Cargo Pants.

Will P.

Will P.

Joined
Mar 26, 2004
Messages
1,467
I am looking for quality cargo pants. I went to a clothes store and all their pants had tiny pockets and big logos - i.e. yuppy pants.

Essentially, I want solid color BDU pants. Does anyone have suggestions?
 
Hmmm...actually you can search for "BDU cargo pants" on google and come up with a ton of links...but choosing where to buy from could be the thing. Hard to try them on online...

At first I thought 'Carhart' pants...they're very high quality...but if you want something specifically military...hit a gun show or military surplus store...or get on the G503.com forum and ask if anyone sells clothing??? I have some older military cargo pants because my Father was a military vehicle collector and restorer and had them all as uniforms for parades and such...but I guess you'd just need to figure out what color and era you want.

Hope this helps...good luck. :)

Balicat
 
bdu.com sells propper BDU's in a variety of colors including solid, official camo, and the gay rainbow camo.

every order is a flat 6.99 UPS shipping rate, which is pretty cool. hope it helps.
 
Now the question is what fabric to choose?
 
depends what you're looking for and what conditions you'll be in.


Here's my opinion(s).

100% cotton is a general place to start. it's inexpensive, relatively durable, and of medium weight. cotton is fairly absorbant so it kind of sucks in the rain/wet weather. it can also be pretty hot in the summer time.

right now i'm wearing 65% polyester 35% cotton. i prefer this material a little more because it's thinner and lighter weight which makes it more suitable for most conditions. i can still wear it in the summer time and layer it with long underwear for the Michigan winter. as far as i can tell this material is fairly durable. however, i find that 65/35 is not as comfortable as cotton for some reason. i guess that's just preferance.

IMO 65/35 polyester/cotton is the happy medium of materials you can choose from.

hope it helps.
 
5.11 tactical. You can't go wrong. Maybe a little pricey but durable as h#@% and very confortable.
 
I'll 2nd the 5.11.
 
cool stuff, will P. i bet the BDU's they issue you are 100% cotton, so you'll have something to base your experiences on.

for something more casual and less as "tactical" maybe you could look into cabela's version BDU trouser. it's the same essential 6-pocket trouser design but of softer, less as tough material.
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...0&parentType=index&rid=&cmCat=MainCatcat21082

IMO they are more aesthetically pleasing than actual BDUs.

Good luck with your search and your first year at the academy. With any luck i'll be a brown bar in 2006.



Hope it helps.
 
I've had Propper and Tru-Spec, and of the two I prefer the Tru-Spec. They construction seems to be a bit better, and I believe they were the same price. And for what it's worth, I prefer the 100% cotton. It's a bit cooler and just feels better.

James
 
5.11 & Cabela's are both top quality...I like both. Nothing really wrong with good quality BDUs. However, Cabela's look a little more civilian, if that's significant to you. Specifically you can get brown ones. i like brown because it blends in with nature but doesn't make you look like a Rambo wanna be, or like you are going out of your way to prepare for skulking through the bushes--sort of socio-psychological camo. Also cabelas has at least 2 or 3 styles of multi-pocket hiker pants, so you have some choices, velcro or buttons, among other things.
 
Ed Ricketts said:
5.11 & Cabela's are both top quality...I like both. Nothing really wrong with good quality BDUs. However, Cabela's look a little more civilian, if that's significant to you. Specifically you can get brown ones. i like brown because it blends in with nature but doesn't make you look like a Rambo wanna be, or like you are going out of your way to prepare for skulking through the bushes--sort of socio-psychological camo. Also cabelas has at least 2 or 3 styles of multi-pocket hiker pants, so you have some choices, velcro or buttons, among other things.
Click to expand...
Yeah, the more civvie it looks the better.
 
Try them, also the Sportsmans Guide, he gets unbelievable deals on all kinds of military surplus, including foreign military surplus. He also gets some good deals on knives sometimes.
 
another very ENERGETIC vote for the 5.11 series. NEVER did I think that pants/shorts would make a difference, until I broke down to the peer pressure here and buy a pair of 5.11s. My local range ran a sale on them so I tried them and now my 3 nice pair of Columbia cargos sit in the closet. I will wear my 5.11s until they are filthy just because I don't want to wear anything else. I am about the break down and buy 2-3 more pair. GREAT wear and very comfortable.

good luck.
David
 
I read on the internet that 5.11's will be the last pants I ever wear.
I didn't believe it but it is true. I have several pairs of 5.11's and many of the shirts and poloshirts.
I am a walking 5.11 advert and will wear basically nothing else unless forced to.

Al
 
Maybe it's just me, but since you're on a military path....

If you're one of those guys who's legs friggin grow like crazy when you do practice rucking or when you sprint and run alot, 5.11's are gonna be kinda snug. I was never a tight fitting pants type guy. I have some Columbia made ones that have worked just fine, and fit better. Plus it's Columbia, you aren't gonna stand out looking like the posterboy Soldier of the year with them on.

Just my opinions. :D
 
Yet another vote for the 5.11 tactitcal. Only drawback is that they can be hard to find, many places are backordered.

On the other hand, my backordered 5.11s from 1SKS just arrived Friday, so get em while they're hot.
 
i like truspec or 5.11's myself, some of the BDU's i have are too light weight imho, the truspecs are a little heavier, 5.11's also.
 
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