Enlistedman's Belt

[Joe]

Hey Guys
I'm thinking about adding some fieldgear to an unissued winter tunic. I have displayed on a half mannequin. I have'nt seen any Japanese belts listed on any of the dealer sites. Are they tough to come by? Also if they are out there. Any idea what their selling for? Joe

[blinky]

Hi Joe
They are kind of hard to find. Many of them were made out of rubberized canvas that didn't hold up very well over time. You can find them from time to time but they are either rock hard or de-laminating. The leather belts of course held up much better but are also (IMO) very hard to find. There are several very good reproductions of them so you have to watch out. Hopefully Eric Doody will be able to give you some more information on what to watch for between and original and a reproduction.
Not to turn you away, but the belt is one of the easier parts. I think I paid around $50 to $120 for my belts but on ebay I've seen them go a lot higher. The hard part is the ammo pouches. The front ones aren't too bad but the rear pouch you can expect to pay anywhere from $200 on up....usually now days much more up.
It takes time but you can usually put together a very nice set with a little work.

Eric

[Joe]

Thanks Eric
I kinda thought they would be hard to find. I'm going to take it slow & add a piece every now & then. When I can find something. I think it will be a fun project. Joe

[Eric Doody]

Joe,

Type 30 (i.e., 1897) leather ammunition belts turn up every now and again. (They also made belts out of rubberized canvas, rubber, and canvas in addition to leather.) I have seen the leather belts bring anywhere from $100 to $250 within the past year. Blinky is right in that reproductions have been made for years and are still being made today so be careful. (Some of the reproductions differ in thickness, some have tooling marks on the edges of the belt, and some have crudely stamped steel buckles just to name a few of the differences one may find between the reproductions and the originals.) A matching set of Type 30 leather front ammunition pouches can run you a couple hundred bucks and a matching Type 30 leather rear ammunition pouch with an original oiler (yes, they make reproduction oilers too) can run you as much $400 to $450. So ... as you can see a complete Type 30 leather ammo rig can run you some serious dough.

Hope this helps.

Eric

[Joe]

Eric
Thanks for the tips on the ammo belts. Yup that's some serious $$$.