The 5.11 Tactical Pants - Tactical Equipment for Every Man's Closet

In the last post we metioned the 5.11 Tactical Pants, and today it's time to take a look at that particular piece of tactical equipment. Bet you were looking forward to that. Or not. Anyway, the 5.11 tactical pant is a classic and given that it is a perfect example of what we've been talking about - ie tactical equipment for everyone, we felt it was worth a post sooner rather than later.

The 5.11 Tactical Pant is basically a very hard-wearing piece of tactical clothing made out of tough cotton canvas (8.5 oz, in case that tells you anything). It has your basic two cargo pockets, two front and two back pockets, and a smaller thigh pocket. It also features a d-ring on the front and a utility strap on the back. The photo on the right gives you some idea - but you can find a bigger version of it, along with close-ups of the various details on 5.11 tactical's website. It comes in as many as 9 different colors (the website says 11, but we can't seem to find the last 3), including khaki (pretty obvious), olive drab (again, obvious), coyote brown (pictured, although a bit darker in reality), charcoal and grey, "tundra" (a sort of non-descript brownish color), "sage" (kinda like a pale OD), navy and black.

Let's take a look at some details. Both front and back pockets are slanted; the're deep and roomy and the back pockets close with a piece of velcro. Not much more to say there. Above the right back pocket is the utility strap, which we - to be honest - at first weren't too sure why it was there. But it comes in handy for many things, mostly for hanging stuff. It is also tough and attaches well, so can probably be used as a "handle" to drag the person wearing the tactical pants. The cargo pockets are pleated and close with two pieces of velcro on each flap. Nothing more, nothing less. The thigh pocket is located on your left hand side, just above the cargo pocket, a bit to the front and accommodates a pistol mag, but most people will more likely use it for a cell phone or multitool. Noone here has an iphone, but it would probably fit.

The 5.11 Tactical Pants also come with some nifty, 'hidden' features. The knees are not only reinforced, but actually has pockets, for lack of a better word, on the inside - where you can slide in kneepads. Very handy for your average DIY-guy, we would think. The ankle hemlines come with openings where you can slide in cords for blousing. (Less useful for the DIY-guy, but very tactical.)

These pants really do epitomize the whole idea of tactical equipment being extremely heavy-duty gear that can be used by anyone and should be used by almost everyone. Seams are not only double- and triple stitched; they are reinforced further by bar tacks in places where extra stress is usually put. They also rank high in terms of functionality. Pockets aren't just there for show, as sometimes seems to be the case with 'civilian' cargo-pants. Similarly, the D-ring and utility strap are not just there for show - they are properly stitched in to actually hold weight. Oh, and did we mention comfort? The waistband is actually slightly elastic (5.11 calls it a 'comfort waistband' - which sounds a bit like something targeting senior citizens), which guarantees a good fit.

Sure, there are some cons as well - no product is perfect. The heavy-duty cotton is not ideal in hot climates. Also, the fact that it is 100% cotton means that colors may fade, but that really is only an issue with black and navy. (The "sage" pants actually look better with time.) Also, we should mention that the orginal 5.11 Tactical Pants now come in two 'climate adjusted' versions. One is the Taclite Pro Pants, which are made from a 65% polyester, 35% polycotton ripstop fabric, and are more suited for warm weather use. The other is the Tactical Flannel Lined Pant, which is made from the same cotton canvas as the original, but is - big surprise - lined with flannel for colder climates. Although based on the original 5.11 Tactical Pants, these really are products in their own right - particulary the Taclite - and we'll review them as such.

Final verdict? Good stuff, good gear. Basic. Simple. Gets the job done, whether the job is tactical or not. Good value for money - the 5.11 website lists a recommended retail price at $49.99, but given that everyone sells these pants you should be able to find a significantly lower price if you shop around.

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.