SpotterUp writer Jason Silva previously reviewed Aurora Projects SD1 Fracture jeans here.
Like Jason, I am a big fan of the Aurora Project and their signature products, the SD1 jeans. SD1 stand for Sled Driver 1, an homage to the nickname given to pilots of the A-12 Oxcart spy plane flown by CIA pilots operationally in 1967 and 1968. The Sled Drivers flew missions over North Vietnam and North Korea, including the mission to locate the USS Pueblo in Changjahwan Bay.
Photo courtesy of CIA
Design/Manufacture
Unlike the Fracture (which undergoes a wash treatment), the Rinse version of the SD1s come in crisp dark indigo and are specially treated to hold their color consistency over time. In my opinion, they look sharper than the more relaxed Fracture and at least for my purposes, probably fit in better in my business casual environments.
The Aurora team makes the jeans out of a Japanese stretch denim. The stretch denim, combined with the softener bath that the pants are put through, gives the jeans a very comfortable feel without sacrificing durability.
The two slash hip pockets are deep and provide significant flexibility in carry options. They easily hold AR magazines almost completely concealed and can come close to concealing a full size AK mag. It wouldn’t surprise me to fit an MBITR in that pocket. I even carried a bottle of wine in the pocket to a party once when I was short an extra pair of hands. As to holding my iPhone (my most common need these days), the hip pockets more than ably do the job.
On the front thighs are two other utility pockets. They happen to be perfect for multiple items, including pocket knives, multi tools, pistol magazines, tourniquets, flash lights, protein bars or just about anything else of similar size.
All of the pockets are reinforced at the openings and I expect them to hold up well for many years.
Performance
I wore the pants on the range for several sessions and used the extra pockets for magazine stowage. I took a little time to get used to not having spare mags on a battle belt, but I quickly adjusted to drawing from the various pants pockets. Magazines were easy to cleanly draw and replace when needed. If you work in a low profile environment where you don’t have the option of a full battle belt, these jeans provide a solid option for carrying extra magazines securely.
Negatives (or room for improvement)
No true concealment pockets – I travel regularly overseas and like to have some true concealment capabilities for use in non-permissive and/or austere environments. Pockets custom designed to hold a small blade, handcuff key, lock pick set etc. would be very useful additions to these jeans.
One last thing I noticed was a slight size difference between the Fracture and the Rinse. I didn’t notice it at first, but after a few wearings/washings, I noticed the Fracture waist was almost an extra inch larger. More an annoyance than anything, and hardly noticeable when CCW iWB, but when just wearing the jeans around the house, it made difference.
Overall
I like these jeans, especially the sharp look of the Rinse. They wear and perform well. If you are looking for a solid tactical jean that doesn’t look like its tactical, and one that will fit in to most environments, you really can’t go wrong with the Aurora Project team’s products. You can find the SD1 Rinse jeans here.
I received this product as a courtesy from the manufacturer via Spotter Up so I could test it and give my honest feedback. I am not bound by any written, verbal, or implied contract to give this product a good review. All opinions are my own and are based off my personal experience with the product.
Material Disclosure
I received this product as a courtesy from the manufacturer via Spotter Up so I could test it and give my honest feedback. I am not bound by any written, verbal, or implied contract to give this product a good review. All opinions are my own and are based off my personal experience with the product.
*The views and opinions expressed on this website are solely those of the original authors and contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Spotter Up Magazine, the administrative staff, and/or any/all contributors to this site.