All posts tagged CCW Jacket

It’s jacket and coat time! What CCW options do you have?

TruSpec jacketsWe still long for the SigTac jackets that were big sellers years ago but they are long gone.  Only the Woolrich Elite Series Twill Jacket has gained our respect, but we have been crossing our fingers and hoping for more tactical jackets and coat options from Tru-Spec.   Tru-Spec had somewhat have a B average with their jackets because so much of it was modeled after military style clothing and it was either better than military issued, or not as good.   There are plenty of 3 Star and 4 Star reviews about their outwear but from what we’ve seen for 2014 products, there are going to be better things coming your way from Atlanco.

I got a hold of the Tru-Spec Element Jackets and was very impressed with the fact they came out with a jacket that had a liner.   It seems that many of the TruSpec jackets made before like the M65 had a liner but were very much old school, and not something modern.  There seems to be a major face lift going on with the company and their new website shows us some of the new concealed carry jackets and many of our gun owners and Law Enforcement Communities are going to want.  The Tactical Softshell jackets have gotten 5 star reviews from our customers and many  have driven several miles to just stop in and try things on.

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TruSpec Softshell promo has ended and it’s time to move to Winter Apparel

Several years ago our number on selling item was the Sig Tac jacket.   I have no idea whatever happened to the production of these jackets because they were widely accepted and nobody out there made something like it.  It was  a very nice jacket that looked like regular clothing but had large internal pockets for CCW.   We’ve seen several nice things from the Woolrich Elite line but many of their jackets had some short comings.   There was a Woolrich Elite Series Barn coat that looked nice but it really needed to be lined and was basically a dud product.   TruSpec has gained lots of ground in the industry an from what we see is only behind 5.11 tactical as far as market share in our territory.

TruSpecs name basically lives up to it’s quality control because the tactical pants have all been very consistent compared to other products like Blackhawk, Woolrich and Eotac.   We’ve had so many issues with 5.11 products that we avoid them unless we get special orders, the TruSpec jackets have also become broader in design with the new Soft shell jackets and the 3 in 1 jackets and parka are a staple with local law enforcement due to their features and designs.  Tru Spec does a good job with their winter outerwear but we have had several people say that the sizes run a little smaller.

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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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New Woolrich Elite Twill Jackets in stock

When we first got these in we  had very high hopes that it would be something we could stand behind because we’ve seen a lot of tactical vests and so called CCW vests come in the store and later become discontinued, bad designs or had absolutely nothing interesting about them.   We use to sell a lot of SigTac jackets but that whole scene seems to have dried up.   Woolrich Elite products have always been very well made but like every tactical clothing, something new always comes out every year but sometimes it doesn’t catch on for various reasons and then we can’t get them anymore.

 

Well this year we jumped on the wave and brought in a good chunk of inventory of the new CCW coat from Woolrich Elite.   The Woolrich Elite Twill Jacket was something we’ve been itching for around here and a much better though out and designed jacket than the SigTac jackets.   There are a lot of times that we get descriptions and product info from the manufacturers but Youtube is really the best way to explain a product in this technologically advanced age.    Brian Miller of Woolrich Inc has done several Youtube videos which really sell the new Woolrich Chino, CCW shirts and the Twill Jacket.   Even though we had these jackets in the shop we didn’t know all of the features until we watched the videos, Check them out.

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New product from Woolrich Elite

We’ve been carrying the Woolrich Elite Series clothing line before they added the name “tactical” to the brand name.   When we first brought the product line on board we were new to the tactical clothing market and were in a learning stage of our business growth.    The people that design tactical clothing rarely put a perfect product on the line and we have seen on many occasions there are product modifications and tweaks.   One of the biggest disappointments we have  had with some of the Woolrich Elite product lines was how fast some of the products were discontinued before the product got legs and people found out about it.  One of my favorite products to this day was the Woolrich Elite barn coat, but it was discontinued way too fast.

The Woolrich Algerian jacket got a lot of complaints about the arm lengths and you can do a few searches online and you’ll see this is true, but the last one i got in seemed to be different.   When I got the Woolrich Elite Discreet Carry Twill jacket my fingers were crossed because I didn’t want to get something that I knew wouldn’t sell because there was a design flaw.   I believe the Woolrich Elite Twill Jacket may be the best outwear design that we have seen from Woolrich in the last 5yrs.  The jacket is cut right for CCW and the feel of it kind of reminds of the Sigtac jackets,but not as heavy and smarter pocket designs.   I could fit a Glock 19 in the hand pockets and the inner accessory holders are larger in size and easier to fit magazines and flashlights in them without wiggling things around.

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Firearm retention and concealment garment

The biggest issue I have personally run into when giving my opinions about various tactical shirts, tactical vests, tactical pants ect. is the designs of the pockets.   There are some regular clothing options that may work well for a certain firearm that you carry, but there can be some safety issues.   I have used shorts in the summer that had buttons on the pockets and I originally thought that it would kep retain the firearm in the pocket, but all it actually did was hold the handle of the pistol and it actually ended up working it’s way up above that pocket line.   Even though the pockets were deep, the buttons didn’t hold it in and the way the pockets stitched into the pant, there was room for the gun to actually slip up and almost out.   Eotac shorts are design so there pockets are not stitched directly up to the seams.

We get a lot of questions about the tactical clothing that we sell online and most of the questions turn to advice on how to conceal a firearm.   I still remember exactly who the person was that first told me that the best answer to that is “for what” because there isn’t a best for everyone and most of this is about comfort and not always concealment.   There are a lot of concealed carry vests out there that work very well for some  people, but to others they are too tactical or not CCW friendly.

 

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SigTac Apparel

Take a different approach to concealing a firearm this season.  Sig Tac jackets are well made and designed for the gun owner that carries in the civillian world, this jacket option will help you fit in with the crowd and help carry your firearm and gear with you.

The SIG SAUER® Concealed Carry Coat is now available in a stylish black leather. And like our regular SigTac Apparel, this leather version also features button adjustable cuffs, button adjustable bottom side tabs, antique brass zipper,left chest pocket and is lined with 300 gram anti-pil fleece. Its two ambidextrous internal pistol pockets allow for easy concealed carry of even large pistols like the P226 or a 1911. Color: Black. Sizes: Small to XXXL. NOTE ON SIZING: This jacket is a full cut from the factory and you may want to consider a size down if your usual size is roomy.

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Winter Jackets and carrying gear

Tactical JacketsI’ve gotten the questions numerous times about what kind of jacket is best for winter carry.   I’m not one to suggest that carrying a firearm in an outwear jacket is a good idea.   There are expensive jackets out there where you can carry a gun and retain it in the jacket, but weight distribution is almost always an issue.  Sometimes people need to realize that winter carry isn’t going to be as easy as summer carry because cold environments are going to mean big jackets or multiple layers of clothing.

One new option that may help you in your search for a spring/fall/winter carry option is the new Eotac Field Jacket, this is a very military looking jackets, but has a tactical jacket look that is a great thing to wear over layers of winter clothing.   The Eotac Field Jacket is not a very heavy jacket even though it may look like it.   The Field Jacket has multiple pockets for knives, flashlights, cell phones, pepper spray and spare magazines.   The field jacket does not hang very lowe on the waiste so it  may not be good for some ways of carrying, but even if this jacekt is zipped up, the front of the jacket is cut in a manor where reaching under and retrieving a firearm from a should holster or belt holster is not that difficult.

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