Any opinions about 5.11 clothing, in particular their jackets and pants? I'm looking at the "5.11 Tactical 3-in-1 jacket"

http://www.lapolicegear.com/5ta3ouja.html

and their BDU pants:

http://www.lapolicegear.com/5tapakh.html

The price is pretty reasonable, especially compared to North Face and Patagonia gear. I'm hoping they're similar quality.

Thanks!

The pants are good quality, & fit well, lots of pockets.

I tried on the 3-in-1 jacket once at the store...it felt VERY HEAVY....was an immediate turn off...seemed like way too much weight for what it offered...was very sturdy, likely made more for police type activities rather efficient outdoor use. IMHO.

Zoiks!! Maybe even Jinkies even.!!!

I dunno, I believe in paying for quality, but my thrifty Scottish blood is making me wonder what else I can find that is less expensive and pretty near just as functional.

I mean, If I throw on my ranger suit and my multi-pocketed vest, I have what I'd consider a more suitable survival outfit, although I would forego the vest in favor of a nice, roomy messenger bag. Even as pricey as my ranger suit is, it is less than that 5.11 stuff.

i got a pair of 5.11 trouwser, kinda heavy compaired to my other trouwsers. But made of very heavy duty stuff. Loads of pockets and the belt loop are placed on such a way, so i can hang my stuff on my belt more comfortably.

While I don't own any, from what I have read, the boys and girls in the sandbox swear by the 5.11 gear.

I wear 5.11 pants and shirts on deployment all the time. They are head and shoulders above BDUs. The pants fit you as opposed to just hanging off you, and the pockets are positioned and sized to carry gear comfortably and with easy access. BDU pockets feel like web gear sewn onto the pants. The 5.11 shirt is a tuck in shirt as opposed to the BDU blouse which is woen outside the pants. Again, the shirt is comfortable and the pockets are accessable. In addition, there is a vent in the back of the shirt to allow air circulation.

I almost bought the 5.11 3 in 1 jacket, but couldn't find one local to try on, and opted for an ECWCS parka for cold weather instead. I may still get one if I can find one in person.

My 2 cents: I would not purchase any of the 100% cotton styles, which is all they used to make. Stick to the cotton-synthetic blends. Or the 100% nylon, if your tastes run that way (mine don't; fire...).

I'll re-state what I've said before: real-world practical, my experiences in HARD use in difficult weather, no outer layer clothing performs as well as Quarpel treated NyCo. There simply is nothing that touches it. The best Quarpel treated poly-cotton fabrics are second - almost as good, but not quite as good. There are plenty of lesser poly-cotton blends out there as well... although any of those are better than plain cotton.

NyCo is expensive and hard to find outside of specific US Military clothing items, although for the life of me I don't understand why it costs so much more than Cotton-poly. Used to be civvies available - any one remember "Mountain cloth" or "Ramar (sp) cloth" or "60/40" cloth? Size of market/demand? Dunno. FWIW, currently available NyCo seems to have settled on a 50-50 blend and I cannot tell any difference between that and 60-40.

Stay away from 100% short staple cotton clothing items. (Long staple, or Egyptian, cotton can be a different matter - up to a point. The label will brag if it's long staple cotton...)

Randy may chime in about Filson now, but that stuff is so heavily treated that it oughta be classified as a blend, LoL - WaCo (Wax-Cotton). Aquired taste, in any event.

Tom

I have their tactical jacket without the removable liner (I guess last years model) and here's my feedback:

-it's not the warmest jacket out there. You will need to layer up. But it is somewhat waterproof and stylish enough to make it for casual clothes if needed.
-collar without the hood stored in it seems like a piece of fabric that looks very weird on you and offers no protection and feels cheap. With hood stored in it it feels like you have a diaper around your neck but at the same time your neck feels warm.
-quality. it is a well made jacket but my zippers started to separate from the stiching in about of month of use. Also my badge holder just came off for no reason. Also that blue color of theirs it seems like it is harder to clean than anything.
-zippers are hard to open with one hand and they are not waterproof
-enough pockets to EDC everything you ever imagined.
-remember that their sizes run big since most of their stuff is made in mind with you wearing armor underneath. Medium does feel like large.

Would I buy it again? Last year I would say yes since nothing was out there even close to it. This year is getting better and with Columbia and Carhart comming out with bomber style jackets it would be worth to check them out.

Never used their pants so can't tell you from first hand experience how they are but all my parnters love it.

I've never owned it, so I can't say if it is good or bad. But I will say, keep in mind that it was designed to fill a very, very specialized niche. If you don't need to conceal a handgun in the garment (not fond of pocket holsters, myself), then this stuff might not be your best choice.

I love my 5.11 pants and shirts. I wear them daily except to "special occasions" requiring more casual/formal wear. The pants beat BDU's because they are better constructed. I weigh mine down with my survival gear and have to wear suspenders (Perrys) to keep the pants in place. I normally leave the shirt untucked to hide what is around my waist. I am at the point in my life that I really don't care what the fashion police think, I am prepared! The cotton shirt tends to heat me up in the Florida weather I live in so I wear wicking T's to compensate. I have not tried the Nylon version of the shirt yet because it is very expensive and only comes in long sleeves at this time?? I have not tried the jacket yet because the Florida weather normally does not get cold and stay cold enough to justify the purchase. I have had no problems with the pant or shirts except the buttons occasionally become loose. Hope that helps!


ONE DAY CLOSER

I've worn the cotton pants for the last 20 years+ (used to be Royal Robbins). I've had pairs last me over 10 years. I like the slash pocket layout. Recently I bought 2 pairs of the nylon 5.11 pants to experiment with for winter/snow wear with a poly under layer.

I've seen varying pricing, just got cotton for 39.95, nylon for 49.95, don't know what LA Police Gear gets but I've seen places selling them on line at full list.

All in all I think they're well designed, rugged and comfortable.

I use 5.11 shirts and pants regularly, I really enjoy the design and the ruggedness, and they don't look to bad either. I use them for my EMS unform. My only problem is that they are 100% cotton, "Cotton Kills" unless you are in the desert. Once wet they are useless as far as insulation and they are heavy. The new 5.11 catalog lists poly/cotton and nylon this year, can't wait for my dealer to get some in so I can compare them to the cotton ones.

I have the 3-in-1 jacket (in black). It has more pockets than I can fill, on short notice anyway. Moderately weatherproof is the correct phrase. I spent an entire day in the rain in it. The outside got wet, the inside didn't. Warm enough when you're layered. It is a waist-length coat, though, so your butt will get cold and wet. It also comes in a denim outside which is much more casual.

I also have the parka with the removeable lining. This coat is weatherproof, although the hood is not lined so you'll have to have your watch cap in a pocket. The hood is also made large to accomodate a uniform hat, so a ball cap or hunter's cap would also be a good choice.

The parka has a bunch of zippered pockets, and the liner also has its own pockets and can be worn separately as a spring/fall jacket. Both outer and inner are zippered on the sides to give you access to items on your belt such as holsters.

I will buy no other pants than the 5-11's. They fit well, wear well and are comfortable. The only gripe is that the little multitool pocket is a bit too low for me.

They also have a tactical vest that I keep looking at. My trusty old fishing vest is just not cutting it anymore.

And they are making a jacket that is basically the tactical vest with sleeves.

Choices, choices ....................

I recently purchased two pair of 5.11 TDU pants. I acquired one pair in tan for use in the field with my Medical/Rescue Group and the second in Dark Navy for use as uniform pants at work. Both pair of pants are poly/cotton mix.

My initial impression of these pants are that they are much better built than the average BDUs, wider belt loops, hidden elastic waist bands, better quality material, cleaner and apparently better stitching. The material is heavier weight than my other poly/cotton BDU pants; in fact they more resemble my more expensive uniform pants than BDUs. Ironed, the Dark Navy pair looked better (IMO) than my $70 EMS uniform pants. Although they are rip stop, only on close inspection are the lines visible.

The wider belt loops spaced farther apart made them more comfortable to wear with a wide belt (like a Wilderness Instructors Belt) and allowed items carried on the belt to be moved to where they are most comfortable.

The button up fly of BDU is replaced with a button/snap combination top and zipper fly. Pockets are secured with Velcro in place of the buttons and both front pockets have reinforced seams where a knife or flashlight would clip. Right front pocket also has a change pocket that fits my Cabela’s lighter perfectly.

Inside each side pocket is a divided, Velcro (loops) covered organizer pocket. Although I haven’t attached anything to the Velcro yet, I have carried tons in the divided pockets. I was impressed when I was able to comfortable carry a Motorola Saber radio in the side pocket, held tightly in place in one of the divided pockets!

During a field training exercise that involved a fast 15km cross country hike over tough terrain I was surprised at how well the pockets carried their load. The pockets perfectly carried my wallet, two pens, a sharpie, compass, bottle of hand gel, 2 x clif bar, signal mirror, large (60”x48”) plastic bag and 4 light sticks… all in the divided pockets. The design allows complete use of the pockets like in standard BDUs, a USGS 7.5” map and 5”x8” note book both rode comfortably in one pocket while a Shemagh and a Tonto National Forest map rode in the other. The Velcro never came undone, even traveling through brush and brambles.

All in all, a great product. I’d like to see a pair in NyCo, but that’s about all I’d add. I will be buying more!