The Rugged Charm of the East German Belt
I found an old east german belt tucked away in a cardboard rubbish bin at a nearby surplus store last weekend, and it immediately reminded me why these simple pieces of gear have this type of weirdly devoted following. There's something in regards to the utilitarian, no-nonsense design of Cold War-era equipment that just feels right, specifically when modern components tend to break apart after a several months of large use. If you've ever handled one of these, you know precisely what I'm talking about—the heavy-duty webbing, the special pebble-finish buckle, plus that specific tone of grey-green that will screams "mid-century military. " ...