All posts tagged Warrior Wear

We have a clear winner for best priced tactical pants

And the hands down best pants for anyone with a budget are the Tru Spec tactical pants.   The lightweight poly cotton ripstop pant is an easy transition for anyone that has been wearing the 5.11 tactical pants, and more than a number of our customers have mentioned that the 5.11 tactical apparel line  has become more and more expensive.  We’ve so much turmoil and price increases with tactical clothing and it affects anyone that was getting their stuff made in China.   Cotton prices are up as well as shipping and transportation.   We are seeing UPS ground prices hang around $14 and that if for products under 3 pounds.    Two pairs of tactical pants, whether they are lightweights or standard weights are going to be over 3 lbs and most people’s sizes will be close to 2 pounds each.

If you factor in order 3 or 4 pairs of pants and they are each $50 a pair, that is $150-$200 for them.  If you got a pair of tactical pants that were just as good quality wise, and they cost $10 each, you will get them for $120-$160 dollars.  Those are pretty good differences in prices and for many of our Law Enforcement departments that are looking for something that doesn’t burn up all of their clothing expenses are going with Tru Spec over Blackhawk and 5.11 just based on cost.   If you are already getting the quality and the same basic material, what’s the point in tossing another $10 a pair in the trash.   There are always feature differences with tactical clothing so we’re not knocking 5.11 or Blackhawk, but saving money in a bad economy is very important.

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Buying trash and wearing it

I don’t think I’m going to run out of info on discussing these tactical clothing issues because I hear it all day long.  I just got off the phone with a customer that was bitching about the Eotac clothing being discontinued, and the “now what am I going to do?” is starting to set in.   I noticed a ton of gun shops in my area have stopped carrying clothing because I get it.. selling clothing is a royal pain for a gun shop because nobody wants to deal with the sizing issues and exchange rates that you have to expect whenever  you sell something like that.  Nobody buys an LWRC M6A2 and returns it because it doesn’t fit right, but we have sold hundreds of dollars of clothing and had it all come back for exchanges, it goes with the business.

At a recent show in Atlantic City, we walked around various tactical booths and checked out the stuff that was there.   One guy that use to sell the stuff for some of the big names said he hated wearing the tactical pants from one company because they felt like they were made of cardboard.    I didn’t disagree with him because that really is about where the tactical clothing market is at.   There is a lot of uniform style clothing but when you get down to comfort and durability, it’s almost down to about 3 or 4 clothing companies and then after that you have to decide if you want tactical or casual, and then it’s an even small market.  I wonder if anyone in the tactical apparel market knows that ?

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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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Breaking down doors may mean it’s time to wear gloves

My favorite part of these competitions is see who packed there gear the best.   I remember all of the arguing about which gun was better and which calibers were better in a firefight, but in reality, the guy that can supress his enemy will eventually be able to overcome them.  There’s always the 6’5″ 220lb guy that shows up with a battle rifle and is able to pull off the task, but he’s rarely in the top scorers in the close quarters fights.  Nobody want to get hit with any caliber bullet and putting more bullets in a target is better than the mythological one shot stopper rounds.

Last weekend we attended a Zombie shoot here in New York State where competitors from around the Country showed up for this fun event.   I enjoy going to these events because not only do we get a more diverse crowd of people there, it’s basically a live fire gun show and I got to use my tactical gloves on the firing line.   You can witness just about any type of optic for long range shooting or close quarters combat and get to watch the competitors challenge there skills and weaponry. At some of the faster paced or group competitions, another issue arose. Every other guy had an issue with hot brass flying down his shirt or burned his hand on hot brass or a hot firearm.  Now we’re getting to another realty of why it’s a good idea to pack the right gear and inlude a good pair of tactical gloves.

 

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Observations in training and gear

Blackhawk HolstersI was at yet another Carbine training course last week and while I was originally invited to watch the intstructor teach the class and give him feedback on his tactics and speaking skils, I was always keeping a eye open for how well his students were performing.   Like many of the previous classes I sat in on, students showed up with various qualities of keep and shooting skills.   To this day it kinda cracks me up to see some guy with an iron sight AK show up and shoot with guys shooting Match grade ARs, but sometimes I’m impressed with their abilities.

Like many things in this world, it’s not about the gear, it’s about the person, but there are situations where durability and design are going to give you that extra 10% in efficeincy that will give you an edge.    There seems to be a shift away from thumbbreak holsters ever since the Blackhawk Holsters came out.   I’ll admit first and formost, there is very little difference between using your thumb to  open a holster up and using your index finger to realease a handgun, but one way may work better for you over the other.   I’d recommend against using any kind of retention holster for conceal carry, but for duty holsters or training, get a holster that will hold your gun in place while you’re hanging upside down.

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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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