All posts in Tactical Clothing

TruSpec Softshell promo has ended and it’s time to move to Winter Apparel

Several years ago our number on selling item was the Sig Tac jacket.   I have no idea whatever happened to the production of these jackets because they were widely accepted and nobody out there made something like it.  It was  a very nice jacket that looked like regular clothing but had large internal pockets for CCW.   We’ve seen several nice things from the Woolrich Elite line but many of their jackets had some short comings.   There was a Woolrich Elite Series Barn coat that looked nice but it really needed to be lined and was basically a dud product.   TruSpec has gained lots of ground in the industry an from what we see is only behind 5.11 tactical as far as market share in our territory.

TruSpecs name basically lives up to it’s quality control because the tactical pants have all been very consistent compared to other products like Blackhawk, Woolrich and Eotac.   We’ve had so many issues with 5.11 products that we avoid them unless we get special orders, the TruSpec jackets have also become broader in design with the new Soft shell jackets and the 3 in 1 jackets and parka are a staple with local law enforcement due to their features and designs.  Tru Spec does a good job with their winter outerwear but we have had several people say that the sizes run a little smaller.

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What’s coming out at SHOT SHOW this year?

We’ll find out sure enough, I’m sure every major company will have something new to advertise but it’s usually the same thing every year, there are winners and there are losers and it usually takes about a year to two years for people to test out a product before it can be declared to be a good thing.   I have seen plenty of people rave about a certain firearm when it comes out and 3 months later there is a recall on them.  I saw it with Springfield’s XD models and even LWRC had some significant changes to their designs since they relaunched the company.   Many new products become the products that are hard to get parts for especially if they don’t catch on and if you own one, 20yrs from now you’ll wish you had something different.

The tactical clothing market is in full force and a bad economy might weed out some of the higher end products this year.   I think the best and newest tactical pants we’ve seen lately are the Vertx pants but those are very expensive and may not hold up in a bad economy.   Blackhawk and 5.11 tactical and Woolrich Elite have done some significant price increases and from our standpoint, that is going to  hurt them if somebody else can put a good product on the market for less money.  We’ve seen many Police Departments spend their money on Tru-Spec products because they were better priced than the 5.11 tactical pants.

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TruSpec Combat Shirt options

There are several products like this on the market from 5.11, Proper and TruSpec.   This is a product that can easily cross over from Police supplies to paintball shirts.  There are a lot of things that can easily be sold for young adults to use effectively in paintball games which we high recommend.  Paintball gives you realistic skills and a reality check about what happens when bullets can let loose.   A less trained shooter in a good position can cause damage and unfortunately this is a reality all law enforcement and military may face.   The guy you use can give you an edge in hot environments where sweating and dehydration may occur.

The no melt no drip TruSpec combat shirt comes in a few different materials.  These truspec combat shirts have a strong reputation of getting the job done for many of the Delaware County Pennsylvania.  The Mutlicam combat shirts come in a cotton nylon material which is more money but gives more protection.  The side arm sleeves have a place for patches and to date, the only complaint we get about these shirts is they can seem a little long on the underarms for some customers.   These are great to wear under body armor.

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Woolrich Elite nearing the end?

Its looking more and more like the Woolrich Elite Series Tactical product line is no more.  We’ve seen several clothing companies and various other tactical gear manufacturers pull out of China and the task of retooling the the machines and launching the products in a bad economy have been rough.   We recently heard that Tru-Spec is now making their clothing in Honduras which is a major shift from our standpoint because just about everyone making tactical clothing came in from somewhere in Asia.   India, Cambodia, Vietnam, China it seemed like everyone had a manufacturer over there, but cost increases have really hit some companies and from what we see it can cause a certain percentage of your customers to switch to another brand.

Now that we  have such a large Law Enforcement customer base, many of these guys and gals have a clothing allowance and increase the cost of tactical clothing by $10 per item means they may can few items.   The differences between 5.11 tactical and TruSpec shirts are considerable as far as pocket designs and such, but many of the Tru-Spec and 5.11 tactical clothing products are made of similar materials.   The differences are quality control and sizing consistency.  We here so many complaints about 5.11 products getting expensive and the truth of the matter, they are not the only ones, Vertx pants are usually over $60, Woolrich Elite $50 and from what we see Tru-Spec products from Atlanco are the best priced products.

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Tactical outerwear from Tru-Spec

It looks like Tru-Spec has really grown some balls in recent years and several of our customers that have shopped here over the years have been shocked by the change over we’ve seen from Woolrich Elite and Eotac to the Tru-Spec brand.  There are so many cool things out from Tru-Spec that they really have cut into the 5.11 market and really have a lot of jackets, pants, and especially a growing Law Enforcement and Military product line.   We’ve fielded the Tru-Spec EMS pants and wanted to hear from the people wearing the 5.11 pants and we’ve had a 98% positive response from men and women about their ems pants.   There are a lot of good products out there now but it really has been a pain watching companies come and go and certain brands really loose their quality control.

We’re about 90% of the way through the Tru-Spec softshell outwear promotion that started in mid-October and the Tru-Spec soft shell jackets have been the biggest hit.  We’re still waiting for feedback about the other Tru-Spec jackets but the soft shells have a very broad use since they are not just heavy winter jackets.  Finding something that looks good and can be used for atleast half of the year here in Pennsylvania means getting your moneys worth.  There have been times guys have purchased things like the Woolrich Elite Twill jackets and then we have a very mild winter and it never gets worn.

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Some feedback for customers that wore Eotac or Woolrich Elite Shirts

I’m not going to bash either product because if you really want an opinion about those three products, they are all well made tactical products but they really are more about the mission or the preference you have in your work space.   Here in Pennsylvania, I’ve told people many times, that we can get all 4 Seasons, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring.  And when i mean all 4 Seasons, I mean zero degrees to 103 F in the same year.   Which tactical polo is going to work well for you in that situation?  I have some customers that love the Woolrich Elite Polos because they are a looser fit, but some customers don’t like them because they are heavier in weight compared to 5.11, Tru-Spec or Eotac stuff.

Many of the products we sell from Tru-Spec are very well received.  Even though we are clearing out some other tactical apparel product lines, many of our customers are trying to move away from the 5.11 tactical clothing and we have been successful in moving the Tru Spec shirts that have been coming in.  There will be a new line of the Gunny approved Tru-Spec product line in the coming weeks.  There are also new backpacks and lightweight tactical vests coming in with the product line.  We are hoping to add more and more lightweight products including the new gunny pants that have slight differences, yet improvements to the 24/7 series.

 

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TruSpec tactical vest reviews from a 5.11 and Woolrich Customer

We’ve been selling just about everybodies tactical clothing except 5.11 tactical for years.   5.11 is so well known in the industry that just about every and their dog can give you first hand experience about wearing their stuff.   We do get an enormous amount of complaints coming from customers that use to wear the product line and want to move on to something else.   Any of the tactical clothing lines that have been in the business for more than 5yrs have pretty much proven themselves.  If you didn’t survive this long you probable were doing something wrong.  We’ve seen plenty of small knock off 5.11 tactical pants attempts by some big name companies by even though the pants were inexpensive they were downright trash.

We’ve been watching many clothing companies pull out of China and we pretty much have placed on our bets on 5.11, vertx and TruSpec being the biggest winners even though 5.11 gets lots of flak about quality control issues.   The Tru Spec tactical vests have done well since we lost the Eotac product line and many customers have been stopping in and asking about them for their IDPA shooting.   Competition shooting is a major new industry and all you have to do is look at all of the outdoor and cable shows that are showing 3 gun nation and more.

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We have a clear winner for best priced tactical pants

And the hands down best pants for anyone with a budget are the Tru Spec tactical pants.   The lightweight poly cotton ripstop pant is an easy transition for anyone that has been wearing the 5.11 tactical pants, and more than a number of our customers have mentioned that the 5.11 tactical apparel line  has become more and more expensive.  We’ve so much turmoil and price increases with tactical clothing and it affects anyone that was getting their stuff made in China.   Cotton prices are up as well as shipping and transportation.   We are seeing UPS ground prices hang around $14 and that if for products under 3 pounds.    Two pairs of tactical pants, whether they are lightweights or standard weights are going to be over 3 lbs and most people’s sizes will be close to 2 pounds each.

If you factor in order 3 or 4 pairs of pants and they are each $50 a pair, that is $150-$200 for them.  If you got a pair of tactical pants that were just as good quality wise, and they cost $10 each, you will get them for $120-$160 dollars.  Those are pretty good differences in prices and for many of our Law Enforcement departments that are looking for something that doesn’t burn up all of their clothing expenses are going with Tru Spec over Blackhawk and 5.11 just based on cost.   If you are already getting the quality and the same basic material, what’s the point in tossing another $10 a pair in the trash.   There are always feature differences with tactical clothing so we’re not knocking 5.11 or Blackhawk, but saving money in a bad economy is very important.

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The New Tru Spec Soft shell jackets

We are several weeks into the Tru Spec Soft Shell jacket promo and many of our customers are first time Tru Spec customers.   We have been monitoring the tactical clothing industry for several years and one thing is for sure, Tru Spec is easily one of the Top 3 tactical clothing products.  The new soft shell promo has given us a new line of products to our inventory that are geared towards Law Enforcement.  The Tru Spec soft shell is a very versatile jacket and not too heavy to wear in the Spring when things might warm up.  The hard thing about living up here in the North Eastern part of the Country is that we get all 4 seasons and sometimes varying degrees of winter.   If you have a heavy winter jacket, there’s a good change you might not use it for a few years because you just might not need it.

This jacket in black which is style 2454 is our biggest seller followed by the multcam camo pattern.  Multicam Tru Spec Soft Shell jackets are made of a different material than the Tru Spec tactical pants so there will be a slight color variation.   One thing people forget is that different materials absorb colors differently and you will have a hard time looking perfectly matched.    We’ve seen it several times in here when customers buy pants, shirts and jackets and have mismatched camo.  From what our customers tell us these have a very good use in Fall and Spring but might be a little light to wear in the dead of winter.

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Everyone is different, that’s why diversity works

Nobody eats the same food every day unless you have a bad diet or are just a down right boring person.   There are different seasons and different lines of work and every ones tolerances are different.  Yesterday we had a few more guys walk in here and tell us they heard that Woolrich is now making tactical pants just like the ones they had when they were in Vietnam.   The funny thing is Woolrich has been making them for almost 7yrs.   I have no idea what other companies are making anything like this but the demand for something other than 35/65 poly cotton blend tactical pants is definitely there.   I am a big fan of the material but there are some improvements Woolrich should have done to the tactical pant and some of our customers have asked for it.  Re-enforced ripstop pockets and a gussett crotch would be a good idea.

I personally where mostly Tru Spec tactical pants because they are very comfortable and in all honesty I’ve been wearing these pants for almost 9 months to test them out.   I have seen absolutely zero abnormal shrinkage and for these lightweight tactical pants I am very happy with them.   Most Tru Spec pants are priced under $40 and that’s not something we see across the market.  Blackhawk, Vertx and a few others come to mind and are you getting that much more performance for $10 more?  Well, it will depend on your line of work,  but for utility purposes and every day use, I will have to say that Tru Spec tactical pants are hands down the best lightweight tactical pant for the money.

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