Capture Vision Belt Review

When I was prepping for Iceland I was doing a lot of research into my gear and needed new trousers for the cold. I got two great pairs from Decathlon, but they both had the same flaw. They both came with a cheap nylon webbing belt that looked boring and more importantly, they looked uncomfortable. It was cheap and nasty, so I knew it had to go. I started to look into some alternatives, something that would be more comfortable when hiking. I had already had my eye on a belt from Arcade for a while, with their adverts popping up on my Instagram. 

With just over a week to go before my flight, I ordered one. Arcade offers a variety of belts and since that first purchase I have been gifted a few more by Arcade themselves so that I can write about a few of their models, however, I wil be focusing on their capture belts in this review as that is the one that came with me to Iceland. For full disclosure, I purchased the Capture belt myself, however, Arcade Belts have sent me the Utility and Adventure models so that I could do a comparison between models in my review. As always any opinion expressed in my review is my own and based on my own experience.

The first belt I purchased was The Capture Vision, there were a few reasons I chose it, the main one for me being the design. I really liked the buckle, it looked stylish and comfortable, but also the buttons are really easy to clip and unclip with bulky gloves. 

This belt ended up being used every day on my trip. The elastic belt was strong enough to keep my trousers in place, but the elasticity helped the belt move with me. I would hike for hours, sometimes up steep hills and others just stairs that led to a viewpoint. But I never felt that it got in the way of my activities, not in the same way a leather belt would. To the belt’s credit, it was even comfortable when I was sitting down. Part of being on a tour means having to endure many hours on a cramped bus heading from one activity to the next. Leather belts with big buckles would usually dig into my stomach, however, with the arcade being so flexible I could sit there and be completely comfortable the entire time.

The buckle is incredibly easy to use, on the Capture Vision belt series has two big buttons on the top and bottom which you squeeze simultaneously to release. This ensures the buckle stays together, but when you need it to you can release it quickly. I even found I didn’t have to take off my gloves to do so, I could leave them on so my hands didn’t get cold. The Capture’s buckle is a bit bigger than the other models, but the prongs on the male end are shaped so it’s much easier to use. It’s also considerably more stylish so if you are looking at adding one to your wardrobe the few extra points are worth the upgrade cost. 

Despite looking wooden, the buckle is in fact made of plastic. This comes is yet another way this belt is the perfect travel accessory. You no longer have to take off your belt and shuffle through the scanner with your underwear on full display as plastic belts are fully compliant.

I will say the belt is a little hard to adjust. To that point, I did have to google how as I wasn’t sure I was doing it correctly. But this is only a very small moan as you don’t have to adjust belts very often, and realistically it’s still a lot easier than any other belt as you can do it on the fly instead of having to find something to punch a new hole with. 

This is a great belt not what type of traveller you are. This belt is just as perfect for hiking as it is for exploring city streets. The Arcade Capture Vision belts are stylish and comfortable, and the buckle is a marked improvement on other models. I will definitely be buying more in the future and could not go back to the standard webbing belts. Not only do I love it so much it’s replaced by other hiking belts but I have even started wearing it day-to-day, and I think my travelling friends can expect one of these from me on their birthdays.