I bought a traditional leather belt a few years ago from Hank's Belts. They have a lifetime warranty on their belts, and so far is shows no sign of wear despite daily use. Most of your "department store" belts are made from leather "sawdust" glued together and they will not last since the glue breaks down. Leather itself will last a lifetime. There are several other small companies that make belts with a lifetime warranty. Often local "art fairs" will have some local craftsman who makes/sells belts that are also made of quality leather and will list a lifetime (but you need to know what to look for as some of them use the cheap "sawdust and glue" leather that won't last.

Elastic ALWAYS breaks down and is made from polymers and nylon crap.

Horrible advice. Buy good quality leather and it lasts decades.

Shit advice OP.

Idk about this, dog. Elastic always seems to be the first thing to wear out on my clothes so I'm not excited to try it on a belt. My leather belts seem to be immortal, are you using good leather belts or cheap ones?

Doesn't the elastic eventually perish? I think I had one that died.

I usually recommend seatbelt belts to friends because they are highly adjustable and very long lasting. I picked up the black GM one over 20 years ago, it stayed with me when my weight fluctuated 50lbs up and back down again. It was extremely useful in my old physically active job, I can catch the corner of a box on the buckle and hold heavier weight a lot easier.

I love it so much, I bought the TMNT belt as soon as I saw it and because I looooove ninja turtles 😬

Elastic belts have rubber cores which very quickly degrade like the elastic in underwear.

I have one that has lost elasticity and has become warped, but I do think they're better than traditional belts.

I'm still wearing the fabric belt I thrifted when I went vegan in college over twenty years ago. Elastic isn't necessary, get a durable cotton or wool belt.

Beware. It is hard to tell from pictures, but my guess is the leather that holds the buckle part on is a low quality leather that will not last for a lifetime. To make this a lifetime belt you may have to replace the buckle a few times.

So what's more durable than jeans?

I bought one of these a few years ago and it's still in great shape despite frequent use.

Way better, and more comfortable, than a traditional belt.

Obviously it'd be better if they were made from sustainable materials but the fact that these outlast traditional belts by a wide margin is good.

I do think these are preferable to normal belts, but every one I've worn with regularity has torn rather dramatically in the middle of the workday. One of them I had to replace with a power cable.

I just started making my own belts. Most leather belts are made of thin veneer of leather. It might even be marketed as 'top grain leather" to make it seem special. Get whole grain leather.

I bought parts from one of the last Tandy Leather retail locations. Brought them home and used my hole punches I picked up at Harbor Freight for a different project and some grommets I got for a different project and made a belt. Out of pocket cost was maybe $16. That belt will last me decades.

In theory I could knit some belts with any number of sturdy materials like leftover metal cables but I have never felt the need.

Foolish.

Elastic wears out.

Not BIFL.

Though leather belts stretch over time, the only belt I ever had that actually broke did so after more than a decade of heavy use when the metal buckle eventually gave in.

I have a textile hiking belt (Fjellräven) that I am not particularly happy with. It doesn't really stay firm over time when walking for hours and hours, and adjusting it underneath the backpack is a pain. An elastic belt with a normal buckle would probably have been better.

Cant remember when I last wore a belt. But isn't the entire point of them is to be adjustable.

i've been using the same cargo strap as a belt for the past 15+ years and it's still going strong. infinitely adjustable, too.

I bought two Grip6 belts like a decade ago, and they still show very little wear.

It's a very simple design: a durable strap (no holes), and a buckle that's just a solid chunk of metal (no moving parts).

I would highly recommend them at the prices I paid back then... But holy shit their prices have increased a lot. Still might be worth it as a BIFL, but still hard to justify for such simple parts.

How does a belt like the one in the image work? There are no holes, which I guess is a point of them, but do you just cram the metal of the buckle through the weave there or how does it hold?

That just feels like giving up. My belt is the first indicator that I need to lose a couple of pounds.

I’ve had that kind of belt and even high quality leather belts not able to handle me. I switched to these and they still look brand new:

These trap every bit of dirt, Cheeto dust, or shit particle you ever came in contact with

Any options that aren't plastic, but still business casual? Or that I can wear out and not look like my dad?

Ooh, somehow I've never heard of these before. Somebody ahould start making them out of dandelion rubber, algae polyurethane, or a flexible formulation of polyhydroxyalkanoates.

About your jeans/suit trousers comment, do you have a recommendation for more durable pants as well?

I concur. Bought one about 6 years ago and it is still like new. It was a little pricey IMO but the only option they had at the time. I like it a lot

I switched to these a few years ago. They are amazing...as long you do not care about style. There is no way to make them look "dressy".

Have you tried Belt Bros instead?

Who wants to wear one belt their whole life? Are we cartoon characters?