We saw a lot of development in the new style micro battle belt over the last year, a slimming down of the traditional setup. And finally, a King has been crowned. The competition was stiff, but in my opinion, Blue Force Gear has emerged as the clear winner. The CHLK or Combat Helo Load rated Kit is an absolute champion.
The CHLK is both Berry compliant, and tough enough to count as a tie-down point for helicopter assaults, hence the name. The Berry Compliant bit means that all the material in it is US manufactured, and it is built in the US as well. The mini cobra buckle upfront exceeds Helo tethering requirements. All of which may not matter for you. It’s been a hot minute since I strapped into a Crashhawk myself, and tie down points aren’t required at the range. So why should we care?
Because that is just the durability factor. As a civilian, you may want to cut those helo tether points off for a bit more real estate. The reason I like the CHLK belt is that it is the lightest and most comfortable battle belt on the market, despite being overbuilt enough to be issued to warfighters as its intended purpose.
Naturally fitting sounds like marketing hype, but in this case, it’s real. You can see a distinct arc built into the belt’s profile, which probably matches the one worn into your favorite leather belt. It looks goofy in pictures, but rest assured, it really does make the CHLK fit like an old favorite from minute one.
The belt is a two-belt system, as is common these days. The inner belt was built for comfort as well, with what I can only describe as micro Velcro as its outer layer. This unique Velcro is super soft and non-chafing, which is a first. Also gone is some kind of inner belt buckle. The CHLK feeds back through a loop on the far side, draping over itself for a very secure fit. This is another place the pliability and softness of the inner belt pays off. That overlap isn’t some huge hump like we typically see on competition belts. It lays very flat and gives the CHLK a perfect fit.
The outer belt is MOLLE compatible, and laser cut from the same magic material BFG uses for its magazine pouches. This makes it very, very light and will not take on weight in water. Yet somehow, the outer belt is also EXTREMELY rigid in terms of compression. Gripping it top to bottom, the way weight sits in MOLLE pouches, you cannot compress it with your hands. The combination is unreal. At 12.5 ounces (empty), it is hard to believe this belt is so capable.
In weeks of testing, I have grown very fond of this belt. I test a lot of equipment like this and have yet to see one so clearly dominate the field. At $199, it isn’t cheap. But I assure you, it’s worth every penny.
I thought real Cobra belts were made in like Austria, but not US ?? Also did u ck out a company called AborArmsUSA ?? this belt looks very close to their Assult belt ??