All posts tagged Woolrich Elite Algerian Jacket

Military clothing vs CCW apparel

I hear people say all the time that a certain type of clothing is a “shoot me now” vest or a shoot me now jacket.   I don’t think that is really that big of a deal in many circumstances because there have been many types I’ve been to a mall in the winter and I have seen a skinny pot smoking kid in a military style camo jacket.   Most of those guys aren’t packing firearms and I doubt a bank robber or a terrorist is going to shoot them first because they are wearing military clothing.   I think looking healthy and having good muscle mass is more likely to get you shot first rather than have a fishing vest or a camoflauge jacket on.  TrusSpec makes some nice multicam products namely their new tactical pants.

There have been some really nice jackets and coats in the past and I have no idea why they stopped making them because some of them were really nice.  The SigTac jackets were a huge seller a few years ago, the Woolrich Elite Barn Coat and the Woolrich Elite Algerian Jackets were also very popular but some of them were discontinued.  The Eotac field jacket was basically and improved version of the Woolrich elite product line but that also faded out.  This year our two best selling outwear jackets are the Woolrich Elite Twill jacket and the Woolrich Elite Algerian jacket.   The Woolrich Elite Series Tactical algerian jacket is a military style jacket that has that look but it also has a lot of functionality that works well for carry a firearm.

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New fit for the Woolrich Elite Algerian Jacket

We recently got in some of the Fall and Winter products that we are stocking in our new location and we got in a few of the Woolrich Elite Algerian Jackets.  Now that the Eotac versions of the Algerian jacket have almost completely dried up, we have been a little frustrated in finding a good replacement.  When the Woolrich Elite Algerian jackets first came out, we were not very happy with the fit.  There were abnormally long arms on the jackets and we saw a 65% return rate with the jackets.   This is a very much improved version of the original Algerian jacket, but the bad fit made it a dud for us.

 

I recently opened up a box of the Algerian Jackets because a few that we special ordered for customers went over well and we did not hear any complaints.   I pulled some of the newer production Woolrich Elite Algerian Jackets out of the boxes and tried them on.   It’s been about 4yrs since these have been in production and I’m just noticing now that the fit has changed.   This is a pleasant surprise for us because one thing that Woolrich has always had going for it is there fabrics and material knowledge has produced very good  quality clothing.   If you’ve been turned off by the jackets in the past, give them a try again because the only difference we see now between the Eotac version and the Woolrich one are the velro vs button front pockets.  That’s your decision to make though.

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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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Military style jacket adapted to modern times

Eotac Field JacketI’ve seen a few military style jackets at Army Navy type stores, but most wearers are using them just for the look, but not because they really use it for any practical purpose.   There are some military style jackets that have good outdoor applications, but recently the very innovative and emerging tactical apparel company called Eotac, has developed something new.   The Eotac 502 Field Jackets is far superior to the Woolrich Elite Algerian jacket that has been on the market for a few years.   Both jackets are based on the Algerian style military jacket issued in the 1950’s.

The Eotac field Jackets has snap on pocket encosures and not velcro or as some like to call it, hook and loop.   I never thought this was much a thing to worry about, but several of our military and law enforcement customers have informed us that velcro wears out and is also very loud.   We didn’t thik about that, but the developers of the Eotac line obviously did.  The Field Jacket arm length is also properly designed.   All of us are build differently and not every shirt or jacket is going to work for everyone just because we have the same chest measurements, but we feel the Elite Operator Tactical Field Jacket is much better designed.  The 501 is also available in the Lizard Patter Camo that many of the original Algerian jackets came in.  The zippered sleeve pocket on the Field Jacket has a pen pocket and can hold something as large as a note pad or blackberry.  You will be able to carry just about any configuration of magazines, flashlights, knives, pepper spray ect. once you get use to all of the pockets, just be careful you don’t loose your gear in this jacket because there are so many places to put your stuff.

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