About

The Vanguard Belts Story

Vanguard Belts was born out of my passion for firearms and our American right to bear arms.  Every concealed carrier knows the importance of a solid, sturdy belt platform upon which any good holster system depends.

In my personal search for an affordable but durable gun belt, I came across a belt offered by a major plastic holster manufacturer.  It was made of a coated webbing which was coated with a synthetic material called TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane). I was intrigued at the idea of a belt that was NOT made of leather (or cheap imitation “pleather").  I bought one of these TPU-coated belts and I soon realized it was the best belt I'd ever owned up to that point.

After a year and a half of daily wear, the TPU-coated belt still looked nearly as good as the day I bought it.  I'd never owned any leather belt that had ever held up that well.

After a period of time, I discovered that the holster manufacturer had discontinued offering the TPU-coated belt.  I can only presume that the reason that such a great belt was not a great seller was because consumers were simply prejudiced to expect that the only good belts are belts made of leather.  Few had probably ever heard of TPU, and fewer still could have imagined that a synthetic belt would ever outperform leather. In my experience with a TPU-coated belt, nothing could be further from the truth. No leather belt that I'd ever owned had lasted very long, nor had it looked so good after a long period of wear.

Even the best quality leather belts deteriorate with regular wear and must be replaced -- sometimes replaced often, depending on the wearer.  I looked to see if any other companies offered TPU belts, and I was surprised to find only a scant few. Some of those companies were demanding very high price premiums for their TPU-coated belts.

Digging deeper, I found one of the source manufacturers of the TPU-coated webbing material itself, and I bought a sample roll to try my hand at making belts at home.  With a small investment in some leather crafting tools and a little experimentation, I had built enough prototype belts to offer to friends, family, and coworkers. I asked them to try the belts out for awhile and give me honest feedback later.

The feedback I received from everyone was very positive.  Everyone loved my belts. It was at that point that I decided to spin up a small home-based business and offer these fantastic belts to the public.  I truly believe in the resiliency of TPU-coated webbing material, and I feel that everyone deserves a belt that holds up far better than leather ever could.  In my mind, leather is dead.

It's time to usher in the era of synthetic belts.  Welcome to Vanguard Belts.