TAD Gear Review: The Best Nightopping Trouser Made?

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TAD Gear Review: The Best Nightopping Trouser Made?

Post by Azotos » Wed Dec 04, 2013 1:56 am

Today I am coming to you with a picture heavy review of what I believe to be, and certainly in my own experience, the best, most versatile trouser for opping that money can buy. And speaking of money, I'm going to go ahead and break it to you, these pants are not cheap.

The Pant:
TAD Gear Force 10 RS Cargo Pant
Price: $120

Please excuse the pleb tier iPhone photos, I am by no means a photographer and phone camera pics are about the best I can manage. Hopefully they will suffice.

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Unrestricted freedom of movement

Where's the Beef?
These pants are made from a ripstop NYCO blend of 52% nylon and 48% cotton. Unfortunately, TAD does not offer these in any camouflage patterns, but I find the "Battleship Gray" color to be perfect for blending into an urban/industrial setting at low light. These pictures don't do the color of the pants justice, it's a deep and rich gray, I highly recommend the color. The D-rings are marked "WJ", but I'm not sure who made them. However, they feel to be a high quality plastic, and things like d-rings have never really concerned me because the fabric they are connected to is much more likely to fail before the ring itself does. The zipper fly is a YKK Vislon style zipper (which is the version with plastic teeth). All buttons are Canadian style with 500-cord sleeve fastening them to the fabric. The leg drawstrings are also made from 500-cord sleeve. One thing can be certain about these pants: TAD did not cut corners with materials. But enough of me sounding like a sales rep.

The Cut
According to TAD's website, these are relaxed fit, straight cut pants. That doesn't quite do these pants justice. Quick disclaimer: I ordered these a size above what I needed. TAD was out of stock in my size and they restock notoriously slowly. I took them to a tailor and had them hemmed and brought in to my specs. These pants make you feel like you belong in them. Nothing feels stiff, uncomfortable, or awkward. Everything fits impeccably.

As someone who practiced martial arts for over seven years, I know when a pant is restrictive of movement and when it isn't. Our gi's needed to be tight enough to not be baggy, but cut to allow for kicks. These pants incorporate two features that I find to be essential for any active use pants: a gusseted crotch and articulated knees. Contain yourselves, ladies.
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The diamond shaped piece of fabric in my groin area is the crotch gusset. These are absolutely essential for freedom of movement, and the gusset on the Force 10's is extremely generous. A gusset like this means that you can take large steps without having the pant pull up, or fatiguing the stitching.
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The two almost parallel stitches are the articulation at the knee. These cause the direction of the pants to be less straight and more curved, as human legs tend to be. Articulation like this means that the hem won't pull up to your shin when you take a knee or crouch. Also evident in this picture is the knee reinforcement: To allow for knee pads, there is an extra layer of fabric sewn on at the knees with a velcro enclosed opening at the bottom. This also doubles the amount of fabric in this high-wear area. Here's a detail shot of the knee with the velcro closure:
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These two factors combined makes these pants feel almost as nonrestrictive as one of my old gi's, and that's saying something. They are certainly more nonrestrictive than any other trouser I've ever worn.

The Pockets
Opping pants need pockets, bottom line. Headlamp, flashlight, lockpicks, knives, multitools, wire cutters, the list goes on and on.
These pants have pockets. A lot of pockets. Then they have pockets in the pockets. Pocketception. Buckle up.

The slash pockets have a steep slant to them which makes them easy to access. The bottom corner is reinforced to prevent wear from pocket clips on knives. The pant material is strong enough to hold up on it's own I think, but the reinforcement is a nice touch. These pockets are very generous in size and have the perfect angle of cut to make accessing them a breeze. No funny body manipulations just to get your hands inside like a pair of tight fitting jeans.

Inside of each of the slash pockets are change pockets. Simple rectangles of fabric sewn into the fabric of the pocket itself. As much as I expected these to snag on everything I put in my pockets, they didn't bother me a bit. For a size reference, the change pockets fit a credit card nicely.

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The cargo pockets are closed with two Canadian style buttons. The flap is double layered to prevent the button from being exposed. This protects the button, makes the pocket less likely to snag on objects, and adds to the aesthetic of the pant, but makes the pockets slower to close if you want to fasten the buttons. It should also be noted that buttons are silent, while velcro and snap rivets would make noise. I shouldn't have to explain to night oppers why that's important.

The pocket has a lanyard with a D-ring under the flap. These can be tucked away inside of the pocket to hide them if you find them unnecessary.

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It's hard to see, but inside of the pockets are three divider pockets. There's still plenty of space outside of the dividers for larger objects. These dividers are great for organizing your possibles, like your flashlight, knife, multitool, picks, etc. Without these, your possibles would end up in a jumbled mess at the bottom of the pocket. Keep your things in the dividers and memorize their position to minimize the amount of time you spend searching for your equipment while you're on an op. That way, you can focus on the task at hand, and not, "is this my flashlight or the remains of the churro I was snacking on."

The right cargo pocket has a 1"x1" velcro patch for TAD's ranger eyes, which are glow in the dark PVC patches that offer a fun way to customize your pants. I would definitely remove these during an OP, but otherwise they're fun.

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Here's a feature that I had mixed feelings on at first. The flap for the cargo pockets aren't actually sewn in the middle. This is done to allow fast access to the middle of the three divider pockets. I use this opening to stash my Esee Izula II, because I find myself using it frequently but it rides awkwardly in the front pockets or the slash pockets. Honestly, unless it's something small like change, I can't imagine anything coming out of these pockets unintentionally. I was nervous about them at first, but I've grown to love them and use them frequently.

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The two rear pockets are pretty straightforward. Nothing special about them. They're closed using the same style as the cargo pockets, and I'm not going to lie, those buttons are a b&%$# to manipulate while you're wearing the pants. I keep the buttons undone.

Not pictured are two internal pockets at the same location as the rear pockets. They're useful for stashing things that you really, really don't want to get pickpocketed, like your wallet, passport, plane tickets, etc. They're difficult to access by design, so don't put anything in them that you need to use frequently.

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Finally! My two favorite pockets! These are the pockets that you never knew you needed until you had. For size reference, my iPhone 5 with Otterbox Commuter fits very nicely inside, but anything much larger would be a stretch, so your &%@#huge Samsung notepads or whatever need not apply. The D-rings above these pockets are perfect for clipping on your keys and dropping them into the pocket, as you can see in this picture. I don't actually do that because I have too much crap hanging off my keyring for it to fit comfortably, I was just demonstrating.

Fastening

True to form TAD closes the pants with a single Canadian button and a strip of YKK Vislon zipper. The Vislon zipper is by far their smoothest and quietest zipper. If you're new to the game, YKK basically makes the best zippers in the business. I look for them on any piece of clothing I plan to buy. The belt loops are 1" wide and will accommodate even the largest web belt.

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Ex Officio Give-N-Go briefs deserve a review of their own, but I'll save that for another time. I'll just leave it at this: I'm never buying a different pair of boxer brief again in my life. They're that good.

Miscellaneous

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The fabric is treated with a DWR finish. These finishes never hold up for long, but if it's important enough to you, buy a can of ultradry and spray them down every once in a while. NYCO is naturally quick drying and somewhat water repellent, so that helps as well.

As far as noise goes, these are not the quietest pants in the world, but they're far from the loudest. Because they are loose fitting, they're a little bit swooshy, but that is the nature of all BDU's, and I believe this pant to be something of a BDU on steroid. Honestly, any type of pant in this category is going to be a little bit noisy, just because they're made out of more durable materials, which tend to be harder to the touch. Softer fabrics are always quieter, but less durable by nature. Yes, you could wear sweatpants opping and be damn quiet, but the bottom line is... You're wearing sweatpants opping. Wow. But if you're trying to go dead silent, these will not be the pants for you.

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Another thing. I don't have pictures of this, but these pants used to have drawstrings at the ankles, like BDU's, so you can blouse your pants on your boots. As soon as I saw these I began thinking on how to tie them up out of the way. When I had these pants hemmed, my tailor just got rid of the drawstrings. I was kind of pissed she did it without me asking, but since I never would have used them anyways, I didn't make a fuss. I probably would've just pulled them all the way out.

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Yes, those are shingles.

The price... These things hurt to buy. Like, physical pain. But now that I've used them a bit, I can safely say that I would buy another pair without thinking about it. I'm already looking at their other colors and styles wondering which I should get next.

I think that concludes my review. If you've actually read through this whole thing, then I have to ask: What the hell is wrong with you? Nah, but seriously. I know it's been a long write up, but if you're spending this much money on a pair of pants, then you're probably going to want to know everything there is to know about them, so I tried to be as in depth as possible. Thanks for reading.

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Re: TAD Gear Review: The Best Nightopping Trouser Made?

Post by Xanatos » Wed Dec 04, 2013 7:42 am

I've spent more on trousers before, it wouldn't be that much of a stretch for me. I definitely like all the features they have and the comfortable structure; as a martial artist & traceur myself, I can appreciate the manoeuvrability they offer. Too bad they don't come in Multicam Black.

Tip: Next time you wash them, add a bit of fabric softener. They should quieten down a bit without sacrificing durability.
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Re: TAD Gear Review: The Best Nightopping Trouser Made?

Post by Azotos » Wed Dec 04, 2013 3:16 pm

I agree, multicam black would be pretty neat, but it is a relatively new camouflage pattern after all. Personally I'm not a huge fan of camouflage for ops because I like to be able to look unassuming on my way to the site and back. And sometimes I like to stop at Bojangles beforehand :lol:

Thanks for the tip on fabric softener, definitely will try that.

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Re: TAD Gear Review: The Best Nightopping Trouser Made?

Post by Teutoni » Wed Dec 04, 2013 7:38 pm

Thanks for the review it seemed to be rather well thought out and in-depth and I hope we see more reviews like this to come. Makes me wonder if I should do anything similar.
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Re: TAD Gear Review: The Best Nightopping Trouser Made?

Post by Ghost » Wed Dec 04, 2013 7:47 pm

Great gear review, this is exactly the kind of stuff we like to see.

They look like a pretty decent pair of pants, and I only have two hangups with them. First off, the pockets. I tend to prefer a more traditional BDU style layout, but this is of course personal preference. Secondly, the lack of colors. The ones they have are great for their intended market, but not having black or camo really hurts where opping is concerned. Again, personal preference.

On the plus side, a pair of pants that have all the bells and whistles, come from a reputable company, and are essentially in a 50//50 NYCO blend is certainly nothing to sneeze at. Couple that with the fact that you can get them for as low as $70 USD with a bit of shopping around, and you've got a damn good deal.
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Re: TAD Gear Review: The Best Nightopping Trouser Made?

Post by Azotos » Wed Dec 04, 2013 8:36 pm

Ghost, if you want them in black, you could buy the gray pair and Rit dye them black. Rit dye is super powerful stuff (it can be used to dye plastic) and a bottle of the black dye is only like $4. You could soak the pants in the dye for a day and run them through the wash a few times and they'd be black as the night. You can find Rit dye near your laundry detergents in your local Walmart or Ingles. Just look up Rit fabric dying on google.

In my experience I have found that gray blends well with concrete and steel settings, which is where I find myself the most. Obviously it's not the best color for a forest in the fall, but I can't exactly be having a photoshoot on an op, so I took my pictures on a hike. But, most everybody that's been here for a while probably already has their opinions on color for opping established, so if ATACS-LE or Multicam or Kryptec is your thing, you'll definitely have to look elsewhere.

The color of the fabric itself is actually a shade or two darker than the pictures translate.. iPhones aren't renowned for their flawless white balance. As for the pockets, they're really something you have to try to determine whether or not you like, unfortunately. I'm a really KISS kinda guy, usually, simple=effective for me. That's why I use Goruck backpacks: One large compartment, simple and effective. So when I found out that the cargo pockets had three organizer pockets on the inside, I debated sending them back then and there. However, I gave them a chance and wore them around a bit, and realized the geometry of the pockets was well thought out enough that in their execution the pockets were highly effective for my uses.

(Edited because I am an idiot)

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Re: TAD Gear Review: The Best Nightopping Trouser Made?

Post by Ghost » Thu Dec 05, 2013 1:10 am

I suppose dying them wouldn't be too bad, but with all the options out there I'd rather just get something made to my specifications especially if I'm shelling out that kind of cash. Color wise, I need to stick to either black or camo for my area, greys or blues would look pretty out of place here even in the late fall/winter when most of the greenery has died out. I could see going with a dark grey in a very urban environment though.

I'm all about keeping it simple as well. I'm a pretty firm believer in utilizing muscle memory, so having the same style and placement for pockets across all the pants that I wear (BDU, ABU, cargo pants, ect) is a priority. As much as I hate to admit it, especially in a thread like this, both of my "opping pants" are shitty Propper brand BDUs. I've been flirting with the idea of shelling out for some decent multicam, though, so there's a good chance that Crye will be getting some of my money soon enough, even faster if they start selling Multicam Black.
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Re: TAD Gear Review: The Best Nightopping Trouser Made?

Post by aaronderuiter » Sun Dec 08, 2013 7:16 pm

Remind me of my own Taclite Pro pants in a lot of ways. The biggest difference is that my Taclites cost half of this. These have a few slight edges when compared, but they do cost an additional 60 bucks. And holy hell I love my Taclite pro pants. I'd go for them any day. Yeah they have velcro in stead of buttons, but the sound that generates is minimal and almost 100 times as fast. They also don't have divider pockets, but as I said, minimal difference. I do have a metal ring above one of the knive/ammo pockets, which beats plastic any day. So yeah, minimal difference in quality, maximum difference in price.
Still, if you care about that little something extra really much, you could just throw the extra 60 dollars at your screen. If you aren't filthy rich, go taclite pro.
Ironically, I bought mine from NightGear.co.uk. Site made for oppers? xD
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Re: TAD Gear Review: The Best Nightopping Trouser Made?

Post by Azotos » Mon Dec 09, 2013 7:13 pm

I mean no offense by this, but speaking as someone who has actually owned both 5.11 and TAD pants, when it gets down to business, I reach for the Force 10's. Polycotton might be better for the colder months, but where I live, that's like three months out of the year. I need something breathable for the hot humid nights (is that sexual?), and NYCO fits the bill there. And as far as comfort goes, there's no question. My taclites feel like carhartts, whereas I've slept in my Force 10's many times. I've never been a big fan of velcro for closure systems. I don't know how long you've owned yours, but the velcro on the pockets of my taclites is starting to lose it's strength, which is the primary reason why I try to avoid velcro for anything that is going to be closed and open often, not just the noise. And lets be honest, almost 100 times as fast is a bit of an extrapolation..
As far as metal D-rings vs. plastic, I wouldn't let someone swap out my D-rings on my Force 10's if they paid me. For durability, well, this isn't 1960, high quality plastic D-rings will be plenty strong enough, and like I said in my review, the fabric and seams will fail long before the ring does. I never really liked the D-rings on the 5.11 pants because they were thinner and harder to manipulate, especially with gloves on, which kind of sucks if you were gloves year round on ops, and especially sucks during the winter.
Articulated knees is a minor difference between the two, but I would much prefer the Taclites have them than not. However, most of the stitching on the Taclites is grade A, but I haven't had the Force 10's as long as my Taclites, so I can't make an accurate comparison.
As an American, I also prefer to buy things made in America, which the Force 10's are. Since you listed a .co.uk site, I assume you're European, so that obviously won't be as important to you.

By no means are the Taclite Pro pants bad pants. They look much cleaner than the Force 10's and don't give off that -military- aura that the Force 10's do, so you won't look terribly out of place if you have to act casual when moving into a site. Another fantastic pant that looks cleaner than the Force 10's is the Truspec 24/7 pant.

It seems like whenever I showcase an expensive product there's always someone who thinks that cheaper is inherently better... You're really not going to like the review I'm working on for the Goruck GR0.

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Re: TAD Gear Review: The Best Nightopping Trouser Made?

Post by Ghost » Mon Dec 09, 2013 9:56 pm

Not sure if I mentioned this before, but the TAD Force 10's can also be found online for as cheap as $70. That's some high quality kit for a mid-tier price, if you ask me.

Code: Select all

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/TAD-force-10-cargo-pants-multi-pockets-military-combat-military-tactical-pants-khaki-olive-drab-US/894629128.html
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Re: TAD Gear Review: The Best Nightopping Trouser Made?

Post by aaronderuiter » Wed Dec 11, 2013 3:22 pm

Well, I may have exaggerated a bit out of fan-boy-ism, but the point is that personally, I wouldn't count down the 120 bucks for the differences. I'll agree with you that these TAD's are better in pretty much every respect, but are they 60 bucks better? From what I've seen I would argue not. As you said, it hurts physically to count down 120 dollars, 60 bucks on the other hand is even reasonable for a normal pair of jeans (which fucking surprised me, military pants are the same price as jeans and milspec assault vests are actually fucking cheaper than wool sweaters... WHAT!?). So yeah, I vote 5.11. Don't get me wrong though, I'm not saying that they're better. They're not. Your pants rule. They're just expensive, that's all.

*EDIT*
If these can be purchased for 70 bucks though (as said above), they do kick ass and I'd get a pair myself.
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Re: TAD Gear Review: The Best Nightopping Trouser Made?

Post by Azotos » Wed Dec 11, 2013 4:11 pm

I'm not sure whether or not the link Ghost posted is to counterfeit pants or not. Aliexpress has always seen a fair share of counterfeiting and TAD has always been a victim. I emailed TAD for a response to the Aliexpress link and all they told me is that they are aware of counterfeiting issues. For some reason they would not give me a straight answer on whether or not the pants at Aliexpress were legit, which only raises more questions... The safest thing to do is to buy them straight from TAD, but if you can confirm that the ones at Aliexpress are real, then that's an absolute steal.

I'm not going to say that these pants aren't a bit overpriced.. Not as overpriced as some of the things I've spent money on and not as overpriced as some pairs of pants. It's the simple rule that the amount of money spent does not directly correlate with the quality of the product. You start paying more and more for smaller and smaller improvements. A $500 knife may be better than a $100 knife, but it's not going to be 5x better. It's a careful scale of how much money you're willing to spend on quality, which is a decision that is ultimately the consumer's. In my opinion, the TAD pants won't get you the same bang for your buck as Tru-Spec or 5.11, but they're still a damn good pant that will last ages and don't force you to completely pay out the ass, even if they are a bit overpriced.

But yeah, if you can get legit Force 10's for $70, then I would have to say that (in my opinion) the TAD pants are better than the Taclites in every respect.

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Re: TAD Gear Review: The Best Nightopping Trouser Made?

Post by Ghost » Sun Dec 29, 2013 2:07 pm

After doing some research, it appears that Aliexpress is known for selling counterfeit goods. My question is: why the fuck would you make fake TADs when you could just as easily make fake Cryes that sell for twice as much?
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Re: TAD Gear Review: The Best Nightopping Trouser Made?

Post by Azotos » Fri Jan 03, 2014 6:48 am

There's no telling what goes on in those crazy Mandarin minds.

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Re: TAD Gear Review: The Best Nightopping Trouser Made?

Post by Ghost » Wed Mar 26, 2014 7:11 am

Look what I found! I guess we share more interests than just night opping, /k/omrade! :D
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Re: TAD Gear Review: The Best Nightopping Trouser Made?

Post by Azotos » Wed Mar 26, 2014 7:42 am

Ghost wrote:Look what I found! I guess we share more interests than just night opping, /k/omrade! :D
Top fucking lel

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Re: TAD Gear Review: The Best Nightopping Trouser Made?

Post by Ghost » Wed Mar 26, 2014 10:53 pm

Yeah it was pretty amusing - I was browsing through the front page and noticed some pictures that looked VERY familiar. Small fucking world, lol.
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Re: TAD Gear Review: The Best Nightopping Trouser Made?

Post by Azotos » Thu Mar 27, 2014 12:59 am

I always suspected you, given Misha is your avatar.

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Re: TAD Gear Review: The Best Nightopping Trouser Made?

Post by Teutoni » Fri Mar 28, 2014 5:26 am

I got a good laugh when he told me about that. Otherwise I would have jumped in the thread to fuck with you.
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Re: TAD Gear Review: The Best Nightopping Trouser Made?

Post by Azotos » Fri Mar 28, 2014 2:38 pm

Did one of you guys start the Urbex thread on /k/?
http://boards.4chan.org/k/res/20578150

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Re: TAD Gear Review: The Best Nightopping Trouser Made?

Post by Ghost » Fri Mar 28, 2014 11:57 pm

No, although I have been lurking it a bit. There have actually been night opping threads over in alternative sports, thanks to Roxas I believe.
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Re: TAD Gear Review: The Best Nightopping Trouser Made?

Post by Teutoni » Sat Mar 29, 2014 12:11 am

Wasn't me. I stopped creating/interacting with the threads awhile ago as they are more interested in pictures and I fucking hate taking pictures of the places I go.
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