Berghaus Inflection Belt

Style

Level: Extremely Stylish

Styling wise, the inflection belt is an exercise in simplicity: The heavily textured webbing belt is closed with simple, blackened aluminium buckle. There are subtle logos on the buckle and metal belt tip and there’s also a logo patch sewn onto the webbing belt. For us, it’s the right side of understated. The simple design is also very functional: the belt closes with friction alone and the low profile, subtly rounded buckle shouldn’t cause any discomfort or ‘dig in’ in use and the belt is also perfectly comfortable to wear beneath the hip band of a large backpack.

Comfort

Level: Extremely Comfortable

Unlike other outdoor brands that have crossed over into the fashion sphere – prioritising looks over utility – Berghaus are still, first and foremost, and outdoor brand. With this in mind, it’s not surprising that this belt is comfortable to wear and sensibly designed. We think its strength lies in the simplicity of the design: the buckle uses friction alone to stay shut and this means you don’t really need to think about the belt and, should it work a little loose on the trail, a simple yank on the webbing is all that’s needed to tighten it up again. It’s simple and easy and you can easily adjust the belt with cold hands or whilst wearing thick gloves. The aluminium buckle is also low profile and subtly rounded – it won’t inadvertently come open when worn under the hip blet of a large backpack and there’s no protruding elements to dig into your flesh when you’re on steep ascents or sitting down for a break.

Price

Level: High

Berghaus may not be considered in the ‘top tier’ of premium outdoor brands, but their gear still attracts a premium price, and this is reflected in the cost of this belt – it’s definitely one of the pricier options in this round up. That said the build quality is top notch and the materials are hard-wearing, so this may well be the only hiking belt you ever need to buy. With this in mind, we don’t think the price is unreasonable

Material

Stats: Polyamide webbing with aluminium buckle

The materials used in this belt are par for the course with this type of product. The webbing material in the strap is incredibly durable and will likely last a lifetime – however the sewn-on logo patch may fray and start to look a bit tatty with time. The aluminium buckle is simplicity itself – it has no moving parts and will likely last a lifetime (or longer!). This combo of materials is popular in this type of belt for a good reason: it simply works well! However, Berghaus have taken things a step further with some nice finishing details like heavily textured webbing and subtle logos in the metal hardware. These add a sense of quality to the materials and the product as a whole – we think these are the hallmarks of great design and differentiate the Berghaus Inflection Belt as a higher quality product.

Durability

Level: Extremely Durable

This could easily be the last belt you ever need to buy. The materials are, to all intents and purposes, indestructible (unless you set the belt on fire or take some tools to it!) and the simple design principles mean that there really isn’t anything to go wrong with it. With time, and extended use, the black finish on the aluminium buckle may wear a little and the sewn-on logo patch on the webbing may fray a bit, but none of this will impact the function of the belt and you might think it even makes it seem more ‘individual’ or ‘lived in’. The choice of durable materials and the simple design means you can expect this belt to give many, many years – probably even a lifetime – of trouble-free use.

Conclusion

We like the Berghaus Inflection Belt. It’s well made, well thought out, super-durable, comes in at a high but not unreasonable price point and we like the minimal styling with just a sprinkling of branding too. All in all, it ticks all the boxes for a great product and it could easily be the last belt you ever need to buy. Berghaus have a well-deserved reputation for making great outdoors gear and the Inflection Belt is no exception. They’ve made use of subtle embellishments like heavily textured webbing and subtle logo and brand placement in the metal hardware to elevate the perceived quality of the product – we like this type of design philosophy as it suggests understated quality rather than bling. All in all, we think the Berghaus Inflection Belt is a great product.