Review: 5.11 Tactical Kilts

I love it when I get my wish-lusts fulfilled,  but I am so glad when its not just me, but the hordes of fans who get theirs too ... From what was originally a "April's Fools" joke, back in 2011,  with a VERY limited run (less than 100, if accounts are to be believed), the uproar from fans led CEO of 5.11 Tactical, Mr Tom Davin to take the cries to heart, and a full production run was initiated.

These are the 5.11 Tacical TDU Kilts  in Tan, OD, Black and Multicam and managed to secure in a pre-order, from 5.11 Tactical Australia.

I've really enjoyed adding more kilts to my collection over the last few years, along with my collection of UtiliKilts and my formal tartan kilt, as well as others, they are an important part of my identity.

The question is just how apt are they for a survival situation? It all comes down to the "form and function" ratio.  I'll go into that in a bit, first, here's what makes up the 5.11 TDU kilt.

 Firstly, they are made to mirror the TDU pants as closely as possible, with pocket placement, (including the cargo pockets) for "consistency of training". I have several sets of 5.11 pants, the Stryke and the TacLite Pro pants and I can say that I like the consistency, even between different designs and cuts. 

The TDU kilt is made of the same 65% Polyester, 35% Teflon treated ripstop cotton as the TacLite Pro pants, with four snap-closures on each side of the front panel. Double and triple stitching throughout ensures rugged and reliable wear.

Brass D-loops for sporran attachment are awesome, and I have worn my CAOS Admin pouch as one, for full Tacti-cool Effect.

Always a welcome addition to a kilt, the front slant pockets featured reinforced edges to protect against knife, pen or light clip abrasion.

The front belt loop includes additional badge holder loops, the loops themselves are wide enough to accommodate up to a 1 3/4" belt. Ive had no trouble with any of my belts; but tend to go with either the made-to-match 5.11 TDU belts, my shiny PM Leather hobble belts, or the always dependable 215 Gear Ultimate Rigger belt.

The side cargo pockets are also press-snapped on, and removable, and swappable, with hook-and-loop closures. Inside each pocket, are either two or three internal pockets, to fit two 30 round AR magazines or three pistol magazines, the pockets can be switched from one side to the other to fit your need.  A gap has been left in the lid-flap to accommodate feeling items through, in this case, I have used my Benchmade SOCP CQB dagger-trainer to demonstrate .


An internal press-snap gives an additional modesty protector, as well and ensuing you get more cover for your activities. There has been a long military history of the kilt, formally ending during WW2, and the recent revival in "tactical-wear" is only a reflection of that, however, I have worn mine in some pretty arduous conditions, and can attest that they offer considerable freedom of movement, are not all that cold in inclement weather, and cooling in hot weather.

I have climbed, run, crawled and jumped in mine, as well as wearing them to work on a regular basis. Much like my collection of "cargo pants" these offer me a means to carry my EDC, some rugged daily-wear and have some individuality to boot. Thanks Mr Davin!

Review: colours, cams and gear

A little while ago, I mentioned I might do a review of my variety of cams and colours. Here goes I suppose! I gathered my collection of kit and clothes, and made a pile, sorting out the different cam patterns and this is what I came up with. I have placed them against each other so you can get an idea of what works with what, and where one might wear them.

(1) Desert AUSCAM/ DPCU "bunnies behind a rock" shirt.
(2) Desert Camouflage Uniform "coffee stain cam" shirt
(3) AUSCAM/DPCU "hearts and bunnies" Raven pack accessory bag
(4) M81 Woodland on my Stargate LRP pants
(5) Multicam "scorpion cam" on my Half-Med kit

I was gifted both the desert patten shirts, and don't have matching pants. Would love to get some in DCU, nostalgic to my years living in Dubai.



Then I noticed that my Woodland pattern things were slightly different, notably the pants I wear at Stargate LRP lasertag(4) were different to the (6) 3x30rdn Mag Pouch I reviewed, which is again different to the (7) Lazy Patch Duvet suit I have. I don't know how much of a difference this would make in effect, I suspect the differences are slight enough not to matter.
My colour preference for kit is khaki, because being a soft green, and not "camouflage", I feel I can wear it in social and urban settings without standing out too badly like a mall-ninja, but I have a collection so here is some more to compare and contrast....

(8) Platatac CSI folder in their Khaki
(9) AUSCAM pistol holster, appears to be "larger" print than the pack or jacket.
(10) Hill People Runner Bag prototype in Khaki
(11)  BlackHawk! Advanced Kneepads in Coyote Tan
(12) SCAR mini chest rig (review pending)in Tan
(13) my Drop-leg holster in Woodland
(14) my fathers OD boonie-hat from Vietnam (1969-1970)

As you can see, the differences between khakis/tans/ODs  and how each of them sit against the cammo patterns can be quite striking. Having made the choice to wear the once-common and standard Woodland to fit in with the Stargate LRP idea I've been running with, it would still be easy to transition to the now popular and apparently very effective Multicam, which is probably much more suitable to the Australian scrub, whilst still sensibly utilising my extensive khaki kit.