@LeftOverChicken In the same boat as you…and I suspect a ton of people out there built our way. Unfortunately it’s a no-mans-land scenario because the answer lies in the total load in your pack.
For comfort I personally prefer the Large. It wraps around the iliac crest and a bit further fully around the front points of my hips. Super comfortable and less slippage. This is my preference and the additional rows of webbing for pouches and accessories a bonus.
Larges can work well with lighter loads and in cold weather hunting with bulkier clothing. But, when carrying heavy weights, you’re likely to bottom out the Large and it will slip under load (full camp, full optics, and/or quarters).
That suggests a Medium…however Medium belts (again, for me) only take padding just to the front points of your hips but no wrap around those points. It’s doable at lighter weight/ with day gear, but when cinching down—especially under load—the webbing can turn into a tourniquet across the front of your midsection and is quite uncomfortable, especially when hiking and on rough terrain.
Kifaru used to make a Marge, a belt between the two sizes, that’s perfect for builds like ours. I called within the last year when trying to replace a worn out belt and was told the Marge wasn’t an option. With that, they said the new Larges were adjusted and *should* work, but I haven’t ordered one to try. I’m too nervous about it being the same since the published size breakdowns are still 38 and under (Medium) or 39 and up (Large)
I would love if the in-between Marge came back into production as an option. I’d buy one for every pack for longevity across my kit since I have multiple Duplex suspension packs. 38” waist is a super common size so it’s hard to think many others wouldn’t benefit from this ‘tweener size if available.
These belts do stretch and wear out over time, but for me the Medium—even broken in ones—are just too small and the Large too big with heavy loads. Maybe the teased new Kifaru belt will have a solution for guys with our measurements. Or, bring back the Marge (?please?).