How to keep belt buckle from sagging

[kilty]

I am rather slim at 5' 8" and 160lbs. I have a slight gut but not that noticeable.

I have a problem with my belt buckle continually "falling". The rear of my belt stays in place because of the belt loops in the back but the front with the weight of the buckle keeps sagging.

Is there a trick or method of keeping the buckle up where it belongs?

[Bugbear]

A question comes to mind. What style of kilt do you have? I'm wondering about the shape of the rise on your kilt.

I don't use the belt loops on my kilts; well, except on my pleated canvas, man skirt. I think that might also be an issue here.

[ChattanCat]

The loops on the back of the kilt are for the sporran strap. You shouldn't use them for the belt as they will stress the stitching of the pleats.

Have you tried tightening the belt a little?

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Have you considered snugging up your belt just a tad? The other consideration may be the construction of the belt buckle itself. Does the tab on the back of the buckle fit into a metal slot on the end of the belt, or does it hook over a wire? If it is a wire you may have to refashion it to act as a proper keeper to hold the buckle in place.

[kilty]

The kilt is a traditional ancient MacKay tartan and was made by Burnett & Struth (Loch Carron).

Have you considered snugging up your belt just a tad? The other consideration may be the construction of the belt buckle itself. Does the tab on the back of the buckle fit into a metal slot on the end of the belt, or does it hook over a wire? If it is a wire you may have to refashion it to act as a proper keeper to hold the buckle in place.

It's a thick wire more like a catch. How would I refashion it?

The loops on the back of the kilt are for the sporran strap. You shouldn't use them for the belt as they will stress the stitching of the pleats.

Have you tried tightening the belt a little?

I'm just wondering why they are so wide if they are for the sporran. I'm not doubting you, just curious.

I'll try tightening the belt a wee bit to see if that helps.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

It's a thick wire more like a catch. How would I refashion it?

If you look at the existing wire loop on your belt you'll note that it is shaped somewhat like the letter "C".

The back of the "C" is bent out to keep the tab of the buckle in place. What you have to do is keep the tab from slipping up the wire. You can probably fix this with a paperclip.

1) find a paperclip of suitable size and slip it over that part of the wire keeper where the tab of the buckle slips over the wire.
2) using a pliers, or your fingers, squeeze the paperclip tight to the wire so it can't slip off.
3) the tab of the buckle will now hook between the wire keeper and the paperclip, which will prevent it from slipping up the wire causing the belt to sag.

If that doesn't work, try this:

1) straighten out the paper clip.
2) wrap one end of the paperclip around the wire keeper, just above the place where the tab of the buckle hooks over the wire.
3) bend the paperclip down, and wrap the remaining end around the keeper, just below the place where the tab hooks over the wire.
4) cut off any excess paperclip wire.
5) put on your belt with the tab of the buckle between the wire keeper and the paperclip and see if that works.

[Laird O'the Cowcaddens]

All the suggestions are good one's. I find that a new belt tends to be prone to sagging, is the belt new? how often do you wear the belt? I have found that my belt will expand slightly as the day progresses due to my body heat. I hope that you resolve the problem without too much ado.

[Canuck]

How do you adjust the length of the belt? Is it an inside smale buckle and strap? a wide velcro adjustment or can you adjust it on both ends.?
The buckle strap unit is bulky and makes it hard to snug up. the velcro works but it too can be tricky to adjust. The one with adjustments via snaps or chicago screws is the best and one can make finer adjustments

[KiltedMariner]

The loops on the back of the kilt are for the sporran strap. You shouldn't use them for the belt as they will stress the stitching of the pleats.

I too am curious: How will the pleat stitches be stressed? If the loops are not for the belt, why are they so wide??

[Bugbear]

I too am curious: How will the pleat stitches be stressed? If the loops are not for the belt, why are they so wide??

As your signature says at the moment, "Just because you CAN does not mean that you SHOULD."

I don't know how much it really stresses the stitching on the pleats unless you pull up on the belt all the time. I have no idea how the belt loop trend started, though.