All posts tagged 5.11 Tactical Pants

Summer options for lightweight clothing

It’s been a very mild Winter this year and hitting 70 degrees in March is a good sign that Winter is over.   About 19 years ago we had one of the biggest snow storms that has ever hit Pennsylvania and it’s nice that we’ve pretty past the period where snow storms usually hit.   Lots of winter clothing is going to be packed up and put in a closet soon because in these parts of the Country we can get all 4 seasons and Summers can be pretty hard for Law Enforcement because lightweight clothing is hard to find.   Everyone knows that a t-shirt is about as light as you can get but there are some tactical shirt options out there.

The Woolrich Elite lightweight tactical shirts in style 44914 are very popular with our Military Contractors because they need the lightweight material and still need sun protection.   The next biggest sellers are the tactical pants that are 100% cotton ripstop also and are the lightest tactical pants we sell.  The Woolrich Elite style 44441 pants and style 44447 pants have very different pocket designs, but we’ll see how well the Tru-Spec tactical pants compete with them this year.  The 5.11 tac lite pro pants are also a new product and we’ll watching our customer feedback.

 

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Knee pads and tactical pants

There are some really nice knee pads from Alta that many of our customers have requested we sell.   We’ve been selling the Blackhawk knee pad and elbow pads for years, but after watching a really good review on the Alta knee pads on Youtube I was really impressed with the product line and there are some really good selling points over the Blackhawk knee pads. Not only are the knee pads a better option for material, the locking or latching knee pads are a better system than velcro.

Many of the tactical pants we sell already have knee pad options in them but they are a foam knee pad that goes inside the pants.  If you are looking for a lower profile look the knee pads are a nice option for range use on your tactical pants and will not be very bulky.  If you want to save your knees and not tear up your pants, you will want something over your knees.   All knee pads are going to cause you pants to ride up a little and varying types of material may ride up more than others.

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More items on clearance at Rogue Elite

While we transition over to the new 2012 products, we’ll be liquidating a lot of clothing inventory, the Eotac pants we got in late last year has dwindled down to just a few color options and not too much in the size ranges from 30 waist to 38, it’s time for anyone that wore those clothes to transition back to Woolrich Elite pants or move on to Tru-Spec or Blackhawk.   Most of what we are hearing from people is that they are looking for pants under $40.   Just like $4 gas prices, many people don’t like the idea of spending more than $40 for a pair of pants and that’s partially why so many have not strayed away from 5.11 tactical pants.

I am noticing that Woolrich Elite has discontinued a style of womens pants with a virtually identical pant but with a new low rise.   Considering how many times we’ve seen people try and cut into the tactical pants market and fail we’ll be watching this product like a hawk.   We have had a really good response from Tru-Spec womens pants because the cut just seems to be very versatile.  We did a promo a few years ago and TruSpec 24/7 pants really won amongst women.  We are doing a major product liquidation of Blackhawk lightweight pants to make room for our new 2012 product lines.

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Big News about upcoming Promo from TruSpec

Rumor has it that Tru-Spec has something big in the works in the next couple months and those looking to find something in the tactical clothing market for a good price.  I think it’s smart for clothing companies to get smart and work with dealers to promote their products.   We’ve sold millions of dollars of gun accessories and tactical apparel in the last couple years and it’s rare for us to hear from a company about marketing to advertising promos that actually help us.   Things like pants, boots, gloves and shirts all wear or fade over time and need to be replaced.  Sometimes different changes in weather mean changing our clothings.

Everyone know what 5.11 pants are and everyone and their dog wore them at one point, but 80% of our customer base are disgrunted 5.11 clothing customers looking for something else.  5.11 has the EMS and Uniform business by the balls but keep any eye out on Tru-Spec.  TruSpec tactical pants have a very good fit and have a similar poly cotton ripstop design but does not shrink like the 5.11 stuff.  Now that Gunny has signed on to be the official Spokesperson for their product line I’d call that stability.   There tactical and EMS line is growing and expanding and we are looking forward to working with Tru-Spec in 2012

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New Products from Rogue Elite

Along with an ever growing inventory at our new retail operation in Pennsylvania, Rogue Elite has been looking for niche market products to accommodate our already established customer base.  New products like Turtleskin “frisk gloves” have been something we didn’t normally venture into but now that our Law Enforcement customer base has grown so much products like that are in demand.  Just likes shirts, pants and boots, things wear out and need to be replaced every so often.   Original Swat footwear costs are under $100 for the vast majority of their product line and a big sales pitch in this economy.

When it comes to new business and attract attention, we’d like to say a big Hello to the competing online tactical gear companies that have been trying to redirect links to their businesses via this blog and also for taking product reviews and other information off of our website.  I guess its an honor to know that you like to compete in the market with for keywords like tactical pants and others by attacking blogs from competing businesses. Thanks for the attention but we have say this, our business operation is a much nicer one in comparison to your MO operation, tell your SEO department to knock it the fuck off or there will be ramifications. Those are not the business practices that will give your company longevity.

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There is a difference between lightweight tactical pants

Not all lightweight clothing is as lightweight as you think.  When it comes to tactical clothing that we sell the most of, the Woolrich Elite 100% cotton ripstop shirts and pants are the biggest sellers to those serving in Iraq.  The need for clothing that protects you from the sun, but does breath and give you some level of comfort is important.   When you consider that needing to drink 5 or 6 gallons of water a day to keep hydrated in those climates that wearing clothing that cuts that down to 2-3 gallons just by wearing different clothing really means something for any group of soldiers.  If your unit can eliminate 1 gallon of water consumption per soldier that’s a big deal.

Many people seem to not realize that we have as many contractors over in Iraq protecting Government officials and Oil rigs ect that there has been a huge demand for things other  than BDU’s.   Lightweight tactical pants like the Woolrich Elite 44447 pants are as tactical as you can get, but 100% cotton rip stop is the lightest weight that you can have.   Some of the 65/35 polyester pants from Tru-Spec and 5.11 seem to fend off stains and water better but they do not feel as lightweight weight.   Also, the pocket designs aren’t as Carbine friendly.

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Spring is just around the corner and

It may not be too early to think about what you will want to be wearing this Spring.  After selling a ton of the Woolrich Elite Chino pants this year we were hoping to see a pair of shorts that looked like that but that didn’t happen.   It looks like Woolrich is putting out more CCW shirts and some outer wear.  I laughed when I read several reviews about this years SHOT SHOW and how everyone was tired of seeing all of the overloaded tactical clothing market.  One question I’ve been wondering is where is everyone making this stuff these days?

Tru-Spec lightweight pants aren’t as lightweight as the Woolrich Elite 44441 pants and I’d have to say look kind of more casual but they still are tactical looking.  With the overloaded tactical pants market we’re still seeing more and more names popping up.   I’ve been seeing funky sizing issues with some of the Vertx pants and from a vendor standpoint, that’s something we’re going to stay away from for awhile.  If you can’t get your sizing right the first time

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New Colors from Woolrich Elite

We just got word that one of the new products coming from the Woolrich Elite Tactical line are the lightweight tactical pants in coyote.   For some reason it’s taken this long to come out with one of the most popular colors next to khaki.   When I first got into the tactical clothing market I always thought that that black would have been one of the most popular colors but it’s not.   I’d say the popular colors are Khaki, OD Green and Coyote.  If you look at the tactical footwear we sell, coyote brown and tan are more popular than black.

Everyone knows that tactical pants is a giveaway that you are carrying a gun, but black tactical clothing makes you look like a ninja or a bad guy.   There have been some tactical pants in a stone color which sold pretty well, but to each his own.   We were hoping there would be some changes to the lightweight line and have a gusseted crotch but I guess that won’t happen.   The Woolrich Elite line gets some of the least complaints and we’re always happen to not have to hear bad things from our customers about products.

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Ger yourself a good Molle vest

If you are looking to become a serious shooter and looking to acquire the tactical gear that works for you, be real careful about all of the tactical gear that applies to Carbine Operators.   There is plenty of junk out there but even more importantly people get too much of the wrong stuff.   Now that Molle gear is all over the place, start off with a good Molle vest and only buy what you need.  After you run a Carbine course you’ll be better off starting light and adding on then starting off with tons of vests.

There are plenty of vest options out there but I prefer to stick to American made tactical gear anymore.  The Elite Survival Molle vest is under $100 and depending on the tactical pants that I am wearing, it’s more than enough versatility for me.  Sometimes it’s not all about packing on magazine pouches.  Considering the something like the Woolrich Elite Style 44447 pants can hold up to 6 30rd magpul pmags there isn’t much of need to carrying another 6-8 magazines on a vest.   I prefer to carry a sidearm on the leg which blocks up some of the pants usage but with a Molle vest you can always put  your sidearm on the vest.

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Clothing prices and companies leaving China

We’ve all been aware that for the last few years the value of the US dollar has declined but so has the entire World economy.  Cotton prices have gone up almost 80% and even trying to get stuff made in India which is an alternative to China has been a problem.  We’ve  heard credible rumors that a certain tactical clothing company had serious production issues and basically got done in by Corporate squabbling, a bad economy and product issue in China.   We also got notice this week that Original Swat Footwear has pulled their factory out of China and no longer makes stuff there.

Tru-Spec makes all of their own clothing and has their own factory and seems to have done fairly well even in a bad economy which has made us invest in the product line.  One thing that is very important those wearing tactical pants is not only the quality, but the availability.  There are some product lines that become so scarce at certain times of the year that customer get tired of the backorders and they move on to another product line, if this happens with a new clothing company, you’ll be sure to see that it won’t gain any traction.

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