Idaho – -(AmmoLand.com)- I’ve noticed over time that sportsmen are observant. Here’s what I mean by that. They notice what works well in other factions of their lives and adapt it to their outdoor world. Or maybe they just happen to notice gear used in another field that would work in their outdoor world.
All you have to do is to think about it for a second and you’ll realize that what I’m saying is true. To my understanding some of the employees at Swab-Its! were hunters and thought hmmm…. these swabs we make for the technical world would work great for cleaning our guns. They now have an outdoor line.
Or what about the ever-popular AR platform? What was instrumental in bringing it into the outdoor world was the young servicemen returning from the battlefield. (No doubt all through history returning servicemen favor the rifle they used overseas since they were comfortable with them) But what if they hadn’t introduced us, sportsman, to the AR rifle platform? It is now the rifle of choice when hog hunting isn’t it? And who doesn’t own multiple AR’s?
So with that said, I’m not a tactical type of guy. I’m not on a SWAT team, I’ve never jumped out of a helicopter with a Randall knife clenched in my teeth but still, I’m smart enough to notice that some of the tactical gear fits perfectly into my outdoor world. And nothing is more obvious than that a lot of the 5.11 gear fits in the outdoorsman’s world, especially their pants. Which brings up today’s product review, the 5.11 ABR Pro Pant.
5.11 Tactical ABR PRO Pant
At the 2020 SHOT Show, I had a meeting with the 5.11 marketing guru Kristen Gooding. Of course, I was familiar with their pants but have always dealt with other companies on tactical pants. As she showed me their various offerings, I really got excited. Wow, they offer a million options that would fit into my outdoor world, whether hunting, fishing, backpacking or even their shorts for backpacking and fishing.
Plus, they are nice looking enough to wear as casual to wear even to Church. In fact, I had four seminars at the SCI Conv. last week. I wore them to conduct my seminars and had a lot of compliments on them. So they are also nice enough looking to wear in town.
But the main reason I got my ABR Pro Pant is for use in my outdoor world. There are a few things I look for when purchasing outdoor pants:
- I like them loose fitting so I can wear a base layer under them.
- I want zip or Velcro pockets. If I lose my 4-wheeler or truck keys back in the mountains at best I will have a longggg hike out and at worst I may die.
- Along with #2, I have gear that I just don’t want to lose. My cell phone, pocket knife, camera, billfold, etc.
I have a love/hate relationship with pocket clips on my EDC folders. I hate them because they cause a bottleneck when I’m trying to reach into my pocket to grab something. But I must also love them because if my folder has a clip, I always use it. The ABR Pant solved this quandary. They have a small pocket on top of my right front pocket that I think is really designed to carry extra magazines but it works perfectly for holding my folder. There is also a small pocket on the left side. (They advertise that one of these can be used to carry a cell phone but both are too small to hold mine).
I don’t attach my keys on a pocket clip but if you do, the 5.11 ABR Pro Pant has a clip on the bottom of the first belt loop.
Maybe 10-15 yrs. ago I noticed some companies advertising that their pants had Rip-Stop fabric. I shrugged it off as a non-issue for me until….one week I was backpacking by myself in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness Area. It is a rough country on a good day but on this particular trip, I got a lot of tears and rips in my pant legs. I can’t remember if they were hanging up on snags or what but what begun as small rips in the knees ended up ripping from my ankles up to almost my belt loops. By the time I was packing out they were indecent. But there was nothing that I could so. To reduce weight, I don’t take spare clothes while backpacking. After that trip I now very much LIKE Rip-stop pants!
I ordered my 5.11 ABR PRO Pants in Ranger Green so I blend in better while outdoors. As noted below, they are 71% Polyester and have a Teflon finish so they are spill/stain resistant.
As we close, I have to give the 5.11 ABR Pro Pant a great rating. I love them. They have an MSRP of $43.99 and as is usual, we will close with the specs.
5.11 Tactical ABR PRO Pant FEATURES DETAILS
• 71% Polyester / 29% Cotton FlexLite ripstop, 5.6 oz
• Light weight FlexLite fabric for maximum performance and movement
• Teflon® finish resists water, dirt, and stains for longer wear
• Reinforced seat & knees
• 9 total pockets
• Internal knee pad ready
• D-ring
• Fade resistant tool strap
• Device ready
• Straight Fit
• Imported
About Tom Claycomb
Tom Claycomb has been an avid hunter/fisherman throughout his life as well as an outdoor writer with outdoor columns in the magazine Hunt Alaska, Bass Pro Shops, Bowhunter.net and freelances for numerous magazines and newspapers. “To properly skin your animal, you will need a sharp knife. I have an e-article on Amazon Kindle titled Knife Sharpening #ad for $.99 if you’re having trouble.”
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