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.

Do you like tactical pants? For us, this is pretty much a rhetorical question. Yet, that very question was posed on the Utah Concealed Carry forum.

Below are the results from the site’s poll. With 40 votes, more than half said they wear tactical trousers. Surprisingly enough, the other half either didn’t know what tactical pants were or believe that “tacticool pants are for mall ninjas.”

On the forum, those unfamiliar with the pants said they wear cargos from Wal-Mart or classic Wranglers. Both 5.11 and LA Police Gear’s pants were mentioned by tac pants fans as well as Propper and Woolrich. Someone admitted wearing their tactical pants to meetings with fortune 500 companies with no one even raising an eyebrow.

However, other brands like Blackhawk, Vertx and EOTAC were left out of the conversation. So, now we ask a very non-rhetorical question … What’s your favorite tactical pants brand?


Remember, every vote counts! And what makes you loyal to your brand? Is it the fit? The fabric? The price?

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)

Yesterday we extolled the virtues of lightweight pants in the springtime and allowed someone else to tell you all about them. Well, it’s our turn now.

Woolrich introduced its women’s line at the 2009 SHOT Show and hasn’t looked back. The pants incorporate many of the same features from the men’s version. Better yet, Woolrich attempted to give the pant a true woman’s fit, spending many years working on its specific features.

The pants manufacturer was kind enough to send us a faboosh pair of the Elite Lightweight Tactical Pant (MSRP $54.99). With 10-pockets total, it makes a handbag nearly obsolete. There’s a pocket for everything — an iPhone or BlackBerry, car keys, a wallet, knife, gun and magazines. Heck, you can probably even slide in a make-up compact and nail file if you really wanted.

Made in China, the pants are a 100% fade-resistant cotton. While we haven’t worn ‘em long enough to test its resistance to fading, we did drop some water on the pant to test its ability to repel water. Its DuPont treated Teflon Fabric Protector makes the pant nearly impermeable to water. Most of the H2O rolled right off, but of course, a few particles stuck around. Not too many, though.

Constructed with a 7-ounce ripstop, the pants are indeed much lighter when compared to the regular Elite Pant, which is an 8.5-ounce cotton canvas. Only available in khaki, the pants are a great addition to any spring and summer wardrobe.

Overall, the pant had a slim, flattering fit, and the material felt very cozy. Perhaps these could double as tactical sweatpants? The elastic waistband made moving around — especially running — much easier than a regular cargo. Our one complaint: The rise was just a tad too high for us. Maybe someone needs to consider a low-rise tactical pant?

UPDATE: According to our contact at Woolrich, the high-waist complaint is common on this pair, and they are in *very preliminary* talks of adding a second style of women pants. We’ll keep you posted when we hear more!

A special thanks to our tactical model, Erica!

Woolrich Lightweight Tactical Pants

It’s not every day you see someone giving away spiffy pairs of tactical trousers. Well, Armslist isn’t exactly just handing out the pants. Much like anything nowadays, there’s always a catch. The good news is this contest is pretty transparent.

If you have an extensive network of friends and followers who click on every link you post, then this Woolrich Elite Lightweight Operator pant can all be yours. The site, a classified listing for guns, equipment and outdoor gear, is determining its winners by measuring how many visitors each contestant brings to the site.

Five people will win the 7-ounce, 100 percent cotton ripstop trousers along with an Armslist T-shirt. Currently Dirt Rich is in the lead with 2,476 clicks just a week into the contest, which runs through the end of April.

To enter, simply sign up on Armlist.com, get your unique URL and start promoting.

(Via Say Uncle)

Nobody’s more passionate about perfecting the tactical pant than Fernando Coelho.

In 2005, the president and founder of EOTAC set out to introduce a better-fitting, more durable pant to the market. And he did just that — first working on Woolrich’s Elite Series and then for his own tactical clothing company in 2008.

Coelho has worked in the firearms industry since the mid-nineties, founding Triton Cartridge, an ammunition company that produced high performance defensive ammunition like the Quik-Shok and Hi-Vel lines. Before his foray into manufacturing tactical gear, Coelho worked at a nuclear generating station outside of New York City as an armed security officer and member of its tactical response team.

Because of his amazing ability to talk “tac pants” for hours perhaps, we couldn’t be in more awe of Coelho or his work.

You’ve designed and improved upon the design of tactical pants. What was the most important change you made and why?

I think one of the most important things we changed is the fit. Pocket placement and fabric selection is important, but the fit of the pant is what keeps one brand of pant left hanging in your closet and the other out in the field for use every day.

Tactical pants have to accommodate the end users. The type of people who wear a tactical pant have different needs than someone that is into mountain climbing or hiking. You want a pant that gives you the range of motion to allow you to drop down on a knee without the pant being tight in your crotch. You want a pant that allows you to lift your leg without your pant binding. You want a loose fit but not so loose that the fabric gets in your way. We spent a lot of time working on the fit of our pants and listening to the feedback from our team of beta testers. I think that the effort has paid off.

What’s the most recent innovation in the tactical world that has excited you?

In the tactical world, I would say body armor continues to reach new levels of development. Today’s armor is much lighter while still offering high levels of ballistic protection. Now you see armor carriers being integrated with combat uniforms, which make the overall combat uniform less bulky and more comfortable for our soldiers. When you look at clothing specifically, our new Direct Action line of clothing is exciting. We developed the Direct Action line as our answer to the combat uniform.

How many pairs of tactical pants do you own?

I must have at least twenty pairs of tactical pants and another dozen discreet pants. I wear tactical pants three to four days out of the week. The rest of the time I’m wearing our discreet denim pants.

When did you first discover tactical pants? What were your initial impressions of the pants?

When I was in the ammunition business in the mid 1990s, we started a shooting team. That team wore tactical pants, and that was my first introduction to them. Before that I always wore denim pants.

My initial impressions are the reason I’m in the clothing business now. I was so disappointed with the fit of the first tactical pants I wore. Then after you washed them a few times, the fit got worse. Not to mention the fading and inconsistent cut from pant to pant. For what I was paying for those pants, I definitely expected more. Years later the brand of tactical pant began to offer more styles, but their pants never got better.

If you got in a time machine and jumped 50 years in the future, will tactical pants still look the same? Would anything be different?

That is an interesting question. If you look back in time, tactical pants remained the same for years. Today you have many manufacturers getting into the tactical pant market. Fifty years from now physically we will still have two arms and two legs.

That being the case, I think pockets may change in shape and placement to accommodate the gear of the time. I expect the big changes to be in the fabrics used and the fabric treatments. I think lighter and stronger fabrics that are more comfortable that what we are used to will be the trend.

Last month Woolrich Elite Series Tactical donated $7,000 to the Wounded Warrior Project, a nonprofit organization that honors and empowers injured soldiers.

“Woolrich has a long history serving the military, dating back to the Civil War,” said Jerry Rinder, vice president of sales and marketing for Woolrich’s tactical pant line, in a prepared statement. “We feel it’s important to continue that tradition, and the Wounded Warrior Project is a natural partnership. It’s a crucial element in the recovery of our injured service members and their families.”

This recent donation follows Woolrich’s tradition of helping out to the Wounded Warrior Project. Last year Woolrich created the “Freedom Throw,” a woven American flag blanket ($99), for the project so a portion of blanket sales could go directly to those in need.

“Wounded Warrior Project is thankful for this support from Woolrich Elite Series Tactical,” said Steven Nardizzi, the project’s executive director, in a prepared statement. “Our goal is to ensure this generation of veterans is the most successful and well-adjusted in our nation’s history, and with this generous donation from Woolrich we can continue this important work.”

Founded by a group of veterans, the Wounded Warrior Project provides real support for severely wounded service men and women by guiding them along on the road to recovery – both mentally and physically. The group also provides unique programs and services such as Project Odyssey, an open-air rehab retreat that includes outdoor activities and peer support.

With a sprawling history in outdoor clothing, Woolrich takes great pride in its longevity, which no doubt is a result of its quality clothing.

Even though the creators of the Woolrich Elite series recently made headway into the tactical world, they produced items like army blankets for the military as early as the Civil War. Find out more fun facts about the Pennsylvania company.

• 1996 – The year Woolrich achieved success with product placement in The Horse Whisperer.
• 3,000 – Employees the clothing company had in 1988.
• 660 – Employees Woolrich has today.
• 1,500 – Workers laid off in 1990 due to an order shortage.
• 179 – Years Woolrich has been in operation.
• 6 – Videos Woolrich has uploaded to YouTube. (Watch one, the history of Woolrich from 1830 to 2008, below!)
• $200 million – The 2003 estimate of sales, according to Funding Universe.
• 1830 – When company founders John Rich and Daniel McCormick set up shop at a Pennsylvania wool mill.
• 2,500 – Square feet of its home store, which was opened in 2001.
• 472,000 – Number of results that pop up on a Google search for “woolrich.”

Elite Lightweight Operator Pant

If you read the backstory behind Woolrich clothing company, it’s easy to get excited about buying garments with such a rich heritage.  Founded in 1830, they’ve been making quality outdoor apparel for nearly two centuries.

Naturally, when Woolrich decided to jump into the tactical apparel business, tactical operators took notice.  The resulting “Woolrich Elite” line encompasses not only tactical pants, but a full line of shorts, vests, shirts, and accessories in various fabrics.  Woolrich tactical pants feature a very distinctive pocket configuration that is recognizable from a distance.  They also boast perhaps the best feel of any tactical pants we’ve laid our hands on.

If you’re looking for some American heritage baked into your tactical apparel, and don’t mind paying a little extra for the quality, Woolrich Elite series demands consideration.

5.11 Tactical – The original tactical pant creator. 511 tactical pants posses a distinctive “buddy strap” on the back of the garment. They offer a large variety of styles and colors.  A little on the pricey side for a product that is now reaching maturity. MSRP $49.99

Propper – Being the largest supplier of uniforms to the US Army means that all Propper apparel is backed with a wealth of battle tested experience. Propper tactical pants probably offer the best combination of price and quality. MSRP $39.99

Blackhawk – The most distinguishing feature of Warrior Wear tactical pants is the integrated MOLLE webbing. MSRP $49.99

Woolrich Elite – At the higher end of the price spectrum, Woolrich Elite pants do NOT represent incredible value. MSRP $54.99

24-7 Series – The newest player in the tactical arena. 24-7 pants are meant to be a little less tactical and a little more casual. They feature larger than normal cargo pockets. MSRP $39.99