User Panel
User Panel
User Panel
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 12:51:14 PM EDT
Yup, there was once a time when 5.11 wasn't a thing. They were Royal Robbins and I still have brand new never worn pants from way back.  These are circa '00 to '04. I literally have a mountain of 5.11 pants, both before and after 5.11 spun off and became their own thing.Originally marketed for climbers and hikers, the FBI started buying them when they realized they're better thanthe USGI BDUs of the era. Then the LE market was born.. Yes, I use them for work. After all these years they're still comfy. |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 1:01:12 PM EDT
[#1]
I have a few pairs. Also a few of the Taclights and Strykes.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 1:10:53 PM EDT
[#2]
I didn't know that 5.11 was spun off from Royal Robbins.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 1:16:13 PM EDT
[#3]
|
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 1:18:39 PM EDT
[#4]
That was a really ghey name. They changed it for the better for sure
|
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 1:25:27 PM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
That was a really ghey name. They changed it for the better for sure |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 1:26:24 PM EDT
[#6]
Little known fact:
The term “5.11” originated in the technical rock climbing world. The Yosemite Decimal System grades the relative difficulty of a particular climbing route. It encompasses walking (class 1-2), scrambling (class 3-4), and roped climbing. Class 5 is subdivided into parts, currently 5.0 to 5.15. Back in the day Royal Robbins was a hard ass climber with first ascents of numerous El Cap big wall routes and the direct NW Face of Half Dome among others. He also popularized “clean climbing” which eschewed the use of rock damaging pitons. At the time of Royal’s climbing heyday, 5.11 was a difficult benchmark. Only a few climbers possessed the ability and vision to ascend routes of that grade. And now you know... |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 1:29:56 PM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I didn't know that 5.11 was spun off from Royal Robbins. The 5.11 name in based on/inspired by the Yosemite Decimal System of grading route difficulty. ETA: Beat. I'll also add, I always thought that 5.10 was a related company, but it's not. They're owned by Addidas now. |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 1:30:01 PM EDT
[#8]
Remember when Under Armor was first a law enforcement product?
|
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 1:36:30 PM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
That was a really ghey name. They changed it for the better for sure Quote HistoryQuoted:
That was a really ghey name. They changed it for the better for sure Quoted:
I think it's an interesting story. You start out general and adapt to what you excel in and demand is highest in. TA Associates, a Boston private equity firm, bought a majority stake in 5.11 Tactical for $305 million in 2007. In 2012, 5.11 Tactical purchased Seattle-based custom outdoor apparel brand, Beyond Clothing LLC, for an undisclosed amount. Royal Robbins is still in business as a clothing line separate from 5.11 right now. https://www.royalrobbins.com/ |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 1:37:56 PM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
He's a rock climber that started both 5.11, and the company that bears his name. The 5.11 name in based on/inspired by the Yosemite Decimal System of grading route difficulty. ETA: Beat. I'll also add, I always thought that 5.10 was a related company, but it's not. They're owned by Addidas now. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
I didn't know that 5.11 was spun off from Royal Robbins. The 5.11 name in based on/inspired by the Yosemite Decimal System of grading route difficulty. ETA: Beat. I'll also add, I always thought that 5.10 was a related company, but it's not. They're owned by Addidas now.  So both of these guys  Attached FileAnd this guy  Attached FileHave way more in common than it may seem. Btw 5.11 pants suck for climbing. |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 1:45:37 PM EDT
[#11]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Btw 5.11 pants suck for climbing. |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 1:58:40 PM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
prAna? Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted: Btw 5.11 pants suck for climbing. I can say definitively that the 2-3 diff types of 5.11 pants I’ve worn climbing or on a SAR, have chafed the hell out of my junk area. |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 2:07:25 PM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I didn't know that 5.11 was spun off from Royal Robbins. |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 2:15:54 PM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
That was a really ghey name. They changed it for the better for sure There are a number of Robbins routes out there that have mandatory free climbing sections that will put you in your place, even with modern climbing shoes and cams. The photography of the day just didn't show it … because when they were doing fist ascents, no human had ever been there, or above. |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 2:19:45 PM EDT
[#15]
Pretty sure that grab handle on the back pocket isn't a grab handle either.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 2:23:52 PM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
prAna? Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted: Btw 5.11 pants suck for climbing. |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 3:02:57 PM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Pretty sure that grab handle on the back pocket isn't a grab handle either. |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 4:36:52 PM EDT
[#18]
Quote HistoryQuoted: BEAT like a rented mule So both of these guys https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/241310/24286444-F28E-4C25-A6DB-CEC0EF47CA0E_jpeg-966580.JPG And this guy https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/241310/1AFBB218-3034-40D5-8336-F53B70EDF8EE_jpeg-966582.JPG Have way more in common than it may seem. Btw 5.11 pants suck for climbing.
I use them for work pants. |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 4:38:13 PM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Depending upon which story you believe, it's either to clip one's carabiners on to, or to keeper to prevent beer bottle[s] from escaping. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Pretty sure that grab handle on the back pocket isn't a grab handle either. |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 4:41:37 PM EDT
[#20]
Same. I still have and use my Royal Robbins from 2000ish. I recently threw the khaki into a vat of o d Dylon to darken them up a little.??
|
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 6:03:14 PM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
That was a really ghey name. They changed it for the better for sure |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 6:05:50 PM EDT
[#22]
Quoted:
https://i.imgur.com/89I1Kmx.jpg https://i.imgur.com/hyxgwRA.jpg Yup, there was once a time when 5.11 wasn't a thing. They were Royal Robbins and I still have brand new never worn pants from way back. These are circa '00 to '04. I literally have a mountain of 5.11 pants, both before and after 5.11 spun off and became their own thing.
Originally marketed for climbers and hikers, the FBI started buying them when they realized they're better thanthe USGI BDUs of the era. Then the LE market was born.. Yes, I use them for work. After all these years they're still comfy. |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 6:11:21 PM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Well, if you still wear a 34" waist that would make you a fucking unicorn around this place. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
https://i.imgur.com/89I1Kmx.jpg https://i.imgur.com/hyxgwRA.jpg Yup, there was once a time when 5.11 wasn't a thing. They were Royal Robbins and I still have brand new never worn pants from way back. These are circa '00 to '04. I literally have a mountain of 5.11 pants, both before and after 5.11 spun off and became their own thing.
Originally marketed for climbers and hikers, the FBI started buying them when they realized they're better thanthe USGI BDUs of the era. Then the LE market was born.. Yes, I use them for work. After all these years they're still comfy. 
|
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 6:14:50 PM EDT
[#24]
Fun fact. An Agent's wife worked for Royal Robbins. Somehow that was the hook that got them to be "range pants" at the academy in the mid 90's. Scores of fresh faced newly minted G Men were then the envy of all their task force brethren. And the rest is history.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 6:22:41 PM EDT
[#25]
If one is into climbing, 5.11 then...
For serious use, I recommend the Tru-Spec 24-7 cotton canvas. Pockets in the right places, 4 internal M4 mag pouches, internal knee pouches, and in my experience last longer than 5.11's.... ymmv |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 6:24:58 PM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
If one is into climbing, 5.11 then... For serious use, I recommend the Tru-Spec 24-7 cotton canvas. Pockets in the right places, 4 internal M4 mag pouches, internal knee pouches, and in my experience last longer than 5.11's.... ymmv
|
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 6:25:22 PM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Remember when Under Armor was first a law enforcement product? |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 6:33:41 PM EDT
[#28]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I'm still wearing pants I bought back in the early 2000s. How much longer should I expect pants to last? Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
If one is into climbing, 5.11 then... For serious use, I recommend the Tru-Spec 24-7 cotton canvas. Pockets in the right places, 4 internal M4 mag pouches, internal knee pouches, and in my experience last longer than 5.11's.... ymmv 
And yeah, I've got 5.11 pants that I wore 10-15 years ago that are still good to wear. My gut, though, not so much. |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 6:35:08 PM EDT
[#29]
dupe
|
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 6:43:06 PM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I'm still wearing pants I bought back in the early 2000s. How much longer should I expect pants to last? The Tru-Specs take a year or more before they start showing any wear. If one just goes to the range and only stands, 5.11's would work fine. For serious hard core use, I choose Tru-Spec. |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 6:51:22 PM EDT
[#31]
I don't have any new ones left, but I bought some Royal Robbins Half Dome pants from Sierra Trading Post on closeout in 2006 for $9/pair that are still going strong. The only differences I've seen from the current standard 5.11 pants is the magazine pocket (or whatever the hell it was originally designed for) is on the right side rather than left, and there's a line of horizontal stitching on the left rear pocket so your wallet doesn't drop down so low.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 6:56:50 PM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I keep 10 pairs of tru-spec cotton canvas 24-7's on hand. 7 are used thru out the week. 2 to 3 hour range trips 5 days a week. Plus I wear them for yard work and clearing woods areas. Kneeling, prone, standing. 5.11's lasted about a year. Washing and constant kneeling wore out knee areas. The pant's bottom hems started threading after two months. The Tru-Specs take a year or more before they start showing any wear. If one just goes to the range and only stands, 5.11's would work fine. For serious hard core use, I choose Tru-Spec. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
I'm still wearing pants I bought back in the early 2000s. How much longer should I expect pants to last? The Tru-Specs take a year or more before they start showing any wear. If one just goes to the range and only stands, 5.11's would work fine. For serious hard core use, I choose Tru-Spec. |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 7:00:12 PM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Well, if you still wear a 34" waist that would make you a fucking unicorn around this place. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
https://i.imgur.com/89I1Kmx.jpg https://i.imgur.com/hyxgwRA.jpg Yup, there was once a time when 5.11 wasn't a thing. They were Royal Robbins and I still have brand new never worn pants from way back. These are circa '00 to '04. I literally have a mountain of 5.11 pants, both before and after 5.11 spun off and became their own thing.
Originally marketed for climbers and hikers, the FBI started buying them when they realized they're better thanthe USGI BDUs of the era. Then the LE market was born.. Yes, I use them for work. After all these years they're still comfy. Kharn |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 7:09:09 PM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
prAna is great, but most pants with a gusseted crotch will do. Except 5.11. 5.11 pants defy physics. They have a lot of the features found in climbing pants, and yet they suck for climbing. I think it has to do with excess bulk in the waist to support heavy belts, and too many seams and stitching around the knees that just seem to cause binding when high stepping. My biggest complaint is that they don't breathe for shit, but otherwise.....they are amazing pants for what I use them for. |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 9:22:23 PM EDT
[#35]
I used to have 5.11 climbing pants, that is how they started as already mentioned and I used them for ........ climbing.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 9:28:47 PM EDT
[#36]
RR pants …
|
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 9:29:00 PM EDT
[#37]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I don't know about that. I've got some 5.11 pants that feel about as bind free and easy to move in than any pair of pants I've ever had, especially considering that they are cut tighter than some of my other options. My biggest complaint is that they don't breathe for shit, but otherwise.....they are amazing pants for what I use them for. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
prAna is great, but most pants with a gusseted crotch will do. Except 5.11. 5.11 pants defy physics. They have a lot of the features found in climbing pants, and yet they suck for climbing. I think it has to do with excess bulk in the waist to support heavy belts, and too many seams and stitching around the knees that just seem to cause binding when high stepping. My biggest complaint is that they don't breathe for shit, but otherwise.....they are amazing pants for what I use them for. Kharn |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 9:30:18 PM EDT
[#38]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I didn't know that 5.11 was spun off from Royal Robbins. Edit: beat by about fifty other climbers.... |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 9:36:06 PM EDT
[#39]
I sent my first 5.11 using...5.11s
|
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 9:38:18 PM EDT
[#40]
I've got two pair of RR pants that are too big for me to wear now and a vest. I guess I've had them since 2000 or so.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 9:41:04 PM EDT
[#41]
I've still got my Royal Robbins climbing shoes.
The Galibier RR Yosimite 
“This importing business sure is a can of annelids [worms].” – Royal Robbins Before they called the company “Royal Robbins”, there was “Mountain Paraphernalia.” In 1968, Royal and Liz Robbins started selling climbing gear under the name Mountain Paraphernalia. A few years later, they added clothing, which they called Mountain Threads. The heavy wool sweaters they imported from the Lake District of England started a long tradition of great Royal Robbins sweaters. By the 1980’s, the company was known as Royal Robbins, as it still is today. Royal and Liz married in 1963, and in the late ’60’s, Royal was working as the assistant manager of Liz’s father’s paint store in Modesto, CA. Royal had recently designed one of Galibier’s original rock climbing boots – the RR Yosemite – so he had an in with a major footwear company. “I was working as assistant manager at the paint store, but I wasn’t too good at it. Luckily, mountaineering at the time was hot in the U.S., so Liz…and I saw selling climbing footwear as a perfect opportunity,” said Royal in the May 1985 issue of Backpacker. They imported Galibier boots, Edelrid ropes, Ultimate Helmets, Salewa, Peck nuts and pitons, and a host of lesser known products. He was the U.S. distributor for Mountain Magazine and stocked British climbing books. |
|
|
|
Posted: 6/2/2019 9:41:38 PM EDT
[#42]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Well, if you still wear a 34" waist that would make you a fucking unicorn around this place.
|
|
|
Win a FREE Membership!
Sign up for the ARFCOM weekly newsletter and be entered to win a free ARFCOM membership. One new winner* is announced every week!
You will receive an email every Friday morning featuring the latest chatter from the hottest topics, breaking news surrounding legislation, as well as exclusive deals only available to ARFCOM email subscribers.
AR15.COM is the world's largest firearm community and is a gathering place for firearm enthusiasts of all types.
From hunters and military members, to competition shooters and general firearm enthusiasts, we welcome anyone who values and respects the way of the firearm.
Subscribe to our monthly Newsletter to receive firearm news, product discounts from your favorite Industry Partners, and more.
Copyright © 1996-2024 AR15.COM LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Any use of this content without express written consent is prohibited.
AR15.Com reserves the right to overwrite or replace any affiliate, commercial, or monetizable links, posted by users, with our own.
Attached File