Show off your Thigh and Shoulder Garters

[Hermanator]

I know these things aren't complicated, and they don't have to be complicated... but no one talks much about these two items. I think most folks use a Nylon waist band and an elastic strap for each thigh.  It would be cool if everyone shared their Thigh and Shoulder garter/attachment systems here.. especially the more unique methods.

 

Show off your thigh and shoulder garters!

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

I use exactly that, nylon belt, looped stitched elastic and two snaps to attach to thighs. I also added a pair of men's elastic braces just to hold the belt up and stop any digging into my sides, hasn't failed me as yet. I do advise anyone building armor to go for two snaps where ever they are able, just in case one fails

[Hermanator]

I love the idea of using two snaps instead of one.  Great suggestion!!  I am planning my build now, and it's great advice.  What are Men's elastic braces?  When I google it, orthodontics is all that comes up.   Are they the same as Suspenders, or are they leg braces of some sort?

 

When you stitch the elastic loops around the belt, do you attach them to the belt also, so that they don't rotate?  If it is on loosely, it could be a good idea to poke a hole through the elastic and the belt and install a Chicago Screw, or something similar.  This would keep it from rotating around your waist, but would also allow you to adjust it for different waist sizes (by poking new holes).

 

For the shoulders and thighs, I was thinking about gluing a horizontal plastic Rod on the inside of the armor and wrapping the elastic around that (snapping it above it).  This would keep tension off of the snap so it doesn't unsnap, but I'm not sure how well the plastic rod would hold up.

Edited October 29, 2013 by Kilryth

[Hermanator]

Oh, and I've seen that Vader Dave has a nice design as well.  Can anyone comment on how well it works in comparison to a the simpler single-strap design?  Do the plastic adjusters get in the way or dig in?

 

I was considering getting a sturdy nylon belt meant for load-bearing, such as police duty belts or Wilderness belts.  I have a 5-stitch Wilderness belt that is very flexible around the waist, but it doesn't sag under 4 pounds of weight.  I may do this and rig up my holster to it through the canvas belt and armor.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

My belt is 2 inch nylon, not heavy duty. Sorry forget we talk different over here, yes suspenders are the ones, I got rid of the clips on the ends and just loop the straps straight over the belt, no chance of them popping off . If you are making a belt just add a piece of stiff plastic into the design, that will help with sagging problems of the holster

[The5thHorseman[501st]]

For my thighs gather, i used what i had at the moment but i'm pretty with the result. So far it's doing the job

 

I just had to ensure the elastic straps are long enough so the D-rings are hidden behind the top of the thighs.

[Dark PWF[Staff]]

Great idea, and some great responses to the request everyone. 

 

Thanks for asking, and thanks for sharing!

 

Troopers helping Troopers, in full effect.

[evoxpilot]

Great thread, very helpful. I just tried my full armor on with just four Velcro elastic straps, two on each leg, suspended from the ab and butt plate. Its is a painful to attach but it does work but cannot imagine it long term and I intend to change it.

 

Sent from my HTC6435LVW using Tapatalk

 

 

[MattAlchin]

ok, to be honest I cheated,  and used a lower back support, heavy elastic, with velcro, very easy to wear ( helps with long term armor wear too), and simple to fix the hanging straps from too.

 

.

Edited May 11, 2014 by MattAlchin

[PGHtoolman]

On 5/11/2014 at 10:37 PM, MattAlchin said:

ok, to be honest I cheated,  and used a lower back support, heavy elastic, with velcro, very easy to wear ( helps with long term armor wear too), and simple to fix the hanging straps from too.

 

That is a great idea!!!  What do you think of this ----------------

 

Could I use this for both the torso and thighs?

Edited December 27, 2021 by gmrhodes13
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