Rogue Elite

I still hear the complaining from people that have been wearing 5.11 tactical clothing and just don’t want to wear it anymore because they are tired of the spotting quality control and the sizing and shrinkage issues.   It’s kind of funny that the last of the Eotac apparel had shrinkage issues and many compared it to the issues with 5.11 but that was because the guys at Eotac had trouble with quality control at the factory in China.   It’s amazing to hear the feedback from customers about the changes they wish woule take place with tactical clothing, just minor tweaks of pockets or fit would make a lot of the stuff out there to be perfect.

There are still tactical clothing products coming on the market but most of them are either poorly made or ridiculously expensive.   Most of our tactical pants customers have told us that they really don’t like to spend more than $40 a pair because most people really need atleast 3 pairs of pants and just a few bucks less on clothing means something.   Considering how much clothing is out there now,  you’re probable atleast going to find the style or fit you want, but you might have to pay for it.   We’ve watched Vertx grow but their product line still has some production issue which makes us want to sit it out for awhile.

It’s been a very mild Winter this year and hitting 70 degrees in March is a good sign that Winter is over.   About 19 years ago we had one of the biggest snow storms that has ever hit Pennsylvania and it’s nice that we’ve pretty past the period where snow storms usually hit.   Lots of winter clothing is going to be packed up and put in a closet soon because in these parts of the Country we can get all 4 seasons and Summers can be pretty hard for Law Enforcement because lightweight clothing is hard to find.   Everyone knows that a t-shirt is about as light as you can get but there are some tactical shirt options out there.

The Woolrich Elite lightweight tactical shirts in style 44914 are very popular with our Military Contractors because they need the lightweight material and still need sun protection.   The next biggest sellers are the tactical pants that are 100% cotton ripstop also and are the lightest tactical pants we sell.  The Woolrich Elite style 44441 pants and style 44447 pants have very different pocket designs, but we’ll see how well the Tru-Spec tactical pants compete with them this year.  The 5.11 tac lite pro pants are also a new product and we’ll watching our customer feedback.

We are going to be onboard with a major announcement about a 2 month sale on tru-spec 24/7 tactical pants.   Ever since Gunny signed on as the Official spokesperson for Tru-Spec we realized that the company really had some legs in the industry and due to customer responses, we decided to carry the line.  We’ve been in the tactical clothing business for a very long time and many people ask us about sizing questions.   We can tell you that if you wore Woolrich Elite or Eotac pants, that the Tru Spec pants that we have been wearing are all very consistent to that sizing.   I tried on Blackhawk, 5.11 tactical, Eotac, Woolrich Elite and others and there was a sizing variation.

If you wear 5.11 tac lite pro pants you won’t have a problem liking the Tru Spec tactical pants.  In our opinion Tru Spec actually lives up to their name and they have a very good style of tactical pants available.  We’re not  sure of the exact date of the Promo ad hitting but on April 1st through May 31st there will be a 15%-25% off sale on the Tru Spec 24-7 tactical pants.   I expect that inventories will be depleted around the Country by the middle of that promo so get in early if you can.   Khaki colors are usually the first to go and usually Black colors are next.

There are some really nice knee pads from Alta that many of our customers have requested we sell.   We’ve been selling the Blackhawk knee pad and elbow pads for years, but after watching a really good review on the Alta knee pads on Youtube I was really impressed with the product line and there are some really good selling points over the Blackhawk knee pads. Not only are the knee pads a better option for material, the locking or latching knee pads are a better system than velcro.

Many of the tactical pants we sell already have knee pad options in them but they are a foam knee pad that goes inside the pants.  If you are looking for a lower profile look the knee pads are a nice option for range use on your tactical pants and will not be very bulky.  If you want to save your knees and not tear up your pants, you will want something over your knees.   All knee pads are going to cause you pants to ride up a little and varying types of material may ride up more than others.

We weren’t able to get out there this year but maybe next year it will be a possibility.   There have been several new shirts marketed towards the concealed carry market from TruSpec and Woolrich Elite.  This is one area where we thing Woolrich Elite Series has really gotten a stronghold on because the patterns and fit is really good.  For some reason no matter what the sizes say on other clothing and what the materials are made out of, the Woolrich products just seem more durable and better designed.

When it comes to tactical clothing, I think there is still a wide open market for more jackets, vests, sweatshirts and concealed carry pants.   There is a company called CCW Breakaways that has an interested design, but it looks at first like a one trip pony.   I’ll be interested to see if there anymore tactical pants that come out anytime soon but now it seems that everyone is thinking about money and not so concerned about who is better than who.   There are always ways around having to spend loads of money on expensive items and sometimes you just have to work with what you’ve got.  If you are that hard up for money, just carry a different gun or get a new holster, forget about $60+ tactical pants.

We sell a lot of clothing via our online webstore and now that we have a retail location here in Pennsylvania we have people driving 2-3 hours just to try on some of the products we sell.  In 2011 we some of the most turmoil we have ever seen in the production of tactical clothing, we saw Eotac fall off the face of the earth, price increase,  companies leaving China and long waits to get in new production clothing.   We have heard from many of our customers that anything over $40 for a pair of pants is too much, but with inflation, it’s hard to stay under that unless you want to buy the failed tactical product lines.

Last Summer we were surprised to see how much the Blackhawk Lightweight pants sold and after trying them out for ourselves, we were kind of surprised people liked them so much.  Although these tactical pants seem to be made well, the fit on them just seemed too restrictive and several of our employees told us that they liked the Eotac, Woolrich Elite and TruSpec tactical pants the most.   Every style of   pants has a different appeal, but the hardest thing to do is to carry all of your gear in your tactical shorts that you were wearing with your pants.   The Woolrich Elite 44905 shorts

While we transition over to the new 2012 products, we’ll be liquidating a lot of clothing inventory, the Eotac pants we got in late last year has dwindled down to just a few color options and not too much in the size ranges from 30 waist to 38, it’s time for anyone that wore those clothes to transition back to Woolrich Elite pants or move on to Tru-Spec or Blackhawk.   Most of what we are hearing from people is that they are looking for pants under $40.   Just like $4 gas prices, many people don’t like the idea of spending more than $40 for a pair of pants and that’s partially why so many have not strayed away from 5.11 tactical pants.

I am noticing that Woolrich Elite has discontinued a style of womens pants with a virtually identical pant but with a new low rise.   Considering how many times we’ve seen people try and cut into the tactical pants market and fail we’ll be watching this product like a hawk.   We have had a really good response from Tru-Spec womens pants because the cut just seems to be very versatile.  We did a promo a few years ago and TruSpec 24/7 pants really won amongst women.  We are doing a major product liquidation of Blackhawk lightweight pants to make room for our new 2012 product lines.

Rumor has it that Tru-Spec has something big in the works in the next couple months and those looking to find something in the tactical clothing market for a good price.  I think it’s smart for clothing companies to get smart and work with dealers to promote their products.   We’ve sold millions of dollars of gun accessories and tactical apparel in the last couple years and it’s rare for us to hear from a company about marketing to advertising promos that actually help us.   Things like pants, boots, gloves and shirts all wear or fade over time and need to be replaced.  Sometimes different changes in weather mean changing our clothings.

Everyone know what 5.11 pants are and everyone and their dog wore them at one point, but 80% of our customer base are disgrunted 5.11 clothing customers looking for something else.  5.11 has the EMS and Uniform business by the balls but keep any eye out on Tru-Spec.  TruSpec tactical pants have a very good fit and have a similar poly cotton ripstop design but does not shrink like the 5.11 stuff.  Now that Gunny has signed on to be the official Spokesperson for their product line I’d call that stability.   There tactical and EMS line is growing and expanding and we are looking forward to working with Tru-Spec in 2012

We get the same phone calls every week and lately it’s been a great training tool for some of our new employees.  Many customers call out of curiosity but sometimes we have to display a lot of restraint about telling people which clothing they should be wearing and what size.   It is a hard thing to order clothing online because there are sizing variations between product lines as well as inconsistencies.   Sometimes people are just plain lazy and don’t want to research a product or ask their wives about sizing and we end up dealing with cranky people want us to exchange products because something didn’t fit right.

Along with sizing issues we get asked all the time about guns printing on shirts, pants and vests.   The only realy concealed carry pant that is out there  that are not tactical pants  is the Woolrich Elite Chino.   The Youtube video by Brian Miller gives you ideas on gun placements and how to prevent printing.  There are lots of variables and research and trial and error is something you will not be able to avoid if you want to reduce your chances on getting a wrong size.   We’ve been told by many of our customers that wore Woolrich Elite pants in the past, moved on to Eotac, and now are lost in the Wilderness and back to looking for something new.   We are now selling Tru-Spec, Blackhawk and 5.11 tactical pants, but the Woolrich Elite Chino is  our opinion is really the only real concealed carry pant.

The real issue that we are seeing with guns and accessories is not everyone has been able to keep up with the guns that are being made today.  If I were a holster maker I would be cautious about making holsters for everything out there because there are some firearms that are simply not going to catch on. When it comes to carrying in the pocket, the responsible thing to do is to use a pocket holster.  I had some issues with one maker because the hammer on my 537 Smith & Wesson was getting caught and I had to cut out part of the holster to avoid snags.

On your journey towards finding the right gun and holster that works for you, take your time before you end up with a box full of holsters you didn’t really want sitting in your closet.   When  you are looking for clothing that are not like the usual tactical pants that you see marketed for concealed carry but really aren’t, take a good look at the Woolrich Elite chinos.  People always ask us if their gun is going to print if they were something like this, but the answer to that is to use a piece of cardboard to prevent printing.   There are a lot of very nice .380 pistols and I would have to say that they do seem to be easier to shoot than the 38 special snubbies, but with proper training, you can get what you want out of both and be very discreet.