Please help with Sam Browne discomfort

[snovvman]

Greetings,

My job does not require me to wear the Sam Browne often. I do work special events where I may wear it for 10 hours or more at a time. My current setup is the Safariland Ergotek nylon belt with the Velcro inner belt + keepers. My Safariland holster also has the UBL Pad on the inside.

I am male with a 32" waist and have little body fat, so my waist cross-section is oval rather than round. As far as I can tell, my waist and hip have about the same diameter.

Typically, I start wearing the belt on my waist because it feels more natural. Over time, it either slips down to my hip or I push it down because my waist starts to hurt on either side. On the hip, it starts to hurt too... If I work a 10+ hour shift, I often end up with bruises on my sides, between my waist and hip.

We are not allowed to use tactical vests or "load bearing" vests. I would rather avoid the shoulder-sling system for now (uniform shirt modifications, etc.). Does anyone have any ideas that can help alleviate the discomfort?

Many thanks.

[BoJackUSMC]

http://www.amazon.com/HWC-Nylon-Poli.../dp/B000XYP2L0 11

My fellow coworker use this and hides it underneath his uniform so no one can't see or tell the difference.

[snovvman]

http://www.amazon.com/HWC-Nylon-Poli.../dp/B000XYP2L0 11

My fellow coworker use this and hides it underneath his uniform so no one can't see or tell the difference.

Thanks. I looked into that before, but held off because it requires uniform shirt modifications. All the suspenders/slings I've seen requires cutting slits (at precise locations) so that the hidden suspender can connect to the Sam Browne.

[P5Ret]

Don't know if this will help you at all, but back in the day when leather was the only option, wearing the Sam Browne just a bit looser helped a lot. A quality pants belt will help too. Distributing the weight on the belt is an absolute necessity. Try to balance it as best you can, especially if your standing for long periods.

[snovvman]

Don't know if this will help you at all, but back in the day when leather was the only option, wearing the Sam Browne just a bit looser helped a lot. A quality pants belt will help too. Distributing the weight on the belt is an absolute necessity. Try to balance it as best you can, especially if your standing for long periods.

You raised a good point that I didn't adequately articulate in the OP. It seems like I am bearing the weight of the belt on the sides of my body. Since I do not have a gut nor a big backside, there is nothing else that the belt can bite on. I am trying to visualize if a looser belt setup can help that....

[BadKitty]

You raised a good point that I didn't adequately articulate in the OP. It seems like I am bearing the weight of the belt on the sides of my body. Since I do not have a gut nor a big backside, there is nothing else that the belt can bite on. I am trying to visualize if a looser belt setup can help that....

It sounds to me from your first post that you essentially have no hips. So, if you loosen it, and you have no butt, the belt might just slide down, yes? Also, you said that your waist is more oval as opposed to round. With a stiffer belt that you don't wear often, it stays in more of a round shape until it breaks in. That was my problem when I first got my belt. It got better after I broke it in. (Side note: I'm a female with hips and a big butt, so at least my belt stayed up near my waist if I had to run!) I'm thinking that, with your body shape, you may have to go to the suspenders option.

[ls2monaro]

I think the problem is you don't wear it enough. I have a 30 inch waist and have zero room on my Sam Browne with all the crap I carry. I find whenever I take a week or more off work my hips are sore for the first few days.

Try adjusting the belt, you don't want it too tight or too loose, and try distributing the weight differently on the belt.

[Ralston]

I've loosened my duty belt and it has made a world of difference for me. In my case, dropping a few pounds and checking my ego while squatting and deadlifting has helped also.

[Sutterduckhunter]

I think that no matter what you do, that belt will be uncomfortable if you are not wearing it 3-5 days a week. The skin/bone/muscle where that belt sits, needs to thicken up after some time and getting used to the weight. Good luck

[fal_762x51]

I wear the Sam Browne for 12 plus hours on a 32" waist. When I switched to the Safariland ALS gun and taser holster, I got bruising. It went away after three weeks.

You can always eat more donuts.

[snovvman]

It sounds to me from your first post that you essentially have no hips. So, if you loosen it, and you have no butt, the belt might just slide down, yes? Also, you said that your waist is more oval as opposed to round. With a stiffer belt that you don't wear often, it stays in more of a round shape until it breaks in. That was my problem when I first got my belt. It got better after I broke it in. (Side note: I'm a female with hips and a big butt, so at least my belt stayed up near my waist if I had to run!) I'm thinking that, with your body shape, you may have to go to the suspenders option.

The Safariland Ergotek (padded on the inside) nylon belt is torsionally stiff, but conforms to body shape better than leather gear. You might be right on both counts--a looser belt might just hang and there may be no relief other than suspenders.

I think the problem is you don't wear it enough. I have a 30 inch waist and have zero room on my Sam Browne with all the crap I carry. I find whenever I take a week or more off work my hips are sore for the first few days.

I think that no matter what you do, that belt will be uncomfortable if you are not wearing it 3-5 days a week. The skin/bone/muscle where that belt sits, needs to thicken up after some time and getting used to the weight. Good luck

This is interesting. I never considered that regular wear will cause the body to somehow adjust or accept the load. Unfortunately, it's not something that I do regularly...

I wear the Sam Browne for 12 plus hours on a 32" waist. When I switched to the Safariland ALS gun and taser holster, I got bruising. It went away after three weeks.

You can always eat more donuts.

My GF tells me that all the time, and that I need to get a larger gut so that I can carry more things. @ls2monaro is correct--I do not have room on my belt to carry everything. The ALS UBL does dig, but the UBL pad didn't help much.

I am also wondering which inner belt setup is best. As far as I can tell, the Velcro inner belt and the leather inner belt makes little difference on the comfort. With the leather inner belt, the weight is on the keepers. With the Velcro inner belt, the Sam Browne is partially attached to the inner belt via Velcro.

Thanks for all the input and suggestions.

[esy]

I have some friends that double up with the velcro inner and keepers.

The Sam Browne sounds like it just needs to get worked in and softened. I've had some old Sam Brownes that were well broken in and felt great. My new Class A Sam Browne is crazy stiff even after trying to work in the leather. Good thing it's only my Class A since I use nylon for my duty belt.

Think of the belt like a baseball glove. It has to get worked in to start feeling comfortable, and to be able to form the pocket and to your hand.

[IlDuche]

Tactical tailor has a belt pad for around $30. I wear one when I have to wear my leather duty belt. It has velcro tabs that marry up around the belt much like regular keepers. And it isn't overtly "Tactical" or in your face. Heck I don't even need keepers anymore when I wear it. Best $30 I've spent on a duty belt addition!

[IlDuche]

http://www.tacticaltailor.com/dutybeltpad.aspx

I bought a smaller one that doesn't wrap around completely. Just hip to hip. It's great.

[scarry scarney]

Check out "Back Defenders." https://www.backdefensesystems.com/

It will take you one or two "adjustments" to get it to fit just right. And the first time fitting, should be done with a partner.

The suspenders go under the shirt, require no modification to the shirt or pants, but the pants do need to be a little larger (or stretch like 5.11 uniform pants).

This works for me.