Concept and Construction
The Orion Outer Belt is T.Rex Arms’ take on the traditional outer war belt — a sleeve-style platform with PALS webbing across the exterior for pouches and a holster, and a hollow interior that accepts a separate inner belt. It is 3.25” wide, lined on the inside with a non-slip rubberized foam, and has a multi-stage construction: an outer non-slip rubberized foam, an inner padding layer, and an integrated stiffener wrapped in 600D fabric to resist abrasion from the inner belt. Manufacturing is handled in the USA by Coyote Tactical Solutions.
Two HK-style clash hooks are sewn to the front of the belt for clipping ear pro, gloves, chem lights, or tape. Four velcro tie-downs are built into the interior to attach the outer sleeve to an EDC/pants belt — a feature aimed at the common failure mode of two-piece systems, where the belt rides up with a jacket or fleece when the wearer kneels, climbs, or moves through cover.
Sizing does not follow pant sizing. The belt is sold in two lengths:
- Medium — 36” outer (21 PALS panels), pairs with a 29”–46” inner
- Large — 40” outer (24 PALS panels), pairs with a 35”–52” inner
The outer ships with the two clash hooks already attached. An inner belt is required for the system to function but is not included.
The Inner Belt
The Orion Outer accepts inner belts between 1.5” and 1.75” wide, and will work with a variety of inner belts on the market. T.Rex sells a dedicated Orion Inner Belt at 1.75” wide, built from mil-spec materials with a COBRA buckle and a heavy-duty triglide for size adjustment. The triglide is the design choice that distinguishes it from velcro-fastened inner belts, which can be awkward to resize once threaded. It is built with extra length so users can trim and burn the tail to fit.
This inner belt is sized for use inside the war belt and is explicitly not an EDC pants belt — it runs longer than a normal trouser belt would. It is also not weight-rated and does not include a rappelling D-ring. Manufacturing is handled in the USA by Relyant Solutions.
Threading the Inner Belt
Setup begins by removing the male end of the COBRA buckle and the triglide from the inner belt, then threading the loose end through the outer sleeve. T.Rex recommends starting on the side that will eventually carry the holster.
The belt feeds through the PALS channel one panel at a time. The technique is to pinch the outer belt to create an air gap, then push the inner belt through. If the belt binds halfway through, a flathead screwdriver can be used to push it along. At any point along the run, the inner belt can be pulled out to “swim” across the front of one or more PALS panels, exposing a section of the inner belt for direct mounting of equipment — particularly useful where a Safariland UBL or similar holster will sit.
For a Safariland CUBL/QLS holster, the typical setup leaves about three rows of PALS exposed at the holster position (roughly the 3 o’clock for most users). The inner belt is threaded through the UBL slot, back into the PALS, through the holster again, and then back into the webbing — anchoring the holster against side-to-side movement. Once the inner belt is fully through, the triglide is woven back on and pulled tight, and the male COBRA buckle is reinstalled with the tail facing up. Excess inner belt can be folded and taped, trimmed and burned, or fed back into the outer sleeve to preserve length for resale or resizing.
Mounting Pouches
T.Rex recommends putting the belt on with the holster installed before deciding where pouches go, so positions can be marked relative to the body rather than guessed on the bench.
For pouches with MALICE clips (the wavy variety), the correct method is a full weave: through the top PALS slot, through the corresponding row on the pouch, back into the next PALS row, and so on, finishing with the clip locked down. Skipping the middle weave and just looping through top-and-bottom is called out as incorrect — it sacrifices the structural rigidity that keeps the pouch from rocking on the belt.
For pouches with sewn-on MOLLE webbing strips (such as the T.Rex SIP pouch), the strip is woven directly through the Orion’s PALS panels. Because the Orion is a belt rather than a chest rig or plate carrier, longer pouch webbing strips don’t have to start flush with the top of the belt — skipping the topmost MOLLE segment lets the pouch ride centered on the belt instead of hanging low. If a user prefers MALICE clips on a pouch with sewn webbing, the sewn strip can be cut off and a MALICE clip threaded behind in its place.
The clash hooks on the front are useful for items that don’t need a pouch — gloves, electrical tape, ear pro. An ITW GrimLoc routed through the front PALS gives a higher attachment point if the clash hook itself sits too low.
Loadout Configurations
The Orion is intentionally agnostic about layout. Documented configurations include:
- General-purpose war belt — two pistol pouches, one rifle magazine, a flat pouch for multi-tool or flashlight, a dump pouch, a horizontally mounted tourniquet, and a Safariland QLS-mounted pistol holster.
- Sniper / DMR belt — magazine pouches at the sides, support gear in the small of the back.
- Minimalist pistol belt — holster and a couple of magazine pouches only.
T.Rex’s stated philosophy on weight distribution is to keep heavier loads on the torso (plate carrier, chest rig) and treat the belt as the slicker secondary platform — moving with weight on the hips is measurably slower than moving with weight on the core, particularly through doorways and tight spaces. That said, the Orion’s stiffener and width are intended to make heavier belt loads more comfortable than thinner two-piece competition belts can manage during long training days.
Cold-Weather and Layering Use
Because the Orion is a single-piece sleeve with internal non-slip lining and tie-downs, it can be worn directly over a jacket or fleece without an inner pants belt — useful in cold weather where a two-piece system would otherwise leave gaps in clothing or require threading an inner belt through cold-weather garments. The trade-off is that without the tie-downs secured to a pants belt, motion of an outer garment can drag the war belt with it, so anchoring the outer to an underlying belt is still recommended whenever practical.
Warranty
T.Rex-branded products, including the Orion Outer and Orion Inner, are covered by a fully transferable Limited Lifetime Warranty against breakage from normal use.