As an officer, how does your uniform change with the hot weather? Does it at all? I don't mean warm. I mean hot. Like standing on open asphalt under the full-sun for hours in Florida in late July. This year's July, 31 days of the hottest year in recorded history. To help put this in perspective during my wear test I was told a great line, "Any one who says 'the heat doesn't bother me' isn't from around here." That came from someone who lives there. I come from the southeastern Wisconsin area where any humidity level 75 percent and up feels like breathing through a sponge. So on that day in Florida, this 103 degree day was just a day. Just a Friday.
With that, regardless of whatever a "Friday" may send your way - rain, heat, or otherwise - you still show up on duty. Ready. And you need your clothes to keep up with you. I'd imagine that is exactly what Dickies mean's by "developed and tested by U.S. law enforcement officers."
Dickies Tactical Product Collection includes an impressive 15 piece band, offering products for the men and women of law enforcement. Two of which made their way to my desk: the Stretch Ripstop Pant and Ripstop Tactical Shirt (short sleeve). The full collection includes the following pieces.
- Stretch Ripstop Tactical Pant
- Stretch Ripstop Tactical Short
- Lightweight Ripstop Tactical Pant
- Canvas Tactical Pant
- Flex Comfort Waist EMT Pant
- Long Sleeve Tactical Shirt
- Ventilated Ripstop Tactical Shirt
- Performance Tactical Polo Shirt
- Tactical Polo
- Tactical Softshell Jacket
- Tactical Full Zip Fleece Hoodie
- Tactical Bonded Fleece Hoodie
- Women's Stretch Ripstop Tactical Pant
- Women's Flex Comfort Waist EMT Pant
- Women's Tactical Polo
You can find more at their site, www.dickies.com.
Dickies describes my new pant as "designed for performance, comfort and ease of movement, law enforcement professionals turn to this versatile pant to withstand a hard day's work." Adding that the shirt "[offers] law enforcement professionals a shirt that meets the demands of the job...provides ample accessory storage for officers on the go." And this is indicative with the included packet of two epaulettes, a badge holder, and a body-camera loop. All of which you have the option to attach Ikea style. Realize the opportunity here. While your department may have standards as to where the body-camera goes, the shirt allows you to accommodate. On top of that it allows you to mount the camera appropriately to your height and body type. It's permanent, unless you cut your stitching. On that note, Dickies did supply a set of instructions.
I ran both the Ripstop Tactical Pant and Ripstop Tactical Shirt in the wash a number of times. The color remained true, the pant became slightly more comfortable to wear, but there's a stiffness to the shirt's fabric I found intriguing. Typically I'd use the word "floppy" to help describe my experience with business style button-front shirts thus far. In 103 degrees, this stiff quality became one of my greatest allies.
In the Dickies Tactical Collection release, Alex Smith, senior vice president of occupational wear says, "Dickies developed these with mobility and comfort in mind, key product features include mag pouches, pockets for documents and cell phones, knife and mic clips, and a loop for sunglasses. In addition to these functionality features, the collection offers water-repellent fabrics, UV protectant, reinforced double knees, breathable fabrics, hidden vents and expandable waistbands with grippers to enhance mobility."
My employment doesn't have me running around too much, it's not that intense. One thing desk jockies and police work shares could be the constant up and down of sit to stand and back again. During this, these pants became a great friend - my shirt rarely untucked itself. And this active element became one of my favorite points.
There's strip on the inside back of the pants. It offers a tad of cushion but mostly it features a grip that will do an exceptional job of keeping your clothes where you put them. This kept my professional appearance on par. It's a simple addition, but if you're like me and plagued with shirts untucking themselves each time you sit, you'll appreciate this integrated patch. Not to mention the shirt itself has plenty of length. I was sent a large, and boy did I have room, but there's ample fabric to bend, twist and do what you need to without worry of losing your professional image.
Since we're on the rear of the pant, this held another favorite point of mine: pockets, and one in particular. My "wear test" included taking notes all day with a tiny notebook. The smartphone pocket sits on the right leg and both cargo-style thigh pockets held interior spots to help hold -- ok, I'm not here to tell you what you can put in your pockets, let's just say that there's a built-in mag pouch and plenty of room on top of that. For the left-handed officers, I wonder if Dickies will offer an alternative option and move this smartphone pocket to the left leg.
It's the handcuff pocket in the back that became excessively handy. Access to this was easy being placed just below my belt. I thought replacing items would end up being a hassle and I'd need to reach back with my other hand to hold it open. I was wrong. To top it off there's very little profile of contained items unless you put an overstuffed wallet inside (something I do not recommend).
Like mentioned earlier, the shirt's fabric strength became a surprisingly helpful factor. The shirt comes in three colors as of this writing: black, Desert Sand, and Midnight. That's right, black. On a hot, sunny day in Flordia, in the middle of an asphalt plane. The fabric having that woven strength kept away from adhering to my skin like glue; it's moisture wicking factor doing an exceptional job.
Here's a bit of advice: neither of these were manufactured as rain protection. The shirt isn't a rain coat. If you need one - bring one and wear it. Water does bead and run off as excepted, however my rain simulation test overpowered the shirt quickly. It should be noted that Dickie's literature does not list water repllency as a feature. The pant did perform better here.
Wrinkles can be smoothed out by hand on the fly, but I found the iron does a better job (but who's got an ironing board in their patrol car). I did discover that the shirt's fabric caught onto pet hair easily yet a quick swipe was able to brush most of it away and return the professional look the shirt once provided. The pant? Nothing seemed to stick for too long, and the creases it came with running down the side remain to this day even after washing and all my attempts at wrinkling them away.
The Ripstop should do it's job, just as this lightweight pant and shirt combination should let you do yours - you'll look good too.
