because even if you own the fanciest survival equipment and don’t know how to use it, you don’t stand a chance.

This article serves two purposes: first, to talk about survival belts. And second, to help stimulate the creative survivor in you. You’re honing your survival ingenuity if you can turn a belt into a tool to save a life.

Creative survival is the most useful survival and the most effective survival tool. Thinking inside the box can get you killed in an emergency. Thinking non-linear and innovatively will put you a step ahead of the rest. And increase your chances of living another day.

The Final Word

No, belts are not the first tool you think of when planning for an emergency. But for many of us, it’s a tool we wear daily.

That’s part of what makes a survival belt such an incredible tool. The fact that they are almost always there, on your waist, holding up your pants.

The other quality of belts that gives them such utility is their simplicity. Simple objects can be most versatile.

Even if you never use a survival belt as a whip (or a tourniquet), it may still be useful in other ways.

New survival gadgets are cool, but they often lose utility because they’re so complex. So think carefully when packing your bug-out bag or preparing to evacuate in the face of an emergency.

Will Brendza

P.s. Are you ready for the tough times ahead?

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