5.11 Stryke Pants

I bought 5 pair of these about a year ago and they are the most comfortable pants I have. I wear them for work as my job is managing public lands that are wetlands, riparian, and swamp. It's hot. Like the swamp is in my pants hot. Other pants that I've worn I tend to overheat rapidly and these are much cooler and comfortable to work or just lounge around in. I can't speak enough on the comfort. Comfort gets 5 stars and more if there was an option.The cons: color faded within a few months on all five pair. I usually wear a pair for several days before washing. I wash them all together, and use cool water and medium heat which is the lowest setting that will dry the pants. It's really obvious when the rest of my uniform is not faded. I bought these out of my own pocket and not with my uniform allowance that I am granted. It gets expensive buying 4-5 new pair every 6 months. Dyes don't take well either. Color gets 1 star.

I could not wait to sit down and write this review.Let me first tell you a bit about myself: I am very familiar with tactical pants. For years, I have been wearing BDU pants from Propper. They have become a necessity in my warehouse workplace environment where I am constantly bending my body in different positions as well as working around moving equipment as well as changing outdoor environments. In short, my needs in BDU wear are to provide me with comfort and flexibility.Propper pants are great, no doubt. The several pairs I have owned have lasted me for 5 years and they are still going strong, but just beginning to fray at integral seams. I thought it was high time that I buy 5 new pairs of BDU type pants to last me an entire work week.I began looking at Propper pants on Amazon. However, my eyes caught reviews for 5.11 pants. They were consistently much higher than Propper pants. As I began pouring through reviews on the 5.11 brand, I began seeing statements that the STRYKE pants were much more favorable than the standard PRO pants.Here's the initial issue I faced. These pants cost nearly $75 a pair. That's insane! I am used to buying tactical/BDU pants at about $35 a pair. As I continued reading more reviews from those who bought the Tactical Stryke pants, I realized that perhaps spending $75 might not be a bad idea. I went ahead and blindly bought 5 pairs of these pants in various colors. I figured if I did not like them, I could return them to Amazon.Upon arrival, I slipped on my first pair of 32/30 pants. I was floored! These are tactical pants?! They seemed like dress pants. The material was so soft. The appearance was slim and refined (rather than baggy), and it even had hints of pinstripes in the fabric. I mean, I could put on a nice shirt and go out to dinner in these pants.I was just dumbfounded by the fact that these were actually tactical pants. Yet, I could tell that this was indeed ripstop fabric. It had pockets all over the place. It was flexible and roomy enough that as I bent down, I never felt a bit of tightness in the fabric. Yet, the pants hug my body. They look absolutely amazing on me.Here's one more thing....I am a short guy. I wear a 29-inch inseam. Anyone with my inseam knows that no pants come tailored for us. I figured I would have to have these pants tailored, which would have been quite expensive given the fact I bought five. I was very happy to find that the length came in a little short so that I was able to just get by with the 30-inch inseam. This is something that several Amazon reviews do point out.Having just washed these pants for the first time, I was quite pleased that they held their form after a toss in the dryer. These do quick-dry and I would not recommend drying them for more than 30 minutes in the dryer.Folks, I am here to tell you that these are the most amazing pair of pants I have ever owned. I can wear them to the warehouse. I can wear them out to dinner. How many pants can you think of that can serve you for heavy work and relaxing dining? I suppose pants that cost $75 a pair can.Definitely worth the price. I will never buy another brand again. I am sold on 5.11!

*EDIT*I now own 4 pairs, and they hold up very well. I have waded thigh high water in them, and even some light snow. They are cool enough to wear in the summer and warm enough to hold up in the winter and repel water during rain too. I loved them so much I went ahead and bought some Ridgelines as well.The best pants I have invested in for years. I was avoiding 5.11 for a long time because of the price. After spending an equal amount on other brands including condor, wranglers (riggs), carhartt, kuhl, tru-spec, mars, and the other newer ones that are basically knock offs of all these brands, I finally caved. By far the best decision I have made in a while when it comes to pants. I got so fed up with 'tactical' pants that I tried buying jeans even. It just did not work.I bought a 34x32 and I am 5'11 and 180 pounds. I am toned. They fit perfectly. Unlike every single other pair of pants I tried, the 5.11's fit perfectly. Plenty of room, not overly baggy, and great in the waist/crotch area. You can move and be comfortable. The crotch is also gussetted and well stitched.The fabric is 10x better than the 'stealth' condors I recently tried, and much lighter than any other brands like carhartt and riggs. Kuhls are nice, but they are very limited and I will keep the one pair I bought, but they are even more than 5.11's and not as practical in how I wear them and what I carry. They are also tighter. I was seriously impressed with the fit and quality of these pants. I owned a pair of the lightweight tactical pants years ago, around 2012, and they were nice, but I always hated the front pouches instead of pockets. These Stryke pants are the perfect medium. The inside front pockets are perfect. Plenty of room to hang your keys and they are a good material. Nice and durable. The cargo pockets are not as loose, but I think they are also perfect. I have tested carrying around a magazine, although I would never do it regularly. However, the cargo holding power is great. Not too big and puffy or extended, and not too small with a lack of any room.I included some pics that I thought may be helpful. I have already washed them once and wore them all day before taking the pictures. They are nothing like the older 5.11's. They are much nicer. The pics that amazon shows are actually a good visual representation as well. Colors may be a bit lighter or darker, but you should expect that.Overall, I am really impressed, and will gladly spend the money on these pants a couple more times. I plan on getting about 5 colors and some duplicated of the same color. I returned tons of pants and jeans lately. I am glad I finally went back to 5.11. They really thought about the design of these pants and perfected an already great version in doing so. However, I advise you to check 5.11's website directly, because after my purchase I was informed through email they have a promo code for some extra gear or discounts. So check there first. I personally use Amazon Prime, but given the free gear or a discount for so much purchased, I would rather go that route next time.I highly recommend these pants.