When you begin working in harsh environments or travelling to extreme places of the globe, you quickly realize that normal pants just won’t do a good job. Royal Robbins, one of the most legendary American rock climbers and founder of 511 Tactical had the same idea, and in 1968 he started manufacturing the first 511 Tactical pants. Since then, the company has had a change of ownership but their products have become lighter, more durable and of a higher quality.
511 Tactical currently sells a wide variety of “tactical” gear and clothing and is widely regarded as one of the best clothing manufacturers in this niche industry. They sell clothes for men and women alike, but they also have gender-free products such as bags, packs, shoes, plate carriers and various accessories. Furthermore, they supply professional-quality gear to the New York Police Department, law enforcement entities, fire-fighting brigades and EMS workers. All of their products can be found for sale on their website – even the professional ones!
My wife wanted to take me mountaineering a few weeks ago and I thought it was a perfect opportunity to test 511 Tactical’s products. I chose their A.T.A.C. Sage 8″ CST boots, a pair of stain and moisture-resistant Ridgeline pants and their All Hazards Nitro backpack. I was not ready to be so impressed, but the products remained flawless even after being put through a ton of torture on my trip. Let’s talk about what 511 Tactical can offer to its customers.
511 Tactical Features
511 Tactical Products
511 Tactical offers a wide variety of gear and clothing from top to bottom and for nearly every strenuous activity. Let’s take a quick look at their products in their respective categories.
Men’s and Women’s Clothing
Pants, Shorts and Cargo Shorts
This company offers over a hundred different types of pants in all sizes, several inseam lengths and types and multiple colors. Their men’s pants come in three different fits - slim, straight and relaxed, while their women’s pants also come in a skinny variant.
Various features of 511 Tactical pants include cargo pockets, stretch fabric, kneepad readiness and water/dirt resistance. Specially-made pants are their cargo pants, 5-pocket style pants, tights, Teflon treated and permanent crease pants.
You can select for specific uses as well, and these include work, fire/EMS departments, law enforcement, outdoor, range or everyday use.
Furthermore, 511 Tactical offers 22 different types of shorts for men and nine for women, with options in color, inseam length, size and use.
Finally, they offer seven different types of cargo shorts for men in 15 different sizes and six different colors.
Shirts and Base Layer Clothing
511 Tactical offers 198 types of men’s shirts of nearly all types, as well as 16 types of base layer clothing. They have button-ups, polos, performance tops, pullovers, hoodies, t-shirts, tank-tops and base and middle layer clothing. This category of clothing can be selected for the range, outdoor use, training, concealed carry or professional use.
Also, customers can choose their products by fit (regular, classic, fitted or compression); by size (in 12 different sizes); by shirt and sleeve lengths as well as by color. In the base layer clothing category, 511 Tactical also offers specialized tactical underwear.
The company offers 89 different types of shirts for women, including three base layer items. They have all the variations of men’s shirts plus flannel shirts, and they can also select for sleeve types – short, long or sleeveless.
Outerwear and Vests
There is a large degree of diversity and specialization in 511 Tactical’s outerwear products for both men and women. They offer jackets, parkas, windbreakers and vests which can be selected for fit, size, length, reflectivity, color and use.
The company offers products for concealed carry, range, outdoor or training use, as well as professional and everyday use. Furthermore, 511 Tactical offers men’s tactical vests and plate carriers, which come in 16 different sizes, seven different colors and five different lengths.
Footwear
511 Tactical strives to cover all of their customers’ needs regarding footwear. That’s why they offer socks, shoes and boots for both men and women in all sizes and with a variety of colors available.
Their boots come with two different widths and several important features such as a composite safety toe, side zipper, Vibram outsoles, polishable toe, knife pocket, slip resistance and ASTM certification. Women’s footwear includes tactical and outdoor boots, work and safety boots, police and duty boots as well as athletic shoes and separately-sold shoelaces.
Bags & Packs
511 Tactical sells various types of packs, bags and backpacks, pouches and attachments. Currently, they sell nearly 150 different types of bags in all volumes, ten different colors and several specializations.
These include handbags & totes, sling packs, messenger bags, hard cases, guns and ammo storage bags, fire-fighting and EMS packs, concealed carry bags, MOLLE bags and regular backpacks.
511 Tactical bags offer various extra features such as hexgrids, water bottle, laptop and concealed carry compartments, tactical bags, hydration bladder compartments, MOLLE and low visibility bags.
Accessories
511 Tactical’s accessories reflect the rest of their assortment – affordability, high quality and specialized use. They offer various belts, holsters, slings, plate carriers, gloves, flashlights, patches, hats, beanies, sunglasses, watches, wallets, multi-tools and elbow/knee protection pads.
Professional
If you work in law enforcement, fire-fighting, EMS or the army, you can benefit from the products on sale at 511 Tactical as they are usually of higher quality than the ones provided and can replace your defective gear and clothing at a low price. This category of products includes classes A and B uniforms and clothing, breaching tools, plate carriers and purpose-based packs.
511 Tactical Deals
Promotions and sales
511 Tactical likes to tempt its customer base with various deals. For example, when you first go on their website, they offer you up to 50% off your next order if you spend $100. Additionally, they have hundreds of items of all types on sale at reduced prices, constantly changing the products on offer.
Shipping
The shipping at 511 Tactical is free for any orders over $35 going to the United States. International shipping is available, but costs more. Order tracking is provided through phone call or the company’s website. All orders are shipped through UPS.
Pros and Cons
Pros
Cons
Final Verdict
511 Tactical is the final destination for all those that need durable clothing and gear for any reason whatsoever. You may work in the military or law enforcement, you may be a prepper or survivalist, you may spend a ton of time outdoors or on the range or you may just want a solid pair of pants. In any case, 511 Tactical has something to offer you from its wide palette of high quality products. Personally, I love my little “mountaineering get-up”, as my wife calls it. It looks good, feels good and makes the wearer feel nearly impregnable.
If I could give one single reason to buy 511 Tactical’s products, it’s that feeling they provide – the feeling you get when you know you’re wearing apparel of superb quality!
