Vertx has been around for a bit, but they are new to me as I've mostly been getting full on tactical pants. These Vertx tactical pants take a different approach attempting to find a balance of looking like just some random pair of work pants to common folk while offering some solid tactical pant features. I was reluctant with the concept at first as I don't have a covert job and I've come accustomed to all the extra pockets seen on tac-pants these days for my everyday carry items. Even so, the overall quality of materials and design really grew on me and I quickly began to enjoy this Vertx style.
The core material is some fancy ass Advantage stretch™ fabric 98% cotton / 2% LYCRA that comes off feeling a solid medium weight with a dash of stretch. It won't be what you want in extreme hot or cold, however will cover a lot of in between. I've felt lighter and heavier; fortunately for me since in the CA Bay area, medium works out just about right. The waist sneaks in some integrated elastic zones on the sides that worked well for me. I can score a good fit if I decide to roll with no belt and no need to adjust anything. Fairly "normal" belt loops are used with the exception of two near the back where there is usually one. I think this is a good balance of added belt stability without screaming tactical. The fly area is fairly traditional using a metal button and zipper offering good durability. I found the main side pockets to be roomy and overall easy to access. This may be due to the lower portion having a flat area which makes for a great knife clip zone while adding more hand space width. Interestingly there is an additional zippered pocket on the right side that offers a surprising amount of space as usually these type pockets are pretty tiny. I can fit a packed wallet in there with ease. The zipper pocket idea is solid, but I would rather it be on the left side as myself and likely many others will clip their knives on the right. As is, the metal zipper pull scrapes on my knife if the pocket is in the sealed position. To combat this I've been rolling with the zipper partially opened, which a bit ghetto, but a work-around. Maybe I'll just stop being a pansy and replace the metal pull with cord soon. Over in the back are two simple pockets of good size. There isn't any fancy closure, which is good for comfort, but low on security. They have what they call the "Back pocket credential trap" which is just about 1" of fabric to hope things snag on rather than falling out. It doesn't help all that much, but a bonus touch rather than no attempt at all. I didn't notice them at all till I reviewed the design feature list later. Moving down are the cargo pockets which most will agree are what screams tactical pants to those on the lookout. Vertx really made a beautiful compromise here as when empty the pockets lay very flat to greatly assisting in being less noticeable. When the need comes, the billow design allows for some pretty good stuffing of items such as rifle magazines, gloves, etc.. A bit of a down side however, is that since a smaller cargo pocket, if you do put anything in there it becomes more visually apparent in most cases. Inside each cargo pocket is an additional sleeve pocket that works out great holding numerous kit from phones to pistol mags securely so they aren't floating around in the pocket. I'd say the little sleeves spared my hate for the lack of frontal pockets as usually I put my phone there on my full tactical pants. The flaps to the cargo pockets can take some getting used to, but I found them security effective while not using any additional hardware. With some practice the motion of pulling the flap up first then going in can be mastered and performed smoothly.
Other than that, there isn't much else going on with these pants which makes sense with the covert spirit. I'm not sure if it is the material, cut, or whatever, but the leg room kicks ass. Most tactical pants have solid leg room, but these have note worthy awesome leg mobility. When it comes down to it, the cargo pockets are the only thing that look tactical on these pants and I think Vertx did a great job making them as flat and visually forgettable as possible. They still exist offering functionality and aren't an obnoxious small size like seen on the original 5.11 pants. The Vertx tactical pants cost a little bit more than pants of similar complexity, but the quality with unique blend of covert and functionality still make them highly recommended in my book.
Recommended place of purchase: http://www.lapolicegear.com/vertx-mens-pant.html
