All posts in Tactical Clothing

Wearing the right pants for the job

I recently took a trip for work where I figured that I was better off getting there on time than going back home and getting changed into my Woolrich Elite 44429 pants and then going back to work again.  Every once in awhile I still need to make the novice mistakes of cutting time out of a project and then creating a problem.   Brain farts are coming amonst males and last week was one of them.   There are plenty of times where I want to go out and really am not in the mood for wearing any kind of tactical pants. It’s nice to be able to put on a pair of pants and just go and not have to load up all of the flashlight, guns, magazine holders and knife and just go.

Well, without going into too much detail, I missed not having pants with wide hand pockets and it go really annoying that my flashlight got turned on in my pocket because the other stuff that I had to put in there kept hitting the on switch.   Most good tactical pants will be big enough to fit a j-frame revolver and even if you aren’t carrying a gun in your pocket, that amount of space means keys, flashlights and magazines tend to not fall out of the pockets.  The way the stitching is done, the gear will catch on the pocket lining before and reduce the chances of something falling out.

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TruSpec pants in stock

We are now a stocking dealer for most of the TruSpec 24/7 Series which was brought about by customer feedback.   There aren’t many companies that have done very well in the clothing business over the last couple years and it’s very well know that a few companies have already fizzled out.   There has been an increase in quality clothing from many brands so there is no way we would claim that one company is better than the other.  5.11 tactical is a monster of a company and is #1 in many things, but Glock still doesn’t outsell all of the competition because sometimes people just want something else.

TruSpec from Atlanco does more military apparel than Eotac or Woolrich does and expands our product line into a whole new market.   Also, these tactical pants are Gunny approved and featured by the NRA.   The reality of the tactical clothing market is simple this, the customer will determine what is good based on quality and pricing.   Plenty of people refuse to spend more than $30 on a pair of pants, but people doing the hardwork and every day use of clothing will gladly spend $50 or more for a good pair of pants.

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3 suggestions for the 7 day CCW holder

If you are a 24/7 concealed carry holder you probable already know most of this, but there are always new carriers that can use the advice and avoid discomfort and irritation.  I like many before me stared out carrying a 1911 45acp and felt well armed, but after several years of either bruising myself or having a holster fail, it was time to move to something smaller.   The 1911 is actually a very good gun for CCW because it is very thin and not really as heavy as some of the other 45acp guns.   The Springfield XD is probable the second most popular firearm but that thing is a tank when loaded to capacity.

I have many friends that have carried the 1911 in the small of their back, but to me this is something that can cause grave injury.   The whole tactical pants market is absolutely flooded to capacity, but there is no reason that with an elastic waistband, you should be able to carry a gun at 3 or 9 o’clock.   If you can carry a gun on a paddle holster you can usually get away with carrying a larger firearm, IWB is for thinner guns depending on your body type but that usually means a single stack firearm.  And then there is always pocket carry and  thing is by far the most comfortable way of carrying.

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Winter CCW Shirt Options

There have been several occasions at this time of  year where I’ve walked out of the house and into the freezing cold Winter temperatures and had on a sweatshirt and jacket.  By the time the car warmed up and I was on my way, I had to turn the car temperature all the way back down because it got too warm.  When I got to the mall to start my Christmas shopping, I was so darn hot that I was stopping to buy a drink and feel very uncomfortable.  This is one of the biggest problems the whole concealed carry jacket market seems to forget.

If you’ve dressed with a holster that is outside the waiste and you were intending to have the gun covered by the jacket, you’ll have problems.   The best advice I would have is to wear a base layer like Under armour and a heavy shirt like the Woolrich Elite CCW shirts like the Oxford long sleeve.  This shirt is a  long sleeve shirt that gives you an out layer to wear over a firearm and still carry flashlights, knives ect in the front pockets.   There is a hidden pocket behind the front pocket that is very easy to access.  If you pocket carry a j-frame, this is a great place to store a reload or pepper spray.

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Woolrich Elite style 44429 pants

There is still an awful lot of confusion going on for customers that have been buying the Woolrich Elite products since their original inception.   The thing we’ve always liked about selling Woolrich products is the name basically sold itself.  That’s a hard thing to do in this cluttered tactical clothing market, but I have to say that 90% of the times people have walked in our doors and saw the name Woolrich, they always referenced a jacket or layer of clothing that they’ve had for decades.   There have been some changes since the original Woolrich Elite Series clothing came out, but the quality of the products has not changed.

Looking over all of the  items that have sold over the  years in our store, the Woolrich Elite Style 44429 mens tactical pants is one of the most popular.   These tactical pants are built like a tank and the only thing some people have said that was negative was that they were a little on the  heavy side.   I’ve compared them to some of the 5.11 tactical pants that say they are 8.5 oz cotton canvas, but both pants do not weigh or feel the same.  There has also been a slight product SKU change from the original Woolrich Elite product line.  The Style 4429 pants are the same as the 444429 pants.  The only real change we have seen is the wallet id pocket has been slightly altered and opened up.  If  you wore Eotac style 202 pants, this is really the only alternative.

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All of those .380 pistols might help you keep your clothes on

I started out carrying a 1911 a very, very long time ago and at the time, the last thing I wanted to have to worry about was getting more clothes to wear just so they could accommodate my firearm.  You’d think it wouldn’t be that much of a problem, unless you’ve already got experience in carrying a gun.   Many Cops were paddle holsters, or Desantis pancake style holsters which work very well for medium or full size semi-auto guns.    Most individuals in that line of work aren’t looking for small and concealable, they are carrying what they have been issued or what they are best at using.

Recently we had a customer tell us that he hates elastic waistband pants, but this is the first time I’ve ever heard a customer that was CCW a firearm say that.   If you understand how often tactical pants have varying sizing and fit differences from brand to brand.  You’ll have to try them on to find out if they fit.   Everyone does not come in even sizes and when you put a firearm IWB you’ll have even more troubles if you aren’t wearing pants with an elastic waistband.

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Tactical pants for fence jumpers

We’re going to go out on our soap box today and make the statement that if you’re tactical clothing manufacturer is not making pants with gusseted crotches, you’re going to be out of business in the very near future.   I remember when pants first started coming out like that and how much chuckling went on in the offices while sales reps were getting trained about the fact we all had to learn about the crotch area on the Blackhawk, Eotac and 5.11 pants.   While there are plenty of nice looking and nice fitting pants, they won’t work in the real world of fence jumping and Operator work.

It’s this time of the year where we run out of catalogs and listen to all of the hoopla about about what is going to be coming out around SHOT Show, but we never know for sure until later in the year.   As much as the tactical pants market has been flooded, there is plenty of room for fit adjustments and improvements on existing designs.   After all, everyone is basically just copying 5.11 tactical, right?   5.11 Tactical started it all and they still maintain the better part of it, but being that we’re dealing with a niche market, how big is the niche?

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Why does the industry think Concealed Carry Pants need tons of pockets?

That really is one of those big questions that doesn’t get answered by the big clothing makers because they don’t really want to answer it.   Concealed Carry pants are really from most people that ask about the stuff we sell, all about being able to wear them at work and pocket carry.   It often amazes me that what is marketed by a few companies always has supposedly hidden leg pockets with tabs that flap in the wind when you walk and tell everyone you have a pocket there.   Was Michael Jacksons famous leather jacket a ccw coat?   Probable according to what we’ve seen show up here.

What everyone really wants is something with big hand pockets and if it has extra pockets, they should be shapped to look like normal pockets.  To date, the only real pant that we have sold that wasn’t in the tactical pants category are the new Woolrich Elite Series Chinos.   Other than that everyone else has something that we would consider to be tactical.  If the rear wallet pocket has big pockets around it, it looks like rock climbing gear.   It’s all about what you want, but if you want CCW pants, you’ll have a hard time finding it in the tactical clothing world.

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Blowout pants report

There seems to be a shift in the tactical pants market now to going for the gusseted crotch on all of the new tactical pants.  While this is old news to some people certain tactical clothing companies have been really slow at keeping up with what’s  new.   While several clothing makers are looking to get out of China for making apparel,  we are hoping that 2012 means making better clothing without crazy skyrocketing prices.   We’ve been selling Woolrich Elite Series Tactical clothing for several years and got hit with a few price increase recently, but compared to some clothing makers, not all that bad.

Trying to find a good  pair of pants for less than $40 dollars pretty much means shopping on Ebay, Tru-Spec, 5.11 tactical or Woolrich Elite.   While there are always preferences to consider when people tell you which tactical pants are best for them.   We have known for a very long time that the patns going for under $30 are not going to last unless they are discontinued or clearance items.  The best deal in recent months were the Woolrich Elite Style 444904 pants which were a very sturdy cotton canvas material that were identical to to the 44429 pant but with a lower ankle pocket.   They were a little heavy for some people’s tastes but they  did not shrink like some of the competitors did.

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Keeping a backup plan for bad weather while on the road

There is nothing worse than being stuck on the side of the road not being prepared.   Fix a flat is always your best friend but sometimes there is snow and rain involved.   One thing that many forget to put in a car is a flashlight or flares.   Even police officers are afraid of traffic and one of the most hazzardess situations is being  broken down on the side of a high traffic highway.   In the day and age of people talking on cell phones and texting people have the bad habit of over compensating when they see something and then swerve and loose control.   I’ve seen this happen.

Things change when you get older and have your own family and you get more concerned about their safety and avoiding bad situations.   Have a first aid kit, fix a flat, flashlights, cell phone charge, emergency battery jump starter and a good rain coat like the Woolrich Elite Waterproof  parka jacket really cut down on being in a bad situation.   First aid kits have gone a lot way and some of them are  better than what medics had back in Vietnam.   All of these items can be stored in a car and take up very little room

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