New product from Woolrich Elite
We’ve been carrying the Woolrich Elite Series clothing line before they added the name “tactical” to the brand name. When we first brought the product line on board we were new to the tactical clothing market and were in a learning stage of our business growth. The people that design tactical clothing rarely put a perfect product on the line and we have seen on many occasions there are product modifications and tweaks. One of the biggest disappointments we have had with some of the Woolrich Elite product lines was how fast some of the products were discontinued before the product got legs and people found out about it. One of my favorite products to this day was the Woolrich Elite barn coat, but it was discontinued way too fast.
The Woolrich Algerian jacket got a lot of complaints about the arm lengths and you can do a few searches online and you’ll see this is true, but the last one i got in seemed to be different. When I got the Woolrich Elite Discreet Carry Twill jacket my fingers were crossed because I didn’t want to get something that I knew wouldn’t sell because there was a design flaw. I believe the Woolrich Elite Twill Jacket may be the best outwear design that we have seen from Woolrich in the last 5yrs. The jacket is cut right for CCW and the feel of it kind of reminds of the Sigtac jackets,but not as heavy and smarter pocket designs. I could fit a Glock 19 in the hand pockets and the inner accessory holders are larger in size and easier to fit magazines and flashlights in them without wiggling things around.
I’ve been wearing Eotac tactical pants for almost 2yrs now. We got a hold of some of the early production that were slightly different in fit from what is being produced now. There were originally a few complaints coming from customers that were almost always weight lifters or body buildings. Some of the pants were getting a little tight around the thighs so Eotac quickly changed the production. Now that the pants have gone through several productions, we’ve gotten great response from our customers on the design of the pants. Many of our customers are not happy about the 5.11 tactical pants that they have been wearing for years and wanted something new, a few of them were Woolrich Elite Series customers the wanted to try something new.
This summer has already been hotter than the summers that I remember in the previous decade. Since I’ve been wearing the same clothing or similiar types of clothing for the past coupl years, I can really feel the changes in seasons. In New Jersey we get all 4 Seasons, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring. Good luck in trying to wear the same pants or shirt through all of that! 5.11 Tactical has probable the most diverse product line, but we get an enormous number of complaints from them. Eotac products have been on the market for bairly more than a year and we’re still hoping for more new products. In the summer months we can really feel the need for more lightweight products. The concealed carry clothing that works the best in really hot weather are the Style 403 and Style 404 shirts which are basically as light as a t-shirt, but designed for concealing a firearm, and they allow for easy access under cover.
Next week there will be a Police and Security Expo in Atlantic City, New Jersey and Eotac will displaying some of their A-Tacs and Direct Action products. We’re still not sure about everything that Eotac has coming out this Fall and in 2011, but seeing some of the info about what is coming soon really makes us think that 5.11 Tactical is going to have some real compeition out there. I can’t tell you the number of times we’ve had customers call us up and complain about the tactical pants that they have been wearing from 5.11. Many of them complain about how things use to be and how they end up with different sizing even though they keep ordering the same sizes. I was checking out some of the 5.11 tactical shirts that were the Covert carry design and I may pick up a few, but I personally think the Woolrich Elite CCW shirts are a much better feel. Even though we are very selective about the products we carry, I’d have to admit that every big name manufacturer has a niche market that some of their products perform very well in.
Nothing beats a good brick and mortar store that stocks tactical clothing, but there aren’t too many of those out there. Makes sure you do some research on clothing sizing and look at the sizing guides closely. To avoid wasting money on shipping and return shipping charges, you may want to break out a tape measure and measure yourself. Comparing one clothing line to another is a no, no, since not everyone follows the same standards. The Eotac tactical pants have an elastic wasteband which will give you some flexibility in waist sizing. Keep in mind that when you measure yourself, you should be measuring with the gun inside your waist if you carry IWB. We have a great many of sizing issues when people order The Wilderness belts. These tactical belts are hands down the best configuration for carrying firearms around, but the sizing can be tricky.
We get a lot of customers asking us about the new Eotac line of clothing. It’s no secret that the people behind Eotac were originally behind Woolrich Elite Series tactical clothing. Many of the products that first came out were very close to the Woolrich Elite products that have been out for several years and were also variations of what 5.11 Tactical has been selling. There are some differences that you will notices as soon as you put on the clothes and recently I had a phone conversation with a customer that mentioned he needed something that gave him more mobility that 5.11 pants.
When a CCW carrier is carrying a firearm in the winter, we can understand why they may want a firearm in a pocket outside of their body, but I recommend putting some thought into how you wear your clothing and how a firearm can be reached in when wearing heavy clothing. Jackets that hold firearms will have to come off if you’re in a house or building that gets hot, so then what do you do with your gun? The Eotac Style 102 CCW Vest is cut very long and is great for concealing in warm weather, but not a firearm retention vest.
Woolrich entered the tactical apparel market several years ago, as well as Blackhawk gear, Proper and Tru-spec. Most of these clothing companies have good aspects, but recently we’ve seen another Tactical apparel company making very well designed clothing. Eotac is the short version of the Elite Operator Tactical clothing line. Their tactical clothing line has been on the market for barely a year, and some products only a few months, but the design and durability seem to be putting them in the heavy hitter category. The 201 Operator Grade Pants have the best designed ACU tactical pant on the market.