A7A Belts
 

I've done a search and spoke with other people I drill with and no one knows what a A7A belt is. The reason Im asking on this forum is because they are prohibited at SFAS according to the packing list. I have a rigger belt and a Raine brand BDU belt. Are these considered "A7A" belts. Im just trying to get all my stuff together and do not want to appear on that magical day at CMC with unauthorized items that I had plenty of time to learn about. Thanks for any help.
haztacmedic.

A7A belts are created by cutting the A7A cargo strap down to size to use as a belt. There are some folks, one in particular that I know, that could have used an extension on his A7A belt to hold up his trowsers but I am not going to mention any names. :D

A7A belts are now authorized for use at SFAS, or so says the cadre out at Camp MacKall. A good many of the AD guys had them as did many of the SOPC guys. They are infact being issued to some, not all, of the guys at OSUT now.

If I had it to do over again, and I am glad I dont have to worry about that one, I would not use a belt at all, but a set of BDU suspenders. Much more comfortable while under the ruck. Got mine at General Jackson's.

HTH.

Crip

Often done by the Riggers at FT Bragg and as a result often called a "Rigger belt".

NOT RECOMMENDED
 

Although cool in appearance, the heavy duty nylon that the A7A is made out of doesn't give.

Why is this important?

If the belt is too tight, it can constrict blood flow, thus increasing the chances of a heat injury.

The issue belt is made of cotton and expands as it gets hotter.

Go with the issue belt for selection.

My $.02.

JM

I love A7A's!!!

Probably one of the worst things you can do is show
up as a trainee with unauthorized gear. Kind of scary
to even think about!!!

Don't know if A7A's are authorized, but they are sweet if you
can get away with it.

I always wore an A7A with a SwissChamp knife in a nylon
sheath as part of my normal duty uniform.

Funny story on how I obtained mine. I was running a SOLCA
team out of the old Delta Compound at Bragg (stockade). We
were in there about a month after they moved to the new facility.

I did a recon on every square inch of that place. It was sterilized
quite well, except for a lone A7A strap used in an indoor range. It
was fastened to part of the range with a drywall screw.

Until that time, I wore "fake" A7A's around my waist, but I always had my
trusted SwissChamp with me. :D

Out comes the phillips screwdriver and within seconds I was the proud owner
of a real A7A strap. Amazingly, it was cut to perfect length for my waist. Talk
about luck!!!

Real A7A's are constructed from superior webbing and have real stitching too.
Of course, the "heart" is the "thick lipped floating metal bar" (JM school flashbacks)
which blows away any other type of buckle. It's nice to know that if you have
snap a carabiner in and do an emergency rappel the stitches and buckle won't fail.

It's true that nylon doesn't breath like cotton, but for me, the worst
rashes from heavy sweating have always been from narrow, cotton belts.
In my experience, my A7A was very comfortable.

The hole in the middle loop is where the drywall screw was.