The Accessories of Indiana Jones

 

 

The accessories of Indiana Jones (Web Belt, Gun Belt, Holster, and Whip Holder), while used in all four movies, did vary slightly from one movie to the next.

 

Holster
The holsters carried by Indiana Jones were military-style leather flap holsters common on the battlefields of the late 19th and early 20th century. The holsters slid onto Indy's gun belt via a leather facing sewn on the back.

The Raiders holster was a custom design specifically created for that movie to hold the Smith & Wesson HE2, which had its 5.5-inch barrel cut down to four inches. The Temple, Last Crusade, and Crystal Skull holsters were British World War I era .455 Webley revolver holsters, and were considerably a darker brown (almost black) in color than the lighter brown color of the Raiders holster. The Webley holster will fit a Smith & Wesson HE2 of original barrel length, the Colt New Service M1917, the Webley Mark VI or Webley Green, and most other WWI era handguns with up to a 6-inch barrel.

Shots highlighting the holster in the first three films.

 

A pattern for a Raiders holster if you're looking to scratch build one (thanks to K on the Run for the pattern):

Below is one of the original screen-used Webley .455 holsters that was employed in both Temple and Last Crusade. The overall condition of the holster is very good, particularly considering that it is an original unit of 1917 vintage. In fact, besides being an extraordinary piece of movie memorabilia, this holster is also a genuine antique. It is currently owned by IG Staff Member Minnesota Jones.

 

Gun Belt
Indy's gun belt was a generic style leather belt with a metal buckle that changed slightly during all four movies. In Raiders, the leather gun belt had a semi-circular buckle and a metal keeper. It also had the whip holder permanently attached to it. In Temple and Last Crusade the leather gun belt had a more squared off buckle and a leather keeper. The whip holder was attached separately and was not permanently attached to the gun belt as it was in Raiders. In Crystal Skull it also appears very similar to the Temple and Last Crusade styles (more squared off buckle and a leather keeper), but is worn backwards/reversed from the other three movies.

In Raiders and Temple, the gun belt is worn "loose" on the body, just tight enough to hang off the left hip. While in Last Crusade as well as Crystal Skull, it appears that the gun belt is threaded through the whip holder after the whip holder is first threaded though the web belt. This still brings both belts together at the left hip, but they're now both running through the whip holder instead of the gun belt being "loose." And with the gun belt reversed in Crystal Skull, this allows removal of the gun belt from the whip holder without the need to remove the holster, as you have to remove the holster first in the Last Crusade configuration.

 

These photos show the belt, holster, and whip holder configurations from Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Notice the dark brown web belts, differences in holsters and the whip holder changing from a riveted holder to a loop holder placed over the gun belt.

 

Whip Holder
The whip holder was simply a small strip of dark brown leather that featured a button snap for quick release. In Raiders, the whip holder was riveted/permanently attached to the gun belt and made of a lighter tan leather. In the other three movies, it was a separate item of a brown that matched the darker color of the gunbelt.

In Temple, it was simply slid over the gun belt. In Last Crusade and Crystal Skull, the whip holder was first slid onto the web belt, then the gun belt was slid through the whip holder. In fact, during Crystal Skull, there are photos/scenes where Indy is still carrying the whip via the whip holder, while there is no gun belt worn at the time. By running the whip holder through the web belt first, this configuration is now possible.

 

These photos show the belt, holster, and whip holder configurations from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. As you can see, the web belts have changed to a light brown/khaki color, the whip holder is still a loop holder, but is now placed over the gun belt and the web belt. The gun belt has changed the way it hangs from Last Crusade to Crystal Skull. At this time, we surmise this is for ease of removal with the holster, allowing Indy to still hang his whip from just his web belt as seen in some scenes.

 

Web Belt
The belt holding up Indy's pants was a World War II Army Officer's style cotton web belt. In Raiders and Temple, the web belt is a dark brown while in Last Crusade and Crystal Skull it's a light brown/khaki/sand color. Although some people report seeing a dark brown web belt during some scenes of Last Crusade. The web belts are inexpensive and relatively easy to find at many Army-Navy Surplus stores and numerous websites on the World Wide Web.