Here’s another great piece from Propper‘s new line-up, the redoubtable STL II pants, that came in my haul of Propper loot, along with a Liberty Bottle, the ICE polo shirt, their Gen Multipurpose Bag and a 720 Belt, all of which have reviews pending. Watch this space.
Knuckledraggers – redoubtable.
Here is what I can tell you about the STL II pants. I’ve reviewed some Propper pants before and appreciated the comfort and wearability of their design, construction and durability. The STL II’s are no different. Made from a 97% nylon and 3% spandex, it has a generous cut and all the hard wearing seams are reinforced, and flat-finished, giving these pants a very comfortable fit.
The fabric is soft, breathes nicely and light, a far cry from my old canvas type cargo pants of yesteryear. I wonder how hard-wearing they will be in the long term, and whether they need to fall in the “slacks vs overalls” category of rough-use. I have a feeling running through acacia thorns wouldn’t be a lot of fun in these.
On the upside, they feature gusseted crotch allows greater range of motion as well as giving pinch free fit for those of us who go-commando or even sport some of that “special” jewelry …
An interesting feature is that the bottom of the legs have a zippered expandable opening, for fitting over boots, as well as a reinforced “kick-panel” to take some of the brunt for those who punish their back hems a fair bit.
The front pockets feature a reinforcing strip, for belt-clips of knives or key-holders, and are both deep and well lined. No holes poking through or awkward bulges with these. The thigh-pockets are zippered and discreet, as are the rear-pockets. A pair of looped fabric bands on the front two belt-loops
You might notice that I have stuffed my iPad Air into the thigh-pocket. A tight fit, but I’d call that a success with regard to the “can I pocket my iPad” criteria. This also further demonstrated the clean and subtle lines of these pants. When closed off, there are no bulging baffles or overtly “cool-guy” flaps on these pants. Perfect for blending in with the regular folks out and about, in the office, or in my day-to-day case, in hospitals and giving presentations in board-rooms, without making security nervous.
As Propper themselves say, you’d have to look twice at these pants to spot their tactical features – speaking of which, there is even a secret 12cm x 10cm pocket, in the back waistband seam. Its big enough for me to stash my passports, or a phone, and when coupled with a pair of belt-pouches, is pretty much invisible.
For pants as cleanly cut as these, I like that they still have the “secret-squirrel” feel of their tactical ancestry. Keep in mind they feel more like slacks than combat-pants, which is both a plus and a minus depending on how you look at it. Take that under advisement.
JO
About the Author: Josh Orth is a second generation expat currently dwelling in the arguably civilized outskirts of Melbourne, Australia. He’s lived in deserts, jungles and urban sprawls around the world and traveled/adventured into assorted inhospitable places around the world and has a keen sense of the speed with which the trappings of ‘civilized Western life’ can disappear. This has led him to begin writing about his interests and observations when it comes to the gear, skills and other necessities of self reliance of being equipped for whatever a capricious, occasionally indurate life might throw at him. This isn’t by any means to say our eccentric friend actually longs for life in dystopia, but if he had to he might not complain. Read more by Josh at Apocalypse Equipped.
Grunts: indurate.
0 Comments