By: IPC

Tru-Spec has made some impressive clothing over the years. The 24-7 Series in particular has enjoyed a large success with active and retired military, LEO personnel, and civilians. For this article, we will be focusing on the pants. The durable, lightweight fabric, practical feel, multitude of pockets and knee pad pockets made them popular very quickly upon their release. The choice between two fabrics also helped their popularity, giving more options to people depending where they lived or worked. The 24-7 Series Original pants were tough enough to hold up to military and LEO abuse, but where flexible and comfortable enough to interest civilians in buying them as well. However, the Xpedition pants, newest addition to the 24-7 line, is definitely giving the original a run for its money.

Since the release of the 24-7 Original Tactical Pants, Tru-Spec has released numerous other makes of their pants, including EMS pants, Vector, Delta, and Eclipse to name a few. The most recent release that Tru-Spec has made is their new Xpedition Series. This new series is a bit of a divergence from the type of pants that Tru-Spec has put out in the past. I was lucky enough to come across a reasonably priced pair of the Xpedition pants at Major Surplus and Survival in California.

These new Xpedition Pants were designed with Alan Kay, the winner of the first season of the TV show ALONE. Instead of being 100% constructed of 6.5oz polyester/Cotton Rip-Stop material, a few parts of the pants have been replaced with a durable, double weave material of Nylon and Spandex. The hip yoke (the area just below the belt at the back of the pants), the front cargo pockets, and the backs of the knees have all been replaced with this new material, making the pants much cooler during the summer while retaining the pants durability in crucial places.

One useful addition is a zippered dual mesh at the seam of the pants in the thigh/calf area. This addition has been incredibly useful during the hot summer, helping keep my legs cool and preventing them from becoming clammy. Snap ankle cuffs and boot hooks have also been added to the pants, as well as a water repellent coating. Tru-Spec has also added a DropN pocket behind the right cargo pocket. These pants were designed to be incredibly versatile and work in most environments.

I have owned and worn a couple pairs of the Tru-Spec Original Tactical Pants for awhile now. I have abused them quite a lot; wearing them on hikes, camping, hunting, doing yardwork, riding motorcycles, obstacle courses/mud runs, and just everyday wear and tear. They have held up through all of it. R. Lee Ermey was accurate when he called them, “the best damn pair of pants I’ve ever owned.” I have greatly enjoyed these pants, but if I am honest, they have been eclipsed by the new kid on the block.

To give the new pants a fair chance, I spent a while testing these Xpeditions in different situations and environments. I went hiking, did yardwork, worked outside in different types of weather, exercised, and just sat at my desk at work. I even wore them on a float trip with some buddies to see how they held up for an extended period in water. Through all of the abuse, even tumbling down a river at one point, the pants have held up well. They are scuffed and scraped, but they are still in one piece and they are still water repellent, the coating is very effective. I am very impressed with this newest addition to Tru-Spec’s 24-7 series.

Tru-Spec has released a number of different color schemes for their newest pants, including 2-tone olive drab/black, black/charcoal, multicam/tan, and other solid colors like black, tan, and green.  I currently have the OD/black and while they are fantastic in the woods, I admit that they do stand out in a crowd when I am running errands in town.  I found the Xpeditions at Major Surplus and Survival in Gardena, CA, they are available on their website too.

On the whole, Tru-Spec’s new Xpedition Pants have made it onto my Christmas wish list for this year.