All posts tagged reviews on tactical pants

What tactical pants work for you?

blackkhawk tactical pantsI’ve been wearing Tru-Spec and Blackhawk pants for almost a year and my tastes have changed dramatically.   I started out with the Tru-Spec 24/7 Series pants but had a few issues with my wallet being kicked out of the ID pocket and it started to bother me so much I re-considered wearing the Blackhawk Tactical pants.  I normally carry pepper spray in the front pockets of my Woolrich Elite Series Tactical pants and my Eotac pants but only Blackhawk and 5.11 tactical had a pocket that was similar to the platform that I was use to.  I attempted to get into 5.11 tactical pants several times but have gotten so much negative flack and proved it myself with several wear tests that it’s hard for me to even have a 5.11 tactical product in my clothing rotation.

The Tru-Spec 24/7 Series pants may not work for you but the quality is defanitely there.  I would defanitely say that the Blackhawk tactical pants that I’ve been wearing for 4 months now have grown on me.  I wish the side cargo pockets were about 2 inches deeper and I wish they had an ID pocket in the seat area on the left side.  If Blackhawk Warrior Wear did that these might become my favorite tactical pants.   I will be making my switch to tactical shorts in a few weeks after an unseasonable cold Spring.   I’m not sure that here in Pennsylvania the Poly Cotton rip stop pants will be comfortable in 100F weather but I will definitely be posting  about various tactical pants and tactical shorts.

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Somtimes our style of tactical pants changes for a reason

tactical pants Lately I have been carrying different gear with me at work and during classes.   Recently I was on a road trip and re discovered ankle and shoulder holsters and forgot what it was like to carry in those positions while driving 8hrs in a day.  There are plenty of reasons to consider ankle carry holsters but they are really meant for backups.   One thing I have noticed with various tactical pants is the cut of the pants near the ankles.  Not that I think people need bell bottom pants but this is something to seriously consider when you are carrying in this position.  Some styles of pants will not give you the movement you need and you will end up with your pants riding up on you.

When it comes to carrying handcuffs and batons, wallets and other paperwork, you are going to see huge differences in the types of pants out there.  Call me an old timer but I still don’t have Vertx tactical pants in my wardrobe although in 2013 I plan on getting some.   I have found I have learned to love the  Blackhawk lightweight tactical pants because they are holding up very well to all of the useage I have given them and the only negative I have so far are the lack of a left side wallet or ID pocket.   The pockets are a little too  deep for a wallet and I often feel like I lost it because it’s about 2-3 inches lower than it normally would be.   It’s not just about the material like 100% cotton ripstop or 65/35 poly cotton ripstop.

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Another Tru-Spec 3,2,1 Promotion starting March 1st

truspec pantsWe are already under way of another Tru-Spec promotion this year and it’s the same great deal we had last year.  After selling the Woolrich Elite Series and Eotac product lines, we have a customer base that are not sure what they should be wearing since those product lines are drying up. The polycotton ripstop pants are very simliar in feel to the well known 5.11 tactical pants.   Most of our customers all own something from 5.11 because 5.11 tactical has been king for so many years and their products seem to be far more available.   Much of the tactical clothing market, especially tactical pants is all about preference, price points and quality.

We have seen many of our Special Ops guys showing up wearing the Vertx product line but most of our LEO’s don’t want to spend $64 on a pair of pants.   Now is a very good time to try out the TruSpec pants with the 3,2,1 Promotion that is going on until the end of April.   Don’t sit  on  your hands about this promo because many of the dealers are going to sell out of the product line before the promo is over.  I know last year we were out of certain colors and sizes by the end of the first month.  You will get 15% off your first pair, 20% off a second and 25% percent off when you buy 3 or more pants which brings the price down to $29.95.

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What’s coming out at SHOT SHOW this year?

We’ll find out sure enough, I’m sure every major company will have something new to advertise but it’s usually the same thing every year, there are winners and there are losers and it usually takes about a year to two years for people to test out a product before it can be declared to be a good thing.   I have seen plenty of people rave about a certain firearm when it comes out and 3 months later there is a recall on them.  I saw it with Springfield’s XD models and even LWRC had some significant changes to their designs since they relaunched the company.   Many new products become the products that are hard to get parts for especially if they don’t catch on and if you own one, 20yrs from now you’ll wish you had something different.

The tactical clothing market is in full force and a bad economy might weed out some of the higher end products this year.   I think the best and newest tactical pants we’ve seen lately are the Vertx pants but those are very expensive and may not hold up in a bad economy.   Blackhawk and 5.11 tactical and Woolrich Elite have done some significant price increases and from our standpoint, that is going to  hurt them if somebody else can put a good product on the market for less money.  We’ve seen many Police Departments spend their money on Tru-Spec products because they were better priced than the 5.11 tactical pants.

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Everyone is different, that’s why diversity works

Nobody eats the same food every day unless you have a bad diet or are just a down right boring person.   There are different seasons and different lines of work and every ones tolerances are different.  Yesterday we had a few more guys walk in here and tell us they heard that Woolrich is now making tactical pants just like the ones they had when they were in Vietnam.   The funny thing is Woolrich has been making them for almost 7yrs.   I have no idea what other companies are making anything like this but the demand for something other than 35/65 poly cotton blend tactical pants is definitely there.   I am a big fan of the material but there are some improvements Woolrich should have done to the tactical pant and some of our customers have asked for it.  Re-enforced ripstop pockets and a gussett crotch would be a good idea.

I personally where mostly Tru Spec tactical pants because they are very comfortable and in all honesty I’ve been wearing these pants for almost 9 months to test them out.   I have seen absolutely zero abnormal shrinkage and for these lightweight tactical pants I am very happy with them.   Most Tru Spec pants are priced under $40 and that’s not something we see across the market.  Blackhawk, Vertx and a few others come to mind and are you getting that much more performance for $10 more?  Well, it will depend on your line of work,  but for utility purposes and every day use, I will have to say that Tru Spec tactical pants are hands down the best lightweight tactical pant for the money.

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The diffferences between 5.11, TruSpec and Blackhawk Poly/Cotton Ripstop

We’ve been in this business for so long we’ve seen Companies come and go, products have come and gone and in the end, only the best product lines hold up in this tough market.   We know our customers and the differences between their needs and that not all of our customers are going to want the same thing.   I found  out the hard way after trying on several 5.11 tactical pants and finding out that the stories about shrinkage we’re true.   Some tactical pants don’t hold your wallet as well as others and I’ve had some pants fail on the firing line where as soon as I knelt down my wallet immediately would fall out.   Tactical clothing like the Woolrich Elite and the Eotac lines were very similiar but the differences between getting your wallet out while pulling into a toll booth with one over the other, were considerable.  I hated those times I couldn’t get my wallet out and got tired of wearing them on the road.

Some tactical pants come with knee pad inserts but not everyone feels these are practical.  They don’t necessarily work on all tactical pants but Blackhawk tactical pants have a special teflon coating that makes them more water resistant that the TruSpec or 5.11 tac lite pro pants.   I have heard from numerous customers that there is a big difference between the breathability of these pants in hot weather.   Some of our 3 gun customers only want the 100% ripstop pants because the slight differences between polyester cotton blends and 100% cotton ripstop are considerable if you are running and jumping.

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