G0LF K4RT Posted January 31, 2011 Report Share Posted January 31, 2011 (edited) EDIT: Sorry, photos turned out larger than I expected. Oh well, all the better to see the MultiCam with! Introduction: A while back, I bought myself a set of ACM multicam combat pants and shirt. The whole set cost me about $430 HKD, or about 35 pounds. To be honest I wasn't really satisfied with the quality of them. Therefore I went and got myself a pair of multicam TDU pants in small size from 5.11 Tactical for $550 HKD or about 45 pounds. I must say, I'm thoroughly impressed. The old ACM ones are on the left, and the 5.11 on the right. Pattern comparison: On the left are the ACM combat pants, and the TDU pants are on the right. I set the camera to "Gourmet" mode which is supposed to produce natural-looking photos of food (what is with Asians and taking photos of food?). In terms of colour, the photos seemed to reproduce it fairly faithfully. As you can see, the patterns are quite different. Each individual colour in the ACM pants is more pronounced. The salmon colour is more pink, the green is a lot more green, and the dark brown is slightly darker. The colours in the genuine pattern blend into each other a lot more. Features on the 5.11: The 5.11 TDUs ooze quality. In this photo you can see the YKK zipper which moves nice and smoothly. The Prym snap has a defined snap when you pop it in, unlike those cheap mushy snaps. There is a button in the zipper area for added 'security'. You can also see a glimpse of the elastic waist which is marketed as a "self-adjusting comfort waist". The belt loops feel sturdy and they have ample room to fit a tac belt. The expanding pockets in these pants are already pretty large. The photo above shows just how large they are compared to a 15cm ruler. Inside the pocket we see the two mag compartments. They fit AR mags very comfortably, and the larger compartment (the back is larger than the other) even fits a G36 mag. The velcro does however attract bits of vegetation. In this photo you are actually seeing one of the back pockets. In total there are 6 pockets. Two back pockets, each the size of your average wallet, two cargo pockets on the sides, and two normal pant pockets that are about 30cm deep. Here you can see the reinforced seat area from the back. The knee area is also reinforced. Something that doesn't show very well in a photo is the fact that these pants accept 5.11 soft foam kneepads via a slit on the inside of the knee area. There is also a drawstring at the end of each pant leg for those who like to tuck their pants into their boots, but I removed mine so you can't seem them in the pictures. Features on the ACM: The ACM pants have zippers that goe down the entire length of the pant leg for some reason. Each pant leg also has an AR mag pouch (the thing with the sideways flap). They also have large cargo pockets, but instead of a velcro flap, they are opened by a zipper along the side. One interesting feature is that these pants also accept kneepads, but they are hard plastic/foam kneepads, and are accessed externally. Quality: I have worn both of these pants to two outdoor games, and the ACM pants have been suffering a lot more. Here you can see the stitching and fabric completely coming apart. The zipper doesn't look good either. There are many more minor rips in the stitches in these pants. On the other hand, the 5.11 pants have a couple very minor rips in the stitching. Just look at that quality stitching! And note the genuine MultiCam label, which is always reassuring. Fit and comfort: Being a fairly skinny person for my height (30" waist, about 175cm tall), the 5.11 pants in small size fit me very nicely. However I can imagine these pants feeling quite tight for larger people, even with that "self-adjusting comfort waist". The ACM pants on the other hand (medium size), were far too wide at the waist for me, and slightly too long as well. Both are made of heavy material, but the ACM pants are still a bit heavier, but they are also one size larger. I find that the ACM pants stick to your legs as soon as you start to get sweaty, and make movement very uncomfortable. The 5.11 pants are equally thick but don't get quite as sticky and stuffy as the ACM ones. Water resistance This is often an overlooked feature in BDUs. The 5.11 pants are quite water-resistant and saved my legs from my recent orange juice spillage which I think I mentioned in another thread somewhere. Anyways here are photos from my highly scientific water resistance test. I placed the pants flat on the ground, poured a small handful of water onto each one and left it for a few moments, then took photos. 5.11: The larger puddles of water are starting to seep into the fabric, but the smaller droplets (similar size to rain droplets) are still sitting there. ACM: The water soaked into the fabric almost instantly. Conclusion: Another outstanding product from 5.11 with lots of features, very good quality, and from what I can tell, a good MultiCam pattern. Definitely something to consider if you don't want to spend all that money for genuine Crye MultiCam. Edited January 31, 2011 by G0LF K4RT Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TeowneD Posted February 1, 2011 Report Share Posted February 1, 2011 nice review doc, i have a CB and Navy Blue pair of 5.11's taclite pro pants and i can also vouch for 5.11 pants quality. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TheFull9 Posted May 22, 2011 Report Share Posted May 22, 2011 Where did you pick up the 5.11s G0LF? I've got 2 pairs already in Khaki and OD, had no idea they were available in any camo patterns but given how excellent my others are I'm definitely in the market for some. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SwatMP5man Posted May 25, 2011 Report Share Posted May 25, 2011 When I was looking for some MC bottoms I recall Z1 having them in back in March-ish time. At an eye popping £80 IIRC, have a gander there mate. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TheFull9 Posted May 25, 2011 Report Share Posted May 25, 2011 Much to my annoyance Z1 do actually have them and for the best price that I can find, but not in medium. In a way, I'm sort of glad, I might've ended up giving those scum bags some of my money if they'd had them in stock. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
samba Posted July 9, 2011 Report Share Posted July 9, 2011 Nice one, I was looking to buy a pair but didn't find any shops in Europe which have it yet in stock Quote Link to post Share on other sites
G0LF K4RT Posted July 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2011 (edited) Where did you pick up the 5.11s G0LF? I've got 2 pairs already in Khaki and OD, had no idea they were available in any camo patterns but given how excellent my others are I'm definitely in the market for some. sorry for the late reply, but i picked them up in SupremeCo (a hong kong store). they had solid colours as well as marpat TDU pants, which were priced lower, but i can't remember how much they were. Edited July 9, 2011 by G0LF K4RT Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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