Eotac Field Jacket #1
The jacket may look heavier than it really is. I would suggest that you wear this in the Fall or Spring and use it as a surface layer and just add on base layer clothing is the temperatures get colder. We are discounting the Lizard patter jackets and the lizard patter Field Vest which also has similiar pocket designs. We have had virtually zero complaints about the fit of this jacket as long as the user reads our sizing guide and measure themselves properly. You will easily be able to carry fully loaded double stack magazines as well as flashlights and knives comfortable and not have to worry about printing. You will be able to carry small autos or j-frame guns in the outer pockets but I am not really a fan of carrying guns in coats, jackets or vests.
We have been selling a few brands of tactical clothing that from the pictures you see on our website, may look like they are the same thing. The reality is much of what you saw from Woolrich Elite over the years was marketed and designed by the people behind Eotac. While we let our customers debate over which products they prefer, the item we are selling now that we absolutely have an opinion about and aren’t afraid to say it is the new Eotac Field Jacket. This field jacket is designed for modern gear and is based off of the Algerian jacket that was issued in the 1950s. The fit and design of the pockets is superior to any simliar jacket and according to our customers this is the better jacket. The only complaint we have gotten on the jacket is that it doesn’t hang low over the belt line so you will have to take that into consideration when thinking about CCW options.
I’ve been wearing Eotac tactical pants for almost 2yrs now. We got a hold of some of the early production that were slightly different in fit from what is being produced now. There were originally a few complaints coming from customers that were almost always weight lifters or body buildings. Some of the pants were getting a little tight around the thighs so Eotac quickly changed the production. Now that the pants have gone through several productions, we’ve gotten great response from our customers on the design of the pants. Many of our customers are not happy about the 5.11 tactical pants that they have been wearing for years and wanted something new, a few of them were Woolrich Elite Series customers the wanted to try something new.
We’re running a huge sale on our concealed carry and Eotac shirts. Even though we are in the midst of one of the warmest summers, we’re discounting many of our long sleeve and heavier clothing for you to stock up on when Fall rolls around. Eotac tactical shirts that are on sale are the Style 407, Style 408. The shirts that fall under the CCW shirts are the Style 403, Style 404 and Style 409. Our most popular summer CCW shirt is hands down the Styles 403 and Style 404 because they are about as lightweight as a cotton t-shirt. These shirts are excellent options in extremely warm weather and still allow concleament but easy access to gear near the belt line.
This summer has already been hotter than the summers that I remember in the previous decade. Since I’ve been wearing the same clothing or similiar types of clothing for the past coupl years, I can really feel the changes in seasons. In New Jersey we get all 4 Seasons, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring. Good luck in trying to wear the same pants or shirt through all of that! 5.11 Tactical has probable the most diverse product line, but we get an enormous number of complaints from them. Eotac products have been on the market for bairly more than a year and we’re still hoping for more new products. In the summer months we can really feel the need for more lightweight products. The concealed carry clothing that works the best in really hot weather are the Style 403 and Style 404 shirts which are basically as light as a t-shirt, but designed for concealing a firearm, and they allow for easy access under cover.
We have been waiting for the Eotac womens pants for almost a year. We expected them to arrive in June of 2009, but there were production delays which we suspect we’re due to re-design changes. Later we were expecting them in the Fall of 2009, but once again, there were shipping delays. We’ve been holding backorders for the Style 702 pants and just got around to fullfilling the orders in April of 2010 and we were crossing out fingers that the design would be well accepted. When the tactical pants first arrived, we shipped a lot of them out to associates as beta testers to see what there opinions were before we started stocking the product. We have carried other brands of womens pants in the past, but we dropped them because statistically speaking, the return and complaints about them were about 85% complaints about fit and sizing. You may think that is a really bad stat, and it certainly is, but desigining womens tactical pants are much harder than designing mens.
Next week there will be a Police and Security Expo in Atlantic City, New Jersey and Eotac will displaying some of their A-Tacs and Direct Action products. We’re still not sure about everything that Eotac has coming out this Fall and in 2011, but seeing some of the info about what is coming soon really makes us think that 5.11 Tactical is going to have some real compeition out there. I can’t tell you the number of times we’ve had customers call us up and complain about the tactical pants that they have been wearing from 5.11. Many of them complain about how things use to be and how they end up with different sizing even though they keep ordering the same sizes. I was checking out some of the 5.11 tactical shirts that were the Covert carry design and I may pick up a few, but I personally think the Woolrich Elite CCW shirts are a much better feel. Even though we are very selective about the products we carry, I’d have to admit that every big name manufacturer has a niche market that some of their products perform very well in.
Elite Operator Tactical came out with a new tactical shirt a few months ago and although we like to test products out for a few months before we become too critical about them, we defanitely got a winner here. The Eotac style 410 Shooting Sports Polo is made of a 100% polyester material and is excellent for breath-a-bility. It’s been getting up in the 90F temps here in Virginia and it’s time to clear out the Spring weather clothing and get into summer gear. The Style 405 feel slightly lighter weight than some of the Woolrich Elite Series Polos I have worn in the past. We all have different styles and needs when it comes to what we want to wear, but I’d have to admit that the Polos I wore in the past were extremely hot and I could absolutely not wear them in 85F temps comfortable.
Most handguns blow holes in targets, a good .223 Carbine with a fragmenting bullet is going to tear up a BG. I strongly suggest putting a white light on any carbine just incase you need it to identify a target. Many of the people we see on the training courses always think that handguns are for home defense and never really thought too much about keeping a Carbine available. You may have some problems finding a safe to lock up your rifle, but there are things you can do to keep it away from children and still have quick access. One of the most common things we still see with new operators is dropped gear. Guys show up with holsters for sidearms that don’t retain the firearms, and spare pistol mags end up sitting somewhere in midrange after a quick running scenario. The first time I wore a pair of Style 201 pants, I loaded up 6-30rd AR mags and ran around the neighborhood. I wanted to see if the lightweight material secured the mags in place. I was blown away at how well they were secured and I didn’t feel lop sided if I ran. The Style 201 pants are now available in Digital camo and coming later this fall they will be available in the new Direct Action A-Tacs pattern.
Nothing beats a good brick and mortar store that stocks tactical clothing, but there aren’t too many of those out there. Makes sure you do some research on clothing sizing and look at the sizing guides closely. To avoid wasting money on shipping and return shipping charges, you may want to break out a tape measure and measure yourself. Comparing one clothing line to another is a no, no, since not everyone follows the same standards. The Eotac tactical pants have an elastic wasteband which will give you some flexibility in waist sizing. Keep in mind that when you measure yourself, you should be measuring with the gun inside your waist if you carry IWB. We have a great many of sizing issues when people order The Wilderness belts. These tactical belts are hands down the best configuration for carrying firearms around, but the sizing can be tricky.