How to Buy a Western Belt That Fits

A belt does one job all day and gets almost no credit for it. Get the size wrong and you notice it every time you sit down. Get it right and you forget it's there, which is the whole idea.

1. Measure the belt you already wear.

Your pant size is a guess. Your belt is the answer. Lay a belt that fits flat, then measure from the fold at the buckle to the hole you actually use. That number is your belt size. If it falls between sizes, go up.

2. Pick a width for what you'll wear it with.

• The Double B Hand-Tooled Belt is 1.5 inches wide, the classic Western width. It is built for jeans and a buckle you can see. Sizes run 32 to 42.
• The Silver Concho Belt is a narrow 0.8 inch. It sits quietly under a shirt tail or shows over denim. It comes in three ranges: S/M fits 32 inches at the middle hole, M/L fits 36, L/XL fits 40, and each leaves about 6 inches past the buckle.

3. Order the exact size.

Handmade leather is often final sale. The Double B belt is: the maker does not take returns or exchanges on leather. Measure twice. It costs nothing and saves a belt.

4. Know your buckle before you buy one.

A trophy-style buckle like The Turquoise Slab Buckle attaches to a strap with snaps. Check that your strap has snaps at the buckle end and is a width the buckle will take. The slab is about 5 to 6 inches long and 3 to 4 inches wide, and every stone is different.

5. Let it break in.

Leather usually starts a little stiff and shapes to you with wear. Keep it dry, wipe it clean, and condition it now and then. Tooling and distressing both look better with a few years on them.

Measure once, buy once, wear it for years.