12 Best Hiking Belts in 2024

When it comes to outdoor clothing, we believe it’s possible to get too bogged down with endless detail which takes away from you being able to make the decision of which product to buy that is right for your needs. So, our aim is to make this as easy for you as possible. Below we’ve outlined some of the most important areas to consider when it comes choosing the best hiking belt for you. These are written in brief – check out our guide on how to choose the right hiking belt for more information.

Price

The price range for hiking belts can vary massively, and this is usually down to the brand name, material and construction. For example, you’ll generally find that leather belts are more costly than nylon or polyester belts as it is a more expensive base material. However don’t let a higher price point make you think that the belt you’re looking at is a better option. Of course, cost is the most important decision if you need to work to a set budget, but choosing the most expensive belt isn’t necessarily going to give you the best belt for you. We genuinely think that more important than price when making a decision, is to consider the weight, material and length of the belt, plus the buckle design that you’ll find easiest to work with.

Material – Type and Style

What materials do you need to look out for when deciding upon the best belt for hiking? What should you be looking for in hiking belt designs? You might think a traditional leather belt with stainless steel fittings would be a good choice, but, whilst these belts might look good, they tend to be heavy, poorly adjustable and require maintenance to keep the materials in top form. With this in mind, most hiking belts are now made of lightweight, hardwearing and maintenance-free synthetic materials and, when they do feature metal it’s usually lightweight and corrosion resistant aluminium.

In terms of the main band, the majority of synthetic belts are made from either nylon (also called polyamide) or polyester ‘webbing’, which are popular material choices due to their durability, but they each have their own qualities when it comes to which belt to choose, here are some of the pros and cons of each:

Nylon

Pros:

• Scratch and cut resistant
• Wrinkle resistant
• Doesn’t shrink
• Dries quickly

Cons:

• Can pile and get ‘bobbles’ on the surface which can affect the aesthetic of the belt
• Absorbent so can hold onto body odour

Polyester

Pros:

• Resistant to heat, chemicals etc
• Resilient to scratches and cuts
• Resistant to dirt, fungus etc
• Inexpensive material, meaning price point is often cheaper

Cons:

• Retains heat
• Not always eco friendly
• Low absorbency, meaning it may hang onto odour for longer

Buckle Style

The buckle is probably the defining part of a belt and it’s the key feature where each of the products we’ve reviewed truly differentiate themselves from each other. The choice of buckle has some big implications on the wearability and utility of the belt, so it’s good to know the options. However, not all buckles are created equal and how a manufacturer implements a design is also very important and the choice of materials and how they are combined can also impact how well a buckle functions. Below are some of the most common buckles you’ll come across, many of which are referenced in our guide to the best belts for hiking out there right now:

Friction Buckle: This is a very simple design – similar to what you’ll find controlling the length of the straps on your rucksack. Simplicity is this design’s greatest strength as it allows for very robust designs. These buckles are also relatively quick to adjust and offer very fine control of the belt’s tightness. However, they also require the strap to be completely unthreaded from the buckle to fit and fully remove the belt. This is a tedious and fiddly set of actions – especially so if you have cold hands, so this type of buckle isn’t a great choice if you regularly need to completely remove the belt (for instance, if you’re swapping it between trousers). So, the key downside of this design is that it limits versatility. Another possible downside is that the tension can ‘slip’ in a friction buckle meaning that you may have to re-tighten the belt in use. On a well designed belt, you may only need to do this occasionally, but a poorly designed friction buckle may only keep its tension for a few steps and this can be incredibly frustrating with the belt becoming more of a problem than a solution. A variant on the friction buckle is found on ratchet or ratcheting belts. A ratcheting belt functions a bit like a zip tie – allowing the buckle to be progressively tightened, but requiring it to be completely released to loosen it.

Quick release buckle: These allow for quick fastening and also release. This fastening seems to be the most popular on military style or so-called tactical belts. These fastenings are often designed so they are great if you’re wearing gloves as well. The downside of quick release buckles is that they are a relatively complex mechanism that often comprise several parts if they are made from metal and delicate prongs if made from plastic. This relative complexity is a source of weakness in the design and makes these buckles prone to wear and tear from the elements, repeated use or just accidental damage. It’s also worth noting that a quick release is simply a way of opening and closing a belt and that they need to be combined with another mechanism – usually either a friction of flip-top buckle – to control the length of the belt. Straight away, this adds another level of complexity to an already complex mechanism. So, bulk and potential long-term durability issues are the downside of this design.

Flip-top or flip closure buckle: You’ll find this kind of fastener quite a lot on belts that are meant for casual wear too. These have a mechanism similar to the seatbelt in an airplane where you lift a lever to both open and close and control the length of the belt. They are simple in use and offer fine control of the belt’s length as there are no holes required in the belt. However, they are prone to ‘slip’ on smooth belts which can lead to them needing to be regularly tightened, so if this is the kind of buckle you decide to go for, look for a belt material that seems more textured as this will give the buckles teeth more purchase. Also, be aware that this type of buckle can have protruding surfaces that can be a source of discomfort – especially on more fashion style belts.

Tongue buckle: This is one of the most traditionally used buckles when it comes to belt design and is very easy to use. You likely know well what a tongue buckle looks like – if you visualize a belt, it probably has this kind of buckle. A tongue buckle has a frame, bar and prong and the prong sits in holes in the belt. This type of fastening requires holes in the belt to work, so very precise control of the length of the belt isn’t possible. The prong can also become bent and catch in other garments or accessories. That said, the tongue buckle is a simple and time-tested solution.

Hook and eye buckle: Another super-simple design that allows for long lasting and often very lightweight designs. In this case a hook simply connects with a loop or eyelet to secure the belt. This can take two forms: the loop is either formed in the fabric at one end of the belt and it’s joined with a shaped hook, or you can have two flat plates with a hook and eyelet in between them. Whilst this design is simple and also can be engineered to be very light, it can also be quite fiddly to operate – and that’s especially the case with cold hands or when wearing gloves. Also, the hook and eye mechanism is only a closure and the hook part will typically be combined with a friction buckle to control the length of the belt.

Weight & Length

When it comes to length, you want to choose based on which model is going to give you the closest to your waist size as possible. Whatever length of belt you need, we’d really recommend actually measuring your waist and not just going based on your normal clothes sizes. It’s a good idea to make sure there isn’t too much excess material when your belt is fastened – we’d recommend choosing something where you have room for flexibility with tightness and no more than really 15cm of excess. The overall weight of a belt really depends mostly on what material is used as well as other details such as the weight of the buckle. Considering a lot of the belts we’ve recommended are made from nylon/are synthetic, the weight of the buckle is likely to be one of the main factors when comparing the different weights of a hiking belt and choosing the best belt for you. All told, none of the belts we’ve looked at are particularly heavy, but some are less heavy than others and the Montane Loop Belt in particular stands out as the best lightweight belt we looked at and this is going to be a great choice if you’re heading off on the type of long-distance hike where every gram of weight you can save counts. You’ll also want to keep an eye on the width of the belt too – if you have narrower belt loops for example, you’ll want to make sure this is going to fit before you purchase.

Durability

What makes something the best web belt or nylon belt? Of course, you never know if something is going to ‘last a lifetime’ but you can also try and make as informed a decision as possible. We’d recommend going for belts with less complicated buckle systems, where there is less likely to go wrong or get jammed from constant use. It’s about looking at where you’re going to wear the belt – what kind of conditions you hike in. For example, some of the more simplistic designs like the Arc’Teryx Conveyor Belt 38 might be the best belt for those hiking in conditions where you are more exposed to sand. A more technical belt buckle which is likely to pick up sand etc, would be better suited to forest hikes, like the Fjällräven Keb Trekking Belt. A hiking belt isn’t a huge investment, but it’s not something you want to have breaking whilst you’re out on the trail as this is likely to leave you having to pull your trousers up through your hike. Obviously, we’re all individual, so we’d recommend trying out your new hiking belt for a couple of shorter walks and hikes first, before wearing on something long to make sure everything is working properly and isn’t going to interfere with your enjoyment.