All posts tagged Lightweight vests

Tactical vests that are already thought out

I understand the need for a Molle vest and there is nothing more versatile than a vest designed for just about anything that can be attached to it, but sometimes you just need a tactical vest that isn’t going to  break the bank and isn’t going to make you have to wonder how many magazine pouches, what configuration ect you are going to need when the answer is pretty much what the basics are.  If you want a tactical vest, you either want a sidearm  holster on it or you don’t.   You most likely need magazines for an M4 or M16 variant and possible storage for pistol magazines.  The Woolrich Elite tactical vests are made of a cotton canvas material which makes them very comfortable to wear but won’t make you feel like you are wearing a parachute.

The 4 pockets out the outside of this vest can hold up to 2 30rd M16 magazines.  If you are using GI magazines it will fit easily, holding 2 for a total of 8 magazines of something like Pmags will work, but it will be tight.   Behind the 30rd magazine pockets are inner pockets that can hold single stack or double stack mags.  I use my Woolrich Elite vests for range bags as well as for tactical purposes.   It’s real easy and smart to keep your shooting glasses, ear plugs, tactical gloves and targets, batteries inside the vest.   That way when you need to go, just throw it on and you’re all set.   I have personally loaded my vest up and none of the stitching has torn.   I will say that a fully loaded vest will be a little uncomfortable if you need to be in the seated position.   The 30rd magazines will start to get in the way.  It would be nice to see another tactical vest from Woolrich that sat a little higher on the chest.

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Pocket guns and getting dressed up for CCW

Many of you that are married may not have the option of dressing  yourself, but I have often been told that I can not wear a certain type of pant or shirt when I was going out because it clashed with what my wife was wearing.   CCW clothing options are very limited even though there are plenty of tactical clothing companies offering concealed carry or covert carry clothing.   I did a few trips to local gun shops and picked up Proper, Tru-Spec, Woolrich Elite, 5.11 tactical and a few other clothing options and the sizing variations was a nightmare.   I was buying 36/34  pants to 38/32 pants depending on the manufacturer and that was what I had to do to just get the fit right.

When it comes to shirt options, that’s a much hard sell.   I haven’t been able to buy anything other than 5.11, Blackhawk and Woolrich Elite shirts and a couple Eotac shirts, but there was not a lot of versatility.  If I wanted to do out of uniform Law Enforcement duty then the tactical clothing companies worked, but if I had to pass the Wife’s going out for dinner options, I did not have a lot to wear that didn’t get flak from her.  I highly recommend the Woolrich Elite Oxford shirts and the Woolrich Elite CCW shirts.

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Under cover work with a Carbine

I as getting a little board with doing concealed carry method testing with holsters and various types of tactical pants this week and since it’s been so fricking cold out, I decided to do something new.   I have a few friends that do under cover work and I have sold them some of the Eotac Style 101 vests.   I originally thought that both of these guys were nuts because these vests are the most tactical looking vests out there.   The 4 AR15 magazine pockets are a dead giveaway if someone didn’t already figure out you were’t fly fishing.   I was amazed at what these guys actually did with the vests.

There are several tactical vests out there that are all out assault vests.  You can basically attach a couple hand grenades to them and your good to go.  These vests usually have a handgun holster on them and to me that pretty much makes it an outwear vest.   The Style 101 s from Eotac are not really heavy unless you really put heavy items in them.   Even though these are tactical vests, you can easily wear them under your heavy winter clothing and it will not really add much weight or keep in body heat anymore than what you are already wearing.   You can wear this under a regual winter jacket and I have even seen small M4 Carbines along with these vests doing under cover work inside your average winter coat.

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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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Suggestions for concealment in Fall and Winter

There are a great many arguments on the gun forums about how bad of an idea it is to carry using a vests becuase it supposedly gives you away.   Well, if you are 22yrs old and wearing a vest and it’s 80F outside, you probable will look out of place, but you have to realize that most bad guys don’t think like that.   If you factor in how many people that carry concealed firearms vs. the statistics that don’t, you’re probable over thinking.   Find out which guy you really prefer to carry and dress accordingly.   The Eotac Style 102 lightweight vest is extremely popular with many of our customers living in Texas and in the Southwest do to it’s 100% cotton material.   It gives you some  protection against the sun and won’t weigh you down.

The Eotac style 103 vests is a fairly new vest, but it has been growing in popularity due to it’s length and pocket designs.  I don’t normally recommend carrying  a fiream in outerwear, but the Eotac vest will help you conceal a full size auto and be able to stow a firearm in the outer pockets without printing.   The elastic straps  inside the pockets will secure any other knives, flashlights or magazines for added security.   This is not a lightweight vest, but I think that it is very well balanced and does not look too tactical for a concealed carry vest.   The Style 101 vests are by far the most tactical looking, but we do have some operators that wear them under another lighweight jacket and prefer the soft fabric over a harness locking vest.

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Outwear and concealment options

The Seasons ar changing in most of North America and it’s time to think about how we are going to be able to conceal our firearms as the weather patterns change.  The hard part months like October is you never know if it’s going to be 75F or 40F because there are so many fluctuations at this time of year.   You may wake up to frost on the ground and need a warm layer of clothing, but still need to take it off later in the afternoon.   The Eotac 501 half zip sweatshirt is not only warm and comfortable, it is a concealed carry friendly surface layer.   The size vent flaps open up to access gear like your CCW Glock, spare magazines, Surefire G2 or even just  your cell phone.

The problem with putting layers of clothing on is that you are potentially burying your gear.  Now that a boom in gun permits have been being issued around the Country, there has also been a shift in the types of weapons people are chosing for everyday purposes and the demand for CCW apparel.  Rogue Elite is carrying some of the top tier concealed carry vests, tactical pants, tactical shirts and CCW friendly outwear like the Eotac Field Vest, and Field Jacket.

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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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