INTRODUCTION
Today, we will have a close look at the Kore Essentials B1 Coyote Battle Belt, a system designed to support your pistol and any ancillary gear that needs to go with it. I’ve been on a battle belt kick for a minute now. You might have already read my other piece about Building your own battle belt.
Battle belts are designed to distribute the weight of a sidearm and other equipment across your waist without becoming cumbersome. At the same time, they securely hold your gun and gear right where you need it. The B1 Battle Belt from Kore is custom fit to the user and promises guaranteed satisfaction and compatibility with whatever gear you choose to put on it.
The B1 uses a ratcheting buckle to keep it tight, something a little different than some other belts. But like other belts, it utilizes an internal velcro belt that goes inside your belt loops. To which the outer belt attaches by both velcro and the ratcheting buckle.
Having used a couple of other belts, I was curious to see how this different design would fit my taste. However, I found myself already quite excited and happy with the belt in a very short time.
KORE ESSENTIALS B1 BATTLE BELT REVIEW
Perhaps the crowning feature of the belt is its ratcheting buckle, which makes donning the belt very quick and easy. This belt is a great option for people who regularly carry a gun. With the added benefit of quick and easy removal. It’s available in several colors, which can easily match any of your daily wear. And with complete external molle loops, you can add any of your necessary accessories like magazine pouches, knives, and such.
The internal velcro belt is black and quite smooth, but for the velcro outer surface, the outer main belt measures 1.75 inches wide to better support your holster and other accessories. Both belts feature a rigid polymer internal core (or Kore). This increases the stability of your weapons and other gear. The idea is to keep things where you want them and not flop around as you move.
I would have zero concerns putting my full-size P320 holster on this belt. Or one of my other Safariland ALS holsters. But for this review, I used a much smaller system, mainly just to try something different. I recently got one of the new Taurus TX22 Compact pistols, which fit perfectly into a Blackhawk SERPA G26 holster.
No doubt was in my mind it would be fun to try this little pistol out attached to the B1 Kore belt. In just a few minutes I had everything together and ready to start my drawing practice.
BATTLE BELT ENGAGED…
Once the box was opened and I began reading most of the directions, I was slightly intimidated. Finding out that I had to cut the belt to length.
It can’t be overstated how important it is to get these belts to the right length, so I didn’t want to screw it up. The Kore B1 belt comes with a measuring tape included. Helping you to measure directly through your belt loops for the exact right length.
Just to be sure, I cut it a smidge longer than needed. But it turns out that wasn’t necessary. Should I gain a few more pounds, I might be glad I did.
After cutting the inner and outer belts to length, I singed the edges with a lighter to prevent fraying. The inner belt has a thin hex tip that is easily threaded through your belt loops.
The outer belt, after cutting, needs to have the buckle installed. The buckle is installed using a couple of hex-head screws that thread into the buckle and compress the end of the nylon belt. There is also a foldable claw that aggressively bites into the nylon belt to secure it while the screws are tightened. At the tongue end of the outer belt has nylon teeth on the inside that are secured by the buckle latch.
Putting on the belt
Installing the belt is pretty simple. You fish the inner belt through your pant belt loops. Then, cinch it down until it’s as tight as you’d like it to be. Then the outer belt is carefully attached to the velcro outer part of the inner belt. This is done while aligning the two belts around your waist as you put them on.
Lastly, you cinch down the outer belt into the buckle. Both the buckle tension and the engagement of the velcro make the belt very firm and secure.
Having installed my holster on the outer belt before putting it on. And adding a few accessories is also a good idea BEFORE you put the belt on because once it is on, it’s far too secure to add things then.
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Once I had everything installed, I hit the shooting range to see how well the belt held my gun. I’m sure that a bigger gun would be a little more cumbersome than this little thing, but the belt feels so secure I wouldn’t hesitate for a second. The belt’s rigidity felt fantastic, and I carried my gun that way for a week before I even messed with how it rides.
The daily putting on and taking off made the design of this belt shine. I really liked the way it fit me and how easy it was to fit my gear as well.
I’ve only had it for a few weeks, and I’m already considering another one, and since they are so easy to custom-fit to each person, I think it’d be a great gift.
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HOW WE TESTED
Several trips to the range easily showed the utility of the Kore Battle Belt.
Doing lots of draw practice and shooting from the holster allowed me to better adjust the belt to my taste. Adding things like a simple folding pocket knife, mag pouches, and other accessories made the belt feel extremely useful.
While it’s not recommended for such, I don’t know if I’d like to be suspended by the belt in an emergency. Other battle belts that don’t have the clamped on buckle, on the other hand, though it would be very uncomfortable, I would expect to hold in an emergency situation. That may be the only negative thing I could come up with.