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!


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