Silly question, how do you wear the standard grey belt?

Cadets Ask the Staff
1

I’m a new cadet, and pretty stupid of me to ask. But how do you correctly wear the standard issue blues belt? (Not stable)

2

Pass the belt through the belt loops Anti - Clockwise.

By the time the Male end gets to the front, it should be in your right hand, and the Female in your left.

Male into female then pull to the correct tightness, and then pull slightly more before releasing (as the locking mechanism is designed to loosen slightly)

There is a myth that the male end should only go 2.5 cm passed the first belt loop, but don’t listen to that. that requires cutting the belt and meaning if you grow (as cadets are likely to do), your belt is too small

3

No, it’s not a myth. And no, you don’t need to cut the belt.

You adjust the length of the belt behind the buckle, pulling the excess through behind.

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4

Never heard this one before. References??

5

it’s nowhere in regs, and you’re just risking the 2 layers of belt squiffing and lookinf far more daft than a cadet putting it through 2 trouser loops instead of 1

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6

20 years service and it being made clear that you don’t just keep wrapping the excess around the cadet until you run out of belt? That’s why the belt buckle has an adjuster at the back.

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7

I understand the adjustment of excess, but have never come across the 1" only past the buckle. FYI, have worked around the RAF for over 30 years. I was just asking for a reference…

8

Again, in 20 years, that has never been an issue. Whereas, having the loose end of the belt flapping around because the next belt loop is just slightly too far to hold the end of the belt looks gopping.

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9

Just how I was taught my everyone from Gaz Tonks down. (He was out WWO when I was a cadet.)
The regulars would just cut their belts to be fair, but we don’t tend to do that sort of thing because it hinders reissue.

10

Not meaning to sound disrespectful, but it sounds like a ‘local’ thing to me then.

11

So where you are cadets just thread the belt round and where it ends it ends? So every belt is ending at a different point around their body depending on their waist size?

12

Read back, and you’ll see that we adjust the belt, yes, but not to an arbitrary 1" length.

13

I did, that’s not what Rusty says at all

14

I’m not @Rusty… I used we as in where I am.

15

Sure, so why not make it uniform?

16

I’m going to step back from ths as I prefer my belts stable anyway…

17

Me too.

18

Let’s ask the expert then?

@AlexCorbin ?

19

Ive always been told 2nd belt loop and cut excess off.

But its not in the book

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20

To be fair, nor is the fact you have to have the belt one way around or the other.

Years of potential malicious non-compliance. Wasted.

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