All posts tagged Woolrich Elite Pants

Waiting for the News from SHOT Show

This is the time of year where we have to think about what we intend to bring into our inventory and as the years have added up, we’ve been scrutinizing the clothing that we have come in more and more.  If a company doesn’t stand behind their product or we get too many customer complaints, we will drop a product line.   Having a product line that holds it’s own even if it costs more is worth more to us than selling tons of gun accessories that break and fall apart and dealing with the headaches of exchanges and returns.   Most people know these days that gun stocks and accessories can get broken if mounted improperly and bull shitting your way into excuses isn’t going to work.

Every company has put out a dud product and I’d say about 15% of the new products that come out won’t be around in 9 months and will be on somebodies closeout or discontinued rack.   We’ve been selling Woolrich Elite pants for years now and we’ve been hearing rumors there are new tactical pants coming out in 2012 at SHOT Show.   Hopefully this  year will give us some stability in the tactical clothing market and somebody will put something out that is well designed, doesn’t tear in the crotch and doesn’t cost $80 a pair.

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Not a big fan of everything in the tactical clothing world

I have yet to find a shirt that is considered to be tactical that actually fits me right.  I’ve worn plenty of them while teaching handgun courses but there were either sizing issues with them or there were functionality issues.   I never like the idea of having velcro on the pockets and the button down versions just seemed far more professional looking.   Some of the early Woolrich Elite products really were a knock off of what 5.11 had, but the quality and slight design improvements were a big, big deal.

Tru-Spec tactical clothing is very much becoming my favorite and its’ mostly because the fit is probable the best for me.  I will not go out and say that everything else in the tactical clothing world sucks because so much of this is about preference.   Tactical pants, tactical shirts and tactical vests all  have different purpose and sometimes you’ll want different clothing because of the weather.  Heck there may be a time you might want to put your guns and gear down and put on EMS pants and brush up on your first aid training.

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What are you options for CCW pants now?

There’s only one pant that we will tell our customers is a CCW pant and that’s the Woolrich Elite Chinos.  We’ve been looking at Vertx pants for awhile now but with a bad economy I’m not so sure there is big money to be made on such an expensive pair of pants.   Even if they hold up to use, everyone needs 3 or more pair of pants to get through the work week without excessive washing or bad hygiene.
Lately I’ve been wearing the Chinos more and more because in all honesty, I’ve grown tired of the whole tactical clothing market and have lost a lot interest in wearing all of my tactical pants just to sell them.   Sometimes you need tactical clothing and other times you just want to be dressed down.   Tru-Spec has a very original design and the fit is very good but they still seem like tactical apparel to me.

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Not happy about this but get them while you can

Everyone once in awhile we are extremely disappointed to hear about a product being discontinued but right now it seems the Woolrich Elite half zip sweat shirts are being discontinued.   We’re clearing out our inventory of them right now and discounting them to $39.99.   These are great CCW outwear because the sweatshirts are cut long and great for covering full size autos.  We have a good bit of the small size sweatshirts which are great for keeping your girlfriend warm.   I’ve had more than a few of them stolen from my wife.

Woolrich Elite products have a rock solid reputation for holding up and the Elite Series stuff I had years ago is still in good condition.   The half zip sweatshirts I own have faded, but they have not shrunk as far as I can tell.  I personally prefer the Woolrich Elite Tactical Clothing especially  Half  Zip Sweatshirts to most jackets because of the long length and the fact they are more comfortable than a long coat.   At this time of the year when I have to go in and out of malls, having a medium layer over me and not some thick winter jacket makes the difference.

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Concealment options, Office and Public environments

There are many modes of concealement a gun holder can use and it might do you some good to research 3 or 4 ways of carrying a firearm.   Belt through holsters are far more secure but if you use a good gun belt a clip on holster can work for you.   There are plenty of ways of messing a concealment method and having a holster fail and the last thing you ever want to do is get yourself in a situation where you have shown  your firearm in public and risk having someone call the police or risk getting fired.   Some business have laws about carrying firearms at work and others just don’t have any rules and the smart thing to do is not let anyone know.

We’ve been around the gun industry for a long time and we’ve learned that you don’t win people over to issues when  you are in their face.   Although you have your 2nd Amendment Rights and your CCW permit, wearing tactical pants and brandishing firearms isn’t the way to change peoples attitudes or win them over to  your side.  We have many business men that stop by our Store wearing a suite and tie and carry firearms for self-defense and nobody at their offices including some family members know that they carry.

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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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Always a trend towards lightweight clothing

Some of the biggest sellers this year have been the new Woolrich Elite lightweight tactical shirts and the Blackhawk lightweight pants.   The reasons people want clothing like this aren’t always apparent.   We noticed that the majority of the lightweight tactical shirts we have been selling from Woolrich were the long sleeve shirts.  It seems that many of the troops or contractors in Iraq were wanted the long sleeve shirts to give them  sun protection but be 100% cotton rip stop, which is pretty much the only thing other than a t-shirt that does the job.

We’ve also noticed that Blackhawk tactical pants have gotten a lot of traction in the last year and seem to have moved into the top 3 selling tactical pants.   The reasons people want lightweight tactical pants are pretty much the same as the reasoning for long sleeve.   Bugs and vegetation can become just as much of a problem as sunburn and there are many environments were wearing shorts is absolutely not in consideration.   The Woolrich Elite lightweight pants are the lightest weight, but sometimes people want something that resists stains and does not wrinkle which gives Tru-Spec and Blackhawk the edge.

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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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Woolrich Elite style 44429 pants

There is still an awful lot of confusion going on for customers that have been buying the Woolrich Elite products since their original inception.   The thing we’ve always liked about selling Woolrich products is the name basically sold itself.  That’s a hard thing to do in this cluttered tactical clothing market, but I have to say that 90% of the times people have walked in our doors and saw the name Woolrich, they always referenced a jacket or layer of clothing that they’ve had for decades.   There have been some changes since the original Woolrich Elite Series clothing came out, but the quality of the products has not changed.

Looking over all of the  items that have sold over the  years in our store, the Woolrich Elite Style 44429 mens tactical pants is one of the most popular.   These tactical pants are built like a tank and the only thing some people have said that was negative was that they were a little on the  heavy side.   I’ve compared them to some of the 5.11 tactical pants that say they are 8.5 oz cotton canvas, but both pants do not weigh or feel the same.  There has also been a slight product SKU change from the original Woolrich Elite product line.  The Style 4429 pants are the same as the 444429 pants.  The only real change we have seen is the wallet id pocket has been slightly altered and opened up.  If  you wore Eotac style 202 pants, this is really the only alternative.

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