T-Rex Arms Orion Belt

Following on from my last post on the HSGI Suregrip Battle Belt, I thought I’d try out the T-Rex Arms Orion, as it seemed to be the more streamlined and lightweight little brother. The only worry I had on buying this belt was in the integrity of the laminate webbing, which is something I definitely appreciated about the use of jaquard webbing throughout the HSGI.

My first impressions when the belt arrived was that it is a well put together and professional looking piece of gear. The neoprene lining seems to be of the same type that’s in the HSGI, and so comes with the new wetsuit smell. The belt is also lightly padded and so remains comfortable when running a holster off of the belt.

I have been using the belt for daily for the last 6 weeks, with a load of a G17, small med kit, 2 rifle and 2 pistol magazines. This is where i find my first drawback. The laminate webbing has already begun to sag and fray around where the rifle mags are secured leaving them to wobble and for white fibres to be exposed, which are very obvious against the Ranger green belt. I have also found fraying on the laminate around my UBL and on one of the glove hook loops. Whilst I’m sure it is only cosmetic damage, it does leave me with the feeling that if I added any more weight, or put it through any real trauma, it may fall apart. Now whilst I’m sure it would stand the test of time if used only for airsoft or on ranges, I’m a little disappointed that for the price tag of £130 I’m not blown away by it and feel like I have to tread lightly so to speak.

The drawbacks with laminate webbing aside, I have found the Orion to be very comfortable when worn for long periods of time. The thin profile of the belt means that it sits pretty evenly with my Arc’teryx H150 which I wear underneath. This means that the belt doesn’t ride too high, or too low that it squeezes the tops of your legs. The neoprene lining ensures that the belt stays centred, especially with the leg strap of my holster in place. This makes for a very reliable draw of both my sidearm and magazines when they are obscured by body armour.

Overall I like a lot about the T-Rex Arms Orion, its size and comfort make for an excellent belt to be worn for long periods, it looks cool and is clearly well thought out, however I am definitely not a fan of the laminate laser cut webbing. I’m going to keep hold of this belt for some time when I’m home, and see how it holds up to being used for airsoft alone, as I do really want to give it a chance, but if I was buying again I would definitely want to see a version that utilises the micro webbing design seen on a lot of new products from other companies.

Thanks for checking out my review on the T-Rex Arms Orion, if you have any questions regarding this kit then please get in touch on my Instagram @thegeardocrow.