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Skintop911
3 March 2010, 13:01
Like a lot of others, I took advantage of the 50% off and free shipping promotion from Vertx last month. I assembled the following thoughts on them, and thought I would add them here. Short: They are GTG.

Website: http://www.wearvertx.com/

I have several days of wear on my Vertx, around town, in the backcountry, and on the range.

I received mine, tried them on to verify fit, and then threw them in the wash. I washed them five times in heavy detergent and hot water, then line dried them. No fade, shrinking, or anomalies noted. (I don’t use a dryer for most of my clothes, as even an inch lost from a garment can be a big deal for a knuckle dragger.)

The fit of these pants is the best I’ve found yet in a tactical pant. I like that they’re on the small end of the size range in the waist. They’re comfortable in the crotch and seat without excess material, bulk, or slop. There’s a diamond gusset in the crotch. The thighs are a comfortable and have a relaxed fit even with loaded pockets. The length feels long for the listed inseam, but I like that. They pack small, have little bulk, and wear light.

I like the 3/4” belt loops. The easily fit within the slots on some of my kydex holsters and pouches, unlike the 1” loops of some others. The loops are well laid out.

I like the concept of the utility notch, but not the execution. As currently sewn, it cants a pocket-clipped knife into the pocket at an angle. If you carry a pocket gun or other accessory, the two may conflict depending on size of each. Immediately below the utility notch is about 1-2” of space that stops at about the top seam of the thigh cargo pocket. The seams don’t join though. I’d like that space below the notch to run the full depth of the front pocket.

The front pockets are of a decent material likely to be fairly resistant to wear from accessories carried within. The left and right are approximately the same size, but they have a slightly different shape. Unknown if that’s an anomaly of production or a norm. The bottoms of the pockets are rounded. I prefer square bottoms to help position gear and accessories better. Pocket depth is good. Pocket bottoms are single stitched, though. I will have my tailor reinforce mine.

The rear pockets are open and carry a variety of sizes of wallets. The credential trap impresses me as more gimmick than useful feature. It appears to work best with a certain size of wallet, and what that size is has eluded me. Even if not useful, it does no harm and can be disregarded.

The thigh cargo pockets are nicely done. I like their discreet appearance. The internal phone/magazine pocket is a decent size. It is single stitched, though, and my tailor will reinforce these too.

I like the articulated knee batter than I thought I would. It truly does help keep the cuffs of your pants from riding up, a big help to ankle-carriers.

Overall build quality is excellent. Double stitched throughout, except where noted. Double stitching is inconspicuous. Seams are bar tacked at stress points.

The khaki color is light, and much lighter than competitors. It’s too light for my taste. The desert tan is a nice color, and blends well in the outdoors. Wearing the pants among folks who notice things, they likened the desert tan to a lighter Carhartt or work pant.
I’m curious to see if the desert tan will eventually fade to a happy medium between khaki and desert tan.

I like the lack of velcro on these pants. Velcro is always the first to wear and can render pockets insecure and/or useless until repaired. The Vertx will not suffer from that due to their use of flaps.

I wouldn’t mind seeing another Vertx variation that includes a set of pockets sewn at the bottom of the legs.

Brown/khaki/tan cargo pants are as common as blue jeans. While standing in line at Denver Intl Airport last month, I counted about 60 people in line with me. About a third of them were wearing some sort of brown/khaki/tan cargo pant. The big tells in the “tactical” pants are the slash pockets on the rear, the strap across the top (5.11), and mag pockets on the front. The Vertx have none of these and blend nicely with others available on the market. While the general public may not be able to pick out the more traditional tactical pant from others, some may have a need to dodge LE or security personnel who can. The Vertx is a great option.

I found Vertx pants at a local LE supply store. Other uniform and clothing stores that carry Fechheimer lines can get them too. Retail on the Vertx at my store was $49.95. The good-guy price is better. Dealer cost is excellent.

Even with the druthers identified, I like these pants very much. Recommended.

Stickman
7 March 2010, 18:23
I've been hearing good things about these pants, thanks for sharing your review.

Rated21R
8 March 2010, 09:03
I have to say if it werent for this site and M4Carbine I would have never found products like these pants. They are great and the price was awesome. Excellent review, one of the reason I picked some up. Thanks.

8'Duece
15 August 2010, 03:01
This cam up on another board, that I won't mention, and the thread actually got heated as to what is and "is not" "True ripstop" :P

In my opinion "rip stop" is "rip stop" regardless of fibers used. Vertx pants are an all cotton rip stop.

IIRC my OG-107's where all cotton and any other issued uniform in ripstop was also all cotton fiber.

Thanks for the write up.

tac40
20 August 2010, 19:59
I was checking them out at the local Gall's store and liked the overall construction. Gall's carried only black, tan and olive. what I saw, I am going to pick a pair up. Thanks for the review.

artoaster
5 May 2012, 20:45
These were on clearance sale at local uniform store. They are fantastic, much better than 5.11's.

thatdamngoat
6 May 2012, 17:41
I have three pairs of these for work, one for just a shade over a year, and they have held up better than any of the 5.11 products that I have owned. Add to that the fact they they look much more professional than 5.11s, IMHO, and they are a winner in my book.