All posts tagged Tactical Vests

Concealed carry vests that work

I am going to begin counting the days for an upcoming hunting trip to Maine.   This will be my first hunting trip in the New England States and I will be planning for some very cold nights, but moderate temperature days.  Along with toting a Mini 14 for deer,  I will be carrying a sidearm as I normally do.  I prefer to hunt on the move for deer until I find a really good position and then wait for a few hours.   I know I am pushing the limits by using a 75gr A-max bullet in a .223, but I wouldn’t be using this if I know it couldn’t be done.   There are several gun shops in the area that show the deer that were taken and many of those were done with the Mini 14.

Since I own and wear much of the Eotac apparel line, I have everything in my inventory to pick from.   The Style 103 vests are really meant as concealed carry vests and they are not really tactical.  I know that may be just my opinion, but the coyote brown and od green vests look very nice in the outdoors.   Since I will be in a cold environment, I don’t want to constantly take gear off and on, in really cold situations, I prefer to wear base layer clothing with a t-shirt and sweatshirt and then a vest on the outside for concealing my Sig 229 .357 Sig.  I keep a few Mini 14 5rd magazines along with my knife and flashlights in the vest and if I need to ditch some of the hunting ammo, I just take it out to lighten the weight and I’m ready to head into town with my CCW rig already on.

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Retiring your summer clothing for your Winter CCW

We got new windows installed on the house this year and for the first time ever, it didn’t feel so cold when I woke up yesterday as it was outside.   I guess all of that green energy improving we did really did make a difference, I guess I’ll know for sure when the heating bills start to come in.   It’s always this time of year that I have to remember to close every window in the house because its warm during the day and it night it gets down to almost freezing and then back through the cycle until Winter comes in full force.   Yesterday I retired my lightweight pants and concealement vests for my new Eotac Style 103 concealed carry vests.   I always have to force myself to wear clothing for awhile to get the real feel and use of each pocket before I really can comment on them.   It was a few years ago that I really started to hate some of my  non-Eotac pants because I always had a heck of a time trying to get my wallet out of them whenever I was driving through toll booths.   When I wore my Eotac pants, it was easy to access every pocket.

I would have to say that the Eotac Style 1o3 concealed carry vests are not heavy weight, but they are not lightweight.   They are also not lined which in my opinion doesn’t matter.  I like the idea of wearing base layer clothing, wearing a T-shirt or polo on top and then the a jacket or vest in the winter, instead of wearing a giant heavy winter coat.   I do not like the idea of basing my concealed carry method around a heavy coat, because there are too many situations in the winter where it can get really hot and keeping my jacket on in those situations can become impractical.   Base layers and vests seem to breath better than all of the winter coats I have.   Although The Eotac vests are being made in the military looking lizard pattern camo, the brown and O.D. Green vests are very outdoor friendly and won’t look too tactical.  I can easily carry 3 full sized Sig 228 magazines in the front pockets as well as a knife and flashlight and the weight does not yank at me.

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Finding the right combination for carrying

I have to admit that I was not into the AR15 style rifles for more than half of my shooting experiences.   When I first started out shooting firearms, it was with shotguns and 22 caliber rifles.   In the early 1990’s a lot of surplus firearms from the failed Communist Countries came here and could be had for only a few hundred bucks.   At that point, shooting a pie plate was all I really wanted to hit at 100yds and I didn’t see the need to spend $700-$1000 on a gun of a more expensive caliber to do basically the same thing.   There were plenty of SKS, Mosin Nagants, 7.62×54 semi-autos and AK variants for under $400.   As i gained more shooting experience, I learned the limitations of each firearm and graduated to the M4 Carbine as a favorite configuration.

When I was first introduced into the tactical clothing industry, I looked at all of the tactical shirts, tactical pants, tactical vests and jackets in a similiar fashion.    I didn’t think I needed all of those pockets and sometimes, the vests made me think I’m more likely to loose my car keys in one of those.   Well, as I gained more experience in the tactical world, I found some tactical clothing quite useful, I’m not talking about just the combat style tactical pants ect. but just pants with wide hand pockets so I can get mace or a firearm in and out without snagging.  I’ve used a few tactical vests that I though were an overkill for my purposes, and found a favorite which is not as heavy and can actually be worn under a jacket which can conceal it.   I strongly suggest looking into the Eotac tactical clothing, after all they are backed by the same company that owns Bushmaster, Remington, DPMS, Marlin firearm ect.

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Another word about the Eotac Field Jacket

We’ve done several Law Enforcement or Military Conventions in recent months and we got to meet some of our customers up front.   One of the first things our customers asked us were “when are the black and navy blue pants coming in?”.    There have been several tactical clothing companies stepping into the market in the last 5yrs, but only 4 or 5 really seem to have held their ground.   I won’t claim that one is the best and everyone sucks because it’s mostly about preference.   Some people prefer Glocks over Sigs and for most applications, there really isn’t a difference in durability and reliability.

The same goes for some of the top apparel lines.   Proper, 5.11 Tactical, Woolrich Elite and Eotac make a lot of good products, but some do have products that stand out and are unique.    I have to admit that I have heard a l ot of complaints from 5.11 tactical customers due to production changes once the company go so big, but this time I’ll just discuss one product.   The Eotac Field Jacket looks like the Woolrich Elite Series Algerian Jacket, which in itself, looks like the Original Algerian Jacket.   The Eotac Field Jacket, which is known as the Style 502, is the best tactical jacket. Although the Woolrich Elite jacket is well made, it looks like a first generation run compared to the Eotac jacket.

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Concealment vests from an LEO perspective

I think the ultimate concealed carry vest that doesn’t make you look like you are carrying a firearm is more likely going to be something like a cloaking device seen in Star Trek.   Some of the conversations I’ve heard at conventions, gun shows and on the phone with people are somewhat comical.   I’ve seen under agents show up drug busts that I could spot ahead of time, just because they had nice cars and tinted windows.   The funny thing is the idiot drug dealers didn’t even see it coming. I think the proper mindset is don’t volunteer information, pay attention to your surroundings and be sneaky.

There are many levels of vests for the gun owner, some are going to be snapped on, locked down, and pulled tight.   Others go over your arms and just hang there.  The Eotac Styles 102 and Style 103 vests are go for street work because they don’t stand out as much like an assault vest, but they still have a lot of practical applications.   Both vests will hang below the belt line and will give you full coverage for carrying a paddle holster or OWB holster.  We still get more than a few phone calls every year asking if we have jackets or concealed carry vests for retaining firearms like a 1911.   While I strongly disagree with carrying primary firearms inside jackets and vests, it’s a personal choice and if it works for you then it’s good for your applications.

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Eotac Style 202 Tactical Pants review

tactical pantsI’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.

There have been times I’ve been at conventions where I’d have to admit that it was hard to tell what manufacturer people were wearing because so many of them looked almost identical, but once you look closely you can tell right away.   The reality is this, there are plenty of well made pants out there, but there are also just as many cheap  tactical pants that if they were worn several times a month, and washed more than a few times, they’ll shrink or fall apart.   Eotac not only puts itself in the category of higher quality, but it offers a Warranty for all of their products if there is a production issue.    The most unique thing I have found about wearing these pants over 5.11 and Woolrich Elite, is the pockets are bellowed.    If you need pockets for mag dumps or carry lots of gear, these pants will give you a little more room, but not balloon out like BDU pants do.

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Lighweight vests for summer

Woolrich Elite VestsFor those of us living in the part of the Country where we get all 4 Seasons of weather, our concealment options usually will change atleast 2 times a year.    There are enormous numbers of ways you can conceal a weapon, but for those of us that carry full size weapons, the warmer the weather the fewer the options.   I carry a full size Beretta 92F while at work and one of my favorite ways of carrying this firearm is in a Fobus paddle holster.   For only about $20, I’ve gotten more than my moneys worth and have never broken the holster.   I’d have to say that if I was rolling around in the dirt I would defanitely prefer to have a Serpa holster.

The Woolrich Elite lightweight vest is made of a 100% cotton ripstop material that is identical the the Woorlich Elite lightweight pants and shorts.   These make carrying gear and concealment tolerable in hot weather.   These Woolrich Elite Vests are very popular with the IDPA crowd and being cut generously on the sides give great concealement, especially for those carrying full size autos.   We’ve had a few goofy complaints from customers that have stated that these vests are not good for concealing firearm if you put them in the pockets, and we would agree, these are basically made of the same type of material that your T-shirt is made out of and your gun will most likely print if you put it in the front pockets.   The concealed carry vest is meant to be a concealment garment and not a firearm retention device.   There are other concealment vests out t here that cost 3x’s as much money and can be used to hold firearms, but those are not lightweight.

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TheRallyPoint.org Eotac Giveaway

Eotac To Members of TheRallyPoint, In Hopes of helping to promote TRP.org and our Mission Statement,We running a giveaway for the NEW Elite Operator apparel line from Rogue Elite,Eotac Shirts, Eotac Pants Shorts, Eotac Vests and Jackets, 1st Place-$250 of Eotac Apparel, 2nd Place-$175 of Eotac Apparel, 3rd Place-$100 of Eotac Apparel.  Win your choice of any style of tactical pants or tactical apparel.

How to enter? Simple Post on this thread and your name will be added to the list. Also, feel free to check in here and tell us about the places you shoot and ad it to the TRP gun club profiles, Giveaway ends Wed, June 30th at Midnight EST.Winners will be announced July 1st.   Joing TRP and stay up to date on announcements of what we hope will be quarterly giveaways.  Rogue Elite is your source for Elite Operator Tactical clothing.

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Frequently asked questions

tactical shirtsWe 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.

Eotac is backed by the Corporation that owns Bushmaster, Remington, DPMS, Marlin Firearms as well as many other companies.   This puts Eotac into some serious competition with 5.11 products just based on who is backing them up.  According to our customers, many of the Eotac pants have pocket desings that are better thought out.   The Warranty on Eotac apparel basically guarantees quality and they’ll send you a new pair out if there is a defect.   Put that up against 5.11 Tactical deteriorating quality control and reputation and you’ll appreciate spending money on tactical shirts, tactical pants and other apparel that has insurance on the money you spent.

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Tactical Vests as a range bag

How many times have you gone to the range for a day and forgot your sight in tools?   How many times did you forget ear plugs?  How many times did you forget the following, gloves, batteries, targets, screwdrivers and on and on.   Well this Eotac Style 101 vest has so many pockets that if you don’t keep your stuff organized you’ll lose it in the vest.  If you do keep your gear organized and assign each pocket for specific tools and practice,  the next time you walk out the door to go shooting, you’ll have all of your neccessities in your vest that you always bring with you.   You can even keep empty or loaded mags in it and have it become your active shooter bag for civillian SHTF purposes.

Sometimes I hear people snicker when they hear Tactical VestTactical Vest.   I guess its because so many of us have stories about the guy that shows up at a gun range and is ready for the tactical ninja battle of his life, but can’t shoot for ____.   He’s wearing all black, has a low end AR15 with a red dot on it and isn’t grouping his shots very well.   For those that are in law enforcement, we think about SWAT Teams or special operations.   Well, there’s another application for tactical vests.   A place to put all of your shooting accessories that goes to the range with you and it’s on you at all times.

 

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