These "tactical pants" are in cargo pants style with the hint of a military or police legacy, and a relaxed-fit slightly tapered leg that allows unrestricted ease of movement. The product photos accurately depict the style. They are well-made, (the four pairs I own are variously marked made in Bangladesh, Cambodia and Vietnam) of light to medium weight rip-stop 65% polyester/35% cotton fabric which appears adequately durable, is very comfortable to wear, and stays fairly smooth after washing.
A further advantage of the polyester/cotton blend fabric is that it is less prone than many 100% cotton materials to color fading, or to loss of color dye along pocket, cuff, collar and seam edges, after repeated wear and washing. This is most noticeable in dark colors. The black fabric used by 5.11 stays black longer than any of the very comfortable, but easily faded black full cotton pants and shirts I have owned.
The design and construction are good quality, appearing fit for general casual wear, active sports, or light duty workwear. The Modesto CA based manufacturer's website has an interesting explanation of the origin of their brand name, 5.11. It derives from "5.11" a rock climbing difficulty classification in the Yosemite Decimal System of grading walks, hikes and climbs, which - I read elsewhere - stems from a difficulty grading methodology developed by the Sierra Club from the 1930s. 5.11 is or was officially defined in the Yosemite Decimal System as, "After thorough inspection, you conclude this move is obviously impossible; however, occasionally someone actually accomplishes it." It makes sense, looking at this garment, that the manufacturers say their original tactical pants were developed for rock climbing - yet they look stylish enough for general informal wear.
Most leg seams are double stitched; knees are double-thickness. The crotch has a large diamond-shape gusset, seeming well designed to reduce potential for active wear to burst seam stitching.
There are eight pockets:
* Left and right slanted open top front pockets;
* Left and right slanted Velcro tab-closed back pockets;
* Left and right flap-top Velcro-closed large outer thigh cargo pockets;
* One left-side small flap-top Velcro-closed bellows pocket suitable for pistol magazine, cell phone or other such items; and
* One right-side open-top narrow pocket the manufacturer describes as a knife pocket. Handy storage for a medium-sized folding knife, pens or similar-size items.
The fly closure is a smooth-working brass zipper. The seven belt loops are wide and well reinforced. The waistband is elasticized at the sides. A thoughtful detail of the black version of these pants is that the pocket liners are also in black fabric, instead of the white fabric used for pocket liners of 5.11 khaki pants and even for black pants of some makes.
One of the most notable aspects of this product for my requirements is that it is offered in longer than regular leg lengths. My 36x36 size is hard to find in men's casual pants or jeans - typically 36-inch waist pants come only in a 34-inch inner leg measurement. The range of fractional-fitting sizes offered in these pants is exceptional: waist sizes from 28 to 44 inches, with inner leg lengths from 30 to 36 inches.
Initially I bought two pairs, one khaki and one black. The price (only $49.45 for khaki and $45.87 for the black when purchased from Amazon) is exceptionally good value for money for such well-made garments.
I would certainly buy this style again, or other similar pants from the same 5.11 brand. I really cannot find a fault with the garment design, quality or price, so I have to give it a full five stars. The TDU khaki (a versatile light tan color rather than traditional military khaki) version of these 5.11 pants came to be my favorite during a trip through Europe in the 2012 summer heat. They were lightweight enough to be most comfortable in the heat, to be easily packed, and also to dry quickly after laundering. I ordered another two pairs of the TDU khaki pants from Amazon when I got home.
These pants are comfortable and look good with matching colors of 5.11's nylon webbing TDU 1.5 or 1.75-inch belts, and with any colors of 5.11's several styles of shirts, such as the excellent
5.11 #72175 TacLite Professional Long Sleeve Shirt
and
5.11 #72157 Cotton Tactical Long Sleeve Shirt
. 5.11 nylon webbing belts are especially well-suited to sports and travel wear with these pants because of their comfort, light weight, washability and black plastic friction buckle. Having no metal parts, the belts do not need to be removed to pass through airport metal detectors.
Highly recommended to men with similar problems to me in finding fractional-fitting leg lengths in casual, travel, sport or light duty work pants, and to anyone looking for this general style.
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