All posts in Tactical Clothing

Belt suggestions and the hazzards of ordering online

Wilderness beltsThere a warning signs when checking out on The Wilderness belts website about making sure you measure yourself before buying because their belts are made when orders are placed and they do not accept returns.   We on the other hand are stocking dealers and only stock even sizes from 30 waist to 48 waist so if someone needs to move a size up, it’s not that hard for us to just swap them out.  Having a store front where you can walk in and try something on and get it right the first time is a major plus.   These have velcro on them and there is no belt holes to adjust sizing and if it’s not attached properly to your waist size you will  not get full use of the belt.

I personally have worn these belts for over 10 years and have good luck with them.    One of the best things about investing your money in The Wilderness belts as when the velcro wears out you can just have it redone for a small fee and not buy a whole new belt.  This is something that has only happened to me one time in over 10years of use.   You can use these as rescue belts or as a CCW belt and it will give you very good support for large frame guns.   I went from a regular dress belt to a Wilderness belt and the difference in support for my Colt 1991A1 was tremendous.  I could barely feel the weight of the gun where I could feel the pull when I was wearing my dress belt.   Lots of people don’t use the right kind of belt for their guns and The Wilderness isn’t going to let you down.

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It’s jacket and coat time! What CCW options do you have?

TruSpec jacketsWe still long for the SigTac jackets that were big sellers years ago but they are long gone.  Only the Woolrich Elite Series Twill Jacket has gained our respect, but we have been crossing our fingers and hoping for more tactical jackets and coat options from Tru-Spec.   Tru-Spec had somewhat have a B average with their jackets because so much of it was modeled after military style clothing and it was either better than military issued, or not as good.   There are plenty of 3 Star and 4 Star reviews about their outwear but from what we’ve seen for 2014 products, there are going to be better things coming your way from Atlanco.

I got a hold of the Tru-Spec Element Jackets and was very impressed with the fact they came out with a jacket that had a liner.   It seems that many of the TruSpec jackets made before like the M65 had a liner but were very much old school, and not something modern.  There seems to be a major face lift going on with the company and their new website shows us some of the new concealed carry jackets and many of our gun owners and Law Enforcement Communities are going to want.  The Tactical Softshell jackets have gotten 5 star reviews from our customers and many  have driven several miles to just stop in and try things on.

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Been there, done that was tactical clothing

tactical clothing This is a niche market but it appeals to a very hardcore group of people.  Much of it is preference driven whether it’s Condor tactical vests, molle gear or Vertx product line.   The costs of jackets could be from $89.99 to over $400 depending on what features and quality you want.   We all remember what it was like to shop in an Army Navy store and buy surplus military gear, especially those of us that remember the fall of the Eastern Communist Countries and all of the stuff that was sold off in military depots.   Some of that was cool to have, but the smell had to be washed out and most of it was in the BDU category and not a lot of features like some of the newer tactical clothing companies like 5.11 Tactical or Tru-Spec make.

We’ve seen various companies take adventures in making certain tactical pants but the quality was never there.  Only hardcore clothing companies have been able to cut into the tactical clothing market and that is only about a  half dozen companies that still make user friendly and quality shirts, pants, shorts, vests and jackets.   Tru-Spec makes some new jackets that are knock offs of the old M65 jacket but once you put it on and feel the brand new quality, you’ll know why it was time to update or clean out  your old jackets especially if you  are concealed carry holder.  It seems Woolrich Elite Series Tactical has been sold off so that’s another Fail for the tactical clothing world but you never know when someone has a new design that catches everyone’s attention.

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5.11 vs Everyone else, what do you really want?

truspec tactical pantsWe know the elephant in the room in this tactical industry is 5.11 tactical.  We have had 9yrs experience dealing with lots of competitors and even though they are very small in contrast, there are so many ways of making tactical clothing, especially tactical pants that it’s really going to come down to this…. Price points, quality control and person preferences.   There are going to be some that don’t like baggy pants and some that want a straight leg tighter fit.   I have been wearing Blackhawk Warrior Wear for over 2yrs, Tru-Spec 24/7 tactical pants and Eotac and Woolrich Elite pants for almost 5-9yrs and they all fit me slightly different but I’m the same waste size in all of those brands.

This year I will be testing the waters with Vertx line even though I get sticker shock when I look at some of their products, but you do get what you pay for in tactical clothing.  The Tru-Spec 24-7 Series pants I wear are probable the best priced tactical pants I own and with the sales that the company does every year, you sometimes can get them for under $30 if you do  your shopping during the promotions.  The new Gunny pant has larger knife or flashlight pockets and a straight boot leg cut.  I personally like the gunny pant more but I wish it has elastic straps  inside the cargo pockets. If you wear 5.11 tactical clothing you might save a few bucks and consider the Tru-Spec tactical apparel line for Military and Law Enforcement as well as those who CCW.

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5.11 bags #1 for ems in our neck of the woods

5.11 bagsI still don’t know how to say who makes the best backpacks in this industry because every week we have another person asking if we carry a certain brand of bags.  From Maxpedition to US Patriot and Elite Survival and Voodoo Tactical.   We’ve checkout our Voodoo Tactical and Condor stuff for several years but we mostly stock the stuff that moves the quickest.  The 5.11 tactical product line has been out there for a very long time in the Tactical and Emergency Management world and lately the term “bugout bag” gets thrown around a lot but not everyone uses the same bags for the smae thing.   The Rush Messenger bag and the Bailout bag are used for these terms as well as “active shooter bags.

We have been stocking most of the higher end tactical nylon gear, namely anything made in the USA, but not everything we carry online is stocked here.  The most commonly asked about questions when it comes to tactical bags are the 5.11 bags like the Rush 12, Rush24 and Rush 72 Bags.  Many of our local customers are Paramedics and they use the Rush 24 and the Rush 72 bags in black or tan.   These bags have been through a few changes but we continue to stock the Multicam bags for all of these various sizes.  The 5.11 MOAB is also a very commonly sold, Online or In store pick up item.

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Tactical gear for yourself or send your spouse for a gift certicate

Philadelphia Police SuppliesIn this industry, it is so technical that it’s very rare for someone  in the Law Enforcement community to send someone in to shop for them.  We get a lot of last minute buyers when someone finds out they got moved to a SWAT Team or recently got hired to be a  Police officer in the Delaware County, Chester County or Philadelphia Police Department.  Usually customers come in in waves, after Graduations at the Philadelphia Police Academy or the Delaware County Police Academy.   Recently we started getting customers from the Montgomery County Police Academy Training Center.   Each week we’ve been setting up 1 or 2 Police Departments for their Clothing Allowances and logistically speaking, the customers are glad we are here in Delaware County so they can walk in and walk out.  Shopping for tactical pants, shirts and body armor is something that people want to do in-store and not online.

Our 1500 sq ft Broomall, Police Depot and tactical store is in the heart of Delaware County in the Broomall Industrial Park.   We are a stocking dealer for many in the region and we are a good source for Philadelphia Police Supplies from tactical boots from the Original Swat Footwear company, Tru-Spec, 5.11 tactical, ATS Tactical,  Streamlight Flashlights like the Stinger and Strion, which are rechargeable flashlights that the vast majority of Upper Darby, Marple Township and even the State Police are using.  We stock many of the handcuff and Safariland products that new Police Officers will need for their duty gear.  CR123 batters are something we need to keep in store at all times because most local places that sell them are 50% more than what we charge.

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More Tru-Spec outwear and tactical clothing for Winter 2013

2673-1We just had our Tru-Spec Rep in our store and he showed us several of the items that we did not currently stock.   It’s funny that customers tell us they are afraid to order certain things online, and we tell them “we are the same way when it comes to bringing in new inventory”.   We see new tactical clothing products listed on some of our distributors websites but all it is at first is an image and a bunch of words.  We still don’t know what the big deal is about various tactical jackets or winter clothing because it’s not until somebody walks in our store or gives us positive feedback on a softshell jacket, parka, or rain coat that we actually take a serious look into whether or not we should stock it.   The 24/7 Series is a very good product line but it still has some room for grown.  Various camouflage patterns have come and gone and now just about everything is going multi-cam.

Digital pattern and some tradition camo patters are still available from Tru-Spec but we are watching that closely.   The TruSpec outwear is really geared more towards law enforcment becaues of the badge designs but the Softshell tactical jackets have a much broader appeal.  We offer Free Shipping on orders over $150 and now have a rewards program running on all of our product and with the Tru-Spec line, we offer a free 1 time exchange.   There are varying degrees of warmth for each of these items but a medium weight jacke that keeps you dry and is of good quality is not that common.   We see lots of military surplus gear but even though TruSpec has a military look, the quality is much better than what you’d get at a traditional Army Navy store.

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A common issue when ordering clothing online

Tru-Spec shirtsWe get probable 3-5 customers a day calling us on the phone and asking about the clothing we sell and how it will fit them.   We have various sizing charts but they are different for each brand that we sell.   I wear a large part of the clothing we sell, and I see big differences between the fit even if my sizes are all the same.   I always like the Woolrich Elite line but the fit of the shirts was a little off  for my body type with the shoulder lengths.    We tested out some of the 5.11 tactical shirts and the 5.11 t-shirts which many of our Police Officers know and wear but we are very picky about what we stock because we don’t sell clothing to just weekend warriors we sell clothing to people that  aren’t going to want to deal with discomfort if they don’t have to because they all know that body armor is almost always something they want to get off as soon they are back in the Office and no longer out on deployment.

In regards to the entire Tru-Spec product line, there are differences in the fit of the various uniform and 24/7 Series shirts.   Some people in this industry need to have their Tru-Spec shirts tucked in and have a tighter fit on the shoulder while others may have a more relaxed style like the 24/7 Polos, the tactical polos and the performance polos are very well received and I personally  have not had any shrinkage problems.    The Polyester cotton rip stop shirts are lightweight and ultra lightweight designs and you really may want to take a trip to our tactical store to really  understand how they will feel and fit you.   Everyone’s torso and arm lengths can vary and if you don’t know already, you’ll want to do a walk through before you buy  online and have to deal with returns or exchanges  with online purchases.

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3 Years of positive feedback on Tru-Spec womens pants

Tru-Spec womens pantsOne of the major factors in picking the Tru-Spec product line was that we had several negative experiences with some of their competition and even our 5.11 customers did not rave about the 5.11 Tactical Womens line.   We heard good things about The Tru-Spec 24/7 Series for women and the Blackhawk Womens line but Eotac as short lived and Woolrich Elite Series tactical ladies pants were a collosal failure and we had about a 75% negative review and return rate.  Those aren’t good at all and might be part of the reason the Woolrich Elite line fizzled out.   Trying to fit tactical clothing to women is going to be a lot harder and the cut of a tactical polo shirt is another thing we have to factor in when outfitting our local Law Enforcement.

The Tru-Spec ladies pants are the exact same pocket patterns as the men’s 24.7 Series but the cut is different.  We have several employees wearing the Tru-Spec womens pants and they all love them.    They are not high  on the hips like some companies have and they are not over-done like some of the competitors.   Sometimes you really can have too many pocket and that can just get annoying.   We have some out on wear tests with our customers but we already know that it’s a good product line.   We are outfitting almost all of the local Delaware County police deparments and the Tru-Spec product line is now our primary tactical clothing line.

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More Positive Feedback in year 2 of the Tru-Spec product lines from the IAPC in Philadelphia

Truspec tactical pantsWe got to attend the International Association of Police Chiefs convention here in Philadelphia and it was another great way to listen to customers and hear what they are saying about various product lines.   Some of these conventions are really giant networking opportunities for us and a great way to learn about potential products we would like to bring into our inventory.  Some are computer software shows and others are basically gun shows but it’s always worth our while to attend these.   Blackhawk and 5.11 tactical are massive companies carrying a vast amount of products but not all of it the best.   We’ve seen several local dealers drop the Vertx line because it’s priced out of their customers price range and if we had to pick a winner this year, it’s definitely been tru-spec.

The Tru-Spec simple tactical line is going to fit you differently than the 24/7 series is but it’s also going to be far less money and the best thing to do is find a stocking dealer, which is what we are and try it on yourself.  I was not a huge fan of the TruSpec tactical pants when I first started wearing them because they are so different than the 5.11 tactical, Blackhawk, Eotac and Woolrich Elite Series tactical clothing lines that I was use to.  The shapes of the pockets and the pocket placements are absolutely designed for people carrying a knife or a flashlight.  The new gunny tactical pants has a slightly larger cut knife pocket for those carrying larger tools.   I wish they made them in more sizes because some customer did complain that the gunny pant wasn’t made in their size range.

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