Today (and every day now) I'm wearing the best, most functional belt I've ever owned. It's a piece of thin black nylon webbing with a locking gripper buckle. It used to be a tent strap. Now it's a fashion accessory.
A couple of months ago I went to the Sunbanks Rhythm and Blues Festival at Banks Lake near Electric City, Washington. It's a four-day camping and blues event, and it takes me days to pack for it. I have to remember all the camping gear, food for four days, plus everything I need to dance blues and Argentine tango 10 hours a day. That means that even though I'm living in a tent, I need a lot of clothes, and I need exactly the right clothes.
After I unpacked everything and got the tent all set up, I changed into my first set of dance clothes. My heart was racing with excitement, but it just about stopped when I realized I hadn't brought a belt. Not one. Belts that work for dancing are hard to find, and really, I don't have any that are ideal. But I meant to bring the best things I have, which is a cotton web number with a metal slip buckle. Problem is, the slip buckle slips and I'm constantly having to adjust it. But it's the best thing I've ever found for the purpose of dance and as cheesy as it is, it cost $30 at The Gap. And it does keep my pants up, which is pretty important for dancing.
There was no where I could go to buy a belt. I thought about approaching my camper-neighbors to borrow something. I thought about cutting something up to make a belt. In my mind I was sorting through every scrap of stuff in the trunk and under the seats of my car. And then I saw the tail end of one of the black nylon-webbing straps that go around the nylon bag that holds the rolled up tent. I picked it up, slipped it through my belt loops, threaded it through the gripper buckle, and tucked the extra length into the front pocket of my pants. It was perfect. A little long, but perfect. Once I decided it was really going to work, I got out my knife and cut off the extra length and melted the frayed end with a cigarette lighter. I've been wearing it pretty much every day since!
I've spent plenty of money on belts. This is the best one I've ever had. I'm going to REI soon to get utility strap webbing in every available color. They have the buckles there, too. I estimate that each belt will cost about $1.50. It will take me longer to set up the sewing machine, remember how to thread it, and brush up on how to use it, than it will to make the belts.
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