Raptor Tactical Odin Belt Mark III Review

Stepping into 2020, it seems that two-piece gun belts have swept social media. The designs all work on the same principle, with an inner and outer belt. The inner belt fastens around the waist inside your belt loops, and the outer belt for attaching your holster and accessories. Together, they use hook and loop, most commonly Velcro, to sandwich your belt loops, creating a stiff mated pair between your pants and your “First Line” of gear.

While there are many two-piece options on the market, I was in the market for three things in a belt for myself.

• Affordability: I can’t spend too much on a product I can only wear on the occasional trip to the range
• Availability: I’m interested in a product available to ship within days, not weeks
• Aesthetics: I need a belt that will look as good I do while practicing in my parent’s basement

I settled on the Raptor Tactical Odin Belt Mark III with the Cobra Mini 25mm buckle in a fresh Multicam Black. If you haven’t figured it out yet, Multicam Black is the new hotness that isn’t necessarily effective like traditional Multicam, Arid, or Tropical, but just looks really cool. Being a newer trend, it’s difficult to find quality gear in this print and I was pleasantly surprised to find the folks over at SKD Tactical were selling the belt as configured, ready to ship, for only $103.95. Checking all of my boxes, I bought it myself to genuinely test just how good it was, if at all.

At first glance, the laser cut MOLLE looks fantastic. The camo print also looks amazing, going so far as to cover not just the standard outer fabric, but the exterior Velcro as well. The mini cobra buckle feels refined and robust, despite its miniature size, just as one would expect from Cobra. My first complaint however, comes from the strap design when using the mini cobra buckle. While the rest of the belt is 1.75” in height, the strap holding the buckle is approximately an inch in height. The adjustment strap is designed to sit between the inner and outer belt and with the mismatched widths of Velcro, There is approximately .75” of Velcro adhesion not being utilized. Despite this complaint however, I find it in application to be mostly a cosmetic disadvantage and served me well during my trials. All things considered, While there isn’t anything wrong functionally with the 25mm Mini Buckle, I’d go with the full size Cobra should I buy another.  

To test my new belt, I wore it loaded up with my handgun, Safariland Holster, tourniquet, and Esstac KYWI mag pouches, also in Multicam Black, during an 8-hour instructional course. While Raptor Tactical has many different configurations for the Odin Mark III, I opted to not get the “3-gun” version which promises stability at the cost of comfort. After hours of standing, holstering, drawing, and reloading, never once did I feel the need for more stiffness. Due to the Velcro design, you can adjust the lengthy of the belt incrementally to the smallest degrees. Admittedly it is a bit of a hassle to adjust the length as it requires a fair amount of “guess and check” when you’re adjusting the buckle, forcing you to detach the outer from the inner belt when adjusting the buckle’s strap. However, once correct size has been achieved, it is very much a “set it and forget it” system.

Customization is where you see the advantage of the two-part belt system come into play. With a large padded over-belt you don’t get the same consistent rigidity that comes with a standard belt attached through your belt loops, but with a standard belt, you lose space on your waist to put accessories where belt loops are occupied. On the Odin Mark III you have MOLLE panels wrapping around the entire circumference. Despite not having the full 3” height of MOLLE, I had no issues with my WTFix straps attaching the Esstac Kywi mag pouches. Additionally, my Safariland mid-ride Universal Belt Loop mount felt very secure sandwiched in the hook-and-loop belt without feeling constricted when it came to adjustments. After my 8-hour course I found this belt to be very comfortable while never holding me back in the heat of a reload or draw. Having a friend try the belt they felt very confident about reaching for their equipment consistently after only a few minutes. Comfort is incredibly important in a belt and I noticed no chafing or rubbing or any particular edge pressed too tight against my skin. Should you encounter any of the sort, the belt is super easy to get off, with only a buckle and Velcro to remove the whole outer belt while maintaining the support to your pants provided by an inner belt. 

Going back to the aforementioned subject, there are a lot of belts in production. Each individual belt strives to offer something unique of its own for a chance in the saturated market. While the Odin Mark III isn’t the most premium in price, It does everything you should reasonably expect from a good belt at an exceptional value. It’s stiffness and design offer a consistent draw, it’s options for customization allow a plethora of possibilities, and it’s affordable price tag make this an excellent belt for a shooter looking to get invested in a platform that can grow with their needs. I’m confident this belt will have no issues scaling up with me as I expand. 

Is the Raptor Tactical Odin Mark III the absolute best gun belt? Probably not; but this is a highly affordable two-piece belt that comes in an impressive 9 colors and patterns while offering extreme value for any shooter. My only recommendation is to go with the standard version of the buckle and skip the mini, however at just over $100, you won’t be disappointed either way. 

Check out RaptorTactical.com for more info or to purchase one. 

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