legit?

[yellowthornoftexas]

howdy folks. ran across this while searching for a good quality 'civilian' haversack. It resembles the 'riverbelt' trouser belt that we wore in the Border Patrol/INS days. I'm no expert by no means, but I've never seen a belt like this being used. Narrow, so, I'm wondering....even though there weren't 'trouser' belts used, could it be worn to hold up trousers? In lace of suspenders? Anyone have any ideas, please share. This dealer also has a 'double roller' belt. I've heard somewhere before that the double style was fairly popular in Trans-Mississippi Theater?

http://www.ldhaning.com/belt10.php

Semper Fi
Al Martin

[RW0369]

Re: legit?

Belts(for trousers) were starting to come around in the 1850's and even used in conjunction with suspenders. Looking at photos of miners and railroad men in the 1850s bears this out. Since neither were issued by the army it's largely personal preference. Just an observation though, it appears men whose occupations required physical labor favored belts more than people with "indoor jobs"

[Michael Comer]

Re: legit?

Belts were not unknown by any means. They were worn around the top of the trouser just like today but, of course, there were no belt loops. Using a single or double billet civilian belt is certainly an appropriate choice for your impression.

[Will Hickox]

Re: legit?

In the special New York issue of Military Images from 1997 there is a photo of a New York soldier whose very ill-fitting jacket exposes the thin black leather belt he's wearing.

[Spinster]

Re: legit?

Early War Alabama Confederates sport double billet Civilian belts in such numbers that the images are not difficult to locate