All posts in Tactical Clothing

511 Tactical Footwear, Brand Names and Picking the best

511 Tactical BootsOne thing about our product  line is that we never get caught  up with “this brand is better than another” so much of the tactical clothing and tactical gear world is getting what you paid for.   When it comes to comfort, it’s up to our customer to determine what works best for them.   Here in the Pennsylvania area we get all 4 Seasons, Summer, Winter, Fall and Spring so you need to switch up your clothing at some point.   This year was particularly harsh as far as winter goes and we added a few things to our “winter clothing” category and expecting our 5.11 Socks to include the heavier winter items.  5.11 Tactical is a monster of a company and and is hands down the best known product line and basically because they started it all.   There are a lot of Pros and Cons of every product we sell and we often pick the best products from 5.11 and leave the flashlights and Novelty stuff to the big 5.11 showcase dealers but there are plenty of 5.11 backpacks and gear that has a strong grip of the Emergency Management and Law Enforcement Market.

Like shorts and  pants, footwear needs to change up with the seasons and we’ve had a lot of people come in here asking us to carry some of the Taclite gear in the 5.11 Tactical product line and recently expanded the 511 Tactical Boots in our product line.   We hear a lot of the same stories from brand to brand like ” I don’t like those boots, they fall apart on me” or “they just weren’t comfortable.”   Comfort is your decision and if you have the same problems with a certain boot style or brand, consider  spending more money if you want years of durability.   So much of this can depend on what your work and footwear stress levels are, but here are some of the new products we are carrying online and in our Pennsylvania Tactical Store.

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Tru-Spec Tactical Shirts and BDU Shorts for Men and Women

We have plenty of customers that can wear shorts for most of the year but there are some season changes that we deal with and Summer and Winter affects what inventory we stock.    We tend to sell most of the same inventory all  year long due to the fact we sell clothing both Nationally and Internationally as well as local.   It’s sometimes funny to see people in Alaska and Michigan buying sweatshirts while people on the East Coast are well into hot weather.  Usually when all of the IDPA competitions or State competitions are going on we usually see an up tick in sales of womens tactical shorts and pants.  Depending on the environment and the terrain of the competition it’s one or the other.   There are knee pad options with most of the tactical pants we sell but the Hatch knee pads and the Blackhawk Neoprene tend to sell very well.   We have many of the same complaints about inseam lengths for various tactical shorts because just like pants, not everyone is the same height and wanting shorts that have a 7 inch inseam or 9inch will not be available with every company we deal with.

The biggest selling point with the Tru-Spec product line is that they are very consistent in sizing and they are also very durable.  If you have ever seen the Tru-Spec 24/7 Series pants, the Tru-Spec 24/7 Series shorts are just a cut down version of those.   I tend to prefer those Tru-Spec tactical shortsTru-Spec Tactical Shorts over the BDU style because I don’t think it modern times with CCW and Cell phones, flashlights and various knives, that having large pockets where cargo just floats around is all that great.  I’d rather have a pocket for all of my stuff so I know which direction it is pointed and treat each pocket much in the same way I’d treat a firearm in a holster, it stays where you leave until you need it.    The BDU style shorts tend to be popular with the people working in EMS because they are inexpensive and they don’t need a bunch of pockets.    The Tru-Spec ladies clothing is hands down our best rated product line for women, according to our female customer base!

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Blackhawk Lightweight Tactical Pants shortage?

Blackhawk Tactical PantsWe have been a stocking dealer for a great many tactical clothing companies because we know that much of this industry is about preference and what the Mission at hand.   We get lot of Law Enforcement that stop in our store because they are going to the range for training and all that is required is “black pants” primarily because they know they might be doing a lot of knealing in dirty environments and if they were wearing anything but Black pants, they might be stained for good.  Most of the pants we sell have some type of knee pad inserts although I don’t really find many of them to be all that practical, you just have to make sure you pull them out before you wash them  otherwise the foam inserts will break down much quicker.

We have been big fans of Hatch knee pads although Blackhawks Neoprene knee pads are very popular.   Recently it has come to our attention that a major production change has occurred and these  Blackhawk Tactical Pants and much of their clothing is now being moved to Puerto Rico.   Although that is not continental United States, its nice to hear things like this and it’s also a long list of companies from Proper, Original Swat Footwear, ATS Tactical Gear and others that have been moving manufacturing out of China and  Asia, hopefully this reset in manufacturing over the last several years will stabilizing the availability and prices and we have even see companies like 5.11 increase prices since the whole Asian monopoly on manufacturing has hit everyone.

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Have you checked out the Tru-Spec Product line lately?

Tru-Spec We’ve been a Tru-Spec dealer for several years now and have ridden the wave of their expanding product line.   If you haven’t been on a fan of Tru-Spec or you know nothing about them, you might want to take a look because there are a lot of reasons to check out their product line, especially if you’ve been familiar with 5.11 tactical which most people in this business are.   One of the main reasons we stock much of the Tru-Spec product line over 5.11 tactical is the much better quality control.   Sure there are plenty of good products from other companies, but with this economy, if you compare the 24/7 Series pants compared to others, good luck trying to find a tactical pant for under $40 that doesn’t shrink or come in different sizes every time you buy them.    There are plenty of new items like the Tru-Spec Eclipse pant that can be in a polycotton ripstop or a 100% nylon that really makes it a much more useful pant option for really hot weather.

The Tru-Spec 24/7 Series shorts have also been a hit if you are carrying a knife, flashlight or other every day carry gear, and the pocket designs will help accommodate plenty of gear and gadgets.    Tru-Spec has also done a great job of making Combat Shirts in various camo patterns from all of the traditional digital pattersn, urban digital, woodland digital, midnight digital ect.   Multicam is all the rave and now that Multicam Black is out, everyone from airsoft to paintball to tactical teams and S.W.A.T. Teams are wearing it.   One thing they can grown on are CCW pants that are more casual looking, the Classic pant is OK, but still has a bit of a tactical look to it and not everyone has been won over by that.   The Performance polos are great hot weather and don’t pill like some of the previous performance polos we carried from a different brand.   They really have a lot to offer for both Men and Ladies and if you are bringing your girlfriend or wife to the range, or you need off duty pants for training, definitely check out the womens pants and shirts.

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Review of the new Tru-Spec Eclipse Tactical Pants

Tru-Spec Eclipse Tactical PantsI’m not going to make those blog post out about how this is some fantastically designed tactical pant that will fit everyone’s needs, but like all clothing, especially if you are in the area of the Country with different seasons, you have to change up your clothing to fit the outside temperatures.   We’ve been dealing with mostly cotton/canvas pants, 100% cotton pants and the biggest one, 65%/35% polyester cotton ripstop pants, but this is our first venture into carrying a nylon material pant.  First, if you are familiar with the Tru-Spec product line, this is very different than the 24/7 series pants as far as material and pocket design, I always force myself to try something out myself before we put in our stocking orders since I’ve developed a pretty good bull shit meter as to whether or not our customer base is going to go for it.  Secondly, I would have to say that these pants, although having very good internal hand pockets with a slot for a knife and flashlight, or whatever you want to put in them made me happy and I didn’t notice it when our sales rep first showed them to me, but these pants are so lightweight, and the material is so soft, that it’s probable not a good idea to expect to pocket carry a firearm in them because it will print.

I noticed many of our Police Officers that are on bike patrol all have nylon shorts on and we will be bringing in something in that category very soon, but if you want to wear pants because you need to carry your every day carry stuff with you, and you wanted something lighter weight than what the Tru-Spec product  line had to offer previously, definitely consider picking a pair up, we’re doing an $8 flat rate shipping on the Tru-Spec Eclipse Tactical Pants and with Summer just around the corner, you will not be sweating it out with these pants and you’ll also have a level of sun protection because you won’t be wearing shorts.  These do seem to be a more slim fit and they DO NOT have elastic waistbands like many of the 5.11 Tactical, Tru-Spec and Blackhawk pants we sell do, so be careful when ordering that you rethink you’re actual size.  If you don’t want to wear shorts all this Summer consider putting these into your wardrobe.

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Competition Shooting and hot weather Concealed Carry Options

Gunny Signature Series Ultralightweight VestsTru-Spec Lightweight Tactical VestsWhen it gets hot it can be very difficult to carry medium or large frame firearms and even though there are a ton of clothing  options you can buy, some of the CCW options are an over kill and depending on the environment you live it, you will stand out and look like an under cover cop or that you carry a gun.  Personally, in most circumstances looking like you carry a gun is going to be more of a deterrent than not looking like you carry a gun and having one on you.    Tru-Spec  just came out with a nice lightweight concealed carry friendly shirt called the “Camp Shirt” which is something we will be bringing in for our inventory switch over this Summer for all of our customers because there aren’t a lot of nice CCW shirt options for the Summer from many of the tactical clothing companies like 5.11 Tactical and Blackhawk.   They may market them as CCW but they either shrink or fade and tend to not be on par with the quality control that normal clothing companies would consider to be good.

The idea of switching to carry a different firearm is really something that should be considered because being uncomfortable and constantly adjusting your belt to a large frame or medium frame gun is going to be obvious when people see you sit down and get up, it’s funny how you can tell if someone is carrying depending on how they walk or hold their hands when moving.   When  you need a CCW vest, I can give you plenty of referrals from our customers in the Southwestern United States that often don’t have a fond opinion about anything that isn’t 100% cotton and now that Woolrich Elite and Eotac do not have their 4424 or 102 Lightweight Operator Vests around, many of our customers have been scrounging for something for upcoming IDPA events especially the one we recently sponsored at the Lower Providence Rifle and Pistol Club and we sold several of the Tru-Spec Lightweight Tactical vests and the Gunny Signature Vest.  I would lean towards the Signature Series Vest because it is considerable lighter than the standard vest and probable the best hot Weather vest we have right now.

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Winter is finally over and it’s time to get your Summer CCW together

Tru-Spec ShortsThere are a lot of options out there from Tru-Spec, 5.11 Tactical, Blackhawk Warrior Wear and if  you are lucky, regular clothing that  you can pickup at a mall that gets the job done.  One of the things we’ve learned in the tactical clothing industry is not everyone feels the need to buy it even if they exactly the customer that we think would want to.   There are plenty of casual clothing companies that have shirts that are cut long or pants that have a lot of utility functionality but everyone is different.   The hard thing about shopping for stuff like this is trying to find a business that actually stocks it so you can go in and try out a brand like Tru-Spec and see if there tactical shorts, lightweight shirts or whatever else you are trying out, will get the job done.   There are often features designed into the clothing that have re-enforced knife pockets or the way the pockets are sown so that something like  a firearm, won’t fall out of it when you are in the seated position and leaning backwards, it’s often the fail point of regular jeans or clothing when it comes to pocket carry.

Tru-Spec’s product line has dramatically grown in recent years and although the 24/7 Series was already and established product line when we came onboard, but when it comes to CCW and Summer clothing, the Tru-Spec Shorts like the new Simple Tactical Shorts especially the Cargo Shorts have been a big winner.   We will be running a Summer promo on some of the camo pattern later this month because so many guys just wanted BDU Shorts with camo patterns.  If you aren’t putting a lot of stuff in your pockets the BDU Shorts might cut it, but we highly recommend the Tru-Spec Tactical Shorts that are designed with the same pocket patterns as the 24/7 Pants which might make  your Summer/Winter switch overs very easy.

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Fabrics have changed and it does pay to wear the right clothing

Under Armour Heat GearThere are many things that we sell that can be ruined by body sweat, firearms, parts, magazines body armor, holsters ect, and I, unfortunately have some stories about how I accidentally pitted the barrel of a j-frame revolvers as a novice CCW holder that used a leather holster during Pennsylvania Summer heat waves and the salts from my body sweat absorbed into the leather and over time, transferred to the firearm and ruined the finish.  If you read through military history, there are all sorts of stories about how wooden stocks, gun powder and firearms were ruined from moisture.  “Maintenance” is an important thing to do to keep any tactical gear in good condition and having a good moisture wicking shirt on in the summer that does not hold in body sweat is something to consider even if you are not in Law Enforcement.

I highly recommend wearing body armor  while being on firing ranges because there are so many idiots out there the lack muzzle discipline and depending on the type of training course, statistics say that bullets can do strange things and it’s an extra insurance policy.   We have been bringing in large quantities of Under Armour Heat Gear this summer, mostly on the requests of local Police Departments because it’s so important for them to change from Under Armour Cold Gear to Under Armour Heat Gear because sitting in a car for hours with a winter like we just had to jumping from Air Conditioned Patrol vehicles to an eventual Summer Hot weather can be physically stressful and with all the duty gear they have to wear,  comfort is extremely important to be physically and mentally alert.

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Versatility of various Tactical Jackets and Concealed Carry Jackets

Tactical Softshell Tactical JacketsWe search the internet for new products all the time, especially when customers ask us if we stock a particular item and we don’t have any idea what it is.   There is always something new coming out each year, but there are plenty of products that get discontinued and it’s not always that it was not a good product, sometimes it just doesn’t catch the wave and from a Corporate production and sales situation, it’s aCCW JacketWaterproof Jacketll about dollars and cents.   The Woolrich Elite Barn Coat was a neat idea and looked good but lots of people called us up asking about whether or not it had a liner or was  insulated and not surprising it was discontinued that year because the company didn’t get it right.  Our primary clothing line is now the Tru-Spec Tactical Clothing and given there long history of dealing with the Military, they do a much better job of keeping traditional looks but updating certain features like snap buttons and better zippers.

Probable our biggest selling jacket years ago was the old Sig Tac Jackets but like many products, the entire product line seems to have disappeared.   This Winter was one hell of a winter and if you were one of the ones that picked up the Tru-Spec Element Jacket you probable got your money’s worth in the first 2 weeks of 2014.   Up in the Northeastern United States it’s not always necessary to wear a heavy winter coat, but having one in your arsenal is thinking ahead.   There are several Tactical Soft Shell jackets out there from Propper to Condor and Tru-Spec but our customer feedback told us the Tru-Spec outerwear had enough products to cover us for Fall, Winter and rain coats both insulated an none-insulated so check them out if  you are looking for something new/

 

 

 

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Multiple Options of Combat Shirts available from Tru-Spec

Combat Shirts We have been expanding our product line with Tru-Spec, mostly because it really attracts the largest customer base, from Law Enforcement to Private Security as well as the average gun owner that just wants to carry a his everyday carry products and know it’s going to be the same spot.   The 24/7 Series tactical pants are a staple in our showroom but there are several new things that we have been stocking.   The Multicam Black combat shirts as well as the the Tactical Response Uniform pants in All Terrain Tiger, Multicam, Urban Digital and many more.   Several SWAT Teams and tactical teams in our area have been using both the stand Combat Shirt as well as the 1/4 Zip Combat Shirt and The 1/4 Winter Combat Shirt.

Multicam for the most part has been steadily replacing all of the Digital Camouflage patterns that have been available for the last 10yrs.   At first some may find spending $89.95 or $99.95 for a Multicam Shirt to be expensive, but the most expensive shirts have features built into them that all add to the cost.  If you don’t want elbow pads built into the shirt then skip the Tru-Extreme shirts and move on to the 1/4 Zip Combat Shirts, but Multicam and Multicam Black all cost more for a reason and from our experiences these don’t fade like many of the cheaper products you’ll find in Paintball stores.   The Polyester Cotton Ripstop products are all generally less expensive than the 50/50 Nylon Cotton shirts so make sure you look over all of the material and pattern designs and figure out what you really want.

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