All posts in Tactical Clothing

So you want to call us up and ask us the “what belt do I want” question!

The Wilderness BeltsLike all of the holster and apparel question, the next question all of the new gun carriers are the “do you have a good belt” which means they need a stiff belt so the holster doesn’t ruin it. I like many, learned by making mistakes or just not  having the information at hand to make the right decisions.  I still have a few belts in the house that are obvious early gun belts because they all have the holster crunch.   There are differences in gun belts,  you want a stiff belt but some belts can be too stiff and feel like you have a hula hoop around your waste.  Even the Blackhawk pistol belts that we sold were discontinued for a slightly less stiff design.   The Desantis gun belts are more money but had a better reputation.    We are waiting to get the new Blackhawk Pistol belts and get them to our customers for feedback.

The quick fixes for gun belts are the Elite Survival Cobra belts and the Wilderness belts.   The belts have different buckles or ways to latch but The Wilderness belts that we stock have been our primary for almost 9yrs now.  Lots of people are shocked to drive up to our Broomall, PA showroom and find a tactical store that actually stocks them.  I personally have used them for almost 15yrs and the support they give is excellent.   I first started out carrying a 1911 and that did a job on my previous gun belts but it was very easy to forget that you had a gun own you because the support was so good.

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2yrs into carrying the Tru-Spec product line

truspec tactical pantsThis is our second year of carrying the Tru-Spec tactical clothing line and we are very happy with what our customers are telling us.   The reviews on tactical clothing made by Tru-Spec are much better than what we are hearing  about 5.11.   We carry some of the 5.11 tactical apparel and gear like the backpacks and molle stuff, but we get a lot of complaints about shrinkage and lack of durability.  If you just compare the polo shirts that men or wome would wear in an Office environment,  The Woolrich Elite tactical polos in style 44435 would be the most durable but they are much heavier in weight.  I’ve had the same Tru-Spec 24.7 series tactical polo for a year and it has faded and the name tag has worn, but it’s still in tact.

The biggest winner that we discovered were the 24/7 series tactical pants, many of our customers told us they had a great product line and their womens Truspec tactical pants were very well received unlike some of the other clothing companies we dealing with.    I’ve heard some good things about the Blackhawk tactical clothing line for women also, but price points are something we are seriously thinking about.  We noticed several vendors in the area have stopped carrying the Vertx product lines because there were too many issues in trying to get product and the starting cost of the tactical pants were around $64.99.   The Tru-Spec Simple Tactical product line is a really smart thing, there are some variations in fit and sizing if you are already wearing the 24/7 series, but we have a good exchange policy so let us know if something doesn’t fit.

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Concealed Carry in Pennsyvania from Winter to Summer

Tru Spec shirtsThere are all 4 seasons up here in the Northeast and today it’s actually over 100F and in this part of the area you can tell it’s so hot that hardly anyone is outside.  Sitting by a pool is going to mean you’re going to be burning up and you’ll probable need to be in the pool to be comfortable.   This is a good time for me to break out the new products we brought in from Tru-Spec.   The Tru-Spec performance polos are just want you want for this type of weather but going from the Woolrich Elite and 5.11 product lines to this meant we had to see what fit or cut differences there were.  The Eotac tactical product lines had a performance polo also and it had more of a tactical or competition shooter look to it.   These Tru-Spec shirts are cut a little tighter around the sides but are very long, so depending on the body type these may not be great for concealed carry but if you are pocket carrying it’s a none issue.

These shirts are probable 50% lighter weight than the 24-7 Series standard polos.   If you want a more uniform or tactical looking shirt try the TruSpec shirts that we have listed for men and women.   Tru-Spec has a very broad product line and they have moved more from just being  a Law Enforcement or Tactical line.   They have concealed carry shirts now, polos, tactical shirts for men and ladies and most of their products are several dollars less expensive than their competition.   The new lightweight and ultra light shirts like the gunny shirt, gunny vests give more versatility to the tactical lines appeal.  Most of the shirts are a polyester or polyester cotton blend.

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truspec softshell jackets

Truspec softshell jacketsWe rarely get tactical clothing in our store that can be used in more than a few seasons because the notion of wearing an article of clothing in the Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer isn’t going to be that common.   Other than socks and underwear, what don’t you change up?   Sure you can wear a t-shirt through most of the winter but you’d probable freeze to death if your car broke down and you had to go outside.  Their are some really nice Parka type items like the Woolrich Elite Parka but now that that has been discontinued, we’ve moved on to stock much of the Tru-Spec tactical apparel.  Their softshell promo with the discounts and sales have helped customers discover something new and useable.

We’ve noticed that a lot of our Law Enforcement like loose fitting clothing and others don’t mind tight fitting clothing and this usually applies to people that are in shape vs out of shape.    The Tru-Spec Softshell jackets are  not loose fitting, they are specifically designed to be type around your body but the multiple zipper pockets give you access to gear around your belt.  These work very well in 4 Season climates where you might get lots of rain on a cold but not freezing weather, or in Spring Weather where getting wet means getting sick.   These jackets would be considered rain gear even though they do have a very athletic and tactical look to them.

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Frisk gloves, are their any new options?

Turtleskin glovesWe started out selling tactical apparel and tactical gear about 9yrs ago and much has changed since we first started.  Their were XENON bulbs in just about all of  our Streamlight Flashlights and now there are LED lights everywhere and XENON is a thing of the past.  The technology has so dramatically improved in the flashlight industry but now body armor and protective clothing has also.   Turtleskin gloves are made by a company called Warwick mills, they have a long history working for the Space Program and making Astronaut suits, so dealing with protective clothing and puncture resistant materials.  They make all sorts of gloves and not all of them are big and clunky like lab gloves or things that Apollo 11 had on.

Many working in the EMS world are very much aware of Hepatitis C and HIV, and sadly there have been a lot of Police and Ambulance personnel that have lost their lives or had life altering things happen when contracting these.    There are 2 styles of Turtleskin gloves that we are selling and they have quickly outsold the Hatch gloves that we were selling a few years ago.  The Alpha and Bravo gloves do feel very different and they are almost a 2 type of season glove.   We realize nobody is going to wear these all  year long but it’s nice to know that the Bravo Turtleskin gloves have a much more comfortable feel in hot weather and Alpha is better suited for colder weather.  See our online store for sale, discounts and promos on these items.

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New 5.11 Covert Khaki compared to Woolrich Elite Chinos?

tactical pantsI really don’t know why all of these tactical companies left standing only deal with the Poly Cotton variations of clothing and never deal with the 100% cotton ripstop material.  Tru-Spec has a cotton canvas pant as well as the well known 5.11 tactical clothing company but there is a nich part of this industry that is having a really hard time finding a good quality tactical pant that is really comfortable doesn’t feel stiff when worn.   Plenty of our contractors and even electricians are not allowed to wear the polycotton materials because of the possibility of flashing or exposure to high heat.  Ask anyone in an emergency room what happens during fires and what the best type of clothing is to have on in those situations.   Many of our tactical shirts have nylon in them instead of polyester for this reason.

When it comes to having a true CCW pant, there really isn’t much out there.   They are either very cargo looking tactical pants or they have so many zippers or funky cuts to the clothing that you already know they are tactical pants because your suit pants aren’t going to look like that.   Now that Woolrich Elite Chinos are  not being made anymore, the new 5.11 covert khaki 2.0 is an improvement over the previous covert khaki pants and when I had a customer come in here and ask me if we carried them, I was surprised to find out they were 5.11 pants in the first place.   These pants do have the side zippers but they are hidden very well and the tabs are very small.  They do have a sheen to them which makes them look more like suit pants and they have permanent creases that give them that professional look.

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Most versatile rain jacket?

Truspec softshell jacketsWe’ve sold a lot of outwear over the years and the Woolrich Elite Concealed Carry Chino and the SigTac jackets are going to be missed because they were all very well made items but somehow those companies just couldn’t compete in the tactical apparel world.   I’ve not seen a SigTac jacket in years but people still and ask us what happened to them.   There are a few links out there that direct people to us from gun forums but they are badly outdated.   The Woolrich Elite Series tactical barn coat that is another item that was well liked but fell off the production line very early.   5.11 tactical has some nice stuff but they have gotten expensive and plenty of people have fallen off the 5.11 wagon just based on price increase.

When it comes to concealed carry jackets, well, there aren’t too many companies that are going to mass product something like that because there are so many firearms that designing a jacket around that isn’t really cost effective.   If you want a very useful tactical jacket, the TruSpec softshell jackets are a very big hit and we have been selling them with the American Flag patch  which gives them a cool yet patriotic look.   These softshell jackets are going to be tight against your body but they have access points so  you can still get in to your gear or guns.   We’ve had several customers come in our store that said it’s the most versatile jacket they own because it’s something you can wear in the Fall or Winter or even a mild summer day that will help keep you dry.

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Shopping online or Shopping in a brick and mortar store

philadelphia Law Enforcement suppiesThere are a lot of things we learned in the last year about the Law Enforcement Community and sometimes its the small things that people want in your store and not the fancy stuff.   There are plenty of times we go to places like Youtube.com to watch the products that we sell to try and learn how to use them or to market them.   You can only read so much about a product but if you don’t know how something is used, certain terminology about a backpack might just confuse you.   There are so many differences between all of the bags we sell and sizes are something people have a hard time explaining.   The differences between the Rush 24 and Rush 72 5.11 bags is significant and sometimes people don’t know which one they want until they hold it in their hands.

Police Officers loose handcuffs and handcuff keys all the time and sometimes that 20yrd old holster needs to be retired.    We know have a Law Enforcement inventory and we are doing everything from Blackington badges and whatever else Philadelphia Law Enforcement Supplies like Safariland holsters, Blackhawk Serpa holsters and all of the pepper spray and batons that are used.   We have a pickup on location option on our website and stock a good bit of AR15 upper receivers and Magpul accessories.   Our Smith Optics Elite ballistic eyewear was used in the US Open here in Merrion and we are looking forward to bringing on even more products this Summer and Fall.

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Tru-Spec tactical clothing in full gear for the US OPEN !

truspec ems pantsThis year we are proud to announce that Rogue Elite is providing all of the ballistic eyewear and tactical pants primarily the Tru-Spec EMS pants, for men and women as well as the tactical shorts.   All of these are in navy blue for the paramedics and EMT.  Since the Boston Marathon bombing, just about every major event in the Country has it’s security upgraded.   Smith Optics Elite ballistic eyewear will be in full spectrum, the protective sunglasses and Aegis eyeshields are part of the Haveford Township EMS uniform.   We have done extremely well with the custom satisfaction for the TruSpec product line since the demise of several of our previous clothing companies.  Tru-Spec has a very broad Military, tactical, concealed carry and EMS product line.  Their EMS pants for men and women have durability and good designs.

All this week we have had men and women stopping in to get their gear and constantly finding out that they were not the size they thought they were.  We commonly have people trying on the truspec ems pants and finding out that the size they are in 5.11 tactical products are not the same with other brands.  Although we know 5.11 makes some good products, quality control is non-existent and there are constant sizing issues.   This is one of the main reasons we opened up a store front was because so many people have this issue and they needed a place to walk in and try them on and get it right the first time.

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Tru-Spec uniform shirts, tactical shirts and CCW Shirt reviews

Tru-Spec shirtsI’ve worn a lot of clothing that was designed for the tactical crowd and there are things I love and things I hate about various brands.  There are slight differences between some products and the way the fit your body and there are others that just flat out don’t work for me.   The first thing we had to settle on when picking a stocking tactical polo was it had to be widely accepted not just a personal preference.   The Tru-Spec tactical polos have gotten very good responses from our customers because they were lighter than the Woolrich Elite Series Tactical polos.   Some people like lightweight shirts and others prefer a cotton canvas shirt.  Much of it has to do with the temperatures that an Operator or Instructor is working in.  The performance polos were very well excepted here for Office work and that they were a wicking shirt.

The Tru-Spec combat shirts are what all of our local tactical teams use and are better priced than the similar 5.11 Tactical shirts.   Tru-Spec has ventured into marketing products to the civilian concealed carry crowd and for under cover Law Enforcement with the new Tru-Spec shirts like the CCW Shirt, and the Tru-Spec holster shirt.   All of these can work in the officer or in deep cover or backup gun scenarios.   We’ll be testing out more shirts from Blackhawk this summer while we try to pick products that we know our Eotac and Woolrich Elite customers want.  Less  Poly/Cotton ripstop products and more cotton canvas and 100% cotton ripstop products.

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