The first time I got to try on the First Tactical Specialist Tactical pant, I was amazed with the quality, durability, and organizational capacity they offered. Not to mention that the price of $40 was better than anything I have seen in the competition unless they were having a rare liquidation sale at a local store or online. But all that aside, I have spent a good amount of time testing this product since my last review. I used it as much as I could when going out in the freezing cold and whenever their was a situation that involved getting cold, wet, and dirty.

STORAGE

The First Tactical Specialist Tactical pant was apparently designed to hold AR mags since the start. Each cargo pocket can stash two 30 round AR mags quite comfortably in the split organizer, and the front cell phone pockets each hold one AR mag, which I found handy as speed reload positions. In total, you can carry 6 AR magazines easily and by design.

I had been using these pockets to organize my EDC from the start and I really liked how they kept everything in its own special place. It is always easy to find what I am looking for and everything is always secure without a doubt. When I am at the range, my EDC typically gets replaced with magazine after magazine and sometimes loose rounds.

The cargo pockets are the perfect height on the thigh for carrying ammo because you don’t have the constant burden of having metal or hard polymer smacking the side of your knee every step. Even running with all pockets loaded was easy in terms of mobility, aside from the obvious weight difference from 6 fully loaded AR magazines. Personally, it was a stretch to have full comfort and mobility with four magazines on my person when running my rifles. I will say that I prefer to only have the left side occupied with ammo while the right side can be my gear side.

FUNCTIONALITY

Since I viewed the First Tactical pants as being heavy duty pants, I wanted to further test its functionality in that role. When I first put on the pants, they were a bit stiff and the material seemed about twice as thick as the competition. That hasn’t changed much, but I would say that the fabric has lost some of the rigidity it first had and has become very flexible and comfortable.

During my time using these pants, I have favored them when working in the cold or during long manual labor projects. Unfortunately, the inevitable happened and my cargo pocket got pierced and cut open while I was working with really sharp fencing wire.

As you can see, the wire cut through both the cargo pocket, and the inside organizer pocket. You can see that the Rip-Stop is doing it’s job in preventing the hole from getting larger, threatening to render the cargo pocket useless.

These pants have been reasonably durable, and I am very pleased with the quality of the product in terms of its handling of stretching, abrasion, cuts, etc.

The cargo pockets are one of my favorite features because of the flap. The flap stays very stiff and doesn’t wrinkle up after using it and crushing it. The only thing I noticed is that it doesn’t fall back down under its own weight after you open it, which is different from most other cargo pockets. You mostly have to flick it down with your fingers or it will remain open.

Moving around in these pants is not very hard. I just find that I really needed to hike up the pants in order to take full advantage of the running gusset when crouching or getting into a low squat. It can really tense up if the pants are not fitting right, or if you are loaded down with ammo.

CONCLUSIONS

I have come to feel that I should have gotten an inseam that was a size shorter if I want to have full functionality and versatility. I feel that these pants are very well suited for the everyday Joe, as well as the first responder. In under a minute, you can load yourself up with 90-120 rounds of 5.56/.223 and be ready to move without any extra pouches, vests, etc. Until that time, the organizers and simple layout of the pants provide a great way to store the essentials and have them at the ready at all times.

The First Tactical Specialist Tactical pants are not loaded with feature after game-changing feature, but they are straight and to the point. In my experience, this kind of setup is exactly what I would want in a product that I am going to use daily. They have a small color range to choose from, but I think any color will do for everyday usage, unless a specific color is required. First Tactical primarily caters their products to first responders and the like, but I feel that the regular guy looking for a practical and versatile pair of pants could also make great use of this product. Is it the best thing you could get? no. Is it gonna be the most undercover thing you can wear? Not really. Is it highly functional and does it give you everything you need and nothing you don’t? Oh yeah.

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