HARDCORE OUTDOOR-GEAR REVIEWS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HUNTING, HIKING, SEARCH AND RESCUE, MILITARY: GREAT GEAR RECOMMENDATION - WT Tactical - Hard Shell Jacket And Pants

HARDCORE OUTDOOR-GEAR REVIEWS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HUNTING, HIKING, SEARCH AND RESCUE, MILITARY

HARDCORE OUTDOOR-GEAR REVIEWS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HUNTING, HIKING, SEARCH AND RESCUE, MILITARY: GREAT GEAR RECOMMENDATION - WT Tactical - Hard Shell Jacket And Pants - Multicam Camouflage

GREAT GEAR RECOMMENDATION - WT Tactical - Hard Shell Jacket And Pants - Multicam Camouflage

Drum roll please...ta da! A technical, mil spec, waterproof/breathable shell set in camo. Wow! Wildthings Gear rolls out a LEAF subsidiary called WT Tactical and fires a shot that will be heard round the industry. Things are getting interesting in this unique space and that is great for us.

Well, here they are and I couldn't be happier to see them. There is a personal story here but it isn't nearly as interesting or as important as these new products.  Wildthings Gear is a privately held outfit that has been making top notch mountaineering gear since 1981. They also have a long, successful record of fulfilling military contracts. Recently, they re-tooled their website, the highlight of which for me is their new WT Tactical line featuring the Hard Shell Jacket and Pants pictured above.

What you are looking at is special. A technical, mountaineering shell top and bottom using a premium quality waterproof/breathable laminate (eVent) in what is arguably the most popular non-hunting camouflage pattern on the market (Multicam). In fact, the only other products on the market that compare feature for feature are the Stormfront Jacket and Pants from Sitka Gear which uses Gore-Tex film and Optifade camo. Oh Arcteryx, Cabelas, Tad Gear, Propper International and Otte Gear all come close but each falls short of the mark set last year by Sitka for high end hunters and now WT Tactical for law enforcement armed forces aka LEAF.

I don't have a set of these yet but based on the prototype I saw earlier in the year, the design and construction are similar to the outstanding Wildthings Alpinist Jacket (has pit zips) and Pants which, as I have reported here previously, is among my favorite shells. Aside from the obvious use of camo on the Hard Shell Jacket, they have given it a generous cut to accommodate body armor and added pockets and Velcro squares for unit patches to the sleeves. Unfortunately, my request for a removable hood, ala the Carhartt Waterproof Breathable Jacket and Coat or some Rivers West models, didn't make the final cut. Either did a double main zipper.

The pants, however, have partial leg zips, belt loops for instructor style belts and side thigh pockets although they are not cargo style like my trusty old Adventure Tech shell pants, the USMC APECS Trousers or the Predator Hardshell Trousers from Tad Gear.

The big question is, how quiet are they?  Noise is still the holy grail for trigger pullers and nobody has stuck that one yet. So, we'll see.

Wade Nelson
Editor

Sorting through the fads and fashion of the outdoor equipment industry to identify and promote the very best wilderness gear for high end recreational users, backcountry professionals and government agencies.

We can be educated and persuaded but not bought, bullied or bs'd.

Hardcore Outdoor is dedicated to those who won't or can't turn back.