Experience with, or thoughts about 5.11 gear/vest?

[dust_101]

Hope everyone is doing well, have a question for you folks that is both looking for an opinion, and for hands-on experience...

I've been searching for the last 15+ years for a good way to carry my stuff. Stuff in this situation is my vast amount of Diabetes supplies. I have to carry food (usually in bar form) tubes of cake icing, tubes of glucose tabs, glucose meter (with extra batteries, testing strips, alcohol pads), pump supplies (infusion sets, etc) carb counter book, cell phone, and my various other daily items (small NRA pocket knife, magnesium fire starter, foam earplugs, etc).

This amount of stuff has normally resided in a backpack. It looks like I'm an older guy going to college but it was working to just put things in there and go. I'm sick of it. Looking for a better way to carry this stuff.

I was looking at photographer vests, safari vests, travel vests, and of course the 5.11 tactical vest. I do like that the 5.11 has that inside pocket for a CCW, normally I have mine IWB or Pocket (S&W 642) and may very well continue to do that method of carry but having the option to put it inside the vest would be interesting.

My issue is just this, does wearing that 5.11 gear make you stand out as a person who's carrying? I'm sure joe public would just look at it as a photogvest, folks in the know may see it and think there may be a CCW somewhere in there.

My other question is just the quality and fit of these vests. I wear a 44 suit jacket, and normally wear XL t-shirts, but does this vest in a XL size hang off the frame? Is it advised to go a size down?

I'd appreciate any info, no places near me would ever have 5.11 items to try on, although there is a guy in the back office who I swear I've seen wearing a vest like that... hrmn.

 

[ktd]

The only question I ever got is if I caught any fish.

The only people who seem to notice things like that are other gun people, and specifically, none have ever asked about the vest interestingly. I would only worry about it if you did not have a permit or some such.

I do not worry about such things anymore, I could be wearing shorts and sandals and someone would ask me if I was a cop. Conversely, no one has ever given me trouble for wearing something tactical, though my general rule is to wear only one tactical piece of clothing, and that is mostly to avoid ribbing from my friends.

Turns out there are a couple of other manufacturers that make very similar vests. I saw one at the camera shop that looks a lot a 5.11. If you use the black vest, it is a bit harder to see details. My major issue with the 5.11 is the relatively poor stitching, you should reinforce all the stress points before you start using it. Also the velcro holster stuff never worked for me. A 1911 like what is shown in the ad would always fall out, and if you put stuff in the pockets in front of the holster it looked like you were carrying a puppy or something. I usually stick a snubby down the inside "long" pocket or put a P32 in one of the drink holder pockets. I had to sew another line of elastic for the mag holders, otherwise the mags would never stay.

I would stay with XL, I can wear a large t-shirt, usually wear a XL. The XL works okay if you have broad shoulders, a little less so if you are more large in the gut and wanted to carry a bunch of stuff.

 

[ktd]

I screwed up on the sizing advice, I looked at my vests, and my usual wear is a large, and I can wear a large t-shirt and usually wear an xl t-shirt. The vest I wear over body armour is an XL, and that hangs off of me a bit if I am not wearing the armour. My coat size is 44-ish.

 

[dust_101]

I appreciate the advice, but two points I'd like to see if you could expand on.... You mention the stitching, what stress points have you found specifically that were in need of reinforcement?

As well, the internal pocket for a CCW, you mention velcro? In just looking at the photos on their website, do you mean that the holster in attached to the inner pocket of the vest by velcro? Hrmn....

 

[ktd]

A couple of the pocket flaps came unstitched. The "mag" pouch pockets on the front that are sized for M16 mags, I added some extra material at the bottom to line them because the mags would wear through them. I got annoyed and ran some stitching over areas I thought might come undone, the major seams mostly. Seems like I have to add reinforcement to most clothing made these days. Also, the top right breast pocket that is just a regular pouch, I added a velcro closure. It seems like a natural place to put a cell phone, but every time you bend over the dang thing falls out.

The vest has access to the inside of the vest via velcro-secured cuts along the zipper, kind of like body armour vests, for use as a ccw compartment. Their idea is that the inside has lines of velcro. Then for some reason you add another good size square of velcro. Then you add another square of velcro, a stiffer platform. On the square platform you add accessories like a holster, cuff case, baton case, mag case, etc. However, like I said, any weighty handgun you put in there like they show in the ad does not stay, it falls off right through the access cuts and down to the ground. It also sags quite badly when it does stay in place and is quite obvious. On the inside side of the vest, there is a long tall pocket (I think designed to carry a rolled up magazine or papers), and I usually just drop a piece straight down that. A buddy of mine used to just throw his browning into the ccw compartment and let it rattle around on the bottom. Whoever designed this sytem obviously does not carry weapons. 5.11 originally was made by a rock climbing company, so maybe that is where the poor implementation came from.

 

[dust_101]

Ok now that I read more about it, what you're saying makes perfect sense. So essentially you're using velcro to attach your firearm to the inside pocket....which seems a bit....unsafe. There would have to be a way to attach a normal holster inside the vest using the existing setup. Something I'll have to look into if I do purchase this vest.

 

[another okie]

Cabela's makes several good candidates. The safari vest has lots and lots of pockets and is very comfortable. They also have one that's a work vest.

The problem with most off the shelf vests is that they are too short for anyone over six feet tall. Some companies make long sizes or will custom make them.

Like one of the posters above, the only comment I ever get is "going fishing?" To be honest, I don't use a vest that much, though, because people do notice it, and the whole idea of CCW is not to be noticed. A fleece vest is the best concealment I've found that is not really noticed, but the fleece season in Oklahoma is quite short.

 

[another okie]

Cabela's makes several good candidates. The safari vest has lots and lots of pockets and is very comfortable. They also have one that's a work vest.

The problem with most off the shelf vests is that they are too short for anyone over six feet tall. Some companies make long sizes or will custom make them.

Like one of the posters above, the only comment I ever get is "going fishing?" To be honest, I don't use a vest that much, though, because people do notice it, and the whole idea of CCW is not to be noticed. A fleece vest is the best concealment I've found that is not really noticed, but the fleece season in Oklahoma is quite short.

 

[dust_101]

Ah swell, another vest to look at! Kidding, kidding, other options are always a good thing.

Luckily I found a co-worker who has a 5.11 vest in Large so I can see how it fits, and how high/low it hangs on my 6'2" frame. There are a few "Tall" options on other vests but not the 5.11 models like you said. The only thing that keeps bringing me back to their model, is the option of a black vest. Much easier to reinforce stitching black on black...

 

[another okie]

Here's a link for the Cabela's work vest, which I found is on sale when I went looking for the link.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...arentType=index&parentId=cat601655&id=0039763

Here's the item number if that link is too long:

7IS-980083

I also have a tall size vest from Boulder Creek trading company, which I bought from a web site I can't recall, maybe something like kingsize.com or bigandtall.com. It's pretty cheaply made but will do the job.

Concealed carry.com will make you a longer size for a few more bucks, and their vests are very high quality, don't look "gunny," and will last forever.

 

[ClarkEMyers]

I have half a dozen 5-11 vests for daily wear bought on sale

I have half a dozen 5-11 vests because they were clearanced - discontinued color/pattern. I find them extremely useful. My daily wear is a 5-11 vest.

I have a couple Woolrich made, also bought on sale when J. Peterman folded, that were very nice but cost more and didn't wear or wash as well as the 5-11. I have one Filson vest that cost a fair amount - about double the half dozen 5-11 all together and isn't really a load bearing vest though it has pockets - more of a travel garment like the Tilley line. I have true fishing tops that are obviously cut short for wading and don't make a good cover garment at all. Snaps for landing nets aren't good for much else.

In communities where it might make sense I could confuse people by hanging a dry fly sheep's wool patch from a fishing outfit on a shoot me first vest - but as time passes I find that people have less and less of an eye for the detail of a true fishing vest - it annoys me that outdoor sports are dieing or going elitist but it comforts me that people who really know which one is a shoot me first vest are mostly the good guys.

Lots of vests on the market and IIRC Ken Hackathorn did an article for IDPA on the best vests as cover garments for an IDPA shooter. Again IIRC he suggested there are more good magazine holders than there are good dump pouches. Given the IDPA emphasis on retaining magazines a decision might be based on dump pouches.

 

[Breakdaddy]

another okie, thanks so much for the cabela's work vest link. That's a great price so I ordered one.