5.11 Series Pants

[Tubacap]

Okay, I am notorious for absolutely destroying pants.  My wife makes fun of me routinely because of how quickly I go through pants that are supposedly indestructable. 

My common ailments are: pen marks, oil stains, and ripping from small metal objects.  My profession is as a band director that works a lot with instrument repair and repairing things on our stage.

I have heard many comments about how well built 5.11 pants are, so I am soliciting feedback as to whether this is durable enough to go through the workday and professional enough to wear with a dress shirt or polo.

Thoughts?

Mods feel free to move this to wherever you please.

[jb512]

Very good pants and worth the money.  We get them issued to us at work as uniform pants with their polo shirt.

Lots of pockets too.

[fyrfitrmedic]

 I wear 5.11s and khakis from Cabelas when I'm teaching; I'm happy with both for staying intact and professional-looking even in some of our messier practical labs.

[isuhawkeye]

BEST PANTS ON THE MARKET!!!!

I wear them as a paramedic, and fire fighter.  Since I also do a lot of office/management work I dress them up and can pull off a jacket and tie.

you just have to remember that they are cargo pants

[Stonewall]

+1 on 5.11s.

However, I just saw Blackhawk's  "5.11 style" pants this weekend and I think I like them better than 5.11.  Only one way to find out for sure.

[IceNine]

The short answer is yes they are both.

I am an Industrial Ag Electrician, I work in an environment where I am constantly subjected to sharp metal corners, little pieces of stuff that snags and such.

I have been known to completely tear a pair of pants up in a matter of a couple days.

I have a pair of 5 11 pants that I've had for several months and they only have small holes, a huge feat for a pair of pants in my line of work.

Put into perspective I would match these pants to my favorite pair of carhartt work pants

[Flying Pig]

Our detectives live in 5.11 pants with a nice polo shirt.

[FlyingTerp]

I was introducted to 5.11 gear while working for a law enforcement agency.  The pants are extremely comfortable, functional, and wear very well. 

I would also recommend their undershirts.  They are the best I've ever worn to the point that I've replaced every one I own with them.  The crew and v-necks don't get stretched out and they are a bit longer than standard so they stay tucked in.  The black ones go great under BDUs.

Good Stuff!

[Stonewall]

I would also recommend their undershirts.  They are the best I've ever worn to the point that I've replaced every one I own with them.  The crew and v-necks don't get stretched out and they are a bit longer than standard so they stay tucked in.  The black ones go great under BDUs.

Yep, when I wore suits every day, sometimes with body armor, I wore the white undershirts.  I personally like the vented/mesh underarms so I can get some airflow down their.  Now, in police, CAP and AF unifors, I wear the black ones every day.  They're almost like Underarmor, but like I said, the meshy type underarms make the difference.

I'm not saying 5.11 products are the end all to comfortable clothing, but their products really are designed for LE, EMS, FD, MIL, and ES type folks who can and often do put their clothing to the test.  And while I don't think they're affiliated with them anymore, they did come from one of the finest outdoor clothing companies out there.  Royal Robbins.

I wear their socks too.  I've also heard of folks wearing them and speaking highly of them over in the sandbox.

I also wear their Class A/B uniforms at work.   Just bought a set a few months back when I found they met the standard for our department.  I hate polyester so I wear the poly/wool blend and they are way more comfortable.

[Tubacap]

How about the stain resistance?

[Stonewall]

How about the stain resistance?

Blood comes out just fine... 

You know, I'm not exactly a desk jockey so I tend to acquire rips, shred and get things messy.  I have to say, of my what, 8 pairs of 5.11 pants, all colors, I can't think of a single stain.

[Tubacap]

Pants come via UPS tomorrow.  Family is already making fun of me for checking the tracking so much.  My search for pants that will last longer than two weeks may finally be over!

[♠SARKID♠]

Yeah, I was gonna get a pair of those pants, until I saw how much cash I'd have to dish out for them.

[SARMedTech]

I love my 5.11s. I have a khaki pair that I wear for IMERT meetings when full BDUs arent necessary, though I also carry them in my ruck as an extra pair of BDU pants, especially if I know I am going to be slogging through stuff that might snag them, etc. I also have a pair of navy blue and a pair in black that I wear for EMS. They have stood up well so far to kneeling in gravel and as far as the stain resistance, things like road oil and blood do wash out easily and they actually look decent bloused. I see that Propper has also come out with a "5.11 style" and am a fan of Proppers as well so maybe I will give them a try. The thing I like best about the 5.11s is that I havent experienced any cuff fray from rubbing on my boots, etc. Its true that they are a little pricey, though I have seen them as low as $40. You get what you pay for. I think Im going to put my next pair of BDUs together out of all 5.11 tacticals.

The only thing I have noticed so far is that if you like your pants a little on the loose side, the gear hanger strap on the 5.11s tends to hang loose and whatever is on it will swing around, but on the up side, the strap is durable and well attached to the pants. I hang my radio and a carabiner with my extrication gloves from the strap and have never even had a stitch come loose. If you are an EMT and your agency doesnt mandate a specific brand of pants, these are the ones you wants. Ive crawled around inside crunched cars and over broken glass and it barely even snags them. They feel a little like canvas for the first couple of wearings/washings but once you break them in, you'll never wear anything else. If price bothers you, Im sure there are some on ebay that "fell off the truck."

[SKYKING607]

Check Botachtactical.com

Two styles, nylon and cotton.  The colors will fade with repeated washings.  If necessary to wash, turn the garment "inside-out" and wash cold.  I take mine to the cleaners and they wear well.

[uspatriotstore]

I hope this doesnt come across as too much of a sales pitch...

Yes. Yes it does. Spam removed -TA

[Tubacap]

Honestly, never knew your store existed.  Do you offer a CAP discount?  Sorry, had to snoop!

I received my first installment of 5.11 pants.  I love them.  I'm pretty sure that I will never buy outside of this type of clothing again.  I am still anxiously awaiting my first stain so that I can see how well it comes out.  I also am getting my first pair of boots today from 5.11 and again, am anxious.

Does anyone have any experience with the Propper Tactical Pant?  It looks like a knockoff, but $10 cheaper.

For those of us that need a more professional look than just cargo pants, 5.11 now has "Covert Pants."  They look exactly like my dress pants, but have a Teflon coating, and many more pockets.  I especially like that they have hidden pockets sewn into the side seams of the pants. 

[Stonewall]

Does anyone have any experience with the Propper Tactical Pant?  It looks like a knockoff, but $10 cheaper.

Propper is a quality product. I can't speak specifically of their "5.11 knockoffs", but their BDU type pants rock and I've been wearing them for years.  Propper is one of the 2 or 3 companies blessed with the contract to make the ABU.

As for their "covert pants", they look cool and pretty much most of their products are of a high quality.  So you're probably safe in buying them.  http://www.511tactical.com/

[Eclipse]

Propper is a quality product. I can't speak specifically of their "5.11 knockoffs", but their BDU type pants rock and I've been wearing them for years.  Propper is one of the 2 or 3 companies blessed with the contract to make the ABU.

As for their "covert pants", they look cool and pretty much most of their products are of a high quality.  So you're probably safe in buying them.  http://www.511tactical.com/

Ditto, I'm sitting here wearing the black tactical pants from Propper, they wear great, especially if worn in non-tactical environments.  You just can't beat all the pockets.

I'm hoping to try the covert version next time I need pants.