All posts tagged 5.11 Tactical Pants

Price points on pants, made in the US or made in China?

We’re still shuffling around trying to see what products we’ll be adding on to our product line for 2012 and there are plenty of things to consider.  One of the things we have always had to consider with tactical clothing is this.  Will people pay more than $50 for a pair of pants?  Most people don’t go out and buy one pair of pants unless they are looking to try them out for the first time, but for the people that have to wear the clothing 5 days a week or more, they will probable want 3 or more.  If you buy pants that cost $30 and buy 3 of them, yous spent $90, if you buy 3 pairs for $49.99 you spent $149.97 and that’s $60 dollars more.   Was it worth the buy?

If you figure that in and the cost of shipping how many gun shops will be able to sell that much clothing and make a profit.  We’ve always sold higher end products but when it comes to clothing, some people just don’t really care too much about their tactical pants and they just want cheaper clothing that doesn’t cost a lot.  After evaluating some of the product lines in 2011 we’re looking over what sold and what didn’t and looking at taking on some new product lines.  Will you pay $60 or more for tactical pants, what if they’re made in the USA?

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SHOT SHOW is around the corner

I guess because we’re already so busy at this time of the year the last thing we want to have to think about right after Christmas is learning about all of the new stuff coming in in 2012 that we’ll have to consider buying.   SHOT SHOW is the post Christmas shopping season for people like us and at first it’s fun and eventually it just becomes a business trip.   Out of the hundreds of new products that we’ll be looking at, it’s rare for us to find more than a half a dozen new products that really spark interest.

This year we do  have a wish list, we’d like to see more concealed carry clothing come out and not another clothing company making knock off 5.11 tactical pants.   We’re down to about 4 companies that we carry products for and although each has it’s strong points, we’re overloaded on tactical pants and listening to  our customers frustrations about the constant shortages or lack of product improvements has caused people to keep shopping.  We’ve had products that had good designs but the fit was not very good and people moved on, other designs were good for weekend warriors but for those that jump over fences, the products were failing.  Slight production changes would have sealed the deal, but did anyone listen in 2011?

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Woolrich Elite Chino Pants- more Feedback

Now that Holiday Seasons are upon us it’s time to be dressed up and CCW becomes more of a chore.   I’m sure not all of us have to where suit and tie every time we go over a relatives house during this time of the year,  but not having to dump your CCW gear just because you can’t wear any of your tactical clothing is a good thing and right now, I’d have to say that only the Woolrich Elite Chino pants fit the bill.   On a recent visit to Church,  I was able to keep my car keys in the same area that I stowed a firearm and they were both in different pockets.   It’s up to the user to determine which of the hand pockets they want for each item, but this is real CCW.

I normally carry pepper spray, a knife and a flashlight as well as a firearm, but that can be dangerous or a headache if you aren’t wearing the right pants.   The Woolrich Elite chino pants are not tactical pants at all, and they look just like regular pants.  The only thing that I would suggest to do is  not keep a firearm in the zippered pocket because it can be hard to get out quickly, but that is up to the user to decide.   The small zipper is a much better idea that the now obsolete 4910 pants that had a large zipper with a piece of fabric that flapped like a flag in the wind.

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3 suggestions for the 7 day CCW holder

If you are a 24/7 concealed carry holder you probable already know most of this, but there are always new carriers that can use the advice and avoid discomfort and irritation.  I like many before me stared out carrying a 1911 45acp and felt well armed, but after several years of either bruising myself or having a holster fail, it was time to move to something smaller.   The 1911 is actually a very good gun for CCW because it is very thin and not really as heavy as some of the other 45acp guns.   The Springfield XD is probable the second most popular firearm but that thing is a tank when loaded to capacity.

I have many friends that have carried the 1911 in the small of their back, but to me this is something that can cause grave injury.   The whole tactical pants market is absolutely flooded to capacity, but there is no reason that with an elastic waistband, you should be able to carry a gun at 3 or 9 o’clock.   If you can carry a gun on a paddle holster you can usually get away with carrying a larger firearm, IWB is for thinner guns depending on your body type but that usually means a single stack firearm.  And then there is always pocket carry and  thing is by far the most comfortable way of carrying.

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All of those .380 pistols might help you keep your clothes on

I started out carrying a 1911 a very, very long time ago and at the time, the last thing I wanted to have to worry about was getting more clothes to wear just so they could accommodate my firearm.  You’d think it wouldn’t be that much of a problem, unless you’ve already got experience in carrying a gun.   Many Cops were paddle holsters, or Desantis pancake style holsters which work very well for medium or full size semi-auto guns.    Most individuals in that line of work aren’t looking for small and concealable, they are carrying what they have been issued or what they are best at using.

Recently we had a customer tell us that he hates elastic waistband pants, but this is the first time I’ve ever heard a customer that was CCW a firearm say that.   If you understand how often tactical pants have varying sizing and fit differences from brand to brand.  You’ll have to try them on to find out if they fit.   Everyone does not come in even sizes and when you put a firearm IWB you’ll have even more troubles if you aren’t wearing pants with an elastic waistband.

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Why does the industry think Concealed Carry Pants need tons of pockets?

That really is one of those big questions that doesn’t get answered by the big clothing makers because they don’t really want to answer it.   Concealed Carry pants are really from most people that ask about the stuff we sell, all about being able to wear them at work and pocket carry.   It often amazes me that what is marketed by a few companies always has supposedly hidden leg pockets with tabs that flap in the wind when you walk and tell everyone you have a pocket there.   Was Michael Jacksons famous leather jacket a ccw coat?   Probable according to what we’ve seen show up here.

What everyone really wants is something with big hand pockets and if it has extra pockets, they should be shapped to look like normal pockets.  To date, the only real pant that we have sold that wasn’t in the tactical pants category are the new Woolrich Elite Series Chinos.   Other than that everyone else has something that we would consider to be tactical.  If the rear wallet pocket has big pockets around it, it looks like rock climbing gear.   It’s all about what you want, but if you want CCW pants, you’ll have a hard time finding it in the tactical clothing world.

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Pants options for the shooting ranges?

There have been many times I have gone to IDPA competitions or local shooting matches and seen guys pack up gear and be on their way because they are afraid of the elements.   One of the funny things about the shooting community is the number of prima donnas that dwell in it with expensive firearms, but won’t run them like the are capable of.  One of those elements that firearms should be able to handle is the rain.  Especially when it comes to  using Military style firearms.  Some hunting rifles may get messed up in the rain but there are ways of preventing that.  Cheap optics will also become know and fog up on you.

One of the best things to market for this time of the year is rain gear.  For some odd reason we get a lot of rain in the Fall and the Summer here in the Northeast and most tactical pants are just going to hold water or get saturated.  Cotton Canvas has a bad reputation for this but this year we have something new.  The Woolrich Elite WaterProof pants go well with the Elite Waterproof parka.   Unfortunately Woolrich is only making these pants in black at the moment, but they easily roll up and can fit in a range bag for those rainy days.   It would be nice to see something in the future that is Hi visibility though.

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Sometimes you just have to wear different pants

Sometimes when we have to take over the work around the house that we are not use to doing, we have to put a different pair of pants.   When you have to do gardening you need to think about being in the kneeling position and sometimes throwing down a mat or old rug will help you get the job done without hurting your knees.   Some of the tactical clothing we sell actually ends up in the ER because the doctors that are wearing them like the fact the large pockets can be used for tools without having to worry about stuff showing or falling out.   There are some situations where we are putting a holster in a different position and the gear just doesn’t feel right.

One situation recently made me realize I was wearing the wrong pants for the situation was with the Tru-Spec 24/7 ligthweight pants.  These  tactical pants have a great fit for my body size, but the pocket locations for a knife or flashlight just didn’t feel right with the Blackhawk Holster.  When i had to reach for my knife I had trouble getting to it because the hold 3 o’clock holster and knife location didn’t work out so well.   If I was carrying IWB with my Sig 220 I wouldn’t have had  this problem, but it was another gear and accessory issue.

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Concealed Carry Pants, Right?!!?!

I have always been more of a jeans guy and that’s the straight leg style not the baggy pants.   I have always been looking for a good pair of CCW pants that really just had nice big hand pockets so I can drop a gun in their and not have to worry about it popping out or sliding out.  Regular clothing won’t cut it and there are safety issues with pocket carry if you are not careful.   A good pair of CCW pants won’t have the pockets sewn directly into the seams because that will allow the gun to fall out in certain positions.   The Woolrich Elite 4909 were too baggy according to our customers although many of same customers that came back for the Eotac version said the Eotac pants were too tight in the thighs and the rear pockets were unnecessary and made the pants look tactical.

I ran out and picked up a pair of the 5.11 Cover Carry jeans shortly after I heard that Eotac was no longer going to be around and was trying to find another line of clothing to fit into the concealed carry market.   No such luck on the Covert Carry tactical pants, they aren’t suppose to be tactical but they were over thought and useless.   I rarely trash a pant design but you couldn’t even carry a j-frame in the hand pockets.   If you ask me for CCW pants, the only pant that I am going to tell you looks CCW are the Woolrich Elite Chinos, it’s somewhat of a relief to actually have the confidence to tell the truth.

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Tactical pants and movement

While studying up on some of the new tactical clothing coming  out in 2012 I was reading some of the reviews and comments on YouTube about them.  It’s funny how often you see people reference that everything is a rip off of 5.11 tactical pants.   I’ve only been in the tactical clothing business for about 7yrs and I have to say that, that is partially true.   It was 5.11 that really had the entire market and nobody came close.   The truth is they still have the market but there are several competitors that are pretty close.  Tru-Spec and Blackhawk probable gained the most ground but Proper is still a monster in it’s own category.

One conclusion that one must come to with tactical clothing is along with quality control, tactical pants must allow for movement.   There are plenty of styles of tactical pants that have been pushed out in the market only to die a slow death when people realized there were design flaws.   One thing that is absolutely a reality about tactical pants is that a gusseted crotch is a must.   The old standard stitching, double stitching, triple stitching isn’t going to cut it. It’s about reducing stress not fighting it.

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