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Good pants without drawing attention or looking like a tacti-tard.

CE1371

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Dec 11, 2007
376
157
AZ/CO
I'm looking for a good set of od or kaki pants that will stand up to usual wear and tear and also have functional pockets and design without looking like I'm a fed or LEO or secret squirrel or mall ninja.

Any advice?
 
I enjoy my TAD Covert RS pants. They are functional as hell without screaming "hey look at me I'm TACTICAL!"
 
I have some Riggs made by Wrangler. They are ripstop type material with reinforced knees and leg pockets the right side pocket has a couple open pouches on that I carry my pocket knife in.
 
If 5.11 taclite pro pants aren't to tacticool for you. That would be my suggestion.
 
Carharts in the winter and colder months but http://www.mammut.ch/en/productDetail/102005312_v_0121_22/Cyclone-Pants-Men.html in the summer. They don't look like much but trust me I've abused them and it took 2 years before I put my first hole in them. The major downside is that hole came from hot brass that I sat on. The Nylon doesn't hold up to hot metal, cigs, or other things that can melt them.
 
I like the 5.11 Covert Cargo pants. They can hold lots of stuff, including magazines, when you need them to but don't make you look like a contractor tool wanna-be.
 
511 prolite, very comfortable and great range of movement. I would worry more about some dude checkin my pants out than looking to tacticool. YMMV
 
I whole heartedly agree on the 511 TacLite Pros.

Android phone fits perfectly in front flip pocket. Hides my Skelatool, keys, wallet and whatever else easily.
Very comfortable in the winter or summer and no worry about movement restrictions.
policestuff_2250_915458810
 
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I like the Carhartt carpenter pants, extra pockets hold pistol magazines nicely, or screwdrivers, razor knives, depending on what the task at hand is :) I got mine cheap from sierra trading post, worth a look
 
Heavier = Kuhl Fugitv
Lighter = Kuhl Renegade

Very Functional. Very Comfortable. Very sharp.
You will not be disappointed.
 
Came here to support the Duluth firehose pants. Many different styles, all pretty tough.
 
For me the Carhartt carpenter jeans are the ticket but I also don't require cargo type pockets and a lot of the decision is based on the fact that they fit me well and are nice and comfortable. The regular pockets seem to be larger than most pants and the side tool pocket is great for my EDC flashlight and anything else I might need to put in there like pistol mags or some actual tool for work.

I also like the LAPG Operator pants for summer time but I tend not to wear them often as the are too "tactical" looking for me. I want to look helpless. That being said they are cheap and have held up pretty well for me. My legs are much larger than the average person so the fact that they fit me a touch on the snug side means they have plenty of room for most for movement.
 
Gents, thanks for all the quick replies, you've definitely helped me head in the right direction.
 
Oh yeah plus with the carpenter pants you get a hammer loop- I recommend an Estwing 16oz with leather handle, excellent backup weapon! Nobody will think otherwise
 
Carharts are good stuff. They have become my daily wears now. The pockets are suffient to accomidate my entire EDC system and they are comfortable. The downside is that they are 100% cotton thus, thus retain moisture. I also have a set of blackhawk pants that I like pretty well and they are quick drying.
 
I wear either 5.11 taclite or Carhartts Canvas Utility Cargo. The Carhartts avoid the tacticool look and are a great set of pants.
 
I'm a big fan of Woolrich tactical pants for daily use. I had a pair of the Duluth Trading Company firehouse pants for working around the house and shop, but they are a bit much for daily wear.
 
No body cares about your pants, generally. Camo in town will get you noticed, built in plastic knee reinforcments, or shit bristling from every pocket will too, atleast by me. If you wear cargoes/bdu style solid color pants you will not stand out, especially in a brown or grey, unless of course you add "combat" boots/hikers, tuck your dark colored fitted or leo/mil/gun tee or polo, showing your tactical/rigger belt, leatherman and/or surefire and wear your wrap around shades inside.
If I need extra pockets, mobility, or quick drying I wear LAPG's classic BDU pant in coyote cause they're cheap, or Columbia's of some sort that I found on sale. Carharts are nice, but hot, take forever to break in, and days to dry, the material also abraides itself, absorbs everything, stains easily, and burns pretty readily, I don't mind character, some might, for me their mobility sucks, combined with the abrasion factor the crotches always fail long before any other part is ready to go.
 
I wear Vertx around the office, they are very low key and comfortable.

My lapg pants are giving up the ghost. Zipper on one pair is toast, zipper on the other is about to die. But they were dirt cheap.
 
I like these... http://www.thenorthface.com/catalog...rts/mens-paramount-peak-convertible-pant.html

Velcro on the back pockets, and cargo pockets. They also have a zippered pocket on the front (in addition to 2 slash pockets) that I use for carrying a pocket knife or cash, or whatever I REALLY don't want to fall out of my pockets. The legs can be zipped off when it is hot. They come with an integrated belt but have actual belt loops if you need/want something more substantial. Colors include khaki, charcoal, and taupe.And, they come with a limited lifetime warranty. The front zipper ripped out of a pair of mine and I sent them back to the North Face with a letter explaining the problem. Then sent the pants back a couple of weeks later with a new zipper sewn in. That's a lot better than buying another $70 pair of pants. They made a lifetime customer out of me. I'm not terribly rough on my pants but hiking through the coastal range in the summer, or rockies in the winter was no sweat and they look just as good in my day job as they are functional in the field.
 
Yeah I have a couple pairs of the North Face pants and they work well too.
 
For tough functional pants that are not tactical looking, I agree with those pointing towards climbing (and sometimes hiking) pants.
Products from Prana, Blurr, and Arc'teryx are some examples.

The majority have active cuts, without that BDU look. They are made of light, breathable, and durable materials. 'Regular' colors. Low profile pockets. Basically just regular pants for regular guys that also like to spend a bit of the day brushing against rocks repeatedly.
 
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Another vote for Vertx. Despite being busy, they gave me some great customer service last week so I ordered a few more pair.
 
Another vote for Vertx here. Low key, comfortable and trim with a full range of motion. (Plus they don't fit the more rounded folks...like the TSA turds the next floor down, running around in their "tacti-cool" 5.11 pants with beer guts and broad bottoms hanging out. They're "in shape", as I suppose "round" is a shape. :rolleyes: )
 
Heavier = Kuhl Fugitv
Lighter = Kuhl Renegade

Very Functional. Very Comfortable. Very sharp.
You will not be disappointed.


I should have mentioned why I recommend these two models. They come out of the wash MUCH better than all the others. No ironing necessary. The others will come out really wrinkled.

I beg of you to try the Kuhls! Everybody else's opinion is wrong and they're also dumb. No, there's a lot of great recommendations here! Life is too short to wear bad pants.

Just FYI.
 
I prefer Dickies, can't kill their jeans. After this I will definitely be looking at the Duluth line. I am going to wear what is comfortable and works for me though. I really don't care what I look like.
 
+1 for Vertx also. They wear real well and the "cargo" pockets are pretty low key. I carry an ITS Blowout kit on one side and don't even know it's there. Can't beat Carhart or Duluth either though.
 
I whole heartedly agree on the 511 TacLite Pros.

Android phone fits perfectly in front flip pocket. Hides my Skelatool, keys, wallet and whatever else easily.
Very comfortable in the winter or summer and no worry about movement restrictions.
policestuff_2250_915458810

Not sure if I would want to slide into prone right on my phone...
 
Its not directly in front of your leg. I've gone prone with it in my pocket and its not an issue.
The pouch that he has the phone in isn't the one I use. The pouch on his other leg with the flap over the top is.
 
kuhl

my votes are for
kuhl
arborwear
carhart

i just scaned the other posts, dont think i saw arborwear. they are made for arborists i.e. tree climbers. they are pretty nice, i just love the kuhls because they are so comfy.

better to look like a climbing bum or a construction worker than a commando.
 
Wear whats comfortable and suits the weather... half the time I wear standard pattern BDU pants, (the old woodland ones not the crappy new stuff). They were comfortable in the Army and they still are now and quite frankly I gave up worrying about what other people thought about what I was wearing a long time ago.

Heh this grumpy old fart shit is kinda fun.