All posts tagged Blackhawk Pants

Major Announcements coming this Fall about the tactical apparel market?

One thing that we’ve been pondering recently is seeing all of the Make Ready DVDs coming out that still have the Eotac logo on the back of them.  According to the internet buzz, Eotac went defunct on March 31st 2011 and that was it.  No press release only an email to the dealers about the South Carolina location closing down.     We are awaiting a shipment of Blackhawk tactical pants as well as some of the Tru-Spec 24/7 pants and we’re going to see how our customer base handles the product change.   While most of our customers have gone back to Woolrich Elite for the items that we don’t have in stock.

Normally some of the major announcements about new products and press releases go out in September and we’ll see what kind of news gets released very soon.   There is always something new coming out and the tactical clothing market especially tactical pants market really needs to be thinned out.   There are some companies where, as a dealer, we really wish they would listen to their customers and just make some minor product changes like pocket alterations or fit improvements, and they’d have a perfect product, but after years of customer complaints, they just won’t do it.    Too bad,  Eotac was so close to perfection.

Top

Somebody needs to make a decent pair of denim CCW pants

I’ve seen a few companies attempt to do it, but nobodies done it right.  Woolrich Elite made the 4909 Denim jeans, but the color and cut was not very popular although the idea was good.   I know Woolrich has since discontinued the jeans, but they were pretty close to doing something really good.   Eotac which was basically a newer version of everything that Woolrich Elite had out did a better job, but it still could have been better.   There were more than a few complaints about the thighs being too tight on many of the early productions.

I believe there were only 2 production runs on the Eotac 205 pants, and the latter made the changes, but it still wasn’t quite right.   The other issue was although the side zipper pockets were liked, the back pockets were over done and they looked too much like tactical pants from the back.  If there was just a ID pocket, they would have almost been perfect for CCW.   The  5.11 covert pants were just horrible for CCW.   CCW pants really should just mean big pockets and comfort for carrying a firearm, not this hidden pocket crap all around the inside of the pants, which made retrieving gear almost impossible.  What’s the point?

Top

What kind of tactical pants ?

If anyone is reading this, I’m all ears on what kind of tactical pants  you are wearing and why you like them.  In a recent conversation with some EMS people, the discussion about 5.11 pants and all of the changes that have taken place with the company over the years.   The discussion about the EMS pants came up and all of the individuals I had in the room liked them, but they did mention that they wish the company would make some changes to the designs.

Tactical gear and accessories change over the years and the same goes for medical equipment.   Tactical clothing especially tactical pants can go over the same changes, or so they should.  Something like a cell phone has changed in size over the years and designing a pocket around a cell phone isn’t something that is going to last for 10yrs.   Probable in the next 3-5yrs most cell phones will be in the ear or on it.   I would like to hear back from people that were EMS pants from 5.11, Tru-Spec ect and see what they wish we sold.

Top

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 ?

Top

Knee pads and other protective gear

We’ve been selling various tactical pants for the last 5yrs and one thing that I still find kind of odd is the whole knee pad insert.   When i first started using the knee pad inserts it was with the Woolrich Elite 4447 pants and the knee pads didn’t line up to where my knees were.   I later tried them on the Woolrich Elite 4429 pants and they worked on them, but you really only could get use out of them if you kneel on both knees at the same time.   That position may work at Church, but on the firing line, when I think of kneeling, it’s on one knee.   The knee pad inserts do hold up for a pretty line time, and for only $3 you can replace them for both sides.

If you are looking for serious protective gear for your knees and elbows, I seriously recommend using the Blackhawk Neoprene elbow pads and knee pads.   People have their preferences on what they want to wear, but there is a pretty big difference between using the ones you get on your tactical pants and what you get separately.   I was severely disappointed when the Eotac Direct Action line basically flopped because it hit the market and barely a month later the South Carolina location shutdown and all of the products were basically being cleared out at cost.

Top

Blackhawk lightweight tactical pants

I attempted to deviate away from Woolrich Elite clothing this summer and it lasted about 5 minutes.   There really is  something to be said for “movement” when wearing tactical pants.   There aren’t any indestructible pants out there because there are always ways to move and tear them, but when  you feel them riding in your inner thighs when  you raise your legs, you’re going to be buying new pants sooner than later.   These pants cost more than Woolrich Elite but the fit was no where near the same.  The sizing was very good compared to regular clothing, but the fit was totally not the same.

The Style BH86TP02 pants came in and I was anxious to find something to replace my worn our Eotac and Woolrich Elite stuff.   The first thing that I noticed about these tactical pants was that they were heavier than Woolrich Elite lightweight pants.   The side cargo pockets seem to be very well stitched in and felt strong, but they did not feel lightweight. The one thing that really gets me is the darn hand pockets.  I hate this Blackhawk, 5.11 tactical pants cut that is slanted and not rounded off.

Top

Sale on Eotac apparel

We are running down the last of the Eotac apparel and most of our employees were acting like vultures grabbing their sizes before it was all sold off.   We only have a few of the odd sizes in the vest, shirts and jackets and most of the lightweight stuff is almost gone.   I think there is going to be a huge glut of tactical pants on the market because I noticed that with a bad economy and so many tactical clothing companies trying to get their foot in the door, I’m seeing $20-$30 8.11 and Blackhawk tactical pants all over the place.  Men and women are still going over to Iraq and Afghanistan so there is still a strong demand.

Now granted, there are some really bad designs and I recently tried out a few new styles of clothing, but after testing them all out, I ended up back with Woolrich Elite tactical pants.   It’ll be some what easier to sell clothing now that Eotac is gone because there won’t be so many people asking about the differences between the lightweight tactical pants and the regular clothing.   I am still waiting to find out what the situation is going to be with making clothing in China and cotton prices because we just got hit with a few more price increases and I doubt this will be the last of 2011.

Top

Some improvements to the design

We’ve already know how well made the Woolrich Elite products have been for several years, but there have been some design issues that we have heard about from customers.   We still get a lot of complaints about the fit and design of the Woolrich Elite Algerian Jacket and all you have to do is read the product reviews under it on our website to find out.    We’re really glad that they made a few minor tweaks to the pants and shorts that they have been making in regards to the ID pocket.   The rear ID pocket on the pants is a major sore in my opinion because the previous velcro design made it very difficult to get your wallet out.

The style 44429 is probable the most popular style followed by the 44441.   I’ve had issues on the road where I had to get money out of my wallett to pay a toll and had to take my seat belt off to get my money out of my Woolrich Elite Pants.   Now that they  have removed the velcro and opened up the pants pockets a little more it does resolve the problem.   I also noticed the 44905 shorts have had this change and was pleasantly surprised.   The style 44905 shorts are my favorite shorts to wear in the summer because they have the deepest pockets and have lots of utility purposes.

Top

Casual pants with a tactical appeal

Tactical PantsIf you are toting around a knife, flashlight, gun, keys and a wallet, you might find regular jeans are pretty stuffed in the pocket area.   If you have to tuck a shirt in you’ll be even more cluttered.   Many recommend avoiding the clip on knife in the pocket as a dead giveaway that you are carrying, so what do you do?   If you are familiar with the Eotac Style 204 cotton canvas pants, the Eotac style 205 concealed carry pants are identical but made in a jean fabric.

These tactical pants have a side leg pant pockets on each side that can hold a small J-frame, Kimber Guardian Angel, mace, G2 or scorpion size flashlight or just about whatever tool you want to carry in that size.   This is something to consider when doing a lot of driving or accessing gear while in the seated position.   From my experience the zippers are very secure and reliable.   The jeans are very comfortable and not the purplish blue that many of our customers complained about with a previous companies version.

Top
1 2 Page 2 of 2