Pants review 5.11 Kodiak Pant

The new Kodiak pants from 5.11 Tactical attracted interest almost immediately after the first announcements at the end of the summer of 2013. Trousers, first of all, attracted with their non-provocative «urban» appearance. Externally, for the uninitiated, the cut looks more like regular jeans than products from manufacturers of tourist or military tactical clothing.. The second point that attracted attention is the material. Usually the 5.11 Tactical trousers are made from already traditional rip-stop materials, but here a dense cotton fabric, which is better suited for the city, is mainly external.

In the city, before the Kodiak trousers, I mainly used the 5.11 Stryke Pant, which suits me completely and in everything. The Kodiak was ordered in early December and is exactly the same size as all the 5.11 Tactical pants in my wardrobe (Taclite Jean-Cut, Stryke Pant and Traverse) — US 34/34. Despite this, to my surprise, the Kodiak pants were 1 cm longer at the waist and a full 5 cm longer overall. Why there is such a big difference from other 5.11 Tactical models, I do not know. For myself, I solved the problem by going to the nearest studio.

The pants have a loose fit, they are probably the «widest» in the collection of tactical trousers from 5.11 Tactical, while they do not hang, as is usually the case with trousers of this width. Basically, this width is caused by the design of the pockets, which I will write about below. The workmanship of the trousers is excellent, the material is durable and dense, the trousers are suitable for late autumn, winter and the first two months of spring, they will be hot in summer. All main seams are double-triple stitched. In addition to the fact that the knee area has a profiled cut, it is reinforced with an additional layer of base material. The back of the bottom of the leg is also reinforced with a layer of cotton material, such reinforcement came in handy right away, because due to the length of the trousers, this area began to wear out very quickly.

At first glance, Kodiak Pant have a very classic cut, the manufacturer managed, without harming the general concept of «ordinary urban trousers», to place twelve full-fledged pockets with external access. There are six patch pockets at the back, four slip pockets at the front, and one slip pocket at each hip. The back and front pockets have a two-layer design, which, in addition to creating additional storage space for personal items, additionally protects the pants from chafing and blowing.

Back patch pockets with an open top, outwardly not much different from traditional pockets in ordinary jeans. The key difference is the additional padding made from the base material, which forms two more pockets, with enough width for standard M4/AR15-series magazines. The inset hip pockets are closed with YKK zippers with signature engraving 5.11, the size of these pockets is sufficient, they reach up to 11 cm in width and up to 23 cm in length. Do not pack hard objects in them, this will affect the comfort when driving, plus scuffs may appear on the outside.

The front slit pockets are very well done, these are full-fledged pockets that are arranged in a cascade. Despite this arrangement, the pockets are made in almost the same size. The lower part of the neck of the outer pocket, on which knives and lanterns usually cling, is reinforced with a layer of dense fabric. For more discreet wearing of cutting products, it is possible to mount them in the lower part of the inner pocket, which is hidden from view, although there is no reinforcing overlay on it. The inner pockets I mainly use for carrying a smartphone, keys and other «hard» items, there is no fear that the outer side of the trousers will be scuffed from the sharp corners of the mobile, as is often the case with ordinary jeans.

The 5.11 Kodiak Pant proved to be comfortable, durable and very practical. At this stage of use, the only negative that I have encountered is the inaccuracy of the dimensions. I advise you to always indicate your actual size to the seller before buying, and not rely on the tag.

To date, tactical trousers 5.11 Kodiak Pant are available in Pine, Coyote and Saddle Brown colors, in Ukraine they can be purchased through the PROF1 Group chain of stores, the price is $118.