Tactical Equipment for not so Tactical Use

So, in yesterday's post we talked a bit about the definition of tactical equipment and concluded that what we're really talking about when we discuss tactical gear is sturdy and hard-wearing stuff that is tough enough to use in a tactical setting. We also mentioned that, because of the outstanding qualities of tactical equipment (at least according to our definition), many people who are not special forces operatives or swat team members use it as well. Let's take a look a couple of such pieces of kit.

In the last post we talked about civilian clothes from, for example North Face - well known makers of outdoors gear - sometimes look remarkably similar to what most would call tactical clothing. (Albeit sometimes in much brighter colors!) We mentioned cargo pants, and one very useful piece of tactical clothing are the 5.11 tactical pants. Simple, hard-wearing cotton pants with useful pockets in all the right places. Similar pants are available from a range of other tactical suppliers, but we think the 511 tactical pants are fast becoming a classic. We'll stick a review on here shortly.

Next example is flashlights. Everyone has one somewhere. We believe everyone should keep one in their car. Some of the best flashlights (or torches, if you're on the European side of the Atlantic) out there today are made by Surefire - a company who's founder made the first laser sight. And rugged, high-quality illumination products for tactical applications are now what they are probably best known for. And if you need a flashlight, this should be the kind of gear you should go for, regardless of whether your usage will be 'tactical' or not - simply because it's good gear that won't let you down. (We're not saying Surefire is necessarily always the best brand - that's another discussion for another post - but what we are saying is that it is this type of manufacturer you want to be looking at.)

We can go on. But you get the point. Tactical equipment is not just for tactical use. It's good, high-quality stuff that everyone should be looking at. Period.