All posts tagged Style 203

Blackhawk lightweight tactical pants

I attempted to deviate away from Woolrich Elite clothing this summer and it lasted about 5 minutes.   There really is  something to be said for “movement” when wearing tactical pants.   There aren’t any indestructible pants out there because there are always ways to move and tear them, but when  you feel them riding in your inner thighs when  you raise your legs, you’re going to be buying new pants sooner than later.   These pants cost more than Woolrich Elite but the fit was no where near the same.  The sizing was very good compared to regular clothing, but the fit was totally not the same.

The Style BH86TP02 pants came in and I was anxious to find something to replace my worn our Eotac and Woolrich Elite stuff.   The first thing that I noticed about these tactical pants was that they were heavier than Woolrich Elite lightweight pants.   The side cargo pockets seem to be very well stitched in and felt strong, but they did not feel lightweight. The one thing that really gets me is the darn hand pockets.  I hate this Blackhawk, 5.11 tactical pants cut that is slanted and not rounded off.

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What’s up with those cotton prices?

We got several warnings from some of the apparel companies we’ve been selling that prices are going to go up on all of the clothing that we are selling.  This is entirely up to the fact that cotton demand has exceeded production capabilities and there has been a shortage of cotton.   We knew something was wrong last year when one of our clothing manufacturers didn’t have any of it’s lightweight clothing available when Spring came and nothing showed up for Summer.   Now that we have a large number of deployed Military and private Contractors being deployed over seas in  hot climates, there is a large demand for lightweight tactical clothing.  Unfortunately we couldn’t name one company that makes all of the best lightweight clothing because each has it’s own good and bad points.   I’m still not happy that the Eotac Style 301 shorts stopped being made last year because I do not like the shorter inseam 302.

I have had some of the 5.11 tac lite pro shorts, but they are too tactical looking for most of my Summer adventures.   I think it was smart to make them a cotton polyester variant especially since Cotton prices have gone up, it’s probable going to be more common to see synthetic materials blend into clothing.   You sure can’t beat the 100% cotton ripstop tactical pants from Eotac though.   We get a lot of requests from guys in Iraq and Afghanistan that love the Style 203 pants because the pocket designs and the fit is superior to the similarly looking pants from 5.11 tactical pants.   I remember being at a trade show last year and some of the guys were joking about how hard it was to tell what clothing company made various pants because they all looked the same. The truth is, they don’t all feel the same.

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How to hang an M4 on you like a Christmas Tree

In continuing a previous discussion on choosing holsters for secondary weapons, having quick detach gear is important, but it can’t be too easy to remove.   Blackhawk gear is pretty darn good and I have never see a holster failure.   I did see a Fobus holster break at one point and I’ve seen a few leather holsters that should have been tossed away because they were becoming too soft and re-holstering firearms was causing a lot of fumbling.  There is nothing wrong with taking a Carbine class and testing  your gear out, even if you don’t think  you have the best, find out how it works on the range and you’ll be more confident.

 

I’m a big believer in teaching people to use their hands to know where all of their gear is on a vest or on a firearm without looking.   I admit that I have done this myself, and it is one of the first things I teach students whenever they put on a tactical vest, tactical pants or any other tactical apparel.   Make sure you remember where you put it and be consistent in where it is.   It’s real easy to forget where you put those spare batteries, your spare ammunition or your hearing protection if you are constantly moving things around.   I have 2 M4 Tac Pac gun parts holders that carry several spare parts for my AR15 as well as a few AA batteries and CR123 batteries.   It’s been awhile since I lost anything in my tactical vests.

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2011 SHOT show is here

This year there will be several new Eotac products coming out.   The new Direct action smock and the Recce pant along with the new A-tacs cam pattern that will be made for the Style 201 lightweight pants and the Style 407 long sleeve tactical shirt.   We got a glimpse of the A-tacs pattern last June at the Police and Security Expo in New Jersey and got a lot of good feed back on the pattern.   Digital patterns have come a long way in recent years and it really has good darn good.   I remember as a kid thinking that most of the woodland cammo made you stand out just as boldly as if you were wearing regular clothing and it all didn’t make sense to me.

You can ask many of those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan what they thought about the camo they had back in Desert Storm vs. the stuff that is now.   The Style 201 tactical pants are lightweight combat pants that are very much meant for a Carbine operator.   These 100% cotton ripstop pants have a unique fitting that gives you more maneuverability over similar designs.  There are some really cheap knock of pants that look like this and go for under $30, but they will not feel the same.   If you have a chance to stop by the Eotac booth this year.  Check out the new A-tacs pattern camo.  If you aren’t in the military, you may want these for hunting.    Very good for the American bow hunter.

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Eotac Style 203 vs Style 201 pants

In the early part of 2011 I’m going to do more research and pick up a few more lightweight pants.   I know 5.11 has a lightweight pants that is 65&/35& poly cotton pant.   I have never had issues with my pants holding water, but then again I have never been deployed to Afghanistan and never noticed the difference between the two.   The 5.11 taclite pro pant is something I will pick up, but I gotta drive around and check them out at other dealers before I do so.   I’ve had too many sizing issues between various companies to be able to just order stuff online.

The Eotac style 203 pants do have an edge over the similarly designed Woolrich Elite pants as far as my opinion about the pocket designs, but some people have different bodies and prefer the larger seated cut on the Woolrich Elite.   If I was heavier, I might not like the close fitting that the Eotac pants have.   The only thing I am not very fond of on the Style 201 tactical pants is that the stitching on the lower ankle pockets has a few sharp spots on the insides and every once in awhile I get a small jab in my ankle by a something that feels like it’s pulling a hair out of my leg.   If I wear long socks the issue goes away, but in the summer you can feel it.

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Why bother with paintball clothing

I just got done watching  a few videos on Youtube that were all about tactical vests and tactical clothing.   I was laughing in the first 5 seconds because all that I noticed that was different than the stuff we sell was we didn’t have the words “splat” written across the vests.   I think the old round ball paintballs are going to be obsolete in another decade and airsoft is going to get really good that kids will be playing with guns that look and function like the real ones and use the same holsters and tactical vests.   I got a Sig 228 airsoft gun last year and I didn’t have to buy a single holster to practice with it.

The Eotac style 101 vests and some of the 5.11 tactical vests are all you need if you are playing paintball or airsoft with an AK or M16 type of gun, magazines pouches are there and will work very well.   The real thing to think about when you are playing paintball or airsoft is the same that you would think about if you actually going to think about real world gun fight training, tactical pants, tactical shirts, tactical gear.  Durability and weight are issues as well as worrying about snagging on things.   The crap you put on yourself the more you gotta think about what you want to wear when you’re laying flat on your stomach.  Try wearing everything that you would wear with your CCW or tactical clothing and just show up at a paintball game.

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Standard and lightweight tactical pants

I am starting acquire a very large collection of tactical pants, and although I am liking some of my 5.11 and Blackhawk pants,  I find it very hard to jump around with the various types of tactical apparel.   There are too many variations in where the pockets are and right now, I’m trying to sort through various locations in my home for a folding knife that I believe I left in a pair of pants, but can’t find.   We recently got feedback from a women that had the Eotac style 702 pants, she liked the fit, but said there were too many pockets and wanted something more casual.   Well, the answer to that is to  not buy tactical pants thinking you are going to get something casual.

The reason the tactical clothing market has gotten so big is because so many new markets have been created and there is a need for clothing for people to wear at work.   Everyone carrying a gun over in Iraq may not be active in the United States Military and there are just as many military contractors over there.    If you want to wear something in the winter you are going to need heavier material, but if you are wearing pants in the summer you are going to most likely want a cotton ripstop material.   We get people calling on the phone all the time for the most “versatile” tactical pants that we sell, but we always have to come back and tell people “for what”.    I remember the years when I was monitory gun forums and just about every other discussion forum would have an individual come in and say, “which gun is better, Glock or 1911” and the answer is always “for what”.     I only see 4 really good tactical clothing companies right now, but there are a few niche CCW companies that I monitoring.

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Tactical clothing accessories that you shouldn’t forget about

The first thing I noticed when I took my first Carbine Class and got down prone was that the ground was still wet and I could feel every stone jamming into my elbow when I got down in a prone position.  With todays accessorized M4 Carbine with every light, laser and optic configuration, we have to realize that our bodies could use the same ideas when it comes to the clothing we wear.    The Eotac duty gloves are good for the times when you need to worry about hot barrels and flying brass and aren’t very bulk at all.   Elbow and knee pads are something that I have found are very useful, but there are huge variations in the way that they fit on your body, not to mention that most of the time, the only way to find out is to actually try them on.

I have several sets of knee pads, but the ones I find the most useful are the Blackhawk Neoprene, because they seem to just feel more comfortable.   I already have enough worries about snag and movement restriction when wearing tactical clothing and sometimes I really have to watch how I move around corners so my tactical pants don’t catch on things.   The Eotac style 201 pants come with a foam knee pad that works quite well, but the only draw back is for the knee pands in the tactical pants to properly align themselves over your knee caps is to be kneeling on both knees at the same time.   This is something I had to get use to when getting into firing positions.   The Style 202 and 203 lightweight pants also use the same foam knee pads and from my experience they last a pretty long time if you take them out when they are not being  used or when you are doing your wash.

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Order clothing online vs brick and mortar

tactical pantsNothing 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.

Many people have asked us which type of pants are the ones they want, we get asked which shirts people should wear and we get asked which color would looks the best.   Its funny that working in the tactical clothing business isn’t much different than working in any other apparel business.   People want to look professional and with the selection of tactical pants, tactical shirts, tactical vests, and the long line of concealed carry apparel coming out, we know that matching shirts with pants ect. is something that takes a little time.   Ordering clothing over the internet for new clothing products makes things even harder.   Something like color selections can be very difficult for shoppers, but its just as complicated to dealers.   We get color swatches from manufacturers that may look correct until you upload it to a computer and realize that the computere monitors that people are using may have their colors adjusted and dark blues make look light blue depending on which computer you view it on.

 

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Tactical Pants with an edge

Tactical Pants

In the the last decade, probale since Sept 11th, the reorganization of military personal into smaller non-uniformed security and special ops has created a new industry.    The market has exploded with various new companies emerging.   We’ve also seen a few companies fizzle out, recently SigTac has shown that it is on the way out.    The Eotac Clothing has been on the market for almost a year now and the Eotac pants, both lightweight Style 201, and Style 203 are far superior in durability compared to other lightweight pant designs.  The Style 202 Eotac pants which may look like something that 5.11 has out, have very practical improvements in pocket reinforcements and size.   The side cargo pockets are bellowed which mags it easier to use for things like mag dumps.    The rear ID pocket it much easier to access compared to the simliarly designed Woolrich Elite 4429 pant.

Tactical Pants isn’t a very descriptive if you know the market.   Some people thinkg BDUs are tactical pants and guess what, they are.   Jeans with a zipper on the side pockets can be tactical depending on who you talk to.    Well, for those that need to carry gear, we don’t really care what you call them, if they work for you then you keep buying them.   The sad thing about the tactial clothing and pants market is the QC or quality control.   I’ve seen a lot of people wearing 5.11 pants to the range, but after 5.11 basically owned the tactical apparel market, from the last time I saw, there quality control has gotten shotty.  They make some good stuff, but when there manufacturing facilities are in 3 different Countries, you might get 3 different fits and sizes.

 

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