All posts in Eotac

Another word about the Eotac Field Jacket

We’ve done several Law Enforcement or Military Conventions in recent months and we got to meet some of our customers up front.   One of the first things our customers asked us were “when are the black and navy blue pants coming in?”.    There have been several tactical clothing companies stepping into the market in the last 5yrs, but only 4 or 5 really seem to have held their ground.   I won’t claim that one is the best and everyone sucks because it’s mostly about preference.   Some people prefer Glocks over Sigs and for most applications, there really isn’t a difference in durability and reliability.

The same goes for some of the top apparel lines.   Proper, 5.11 Tactical, Woolrich Elite and Eotac make a lot of good products, but some do have products that stand out and are unique.    I have to admit that I have heard a l ot of complaints from 5.11 tactical customers due to production changes once the company go so big, but this time I’ll just discuss one product.   The Eotac Field Jacket looks like the Woolrich Elite Series Algerian Jacket, which in itself, looks like the Original Algerian Jacket.   The Eotac Field Jacket, which is known as the Style 502, is the best tactical jacket. Although the Woolrich Elite jacket is well made, it looks like a first generation run compared to the Eotac jacket.

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Outwear and concealment options

The Seasons ar changing in most of North America and it’s time to think about how we are going to be able to conceal our firearms as the weather patterns change.  The hard part months like October is you never know if it’s going to be 75F or 40F because there are so many fluctuations at this time of year.   You may wake up to frost on the ground and need a warm layer of clothing, but still need to take it off later in the afternoon.   The Eotac 501 half zip sweatshirt is not only warm and comfortable, it is a concealed carry friendly surface layer.   The size vent flaps open up to access gear like your CCW Glock, spare magazines, Surefire G2 or even just  your cell phone.

The problem with putting layers of clothing on is that you are potentially burying your gear.  Now that a boom in gun permits have been being issued around the Country, there has also been a shift in the types of weapons people are chosing for everyday purposes and the demand for CCW apparel.  Rogue Elite is carrying some of the top tier concealed carry vests, tactical pants, tactical shirts and CCW friendly outwear like the Eotac Field Vest, and Field Jacket.

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Firearm retention and concealment garment

The biggest issue I have personally run into when giving my opinions about various tactical shirts, tactical vests, tactical pants ect. is the designs of the pockets.   There are some regular clothing options that may work well for a certain firearm that you carry, but there can be some safety issues.   I have used shorts in the summer that had buttons on the pockets and I originally thought that it would kep retain the firearm in the pocket, but all it actually did was hold the handle of the pistol and it actually ended up working it’s way up above that pocket line.   Even though the pockets were deep, the buttons didn’t hold it in and the way the pockets stitched into the pant, there was room for the gun to actually slip up and almost out.   Eotac shorts are design so there pockets are not stitched directly up to the seams.

We get a lot of questions about the tactical clothing that we sell online and most of the questions turn to advice on how to conceal a firearm.   I still remember exactly who the person was that first told me that the best answer to that is “for what” because there isn’t a best for everyone and most of this is about comfort and not always concealment.   There are a lot of concealed carry vests out there that work very well for some  people, but to others they are too tactical or not CCW friendly.

 

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tactical shirts in a new camoflauge pattern

One of the fun things about riding the Eotac wave into the tactical apparel market is the innovation and originality of the product line.   We’re aware of many of the really neat things coming out in the next 2yrs and we’re waiting for the new pants and shirts that are coming out in the A-tacs pattern camo.   We’ve had the first samples for a few months and displayed them in Atlantic City, New Jersey Police and Security Expo and the recently at the NTOA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.    They have been floating around since Show Shot, but the final production designs have only recently been finalized and we are expecting them to be available in the Spring of 2011.

The Style 407 is the tactical shirt that Eotac has chosen for the first run of the new A-tacs pattern camo.  This shirt is probable the most tactical looking along with it’s counterpart the style 408 short sleeve version.   The front pockets are bellowed to give a little bit more room compared to many of the 5.11, Woolrich Elite Series and Blackhawk shirts.   I’ve had a lot of comments about how the shirt pockets on many of the non-Eotac shirts were too small and ended up tearing eventually if people put too much in there.  The 3 way ventilated back will give you a lot of breathing room while wearing a durable and useful shirt.

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Concealment vests from an LEO perspective

I think the ultimate concealed carry vest that doesn’t make you look like you are carrying a firearm is more likely going to be something like a cloaking device seen in Star Trek.   Some of the conversations I’ve heard at conventions, gun shows and on the phone with people are somewhat comical.   I’ve seen under agents show up drug busts that I could spot ahead of time, just because they had nice cars and tinted windows.   The funny thing is the idiot drug dealers didn’t even see it coming. I think the proper mindset is don’t volunteer information, pay attention to your surroundings and be sneaky.

There are many levels of vests for the gun owner, some are going to be snapped on, locked down, and pulled tight.   Others go over your arms and just hang there.  The Eotac Styles 102 and Style 103 vests are go for street work because they don’t stand out as much like an assault vest, but they still have a lot of practical applications.   Both vests will hang below the belt line and will give you full coverage for carrying a paddle holster or OWB holster.  We still get more than a few phone calls every year asking if we have jackets or concealed carry vests for retaining firearms like a 1911.   While I strongly disagree with carrying primary firearms inside jackets and vests, it’s a personal choice and if it works for you then it’s good for your applications.

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Low-key tactical vest options

We’ve been selling the Eotac style 103 vests for less than 6 months, we got to display this at the NTOA conference and get feedback from Law Enforcement agents.   The Style 101 vest is a full tactical vest, it looks tactical and it is designed for an individual carrying an AR 15 or M16 style rifle.  If you are looking for a range bag, you should also seriously look into buying one of these tactical vests because you can fit just about everything a range bag could carry in one of these.

The Style 102 was something that we mostly sell to the IDPA competitor, defensive pistol student, or to someone that lives in an area where wearing a vest isn’t out of place.   Some of our security contractors like these because it is a dressed down look compared to the military style BDU look and a favorite for those working for Senators or Reps. traveling overseas.   They Style 103 Vest is something that is in between the tactical and concealed carry look.   It has pockets that can carry and secure flashlights, knives, phones and pistol magazines.   There are also napolean pockets for hiding primary or backup firearms.

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New A-Tacs pattern camo coming in Spring

This weekend was another big weekend for us in displaying the new A-Tacs pattern cammo from Eotac.    We got a  lot of inquiring responses from people walking around the NTOA, National Tactical Operations Assoc. in Pittsburgh this week.   More than a few of the people made comments about how bad the military digital camo was and that it looks more like a blob than melts with it’s background.   The A-Tacs pattern is still in production but we are looking for a Spring delivery date.

The A-tacs pattern is going to be a big hit, my only hope is there is enough production to keep up with the demand.  The style 201 operator pants have a proven design and will be part of the first run in tactical pants for the A-tacs pattern.   My only wish was that these pants would be available before archery season because more than a few people mentioned at how good the pattern would be for hunting as well as military applications.   The pattern we saw and displayed was for urban environments.

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Zombie tools for survival

This coming October will be another fun filled Zombie hunting adventure.   I will be reviewing and attending several zombie competition events in the Pennsylvania, Ohio, Delaware and New Jersery area.   Everything from pistol shoots to bring your fighting carbine and hike through a 6 stage zombie adventure.   One of the best things to learn from a competition event like this is that hits count especially good hits.  It is a forgone conclusion that to take a zombie down, you need head shots and this isn’t a bad thing to practice.    Various stages that I have witnessed where basically 3 gun competitions and even some of them were airsoft.

The only thing I haven’t seen yet at a Zombie shoot was a crossbow, but I did shoot a stage with a long bow.  A good set of tactical pants will get you through the day a lot easier especially if you don’t have a fancy tactical vest.    The Elite Operator Tactical pants we have on promotion right now are the Digital ACU pants.   The pants are hands down the number one tactical pant you should be wearing if you are toting a carbine.   In all honesty, unless you are wearing a leg holster you should be able to get full use of all of the 6 magazine holders in the pockets and these are easily accessed while in the prone positions.   The digital patter ACU pants have been on sale and we are down to limited sizes, but now is the best time to pick them up for your October Zombie adventures.

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Looking for Zombie killing options

Do search for gun clubs and shooting ranges in your State to find out if anyone is holding a Zombie shoot.   They usually occur in the September to October months.   Having some good tactical clothing that will securely hold your gear.   The Eotac Style 201 pants are my favorite because they hold 6- 30rd PMAGS and they are easy to run in.   Tactical vests like the Style 101 are not heavy and don’t make you feel like you are wearing a flak jacket.   There is a time and a place for different types of tactical vests, but mobility is important.  You may want to try getting your magazines loaded up with all of your gear and then try running 100yds with it and see what it feels like and if stuff starts to fly out of your pockets.   Mobility is extremely important.

There seems to be a new craze in competition shooting in recent years.   I’ve seen more high school boys coming home from class with Zombie survival guides, the recent 28 Days later type movies and the doomsday virus outbreaks.    I guess IDPA has lost some traction to the present generation, but I’ve attended a few Zombie survival competitions and they were very good training events.   The best thing about it was the amount of tactical gear that I watched fail, and the number of really novice mistakes people made.   Out of the 5 stages I attended, there was 1 stage that we saw about 18 firearms go down.   About half of those were AK variants and they were mostly magazine related.  Some guys never knew how hard it was to do a tactical reload on an AK if there was a round in the chamber and a fully loaded 30rd magazine.  People found out what happens after firing off the 1st round and the magazine falls out.

 

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Fall hunting and tactical vest

While the Field Vest has a military or tactical look to it, I find this kinda changes depending on the colors you are displaying.   The Lizard Pattern camo is an obvious military style look, but I find hte brown and OD green colors help moderate the look.   The vest looks very simliar to the Field Jacket except without the sleeves.   We are running a sale on them so look it over and pick one up before they are all gone.

 

Eotac has had their products on the market for barely a year and a half now.   I remember walking the Shot Show grounds in 2009 and wondering if yet another tactical clothing company was going to survive and here we are almost 18 months later and they are still cutting into the market.   The new A-tacs apparel should be out before SHOT Show in 2011 and we’re really itching to get a  hold of it.   One of the Eotac products that was new for 2010 is the Eotac Style 103 Field Vest.   The Field Vest work really well for hunting, too.

 

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