Now that you’ve read the guide, you probably know all there is to possibly know about tactical pants, right? Wrong.

While it may appear that way, we still think there’s more to learn. Our goal is to constantly expand and update The Ultimate Guide to Tactical Pants for as long as tactical pants exist on this planet. So, basically forever.

Eventually we will include an in-depth look at all 30 plus styles of tactical pants. For now, we started with the basics—the original tactical pant from each manufacturer. Later on, we’ll add high-quality photos to give you a better idea about what each pant looks like before you decide to buy a pair. Essentially, this is our non-fiction War and Peace, if you will. We want it to have as many chapters, as many details as possible—no matter how minuscule.

In order for us to improve upon this guide, please let us know what we’ve missed. Is there a certain style or brand that should be included? Was there something we forgot to measure? Anything specific you’d like to see photographed? Tell us!

And if you’re a manufacturer, please send us your pants! We might have some or most of your styles in-house, but unfortunately we don’t carry every tactical pant under the sun—at least not yet. If you do send us your pants, we’ll gladly test them out, take a lot of pictures and tell you what we think.

Feel free to leave a comment or drop us an e-mail. We’re here to help. We’d like nothing more than to provide you with the most comprehensive information and be a resource for tactical pants enthusiast worldwide.

What if these were all tactical pants?

We’re reporting today from underneath a mammoth pile of tactical pants.

No joke.

See that picture on the right. Well, imagine that is all tactical pants. Yeah, that’s what our desk looks like today. Did you know that there are more than 30 different styles of tactical trousers on the market today?

That is just mind boggling. And it explains why the Tactical Pants Guide had grown from 10 pages to 17 and probably won’t be finished for another week. We sit here measuring pockets, snapping pictures and interviewing loads and loads of folks about the nuances of the greatest type of pants ever made. Believe it!

No, we haven’t lost our minds. We just want to know EVERYTHING about these glorious pants.

Want to know what type of pants will be outlined in this amazing guide? Check out the list below. See one missing? Let us know, and we’ll include it.

24-7 Series

• Men’s Cotton Canvas
• Men’s Poly-Cotton Ripstop
• Women’s Poly-Cotton Ripstop
• Men’s Convertible

5.11 Tactical

• Original 5.11 Pants
• Convertible Cargo Pants
• Flannel-lined Pants
• Women’s Cotton
• Taclite Pro Pants
• Women’s New Fit
• Women’s Taclite Pro Pant

Blackhawk

• Warrior Wear Tactical Pant
• Lightweight Pant
• TNT Pant
• TNT OPS Pant

EOTAC

• Men’s Tactical Pants
• Men’s Lightweight Tactical Pant
• Men’s Operator Pant
• Women’s Lightweight Tactical Pant

Propper

• Canvas Tactical Pant
• Lightweight Tactical Pant
• Genuine Gear Tactical Pant
• Women’s Tactical Pant

Vertx

• Men’s Pants
• Women’s Pants

Woolrich

• Cargo Pant
• Lightweight Pant
• Lightweight Operator Pant
• Elite Pant
• Women’s Elite Lightweight Pant

(Image via Flickr)

In the male-dominated profession of law enforcement, Karen Bartuch definitely stands out. Not just because she’s a striking six-foot-tall blond, she’s also a natural leader. As the president and founder of the Women’s Tactical Association, Bartuch brings women and men together to enhance their skills in firearms, combat mindset, tactics and fitness.

Since 2002, Bartuch has worked as a police officer in Chicago. While she currently writes policy for her department, her previous assignments include being a member of the gang team and the Target Response Unit. She fills us in on her vision for the WTA, why she chose the cop life and the misconceptions about tactical women.

Growing up did you always want to be police officer?

No, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I went to college (Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill.) and landed a sales job in corporate America, pharmaceutical sales to be exact. I was really unsatisfied and unfulfilled even though pharmaceutical sales is a great job (for some) and paid me well.

For whatever reason, I felt like my job was unimportant. It didn’t matter; there were more important things going on in the world than whether or not I sold more prescription medication.

What made you want to join the force in 2002?

My brother Erick is a Blue Island Police Officer. At the time (and still today) he LOVED going to work every day, and I wanted that. I knew that I liked action — I was always into sports and fitness and daredevil-type things, so I applied on a whim to join the Chicago Police Department. The offer to join came right when I was denied a promotion at my pharmaceutical sales job, so I made the change. And I have not looked back.

You started the Women’s Tactical Association to give an alternative to the primarily male-dominated training. Does WTA training differ from other tactical training?

No, the training is no different nor do I want it to be. I want my members (of which I have males and females) to be the best they can be and to push themselves farther than they think they could ever go physically and mentally.

In addition, I would never advocate different criteria for specialized units such as SWAT based on gender or any factor for that matter. Our SWAT team has one standard for all. That being said, our training should be the same to prepare us. The bad guy does not care if you are male or female, so even if we have to work twice as hard then so be it.

Are there misconceptions or assumptions about tactical women?

I would say the biggest is that some people feel we don’t belong in the tactical community. And just like the men, there are some of us who don’t. The reality is that not all of us will ever make it onto a SWAT team. But there is a large percentage of LE that is female; CPD is almost 25 percent. The WTA is providing life-saving skills and training that may not have been easily available to females in the past to ensure that they are operating at a level that can hopefully dispel some traditional misconceptions and assumptions about females.

While you do extend an invitation to males, are any men members of the WTA?

Yes, we have several, and they love it because we provide the best training available consistently, and we try to keep it affordable. We have several former marines who just joined are proud card-carrying members!

What does the future of the WTA look like?

The sky is the limit. My goal is to get many of us trained up as instructors for rifle, pistol etc. so that we can get ALL of the members operating at the same level. Right now, since we are so new we have various skill and comfort levels with weapons handling, fitness, etc. I would like to have a strong group that is all speaking the “same language.”

I would also like to see us eventually competing in pistol and rifle competitions on a regular basis as well as SWAT competitions nationwide. Other states have also contacted me about starting chapters so I would like to start branching out and get other states and departments in the fold.

At first, many women’s tactical pants were just men’s pants with slight modifications. Now manufacturers are attempting to find the perfect fit for women’s tactical pants. What brand do you like the best and why?

I have two favorites, the 5.11’s (EMT pant) and the Tru-Spec ripstop. I like these two because they are designed for women’s bodies, they sit lower on the hips (many of the others are too high waisted, which is not good for holster draws or for comfort), come in long sizes (I am 6 feet tall) and are very practical and comfortable at the same time. Women want to have the same functionality, e.g., lots of pockets, durability, comfort, etc., but we definitely require a different “fit” than just the men’s pant.

Are there any changes you’d make to the women’s tactical pant (or in any type of tactical gear) that would make your job easier?

I plan to tackle the fit of the duty belt next; we have inherent anatomical differences that are not currently being addressed with current duty belt designs. Ballistic vests are now being customized for women, which is good. My first vest is the size of a sports bra and basically was a shortened male vest — unacceptable. Other than that, I think much of the equipment is gender neutral.

Scottevest Ultimate Cargo Pants

What are convertible cargo pants? For starters, they aren’t just pants you can wear in a drop-top.

At the start of the millennium, the lightweight trousers that zipped off to create shorts were all the rage. Nowadays, you can still find the pants, but more than likely outdoorsy folks will be sporting it rather than collar-popped college types.

We heard through the grapevine that Tru-Spec by Atlanco is planning to release a convertible pant. The design will follow Tru-Spec’s original 24-7 Series pant except with zip-off ends, of course. Keep an eye out for the pants’ debut later this year.

SeV/Scottevest carries khaki Ultimate Cargo Pants ($70) that convert into shorts. It’s a lightweight linen/cotton blend with 16 pockets and magnetic closures. Meanwhile The North Face also offers a convertible pant ($65-$75) in dune beige, asphalt grey, new taupe and soil brown.

On the lesser-expensive end of the spectrum, Eastern Mountain Sports has its Touring Zip-off Cargo Pants on sale for $41.30. Moreover, Wal-Mart has a No Boundaries cotton convertible pant on clearance for $10.

Shockingly enough, not everyone is a fan of this mighty morphin’ tactical pant. Last week, someone asked on Yahoo! Answers if anyone wanted to help bring back cargo zip-off pants. While one person supported this mission, others vehemently opposed.

“Not only do I not want to bring back the zip off shorts cargos, I would ban all cargo pants from the planet if I could,” wrote on responder. “The only exception would be if you were actually on safari.”

Another person proceeded to diss tac pants altogether: “I don’t need my pants to have 5 extra pockets that I’ll never use.”

Uh, we hate to break it to you, but most tactical cargos have more like 8 to 10 extra pockets. Never seen someone turn their cargos pants into shorts in mere seconds? Brace yourself…

Tru-Spec’s 24/7 pants are gaining in popularity with tactical operators around the globe.  Their cargo pockets are billed as being roomier, and have the added bonus of having internal magazine compartments baked in.  And at $36.99 retail, they come in a few bucks cheaper than the old 5.11 standby.

What we find striking is that this is the lowest priced pair of pants we’ve found that have the hidden slider waistband, which we strongly prefer over the standard “bunched” elastic look offered by 5.11 and Propper.  If you haven’t seen these pants in person, be sure to check them out at your local retailer.

Line Drawing of the 24-7 Mens Pant