hikermor,
I think the ring was added to make clipping in faster and easier (and because the riggers could avoid other duties when they HAD to make a belt for one of the instructors - the ring added at least an hour to construction ;-))).
Jerry
I don't believe the integral ring even does that - If I had a ringless belt, I would simply affix a locking biner (or more, if the situation called for it) wherever I wanted it (a lot of times, I would want to be tied off at my back, rather than in front) and it would actually be better than the ring - larger target for clipping in and usable for other purposes. I think it is mostly a marketing gimmick.
Not really a big issue, however, either way.
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