Any reasons to prefer braces over belts?
It accompanies me for quite a while. I see a lot of outdoor-people wearing braces ("suspenders" in USA/Canada) instead of belts. Also, a lot of outdoor brands have braces in their range, such as these examples:
- From LD Mountain Centre:
- From FjällRäven
Is there any reason to prefer braces over belts? Or is it just a "fashion" thing?
2 answers
Braces have a couple of advantages I can think of:
- the weight of the trousers is taken on your shoulders, not your waist
- they can come up higher than your waist
These are important for snow sports, eg snowboarding in Scotland, where trousers can end up both soaking wet and covered in snow, so the weight of them is quite high. A belt lets them pull down to the hips unless pulled really tight, and the low top allows snow to go up your back. Never a good thing. With braces the top can be well above waist height, and you don't notice the weight carried on your shoulders.
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If you're carrying a large rucksack the hip belt can cause a trouser belt to rub, or even to pinch skin. I no longer go trekking but my baby-carrying rucksack certainly does this. Braces may or may not have the same problem depending on how/where they attach, leading to a personal preference.
Braces are also good for keeping up waterproof overtrousers which don't have belt loops, as these may work their way down quite easily if scrambling or bending, especially as they may be chosen to be large for winter use, then worn over less clothing.
This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/a/10047. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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