I was SURPRISED How Good These Mission Belts Were!

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As I approach this review, one thing in particular comes to mind. It turns out that not all belts are created equal after all.  I make this remark because belts are not something I have given a great deal of thought to in the past.

A belt is a belt, is a belt right? That is not to say I haven’t wished for a better belt; it’s just that my life is fairly complicated, and a belt is not something I give a great deal of thought to. 

Quite frankly, the belts that have worked for me in the past only became so because I modified them for comfort and functionality to suit me.  So, when these belts were gifted to me by the brand, I had not given them a great deal of thought. 

I say that for honesty’s sake and to emphasize the fact that I was surprised, impressed, and pleased with what I found in these belts. With that in mind, I am happy to offer the following review.

What is the Mission Belt?

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For the purposes of this review, Mission Belt sent me three belts to evaluate and review. The first is a solid leather dimpled texture belt with a brushed steel buckle. The second is a leather belt with a heavy-duty fabric sewn to the outside with six individual stitches reinforcing it, along with a brushed steel buckle which has the American Flag on it.  The third is a nylon fabric belt sewn to a solid nylon backing coupled with a black steel buckle. 

What sets these belts apart from the competition is their no-hole design! Instead, they utilize a ratcheting buckle and railing on the interior of the belt’s tail. This allows for small incremental adjustments to the belt rather than larger multi-inch adjustments that standard belts suffer from.

What do I like about these Mission Belts?

1. The ratcheting buckles are awesome

All three buckles are of identical construction, though their styling was different. For appearance’s sake, I prefer the flag-emblazoned buckle the best. It is not merely printed. It is molded directly into the buckle during manufacturing and looks fantastic. 

While the other two buckles are probably a bit dressier for more formal or professional occasions. What I like best about these buckles is the means by which they are secured. 

In combination with the locking grooves on the belt itself, the buckles lock automatically when you slide the belt into the buckle to the desired fit.  It does so with a gratifying clicking sound until you reach the fit you want and is easily adjusted once there. 

I like that as I change from one pair of pants to another and varying shirts tucked in or not, a perfect fit is always right there in micro clicks. This is so much better than any typical belt with holes because they are too far apart to get those smaller adjustments for comfort’s sake.

2. They are built extremely well.

I also appreciate the quality construction of both the belt and the buckles (Paid Link). They are very evidently proud of their work. The craftsmanship is undeniable. 

You see it in all of the details, which begins when you pick up the box, look through the enclosed materials, to the impressive look and feel, as you flip the buckle around to examine it, and then followed by the first time you click it in place around your waist.

3. The included belt hangers were unexpected, but appreciated.

Furthermore, it may be a small thing, but it is such a cool thing that they included belt hangers for each of the belts. I have never seen one of these before, much less had one. At first, when I opened their separate boxes, I was a bit confused about what they were. 

But then, I understood on a second glance. They click directly into the buckle and allow you to hang your belt on your closet hanger rod. This is so cool because, normally, I hang the belts over the closet hanger rod. 

Which kind of works. However, they inevitably slip off the rod, and then I am down on my hands and knees, looking for my belt in the back of the closet. What a great detail. It is very cool indeed.

What do I NOT like about my Mission Belts?

1. A belt with a learning curve?

There are a few things about these belts I could say are a bit of an annoyance. For one, I never imagined having to have a learning curve with a simple belt. It actually takes a little time to adjust to their functionality. You need to know that. 

There is a small switch of sorts on the underside of the buckle to release the belt. Fortunately, I attempted to figure it out before I actually put the belt on.  Otherwise, I may have found myself trapped in it.  

Simply put, it is a very small switch. Nor does it function in a logical way, which would be easy to figure out while wearing it. Also, when it is under tension, it does not want to be released easily. 

That being said, I merely advise doing what I did and trying it out a few times first before putting it on.

Once you see how it functions, you will know what to do once you are wearing it. It turns out, once you have it figured out, it is very easy. As far as the tension goes, If you pull the belt even a very slight amount, it easily releases.

2. It lacks belt loop retainers.

One little thing was that one of the buckles did not come with the belt loop retainer.  It is not an essential item. However, I found that I liked the buckles with it more than the ones without. When ordering, I would request to have that included, just in case it was merely an oversight.

I have found that I tend to prefer the nylon belt the best because it is much more comfortable from the first time you put it on due to its greater flexibility. 

That being said, in the long run, I always prefer leather belts. We all know that once a leather belt is broken in, nothing can match the comfort, and they last forever.

3. I had to cut-to-fit the belts

The only other thing I can say, was that when I got the belts, I did have to cut them to fit, as they were way too long for me. But this was pretty simple and probably an advantage, as it gave me the opportunity to cut them to exactly the length I needed.

One comment I will make on this: It is pretty simple to do. Flip the buckle over, and you will see the retainer holding the buckle to the belt. Take a small flat tip screwdriver or something similar and pry the retainer up to release the belt from the buckle. 

Before you cut to fit, note the locking grooves on the back side of the belt and make sure to cut the belt in such a way that the perfect fit lands at the middle of that locking grove pattern. 

This way, it allows the optimum space to both increase and decrease the adjustments for a changing perfect fit each time. The caution here is that if you get the cut wrong and mess it up, there is no way to fix it, and it will require a new belt. It’s important to keep that in mind.  I had no issue with it. 

But, I can imagine it would be easy to mess up; if you did not think this through before cutting. I will borrow an age old expression, “Measure Twice, Cut Once.”

Who should buy these belts?

Anyone who has had any trouble getting the perfect combination of comfort, functionality, and styling in a belt. Anyone who wants a quality product that is a cut above all the other  products out there. 

Where should you buy a Mission Belt?

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