Many of you that read the blog regularly are probably familiar with the 5.11 Tactical Clothing Line from the Royal Robbins company. For several years they have been the industry standard for guys that want a tactical pant without a uniformed look, and they have always been popular at most of the shooting sports matches. I have first hand experience with many of their products from my days in the Law Enforcement community. Their products hold up well, are comfortable to wear, and you can find them on-line for very reasonable prices.
A company you may not have heard much about is the Woolrich Elite Series. They offer products that are similar in form and function to the 5.11 line of clothing. We have been testing the Elite series for a while and have found them to be adequate in some areas and excellent in others. A few of the products we really like are the Elite Discreet Pant, the Elite Lightweight Vest, and the Elite Discreet Carry Short-Sleeve Shirt.
The Elite Discreet Pant is made of rugged material, but it is missing some features normally found on tactical pants that scream tactical. These pants don’t have cargo pockets, but they retain the large rear pockets. They are similarly priced to the 5.11 line, and we would rate them a little better in overall look. The one thing we noticed is they fit a little tighter than the 5.11 counterparts, but overall we would highly recommend this pant.
The Elite Lightweight vest may be our overall favorite product for those of you who want to be in IDPA or IPSC. It differs from the 5.11 offering in that it has been scaled back to not include all of the pockets. It has what you need, but nothing more. For a tactical operator it may be a little slim on options, but it is much more comfortable to wear. We love the fit and finish and think it is a great value, but it is still not for you to wear to the mall!! Keep it on the range Rambo.
The final item that we tried out was the Elite Discreet Carry Short-Sleeve shirt. These shirts are designed to be worn like a Hawaiian shirt for CCW purposes. The shirts are priced very well, and the overall look is very nice. However, we found it very hard to use for CCW purposes. It simply prints the gun too much. We also had a problem with the button holes on the shirts tearing after a while. This isn’t a deal breaker because the shirts are not that expensive, but it is something to keep in mind. Finally, if a wrinkled shirt bothers you this shirt may not be for you. It looks great when pressed, but it wrinkles quickly. Overall we probably wouldn’t recommend this one as something you need for your tactical/competition needs.
If you haven’t tried out the Elite Series from Woolrich, you really should. If you are a competitive shooter, you should definitely check out the vest. It is top notch. As this industry grows, there will be more and more companies coming out with items specifically designed for shooters, and that means you should continue to have more great options like these.