Having been in the military / law enforcement industry for over 35 years now, and having worn uniforms for just about all assignments available, it’s a rare occasion that a uniform manufacturer pops up that I’ve not heard of: but that was the case when I was sent a uniform to T&E from General Tactic. Originally founded in 1997 as a fabric company, General Tactic quickly evolved into a manufacturer of uniform apparel with a focus on material performance.
I have to admit, when I first received the test uniform I wasn’t impressed. It felt like every polyester uniform I’d been issued back in the 1980s. The good news was that it was very light weight and I was going to be testing it in early summer temperatures that ranged from the mid-60s (F) to about 90F. The bad news was that I fully expected the uniform to fall apart under heavy use: kneeling, running, lifting, turning, etc. I intended to test it through a series of exercises and activities that would mimic being worn on the street, being in fights, changing tires on a car, etc. The best news of all, as I found out through the testing process and some research, is that I was totally wrong in all of my assumptions. For the record, it is not polyester at all, but is actually a blend of nylon and cotton with some spandex fiber that makes it flexible.
General Tactic uniforms really are different due to the materials they are manufactured from. While very light weight, the uniform kept me both warm and cool thanks to its high insulation rating but equally high breathability characteristics. On more than one occasion I spilled water (or had water accidentally sprayed) on it, and was delighted to find out that it was waterproof. And even while wet, I never felt the breeze through the fabric because the material is windproof. For all that, you might think it would hold body odors or other smells. It doesn't. The reason it doesn't is because it has a treatment (Polygiene) that makes the shirt anti-smell. Normally polyester or synthetic garments smell really bad after one day of hard use and heavy sweating. I didn't experience that no matter how hard I worked while wearing my test uniform.
If any of you remember polyester uniforms, you remember how easy the material would snag or get abrased and look unserviceable because it already looked worn out even if it was brand new. You just didn’t want “scratches” in your shirt or snags in your pants or whatever. I wore my test uniform on a ten mile hike through the local national park forest and thanks to the proximity to the Chesapeake Bay, there was plenty of underlying brush… including briars. I made a point of walking through some of that – either with my arms up or wearing gloves depending on circumstance – and was surprised to find no snags or abrasions in the fabric when I was done.
General Tactic refers to the uniforms made from their material as Smart Uniforms. On their website, you can find three different collections: Police, Bike and Undercover. Each collection has a specific intent for uniform use in mind, but obviously you aren’t limited by the collection labels.
The POLICE Collection includes long and short sleeve duty shirt, all-season, lightweight and K9 variations of their six-pocket pant, winter pant, Class A pant, a waterproof light jacket and their modular softshell jacket.
The BIKE Collection includes long pant, bike shorts, bike polo and a bike softshell jacket.
The UNDERCOVER Collection currently includes what General Tactic refers to as their Secret Service Jacket and their Tactical Pant.
It is reasonable to expect that as their business and the industry expand, General Tactic will add more design items into their line as well as probably creating new collections. After all, they could still build a SWAT collection, Maritime collection, a stand alone K9 collection and more.
The General Tactic catalog is available for download online at this link. I encourage you to check out what they offer and test a uniform set for yourself.
