Belt-setups: What I carry for short walks

As I head more into the outdoors I found that I prefer the stability from a low centre of gravity that comes from carrying my gear around my waist. Plus, I get to give my shoulders a break from my keyboard based career. I have three different modular belt/webbing setups that I call Light, Medium and Heavy. In this article, I'll talk about my light belt setup; its intended use, composition and my experiences using the light belt.

The Light Belt intended use is for solo excursions covering one-mealtime or less. The light belt setup can work in small groups if the amount of group equipment is limited.

(Image: Author's own)

The belt itself is a Swiss Army load strap. Quality buckles and webbing that's strong enough to swing from. This setup doesn't need suspenders. From left-to-right, the following items are attached to the belt. I'll name them, then go into more detail on the purpose of each.

• Fold-up dump pouch
• British Army Utility pouch
• Rain poncho
• 750ml Recycled water bottle

The Fold-up dump pouch is used for foraging, carrying light clothing or tidying up rubbish. I keep a plastic grocery bag permanently inside to act as another carry bag, or to line the dump-pouch if I gather anything dirty or damp. The dump-pouch easily slides around to the front while I gather. The dump pouch is MOLLE-ish, put adapts well to an inch-wide belt. If my navel is 12 o'clock, then I carry the dump pouch at the 9 o'clock position on my left hip

The Utility pouch is the main carry-space item. The utility pouch is British Army surplus in MTP Camo and is MOLLE too. This pouch carries my core survival kit, a first aid kit, a light meal, wallet, USB battery and cable. You can really pack gear into this pouch and it has a snow collar that prevents things falling out. Ninja tip: you can use the snow collar to tactically silence the velcro. The utility pouch is carried the 7 to 8 o'clock position.

The rain poncho is your generic military-style poncho with grommets and a draw-string hood. I take this even when the weather is fine because the poncho has so many uses. I've spent nights under this poncho, used it as a picnic mat and as rain protection. I'm wearing this very poncho in the bonus photo at the end of my last post "Rain, Bush and Scenery: Up Pukemokemoke". The rain poncho is worn at 6 o'clock, centred across my back.

The rain poncho is held around the belt by a bungee cord. That bungee cord works great for quickly setting the poncho up as a shelter.

Next is a 750ml water that was recycled from a branded sports drink which is held on by a carabiner. The suspension system is a little overkill, but it does mean I have a usable length of paracord with me because I might not be wearing my paracord laced boots. The water bottle is carried at about 4 to 5 o'clock on my right hand side.

So what's this like to use in practise?

Really good. My mobility and stability are excellent with this setup. Things don't flap about much, my arms don't brush against the belt items when I walk and I'm not extra wide so as to get caught up on the brush. The position that I carry the belt items leaves good access to front pants pockets. I can keep my phone in my pocket and the water is by my dominant hand.

The weight of the water bottle and pouch balance each other out, especially as I drink the water down. This isn't much water but it's fine for short walks or adventures where I can replenish my water along the way. I also keep extra water in my car and drink before I go and that pre-loading reduces the need for water during adventures. Having a few survival and first aid items means I know I can deal with most situations.

In a pinch, I can boil water in the plastic bottle, but an inability to cook food or reliably boil water is the weak point of this setup. I'm thinking of how to remedy this, probably by getting a decent metal water bottle. I have a metal bottle, but I don't particularly like it. I could also move the survival kit into a mini-mess tin.

So, this is a brief tour of my current light-belt setup. I recently re-did the medium webbing so I'm still testing that. Anyway, have at it in the comments. Your suggestions are gratefully welcomed.