The Best Men’s Belts of 2024

Arcade came on the scene over a decade ago with a singular focus — belts! What started as a few ski bums crafting belts in their living room has quickly grown into one of the biggest active belt brands on the market. After garnering a dedicated following over the years and consistently improving their designs, it’s no surprise the Atlas Belt ($35) is at the top of our list.

Arcade bills the Atlas as the “new standard for performance stretch belts,” and it’s easy to see why. The A2 buckle clasps and releases with ease and allows you to adjust the tightness on the go, which is ideal for backpackers, rock climbers, skiers, mountain bikers, and other adventurers whose pocket weight might fluctuate throughout the day. The buckle is also extremely low-profile and contoured to the shape of the body, which keeps it out of the way when you’re active.

The Atlas belt is secure but manages to stretch with the body when engaged in strenuous or dynamic activities. The webbing is made with 85% post-consumer recycled REPREVE polyester and has a comfortable feel if it happens to ride up and touch the skin. The Atlas comes in several solid color options, but if you’re looking for something a little more flashy, Arcade offers a huge range of other models with patterns and prints.

Arcade belts are notoriously versatile, and the Atlas Belt is no different. You can confidently wear the belt from the trail to your favorite restaurant, or even for a night out. It’s also metal-free, which makes airport travel a breeze. With its many thoughtful features and unrivaled versatility, the Atlas Belt is easily one of the best men’s belts on the market today.

Bison manufactures technical and handy equipment of all types, so it’s no surprise they came up with this strong, lightweight belt that can be used for almost anything. The 30-mm T-Lock Belt ($20.50) is easy to use, compresses into a tiny roll for travel, and looks great.

The nylon webbing is surprisingly strong, and while exceptionally lightweight, we weren’t able to overstress the plastic buckle. The strap slides into the slot with ease, and then you simply fold the clasp into place until it clicks. 

You have to push down somewhat hard to secure the buckle and to lift the clasp, and you have to get a good grip with the fingertip. But despite repeated use as a casual belt, we haven’t experienced any weakening of the buckle.

The many trendy color options give the T-Lock belt a lot of casual appeal. Its minimal weight and simple functionality also make it great for climbing, hiking, or travel. The nylon doesn’t stretch, but we didn’t have any issues with it while doing activities outdoors.

Overall, the Bison T-Lock is a great bargain buy for anyone who likes a blend of style and versatility. The variety of colorways allows you to tailor it to your own style, and it’s great for virtually any activity. The minimalist qualities kept it from making the top of our list, but it’s easily one of the best men’s belts for the price.

With the most unique clasping mechanism on this list, the Groove Belt ($65) is a treat for anyone who values durability and ease of use. While it could be used for outdoor use and casual wear, Groove Life utilizes stainless steel screws and gives customers a 94-year warranty (you read that right), making it ideal as a single purchase to accompany you to work every day.

The A380 aluminum alloy buckle is a head-turner. It utilizes magnets and directional prongs to keep the belt in place. With a slight nudge and tilt, the buckle releases. To secure it, you simply hold the top over the bottom, and it falls in place.

Initially, we expected it to release with varied movement, but we couldn’t manage to get it to come undone on its own. Groove Life’s proprietary webbing has just the right amount of stretch for a durable belt, making it great for people who might need to hang a tool pouch.

The Groove Belt’s ease of use is truly astonishing, as we found ourselves double-checking to make sure it had, in fact, latched. Depending on your style, you could also sport this belt for a night out. It would also work great for outdoor recreation, though the buckle is a bit heavy compared to the lightweight webbing.

Overall, with supreme durability and (pretty much) a lifetime warranty, we think the Groove Belt is the best men’s work belt we tested.

The hand-crafted belts from Main Street Forge exemplify quality. Made with buffalo leather, they have a classic feel and are manufactured in old-school fashion in the U.S. The Classic Leather Everyday Belt ($41) is one of their staples and will impress anyone who appreciates quality.

Classic leather belts with traditional buckles will always be heavier, but that’s really the only downside to this belt. It’s nice enough that you’ll probably want to keep it reserved for casual and dress use, which makes it a great belt for anyone who works in an office or social setting.

The company doesn’t provide many technical specs on the belt, but that’s because this style is remarkably simple. They use one of the strongest tensile-rated leathers they can find and reinforce it with a classic USA steel buckle. The quality of the leather results in a belt that doesn’t crack or lose strength over time.

Main Street Forge doesn’t outsource work overseas — all material sourcing and manufacturing happen in the US. They offer a lifetime warranty for any defects in workmanship or quality, which attests to their faith in the leather they use. If you want a classy belt to pair with your nicer clothes or simply appreciate the feeling of wearing quality materials, the Classic Leather Everyday Belt won’t disappoint.

With the Classic Jean Belt ($20), Timberland offers a quality leather belt at a very reasonable price. In fact, if you don’t look too closely, you’d have a hard time distinguishing it from the craftsman, casual belts on the list.

All leather belts are strong, and this belt performed as well as anyone could expect. There’s nothing really flashy about it, and it has a much lighter feel than the other leather belts we reviewed.

Lower-quality leathers are always more prone to cracking, but ours still looks as good as new after a few months of regular use. The normal wear associated with leather is expected, but so far, it’s holding up quite well.

The classic pronged buckle has a strong, reassuring feel, and won’t flip as you move around on the job. While it lacks craftsman features, it dresses up pretty well, making it a great all-around option for daily use.

With outsourced materials and manufacturing, you won’t be able to brag about supporting a small business, but this belt easily outperforms its price. For a quality, 100% leather belt, you’ll have a hard time finding a better deal than the Timberland Classic Jean Belt.

It’s no surprise another Arcade belt made this list. Designed with less stretch than their casual and outdoor belts, the Hardware Belt ($40) is built to hold your pants up while you put up a house.

The Hardware Belt’s stiff webbing has a high-performance feel. It provides enough stretch for comfort in movement but locks out to hold tool bags and anything else that might weigh you down.

Ridges on the high-tensile strength buckle provide enhanced grip, and the webbing is confined to a tighter space, making it virtually impossible to pull out of place. The buckle also has a contoured shape.

With a tighter weave, the webbing holds up well to potential abrasions and scuffs. The material is stiffer and less comfortable against the skin than other Arcade belts, but the added durability is worth it.

Like the Groove Belt, the Arcade Hardware Belt has a minimal amount of stretch. It could easily be used for outdoor or casual use and is metal-free for travel. Other than the larger clasp being a bit tricky to get through certain loops, we couldn’t find any issues with this belt. It could have landed anywhere on this list of the best men’s belts of the year.

Kuhl has been making functional and stylish outdoor clothing for years, but the Resistor Belt ($42) exceeded our expectations as an addition to the outdoor arsenal. With a durable feel and an ideal amount of tension, this belt is confidence-inspiring and easy to use.

The ultra-durable stretch webbing has a more durable feel than the other outdoor belts we tested, and we were unable to overstretch it. We even hung a full water bottle from it with a carabiner and the stretch was minimal.

With a low-profile buckle design, this belt was extremely easy to slide in and out of loops. This is ideal for outdoor pants that tend to have smaller, thinner belt loops, and anyone on the trail who might find themselves taking it on and off. The tail is also reversible, which gives you the ability to tuck it either inside or outside the belt.

The buckle has an asymmetrical design, which might not be ideal for casual use with a tucked-in shirt, but other than that, it’s highly versatile. We could see this belt working great on job sites as well as the outdoors. Overall, the Kuhl Resistor Belt is a go-to for anybody whose outdoor adventures might get gnarly. 

Nohma Leather uses premium buffalo hide to craft traditional belts in various styles. Their belts can be customized with stitch style and color, as well as buckle material and color for select belts. Nohma considers the Double Prong Retro Leather ($50) a dress belt, and while it does dress up nicely, it’s also ideal for casual or work use.

As with any buffalo leather belt, these belts are incredibly strong. They become more supple over time and, with age, achieve a vintage look. The double-prong option is great not only for strength but also looks classy with a tucked-in shirt.

Nohma began in a basement and is now a family-run business with a growing reputation for quality craftsmanship. All of their products are sourced and manufactured in the U.S., and they put great care into their work. They offer buckles made with stainless steel, copper, brass, and nickel.

The only downside to a double-pronged buckle is that it tends to poke out a bit. If you’re wearing this belt with a fitted T-shirt over it, the buckle definitely shows. Otherwise, these belts look as good as they feel, and we’d highly recommend the Nohma Double Prong Retro to anybody who appreciates quality and classic style.

While it didn’t top our list, the Patagonia Tech Web Belt ($35.00) is a mainstay that won’t disappoint the average outdoors person. The recycled nylon webbing is ultra-bomb-proof, making it ideal for trad climbers and outdoor enthusiasts who can’t risk failure.

Some people don’t like belts that stretch and prefer the idea of a belt that can be used for tension in a pinch. If that’s you, the Tech Web Belt is an easy choice. The strongest belt on this list, you could easily tow gear across a river with it or use it as a strap.

The aluminum buckle can be used to pop open bottles and can be harnessed as a lash strap. Its traditional feed-through buckle design isn’t as easy to use as the pinch-release options on this list, but the lack of stretch and burly teeth keep it in place.

While the lack of stretch can cause the occasional tightness in certain movements, you can rest assured the Tech Web Belt won’t budge. Not designed for the fashionista, this is the best men’s belt for gearheads who like the idea of a belt that can also be used as a tool.