Opinions on Designing Concealed Carry Pants

[Clusterfrack]

Cargo pockets: I put my wallet in the left one. I hate using a back or front pocket for a wallet.

[ST911]

We are in the very early stages of designing a pair of pants with concealed carry in mind, specifically AIWB/IWB. We are going to be purposefully light on the details of what we are thinking design and feature-wise at this point because we would like some input from anyone who is willing to provide any. This project will not be complete until 2022 but we would like to get as much info as possible about what your ideal concealed carry pant would be like.

We thank everyone in advance for their time and we will provide more specific info about the project and some of the ideas we have after we have the opportunity to hear from everyone here.

Don't.

Unless you're cooperating with an established clothing vendor that you're not disclosing, stick with what you're good at, variations thereof, and that you have capacity to sustain. There is no shortage of options in pants, your product is niche. Domestic/Berry production will price with you premium gear already popular with a market. Off shore will price with you everyone else, and you'll have to be willing to uphold the standard or settle for "typical." You'll also have to pick a direction for your fit templates, which will narrow you further.

Don't undermine your brand by being the next liquidation on LAPG/Botach/etc.

[Mack]

We want to thank everyone for the feedback so far. We really appreciate you taking time out of your day to offer your input and opinions. We are looking forward to hearing more from everyone here on PF!

Some things that may be helpful to know about the pants are that they will be manufactured here in the US, they will be made from actual fabrics and not technical materials, and like all of our other gear they will only be available on our site.

[vcdgrips]

ST911 speaks truth.


Just ask Magpul.

[vcdgrips]

Mack
Given your updated info: Carhartts might be another line to look at as well. i.e. their rugged flex straight.

[Hot Sauce]

I agree with @vcdgrips about using the 5.11 defender flex slim/straight pant as a starting point.

My ideas:

• Slim taper especially toward the bottom
• No saggy ass
• Move the rear pockets up so they don't end way below the butt
• No cargo pockets, no AR mag pockets, roughly a typical jean look
• Side hip pockets
• Mid rise
• Typical jean colors, dark blue + washed/desaturated black
• Stretchy or gusseted crotch, and double or triple stitched (this is the area I blow out and end up patching the most)
• Semi-stretch all over
• Boxed and X'd but otherwise regular looking belt loops
• Reinforced pocket lips free of anything clips may catch on
• Minimal to no tactical looking shit/multicam/branding/etc

I'd add more to this list, but I want to be realistic and not have them cost $200

[jrbway]

Mack,

Love this idea. My thoughts:

• Keep the front belt loops spaced wide and use dual belt loops in the back
• Deep pockets
• Simple stitching: nothing super flashy
• Not too many pockets (none of those weird zippered hidden pockets, please)
• Pick a couple of popular pants (Levi 514, J Crew 770, Duluth Firehose) to compare with on sizing
• Don’t make the leg opening too wide, please
• Decent fabric with just enough stretch. IMO the current J Crew Stretch Chinos are just about perfect
• Embrace the 5-pocket Chino scene. I suggest light gray, stone (light khaki), khaki, olive, and navy
• Gustin’s model of crowdfunding works

[Yung]

I wear an ankle cuff for medical stuff. I can make it work with a straight or loose taper, not so much on slim.

[tlong17]

NO CARGO POCKETS.

If you decide to go with cargo pockets...consider a second option that doesn't have them.

Nothing like having a shit ton of cargo pockets and looking like I just air dropped into Home Despot on a Saturday morning.

[Mack]

We have had a lot of input so far both here and via email which we appreciate very much.

Some things that we would like to add for clarity based on the feedback we have gotten so far is that we will not be making tac pants or anything that remotely resembles tac pants, cargo pants, or the like.

Our goal is to make normal looking garments with modest adjustments to the designs to make them conducive for carry, specifically AIWB and to a lesser degree IWB. As you may have heard us say in the past when talking about belts that the design of one's pants can have a dramatic influence of comfort and concealment. Having tried countless brands and styles of pants from all over the world we have yet to find something we are completely satisfied with as none of them are designed from inception to aid in AIWB/IWB carry.

We do have previous experience with small scale garment manufacturing and will be making everything here in the US from US and other premium materials when US sources are not available (most likely Italian, British, and Japanese fabric). Initially everything would be available in small runs, and we are hopeful that we can help those that are searching for regular type clothing options that have subtle design features that make them great for carry.