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.

What's Tactical about Tactical Equipment?

What is tactical equipment, or tactical gear? Or, more to the point: what's tactical about it? Good question. The best, although maybe not the most helpful answer, would be that it depends not so much on the equipment itself as on who uses it and for what purpose. I think we all agree that a snazzy multicam tactical holster attached to the molle vest or chest-rig of a special forces operative sneaking about in the mountains of Afghanistan would be considered a piece of tactical gear.

But that same holster could be used by a hobby shooter who never leaves the civilian firing range - nothing tactical about that, is it? Or an even better example, how about one of the molle pouches from Blackhawk or 5.11 or whatever, carried on our operative's chest-rig. That pouch could be also be attached to a very civilian cable guy's belt, simply because he finds it a very practical piece of kit for carrying his tools. Or he could be carrying them in a tactical gear bag or 3-day bug out bag. Definitely not tactical use.

See what we're getting at? Tactical is just a word used very loosely to indicate that a particular piece of gear may or may not be suitable for use by the military, swat-teams or some such military or paramilitary personnel. (Reversely, lots of very civilian gear is being used as military tactical gear or swat tactical equipment although its intended use is much broader than that, think North Face clothing, for example - their cargo pants look very much like your typical "tactical pants".)

So what's tactical about tactical equipment? Answer: there really isn't anything tactical about the tactical gear as such, but it's the fact that it is suitable for use in a tactical setting. Which in turn means that it is good, practical, hard-wearing gear. Stuff that, while it can be used by your grandma to hold her gardening tools, it is tough enough and practical enough to be approved by those working in the most hostile of environments - even though that may not have been the manufacturer's original intent.