There was a cyber Monday sale at 5.11 25% off free shipping and a free knife the knife is OK but Chinese of course. I ended up placing 2 orders 3 pairs of TDU and 2 of their tactical pants. The TDU are ripstop with the synthetic/cotton fabric a bit lighter than the tactical but the are reinforced in the seat. Poly/cotton ripstop fabric Triple stitched reinforcement Extensive bartacking at key stress areas Double thick seat Blousing straps Locking flange YKK® zippers Prym® snaps The tactical are heavier 100% cotton also a reinforced seat. Tough 8.5-oz. cotton canvas 48 individual bartacks in high stress areas Double thick seat and knees (kneepad ready) Triple-stitch reinforcement YKK® zippers Prym® snaps Over the Thanksgiving and Christmas I have been wearing them to the office, gathering wood, cutting up skids for kindling, biking since there is not much snow to a few football games and at home. They are nice pants the TDU have larger side pockets than the Tactical but they are pretty much like all BDU cargo type pants. At an average of $36 per pair shipped with 2 chinese knives they seem like a good value. Time will tell their durability. 5.11 Cyber Monday 25% off free shipping | Survival Monkey Forums Tactical TDU
They fit fine I wear my trousers as usual at my hips or bit above about like the model in picture 2 I like my clothing a bit loose...no more spandex for me
I've been using 5.11 for years and I can say they are extremely durable. I think the oldest set I have is six years old and they are still going strong. The darker colors will fade out well before the pants themselves wear out.
I've worn 511s for work and play for about 8 years. They are all they claim to be- with one very important addition. They are more comfortable than jeans- there, I said it!
I also have the TDU, seem very durable with some nice details, like the key pocket inside the right front pocket, and the magazine pockets inside the cargo pockets. Only thing I didn't like was the elastic waistband set up, which I modified by cutting.
I am of the opinion (and my opinions have been known to be waayyy wrong) that when a person wears the 5.11 pants, they are advertising they are preppers, survivalists,or wanna-bes. Also, OPSEC, IMHO, says to be grey......and 5.11s ain't exactly grey. But this is just my uninformed opinion. Kajun
I have a few of the 5.11 pants too, they are really great, very comfortable, can't say much about durability yet since i only got them half a year ago. I do have one issue with them though, and that is sizing. Usually i wear 34" in my jeans, and one of my 5.11 too, fits fine. However, i got another pair in 34" (think it was called EMS pants) which won't fit me at all. Unfortunately i didn't try it on, tried the other one which fit me fine, so thought might grab another pair in same size too without trying it. Big mistake. Next time i bought another one i tried it on ofc again, turns out in that one i needed size 34"-39". So now i'm a bit hesistant to ever order them online, since i'd never know if they would fit or not.
Worn 5.11 pants on and off for years now. Been very happy with all of them. Out here (Australia) they don't signal anything except fashion style so I can't really comment of that aspect. When I was in Africa last year hunting camouflage of any military type is a no no so given most of my gear in surplus of one type or another I picked up a couple of new sets (shirts/pants) of 5.11 gear for the trip. I wore the hell out of it in the bush (12hr days walking/crawling at times) and in my travels (lots of flying etc) and remain as happy as ever with it.
I have two of there kilts and love them and my work pants are the udt I like the thin ones better than the thick ones.
You make a good point! It's probably not a good idea to look like a Cop or Soldier unless you are. Same reason not to open carry don't tip off the bad guys.
