Mandalorian Belt Combo
To get the classic Mandalorian look you’ll want to include 2 belts in your kit.
- A wide girth rope belt or waist sash.
- A holster belt or ammo belt. A bandolier can also be included here.
Boba wears a rope girth belt that was actually a 14-strand mohair horse girth. The original horse girth design can be hard to find nowadays. Jango wears a more structured braided leather bolo cord belt, that is glued onto a leather backing. This type of leather cord is expensive, and also hard to find in the correct cord size of 5-6mm.
Some people prefer the more structured Jango girth belt, while others prefer the flexibility of the Boba girth belt. A girth belt that stretches and flexes will probably better fit female hips that naturally taper or curve more than men’s hips. The width of a Mando girth belt or waist sash is approximately 3”-5″ wide depending on the person’s height. You should consider the width of the ammo belt that will sit on top of the girth belt. You want your girth belt or sash to still be seen from underneath the ammo/holster belt.
An interesting option is to buy a leather weightlifting belt and glue braided rope onto it. This could give you a nice backing for the rope and a more structured girth belt.
If you choose the simpler waist sash, it should look tailored a bit, and not look like leftover fabric was just wrapped around your hips. Hemming the edges will help. I have created a rope girth tutorial, a waist sash tutorial, and an easy Mando waist sash to give you some options.
You will probably need to make the wide girth belts. But the ammo/holster belt you can buy or find in thrift stores. Used belts usually already have natural weathering that gives them a nice aged look. Try to find a plain leather belt, without labels or designs, and with a simple buckle. Here is an example of a simple belt with a Star Warzy buckle.
Once you have your belt, then add pouches to it. You can find vintage military ammo pouches that look great. Look for WW2 or military pouches in a similar color to your belt. Bonus if they are functional and you can actually store items inside. Avoid obvious cell phone pouches and nylon pouches. Vintage canvas fabric pouches are ok and give you the option of using color dye. Keep in mind that you want to find pouches that have belt loops that your belt will fit through.
Another cheap alternative for belt pouches are folding reading glasses pouches. These would probably be a great choice for smaller people or children. And if you would like more screen accurate pouches, you can find replica Boba/Jango pouches online.
Some people prefer to make their pouches instead of buying pouches, especially if they want to keep costs down. Good quality leather or collectible military pouches can be expensive. Pouch Templates are available online for free, or you can create your own design pattern. The classic Jango Fett pouch template is a popular pouch style. For tips on making your own pouches, read the custom Mandalorian pouches tutorial page.
Want to make a pouch with quality leather but don’t have any fancy tools? You can, you just need to improvise. The videos below should help. Being able to make your own pouches will let you create custom pouches for equipment you want to carry on your belt, like speaker amps.
Along with pouches, you can choose to customize your belt in many other ways, add ammo cartridge loops, metal tin boxes, hang accessories like grenades, or Mandalorian trophies. Just remember that one of the belts must cover the top edge of the cod armor piece, and sit below the gut plate. Also, get a belt sized longer than your waist measurement since it usually sits more on your hips than on your waist.
Keep reading for help creating your own easy custom Mandalorian pouches to add to your belt.
Or make your own Mandalorian Rope Belt Tutorial and Waist Sash Tutorial and Easy Mandalorian Sash