Best Tactical Cargo Pants

[ubervic]

To each his own, but 20 years as a married man (and another 18 as a father) has trained me firmly away from wearing dirty clothing (or allowing same in my house).

I won't give a pass to a clothing maker that markets pants that are washed with care yet still shrink inordinately.

[rob_s]

Yeah, no cargos for work for me. All office geek with occasional construction site visits.

I'm ordering these today. Tried on the non-stretch last week and fit well enough for me to give them a sh

I have no experience with MK pants, but the easiest solution if you like them is to size up and wash them as infrequently as possible. I looked at their website and it says the pants are garment washed (washed after being sewn together, but doesn't guarantee they will be pre-shrunk) but makes no mention of the fabric being sanforized (a process which reduces the amount a fabric will shrink) or not. I would find it unlikely to have an unsaforized fabric with any spandex content but certainly not impossible. Unsanforized fabrics can shrink up to 10% when washed, and even though sanforized fabrics are only supposed to shrink 1-3% when washed, it can be up to 5% depending on weave density.

Twill fabrics shrink more with the grain (warp) than crossgrain (weft) which is why the inseam shrinks more than the waist. When the pants get tighter they also get less durable as they are under more stress. This is why you will see a baggy pair of $30 jeans last forever and you will get a crotch blowout in 6 months in a pair of $300 skinny jeans. Fortunately the fabrics relax back to their natural size (or sometimes bigger) with wearing, but the downside is you can't wash them. Even washing in cold water and air drying will cause some shrinkage. Fortunately as long as you don't get your pants filthy they don't actually get that dirty if you don't wash them for a while.

I got the pants I linked to above, and because of the various shrinkage issues I went up an inch in the waist to a 35" instead of a 34" and opted for the 32" inseam instead of the 30". Having not yet washed them, they are both too loose and too long. Hopefully that will remedy with a washing or two, but in the immediate term I'm very happy with them and if I can get the size settled on will be ordering quite a few more. I just need 4 pairs of khakis that fit and are comfortable to wear each for two days for two weeks to cut down on laundry. And they can't be dryclean, or require some weird ritual to wash either. They need to go in the wash, come out, go in the dryer, get hung up when it's convenient for me.

What's frustrating about clothes buying, in general, is having no way to predict shrinkage, or (especially in the case of brands like Vertx) what factory they make the pants in to start with dictating the size they are when they come out of the package. Having uncomfortable clothing can really ruin my day since I spend so much of it sitting on my ass now.

[MGW]

How much do the VertX pants shrink? I received the three pair I ordered on close out from LA Police gear. I like them a lot but the waist is a perfect fit. If they shrink much I'll be in trouble. I would like to order more but trying to decide if I should go up a size.


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[Chris17404]

Hello. I thought I'd just add my 2 cents to the discussion. A while ago I was searching for multiple pairs of pants that I could carry my EDC items easily yet look good in a business casual environment. I found these Eddie Bauer Men's Classic Fit Legend Wash Chino Pants: Here

They are excellent. They are not cargo pants, but the front and back pockets are nice and big, they are very soft and comfortable, come is many colors, and the styling is classic with a perfect fit for me. Not too tight nor baggy. I'm 6'2", 190lbs with long legs. I ordered the 36" waist/34" inseam and chose the "tall fit" which adds an extra bit to the rise in the crotch. If I'm not wearing jeans, I'm wearing these pants.

I highly recommend them. Hope this helps someone out.

Oh... and no shrinkage.

[Mack]

I got the pants I linked to above, and because of the various shrinkage issues I went up an inch in the waist to a 35" instead of a 34" and opted for the 32" inseam instead of the 30". Having not yet washed them, they are both too loose and too long. Hopefully that will remedy with a washing or two, but in the immediate term I'm very happy with them and if I can get the size settled on will be ordering quite a few more. I just need 4 pairs of khakis that fit and are comfortable to wear each for two days for two weeks to cut down on laundry. And they can't be dryclean, or require some weird ritual to wash either. They need to go in the wash, come out, go in the dryer, get hung up when it's convenient for me.

What's frustrating about clothes buying, in general, is having no way to predict shrinkage, or (especially in the case of brands like Vertx) what factory they make the pants in to start with dictating the size they are when they come out of the package. Having uncomfortable clothing can really ruin my day since I spend so much of it sitting on my ass now.

I'm super picky about all my clothes, and unfortunately my time in garment manufacturing has only taught me there's no end in sight for the frustration. The best way to reduce the chances of having any of your clothes being made useless by the washing machine or struggling with inconsistent sizing is to buy things from larger companies. Believe it or not a garment really needs to have a separate pattern made for each colorway as a pair of paints in a particular fabric can vary in shrinkage between colors, and if they don't make a separate pattern you end up buying two pairs of the same pants that fit differently. These smaller companies are generally at the mercy of their sewing contractor, and with minimums in place (usually 100-1000 per individual style), making a garment correctly could put the company out of business through inventory costs alone. That's not really an acceptable excuse for poor craftsmanship but there's no avoiding it unfortunately. At least we know we are not alone with our garment woes.

[punkey71]

Slight necro post but I dont think these these mentioned specifically.

I haven't bought pants or shorts and a couple years and after reading this I was trying to figure out what I wanted to try.

I do like cargo shorts/pants because I usually have a bunch of crap in my pockets and hate stuff in front and back pockets.

I decided to give the Duluth Dry on the Fly pants a shot. I ordered both shorts and a pair of pants.

They don't offer traditional sizing in the DOTF line. They come in medium, large, XL etc. due to the flex, I assume. I typically wear 36 and carry a G19 AIWB in a JMCK. I ordered the large and they're a great fit. The front belt loops allow for the proper position for my 1.5 inch clip. The loops are only about 1.5" though, so if you wear a 1.75" belt they won't work.

They are very lightweight and very comfortable. Between the flex material and crotch gusset there is no restriction anywhere. I'm glad I gave them a shot. They're perfect for summer time but probably too thin for winter for most folks. They are DEFINETELY lightweight. Thats actually why I was drawn to them. I sweat in winter and will probably wear them year round. I only wear long pants below freezing or working in the woods.

They certainly may not be perfect for everybody but I'm glad I bought them and have no regrets.

They are a little expensive though - to me at least. $135 shipped for the pair.

Im really excited about pairing these with my Volund SLIM G Hook belt once it arrives. I currently have the standard thickness Volund and while not bad, I dont think I need it as stiff as it is for my body type and carry method.

[martin_j001]

I'm a bigger guy and often have a hard time finding pants that fit well (cavernous at the ankles or too tight overall, etc). I've found the Duluth Flex pants to work great for me. And I prefer the carpenter style too, as they don't stand out too much.

[punkey71]

Try the above Dry on the Fly version of the flex pants. I think you'll really enjoy them

[martin_j001]

Try the above Dry on the Fly version of the flex pants. I think you'll really enjoy them

They will likely be my next purchase. I bought some of the Flex shorts a while back, but only before discovering the next waist size up is a much more comfortable fit on me (especially for carrying IWB). I like the lighter fabric of the Flex models too, so even lighter gets my attention...

[rob_s]

Try the above Dry on the Fly version of the flex pants. I think you'll really enjoy them

I really want to try these bu (a) the $80 price tag is off-putting and (b) the sizing skips my ideal waist size of 35".