All posts in Tru-Spec 24/7

Lots of Turmoil in the clothing business

We have just got word that their were riots in the Apple factory in China and another one of our product lines is having trouble getting stuff made over there because of some of the flooding.  What the heck is going  on with that place?  Everyone seems to think we have to tip  toe  with China because they own so  much of our debt that they can pull the rug out from  under us.   The truth of the matter is we actually still own them.  They won’t get anything out of us if we go down and right  now they are actually having the rug pulled out from under them.   We are at a total of 4 of our major product lines has pulled out of Chinese manufacturing beacuse of the labor costs and price increase on raw products.

I have no idea what is going on with the clothing industry.  We have done some really big promos with Tru Spec and Blackhawk products as well as the Woolrich Elite tactical pants  product line and we’re under the impression they are all having some issues.  We are testing out some of the new products form Tru Spec this summer because one of our favorite clothing makers, Woolrich Elite isn’t making the 44905 shorts at the moment and that is something that really concerns us.

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Differences between TruSpec and 5.11 EMS pants

5.11 EMS pants seem to be on the majority of the paramedics in our area but we’ve noticed many were not happy with the fit of the pants and wanted to try the TruSpec.  Since we’re testing out various tactical and EMS products we’re tip toeing with our inventory.  Today a customer asked us if he could try on the TruSpec pants and find out what the differences, by the time he was done wearing them around the store.  He was teaching us more about the product line than we knew before.

The Tru Spec EMS pants look almost identical to the 5.11 Tactical EMS pant but there are some noticeable differences for anyone that wears one of them long enough.  The major differences between these Tru Spec EMS pants and the other are the rear pockets.  The back left pocket has an ID pocket and the right side has the trademark 5.11 sash.   The TruSpec pants have a flap that is the same as the regular tactical pant and in all honesty a much normal looking design.

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Switching from 5.11 tactical clothing to something else?

When we first got into the tactical clothing market it was pretty much all 5.11 tactical pants.   The stories about Royal Robbins becoming 5.11 and some of the changes that occurred left many customers disappointed.   I don’t know  how a company can make 5.11 tactical pants in 3 different Countries and expect the quality control to be there but I guess they don’t.  We’ve watched several companies attempt to cut into the market and fail and much of it was about production issues and quality control.  If you buy a pair of pants and like them and buy them again later, the same thing, and the sizing is different or it shrinks and rides up on you, you look for something else.

Some people just don’t understand what it takes to do business in foreign Countries.  It’s not just about a manufacturers ability to make a consistent product, its also about being able to make the product the right way and things like tactical pants sometimes need to be modifed if customers demand this.   I have witness such minor product fit changes that were welcomed and the sales went up.  Other companies were asked to modify their products and they didn’t and lost out to the competition.  5.11 has a real Winner with the Tac Lite Pro pants.

 

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Tactical pants and pocket placements, why you need more than one style?

There is not a single tactical pant that we sell that is great for everything.  Recently we had some customer walk in  here wearing Vertx tactical pants and asked us to start carrying them.   A few weeks before we had a large inventory of Blackhawk tactical pants because a ton of customers wanted those.  They also liked the fact they held up better for hunting.  Last week because of a news article about the Woolrich Elite chinos the most non-tactical pant we sell were our number one sellers.  I personally prefer the Eotac style 202 tactical pants but I guess I’ll have to fall back  on a close second place with the Woolrich Elit 44429.

I have been going back and forth about which pants I liked more, recently the surge has been towards the Tru Spec tactical pants because of the new national promo.   I have to admit that for $29.95 the Tru Spec tactical pants are by far a superior pant to the 5.11 tactical pants as far as quality.   The 5.11 tac lite prom pants are the  only tactical pants that I like from 5.11 but I had sizing issues and that is something that seems to be a constant.  Maybe people do need to consider more than a one brand and accept the fact that each one has an advantage over the other as long as the product is durable.

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Wearing the right clothing in the summer

This is one of those times of year that I’m not sure if I should be wearing a jacket to work or if I should be wearing shorts.  Up in this part of the Country, you can go to work in the morning with a jacket on and freezing and then by mid afternoon, you’ll wish you had a short sleeve shirt on and a pair of shorts.   So far this year we have gone from a very mild Winter, Warm Spring to close the windows and turn the heat back on in just a few days.   The biggest switch over I have to do this year just like last year is figure out what tactical shorts to wear, unfortunately there are some signs I may not be able get more of my favorite.

If you’ve got advice on what type of tactical shorts to wear this summer, we’ll be listening,  with what we’ve seen go on in recent months, we’re hoping to hear at some point that there are clothing factories making lightweight tactical pants in the United States and not elsewhere.  This month we are running our Tru Spec tactical pants promo and testing the waters on color and styles, there are rumors there are more tactical pants coming from Atlanco later this year.  Tactical shorts are usually pretty close to the same price as the tactical pants and considering the fact that you only get a few months out of them you gotta get it right, probable going with Tru Spec.

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Knock around daily use pants for a great price?

I see that Tru Spec has there stuff in order when it comes to promoting their product and getting it out there and they are one of the few companies that has really gained ground on 5.11 tactical.   I just rewatched several Youtube clips about the Tru spec pants and the constant references to 5.11 tactical were on all of them.   I recently purchased some 5.11 tactical stuff to try to see if we could like it and carry it again and we’re only really interested in the 5.11 tac lite pro pants.   There were still the sizing variations and there was a  price increase on the product line which makes me think we’re going to see everything go up in price in 2012.

There are always preferences that people will have and not every pant out there is going to work for you, but the poly cotton ripstop seems to be the lowest maintenance pant which is probable why 5.11 tactical is lasted for so long.   You really should jump on board with this Tru Spec 1 2 3 promotion on the Tru Spec tactical pants we have going on if you want to test the waters for a great every day pant.   You may want to do some research about the pocket designs if you are carrying a knife because the Tru Spec 24-7 pants have nice pockets for flashlights and knife, but it will only work for you if they are the correct size. If you carry a large knife you might not be able to use those side pockets.

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Incase you missed it here they are

There are now our number one selling tactical pant and it’s not just because they have a very good fit and sizing, it’s because they are better than anything in their price range.   If we could all buy a porsche we’d own them, but most of us can’t afford it.  To get a pair of pants that holds up and doesn’t shrink in the wash for less than $30 isn’t going to happen unless you get some great blowout deal from a company going under.  We’ve been watching the clothing  business for over 2yrs now and it is incredible unstable.

At some of the Police and Security conferences last year and there was much discussion about where tactical clothing companies are going to be making their stuff.   We’ve got a great promo running on the Tru Spec 24/7 tactical pants but it’s only until May 31st.  After that you can expect to see a shortage in some of their stuff.  It looks like someone at Atlanco is doing a good job of promoting their product and we just signed on to do some fall outer wear promotion after summer.

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New Article about Concealed Carry

There was a recent article in the New York Times about concealed carry clothing being a new market.  Woorlich Elite Series really got the nich for their concealed carry chinos which are still the only non-tactical looking pant we sell.  While everyone likes to claim they have them, we don’t see it on our end.   The Woolrich Elite Series concealed carry shirts are our favorite because they are cut right and look good.   There are always variations in what type of clothing you should wear and sometimes it doesn’t matter especially if you pocket carry or use an ankle holster.

There is a market for concealed carry because in realty a bad economy means more crime, it does not mean that more people are going to get shot.  Sure some of these tactical pants are a little over done, but if you want to carry all of the tools for self defense or emergency reasons, you’ll probable end up destroying your pants because your knife clip or flashlight would eventually ruin it.   The Woolrich Elite Chinos are designed to have these features on the pockets.

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Tactical pants you won’t have to iron

The complaint we’ve gotten from some of our Law Enforcement officers that were trying out the Woolrich Elite pants and the Eotac did not like the fact that the 100% cotton rip stop pants had to be ironed if you did not take them out of the dryer fast enough.  We thought that was a non-issue in the beginning but more and more people have voiced it.  Since so many people out there have worn 5.11 tactical clothing in the past, just about everyone in the tactical shirt, tactical pants and other apparel get compared to 5.11.

We have 5 weeks left of the Tru Spec tactical clothing promo running and if you wore or are wearing 5.11 tactical clothing you really should check out these Tru Spec 24/7 pants.   The Tru Spec tactical pants that are a 65%/35% poly cotton rip stop are a lower maintenance pants that don’t look too bad either.   These tactical pants are probable less tactical and more ccw friendly since they have the knife and flashlight pockets already designed into them.

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The Sale in underway for Tru Spec tactical pants

There have been some big changes in recent months over the industry and one thing we’re happy to see is a line of tactical clothing that didn’t get hit by any steep price increases.   The Tru Spec tactical pants are very good tactical pant in comparison to the 5.11 tactical clothing line.   We have been getting a lot of people getting off the 5.11 tactical clothing line and moving on to other things.  5.11 makes a lot of nice stuff, but they lost a very big customer base that started out wearing their product line over 10 years ago.   Tru Spec is probable the along with Propper the only real competition.

I only wear pants that fit me right but sometimes I do switch up the brands depending on what I’m wearing.   I do like the Woolrich Elite chino pants but the Tru Spec tactical pants that we have on sale for the Tru Spec 1,2,3 sale are a great product for under $40 and as low as $29.95.   The material is made of a 65/35 Polycotton ripstop material and an easy sell for guys or gals wearing 5.11 tactical pants that want consistent sizing and similar materials.  Get on board with the Tru Spec 24/7 series tactical pants before May 31st.

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