RSWC #156 Nathan Halliwill, Nexbelt – Riding Shotgun With Charlie

Riding Shotgun With Charlie
#156
Nathan Halliwill
Nexbelt

I’ve been doing the Concealed Carry Fashion Shows with Amanda Suffecool (RSWC #009) for a few years now. One of the perennial sponsors has been Nexbelt. Last year, I needed a new belt and I went with a Nexbelt with the Gadsden Flag on the buckle. I went to the Nexbelt booth at SHOT Show and talked with Nathan Halliwill about how I love the belt and asked if they wanted to be on the show to talk about their history and belts. I was excited to see Nathan again at the NRA AM in Houston and we solidified a plan to film at the Nexbelt headquarters this summer.

I meet Nathan at the Nexbelt offices in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, and borrowed John Petrolino’s (RSWC #093) rental car for the trip! Nathan grew up hunting, camping, and shooting with his family. He was working in the foodservice industry and planning on going to culinary school. When the virus that shall not be named struck, he needed to change careers to make money. His brother, who is a firearm instructor at a local range, was also working with Nexbelt and Nathan got a job with the company as the warranty person, then moved to sales. The change from sous chef to salesman took some time to appreciate.

As the warranty person at Nexbelt, there’s not really a lot of work. They do encourage their customers to use and abuse their belts and they don’t have an issue fixing them. When Nathan is doing trade shows (SHOT, NRA AM, etc), people will come up to him and show them their Nexbelt and share stories about how well it holds up for them. There are even times when people buy belts at the shows and then leave their old belts with Nathan!

Something I learned on this show is that there are places in the California deserts where you can go and shoot! Often Nathan and his friends will hit the desert with targets and water and do some training. The ranges are BLMs (Bureau of Land Management) and folks can use them for shooting. No one wants to live there so they can be used accordingly. One of the range bag items he brings is a fire extinguisher! Of course, shooting in the desert could possibly start a fire.

The owners of the company are big golfers and started out making belts for golfers. They’ve got belts with divot tools, ball markers, and even bottle openers. When they first hit the market, they took the market by storm. Over the years, the ratchet technology has changed and so have the designs of the belts. They went to a local gun store, where they met Nathan’s brother, looking for some feedback on the belts and decided to move into EDC belts for gun owners.

Nathan did his RSWC homework and saw that there have been a lot of the ladies from the DC Project on the show. He said that Nexbelt is going to be working with them to have a DC Project Nexbelt. And they’d really like to partner with the DCP for an exclusive belt.

Nexbelt has a lot of options out there for golfers and gunners. The ratchet belts have really taken over and their belts are superior. They’re durable, stylish, and have great options for buckles. It was wonderful to get to learn about Nexbelt and make friends with Nathan. I’m looking forward to running into him and the Nexbelt crew at the events.

Favorite quotes:
“If you like the product you’re selling, it makes it much easier and enjoyable.”
“Finding the capability of changing, humbling myself, finding enjoyment at something so different, has not only grown me, but grown my appreciation for the job.”
“I don’t go and pay to shoot. I hate doing that.”
“We have a belt for every type of person and every type of carry as well.”
“It’s uneducation that is hurting the stance of the 2A community.”

Timestamp

00:00 Intro

01:54 Nathan Halliwill

03:07 Geography

05:28 SHOT Show/Fashion Shows

07:18 Sous chef plans

10:57 Warranty calls

15:21 Mountain selfie

16:51 Shooting in the desert

23:08 Nexbelt’s history

26:43 Other belts

28:01 Inside the belts