Well, I definitely needed to shorten the belt, so I first looked for directions inside the box. There were none. I then went on YouTube to see exactly what I needed to do to shorten the belt. That worked fine. Excellent instructions. I love the ratchet technique! Sometime later I dropped the SlideBelt box and discovered the instructions on the bottom of the box. I guess that makes me resourceful but clueless at the same time. In any event, I plan to purchase at least one more SlideBelt, perhaps two. I like the looks of your Survival SlideBelt. My buckle is a little heavy, but at 220 lbs, I think I can handle it! I love my SlideBelt!