All posts tagged Tru-Spec pants

Fabric and pocket designs are what it’s all about

Since there are so many types of tools and gear an individual can need these days, having clothing that get hold it is important, there is such a thing as zip off shirts and pants but the zipper locations tend to become uncomfortable especially in extreme temperatures.   Everyone has a different  type of cell  phone and cell phones are quickly replacing radios in many circumstances.   Having a pocket that is too large and allows too much movement of an object means that that item will most likely find a way to fall out.   Some tactical clothing if designed right, gives an operator wide range of movement and still securely stows and retains gear.

Just about every type of tactical pant out there has a picture somewhere that shows somebody putting a 20rd or 30rd magazine in a pocket.  Well from my experience tactical pants are rarely used for carrying rifle magazines, but some are specifically designed for this.   The best pant for storing M4 Carbine magazines is the Woolrich Elite lightweight tactical pant, but I will have to say that I wish the pant had a gussetted stitching.   While the pants are designed well, they do have a reputation for tear in some situations.

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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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Some issues with tactical pants

Recently someone stopped into our shop and explained to us that they had issues with the Tru-Spec EMS pants because there wasn’t a lining in them to keep their 5.11 tactical shirts tucked in.   Every department has a different standard when it comes to shirts and that is very much a reason why the tactical apparel market has exploded.   5.11 still has a stronghold on the EMS and Uniform market and only one or 2 other companies are close to them.   I’m not sure where the hi visibility apparel is going to go, but I’ve already seen some big changes in the color schemes.

Hi-visibility apparel is probable going to take a few more leaps forward and only the ones that use it are going to have to deal with the changes.   Looking at how big the tactical pants market is now, I really don’t think there are going to be any huge break throughs until there is some type of new fabric that is better than polyester or cotton.  Given that clothing prices have gone up more than previously, hopefully somebody is doing some research into something stronger and more durable.

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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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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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Eotac and Woolrich Elite Product comparisons

Many of the same people that were involved with the startup of Woolrich Elite went on to work with Remington with the Eotac line.   From some peoples perspective they were the same products, but there were differences.   The reality now is that if you liked the Eotac line you’ve really only got one place to go back to and that’s the Woolrich Elite line.  We’ve heard rumblings that there is a new pant coming out from Woolrich Elite this year and we’re anxious to see if it’s an improved version of something that they’ve already had out or something completely new.

I’ll type out an Eotac vs Woolrich comparision.   If you liked the Eotac 201 pants, try the Woolrich Elite 44447 pants,  Eotac 202 pants, try the Woolrich Elite 44429.   Eotac style 203 lightweight tactical pants, try the Woolrich Elite Style 44441 pants.   There are minor pocket differences but you will notice a difference in fit.   The Eotac pants had a gusseted crotch which did give you more movement although there were complaints about Eotac pants being too tight in the thighs and people went back to Woolrich products or moved on to Vertx.

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Movement and fit with tactical pants

Although I might blog about tactical clothing for the majority of the time, I’m really not a big fan of the whole industry.   If you want concealment, putting the name Blackhawk or 5.11 on your clothing falls under the category of “Not Really” if you want to be running stealth operations.  I’ve seen enough drug busts go down that anyone working in Narcotics knows this.   I’ve often been impressed by the types and looks of some of the people that run Narcotics operations in Philadelphia and how good they are at tricking the bad guys.  Sometimes the guys running behind the scenes sitting in cars get to wear the tactical clothing, but not the front men.

Normally the guys doing the fence jumping are the hardest to impress.   Those are the guys that call up a day after the wore the clothing and tell us they blew out the tactical pants.   I must have worn about 20 different types of pants in the last 4hrs trying to find something that fits me right from my personal experience, movement is something that is really important to me.  The  number one place guys blow out pants is at the gun range.   As soon as they kneel down on the ground they’ll know what the fit and flexibility is.   What is claimed as tactical might be all about the looks and pocket designs, but they may not operate with the operator.

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Pocket placements on tactical pants

There are a bazillion types of tactical pants out there and the funny thing about it is we have a huge customer base that aren’t even in the Law Enforcement or Military Community.   Most Cops are stuck wearing uniforms and most of our customer base that actually buy tactical clothing, tactical shirts, tactical vests and gun gear usually know what they are looking for.   Recently we sold a ton of ballistic eyewear to an EMS department and several of the Doctors working in local hospitals also stopped in to buy tactical pants.   We explained to them what the pocket designs were for and they explained to us that they use them for holding surgical tools.’

There are  not a lot of people out there that can really make a good concealed carry pant.  Several have tried only to end up on the clearance section of LA Police gear as tactical pants.  Not all of the tactical pants are used for carrying AR15 gun magazines.   Some are for holding cell  phones and even the Woolrich Elite 44447 pants can hold a small lap top computer.  Most pocket designs are about preference although there are a few pants that are completely over thought out and all you end up doing is losing gear in them.   Some pocket locations can also become useless if you normally carry a holster in that location.  Leg holsters can also void the  use of some cargo pockets.

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