5.11 Stryke Tactical Pants Review: The Best In Tactical Performance

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Of all the gear I have been able to get my hands on and test, the 5.11 Stryke tactical pants have been one of my absolute favourites.

I got a lot of praise for these pants, so let me be clear right off the bat so people don’t think I’m just blowing smoke. As I’m writing this article I am not an affiliate of theirs, but even if I was I would still give an upfront straightforward and real review.

So, again the 5.11 Stryke tactical pants are hands down one of the best pieces of gear I have ever used. They are comfy, they are tough, they are functional, they are sleek, they are practical, they are just plain cool, and did I mention they’re some of the most comfortable pants I have ever worn?

Whether I am going for a day on the range, a week in the field hunting, or a quick dash to the grocery store the 5.11 Stryke’s have the versatility in design to do it all.

SPECS

Fit: Regular
Waistband: Self-Adjusting
Pockets: 12
Pocket Size: Large / Fit to EDC
Size Range: W28″ – L30″ / W54 – Unhemmed
Material: Two-Way Flex-Tac Mechanical Stretch Fabric

PRICE

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OVERALL

All things considered like price, material, functionality, and comfort the 5.11 Stryke tactical pants are an amazing pair of pants. The 5.11 Stryke earned my unofficial rating of 9/10.

The two-way flex-tac ripstop fabric is extremely tough and having the most abused areas reinforced with a dual layer of fabric makes sure these pants as a whole are very tough and durable.

They are extremely comfortable and lightweight allowing for them to be worn year round. They have pockets located all around the upper thigh and waist area which allows you to gear up and keep the weight of your gear around the thickest and strongest part of your body so you’re not being hindered by the gear you carry.

The Stryke also have a semi-casual to semi-formal feeling about them which allows them to be worn nearly everywhere without being out of place. This also gives you the ability to be somewhat tactical in any environment.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

To start the 5.11 Stryke are just look good pants. The ripstop nylon being fairly unique to tactical gear stands out right away, as most pants aren’t made of it. As well as the number of pockets, which there are a lot of and the styling of the pockets, which have a very functional design to them.

I tried them on and knew I had found an awesome piece of gear. I’m 6’4″, closer to 6’5″ when I have my boots on and weigh around 265 lbs. One of the hardest issues I have when it comes to clothes is finding pants that fit my length and width. 5.11’s Stryke pants fit perfectly! They were long enough for my legs, which is usually the issue and they were wide enough for my waist.

The waist has what they call their self-adjusting tunnel waistband, which is just an elastic band built into the waist, so that no matter your exact size the waistband is comfortably snug around your waist. This self-snugging aspect of the pants is super comfortable and a major trait of these pants that I love.

I also realized upon first trying them on that the main hip pockets for your hands are wider at the entrance of the pocket and are quite deep which easily allows you to have your EDC knife in your pocket and have your whole hand in the pocket. This was awesome, as with most jeans when I have my pocket knife on me I can barely put my hand in my pocket.

Lastly, they felt very comfortable. The nylon is soft on the skin and the flex-tac makes the 5.11 Stryke stretchy, allowing for full and easy movement. This again is another awesome trait of these pants, as I am very active and I almost always tear my pants right in my crotch by moving around a lot.

Let’s just say after trying them on in the store, I called my wife up and explained how much I needed these pants!

FIELD FIRSTS

I started wearing my 5.11 Stryke’s this past spring during the spring bear season. Since then I have worn them during pretty much everything else I do in life from working around home or out to church.

Again, the 5.11 Stryke’s surprised me with how comfortable they were. I had no problem whatsoever spending hours outdoors, hunting and going through the woods with them on. A huge plus was the Teflon coating, which helped keep me dry and warm as I went through the bush and any water rolled right off me.

The Khaki or Battle Brown (which I have) colours make the pants feel more semi-casual than casual. I started wearing them more than I would wear my jeans when headed out somewhere. Although, with a wider bottom from the regular fit, they don’t work with standard runners. You do need some good tactical boots to go with them.

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I also realized that all though they have the elastic around the waist to help snug them up, you still need a good belt as the elastic only snugs them and doesn’t hold them tight. That might not be a problem if you don’t have EDC items with you, but if you’re like me and you have multiple EDCs then a belt is a must-wear.

QUALITY & DESIGN

MATERIAL

5.11 Stryke’s are made using their patented two-way Flex-Tac mechanical stretch fabric. It is also combined with Ripstop nylon to create a perfect combo of toughness, stretch, and comfort. I go into these areas a bit more later in the article, but a big takeaway is that this material is the perfect material for tactical pants.

It’s not going to tear on you in the middle of combat or any high-stress situation, it’s not going to distract you by making you uncomfortable as you try to take that perfect shot while hunting, and in any situation, it won’t restrict your movement as many other pants would.

WAISTBAND

5.11’s self-adjusting tunnel waistband on the Stryke’s is one of my favourite features of these pants! The elastic bands hold the Stryke’s snuggly around my waist when they’re on, but stretch and make them easy to put on. Definitely, the comfort aspect is huge though.

The self-adjusting tunnel waistband doesn’t hold it tight enough that you don’t need a belt, you still need one. It just holds it as I said snugly around your hips so they don’t fall off before you get your belt on.

Thanks to the self-adjusting tunnel waistband the Stryke’s are also very forgiving if you’re someone who happens to go ham on special meals, such as Christmas or Thanksgiving. If you’re just someone who’s into weight lifting and you put on some real glute or thigh size these pants are awesome in that case too.

Suffice it to say, 5.11’s self-adjusting tunnel waistband is incredibly comfortable and helpful and an ingenious invention. I don’t know why more companies don’t use this kind of idea in their pants.

POCKETS

5.11 has done a great job with the pockets on their tactical Stryke pants. With 12 pockets in total, you can carry everything you need and some things you don’t. The Velcro on the butt and cargo pockets is nice and strong ensuring they stay shut, as well the front EDC pockets are a beautiful addition and perfect for your favourite items.

That being said, let’s deep dive into the 5.11 Stryke’s pockets.

EDC POCKETS

5.11 put these two thigh pockets on the Stryke specifically to carry EDC items. They are honestly the perfect size for a multi-tool (as you can see in my photo), a knife if you don’t want to carry it in your main pocket, or most cell phones (excluding the newest iPhones and Androids as they have once again increased in size).

I love these two little pockets as my main pockets can fill up quickly and leave little room for my hands with all my EDC items. I always carry a multi-tool on me and these pockets are perfect for it. Once in a while, I will put my cell phone in these pockets as well to clear up room in my main pockets.

I like to keep my main EDC items on my right side as I am right-handed. When I wear normal jeans or any other pants for that matter without these pockets, I’m forced to wear my multi-tool in my left pocket as I always want my knife on my right, and I’m simply not a big fan of that as my multi-tool can feel bulky in a main pocket.

SIDE/HAND POCKETS

It might be weird to say, but I love these pockets as much as you can love a pocket. One of the biggest issues with pants I have is having big enough pockets to where I can carry a knife in the pocket and still comfortably have my hands in the pocket.

5.11 has solved this issue on the Stryke’s as they have made these pockets quite large. I have no problem even having a knife the size of my SOG SEAL XR in the pocket and having my hand in the pocket. Even with both of those comfortably in the pocket I still have some room left to spare.

One of the things 5.11 did to get this extra room was to not curve the front of the pocket around to meet that rear thigh seam. Instead, as you can see from the photo, they made the pocket more of a bulbous rectangle. Having that extra space at the bottom opens up the mouth of the pocket.

5.11 also made these pockets a good 8-9 inches deep. This lets you get your whole hand in the pocket with ease.

Another, just hands down fantastic feature of these pockets, along with that nearly flat horizontal bottom lip, is the fact that the bottom lip has been reinforced specifically so you can carry around a pocket knife without ruining your pants.

Anyone who has carried around a pocket knife for a while knows that, with jeans for example, the pocket clip on the knife eventually starts to tear apart the fabric.

The leaves your pants wrecked and looking bad. Thanks to the pocket design on the 5.11 Stryke’s however, this is not something you’ll ever have to worry about.

REAR POCKETS

The rear pockets on the 5.11 Stryke’s much like the front pockets are nice and big and deep. They come with 5.11’s signature asymmetrical flaps containing one rounded corner and one non-rounded corner. Although unlike the cargo pockets, the rear flaps are straight across.

5.11 has also used fairly aggressive Velcro on the flaps, which is good as it ensures you’ll never lose your wallet or whatever else you might carry.

The one aspect of the rear pockets that stands out as different and of course super functional, is that the pockets are not directly on the rear of the pants. They are off-centred slightly. This gives you easier access to the pockets, especially while you’re sitting down.

CARGO POCKETS

5.11’s Stryke tactical pants come with their signature angled cargo pockets which have distinctive oblique pleats, exclusive rounded corners, asymmetrical pocket flaps and original arc stitching.

Keeping on the theme of pockets on the Stryke, the cargo pockets too are quite deep! Not only are they deep, but the inside of both cargo pockets has two smaller pouches along the inside of the pocket which run the full height of the pocket as well.

So each cargo pocket has two pen-style pockets against the leg, and then the larger cargo pocket in front.

I find these pockets are great for some extra snacks as I’m waiting for a bear or deer to walk out in front of me.

GUSSETED CONSTRUCTION

The number one place my jeans tear is in the crotch. I can’t tell you how many pairs of jeans I’ve lost through the crotch tearing. The 5.11 Stryke’s solve that completely.

The two-way flex-tac fabric assures the Stryke’s are stretchy, the ripstop nylon makes the Stryke’s extremely tough, but on top of that 5.11 has put a gusset across the entire crotch from thigh to thigh. A gusset is a panel of cloth inserted to help shape and reinforce an area on a piece of clothing.

In this case, 5.11 used a gusseted construction in the crotch which offers a bit more room and like many other parts of the Stryke tactical pants, reinforces the area.

TACTICAL DESIGN FEATURES

REINFORCED & KNEE PAD COMPATIBLE KNEES

5.11 has reinforced the knees of the Stryke tactical pants using a dual layer of their two-way flex-tac ripstop nylon. If one wasn’t good enough (which it is) then two have to be good enough. This fabric is mega tough, I am hard on my clothes and I have yet to see any wear on my knees.

On top of the reinforced knees, if you flip the pants inside out you can see that there is a sewn pocket on the inside of the pants. In between the two layers of fabric, it’s hollow as 5.11 has created a perfectly hidden compartment for knee pads.

Of all the parts of your body that take a beating whether you’re over the wire somewhere or just in the backcountry, the knees are definitely one of the worse. So reinforced knees with the possibility of knee pads is an awesome tactical feature.

REINFORCED POCKETS

I touched on this briefly when I looked at the pockets, but this is a great tactical feature and I had to hit on it again. Both side pockets have reinforced lower edges specifically so you can hold an EDC pocket knife or multi-tool.

This, one, makes sure you won’t wreck your pants by putting on and removing your knife all the time (which I do a lot since my pocket knife is my fidget toy).

And, two, it makes it easier to take your knife out or reinsert it into your pocket as the edge of the pocket is much stiffer than you’d see on regular pants such as jeans. One of the hardest things with a tight pocket clip on a knife is that the clip simply pushes the soft material of the pocket down and makes it a hassle to reattach your knife to your pocket.

Although a small addition, this is another feature I simply love about the 5.11 Stryke tactical pants.

EXTRA THICK BELT LOOPS

The belt loops on the Stryke tactical pants are all thick and strong with the front two belt loops being extra thick as well as having an extra piece of fabric that creates convenient holding loops for carabiners.

Every attachment point of the belt loops to the pants is bar-tacked as well, making sure they are extra strong.

These belt loops assure you that when you’re wearing your awesome and highly customized gun belt, the loops on the Stryke’s holding your belt on are not the weak link in your armour.

Regardless of how heavy your belt is these belt loops will not break.

REINFORCED SEAMS

Same picture I know, but it’s an awesome photo showing that nearly every single seem on the 5.11 Stryke is reinforced with dual stitching. All vital points are also bartacked for again, even more strength.

What is bar tacking you ask? Look at the bottom where the reinforced knife clip panel meets the pants, there you will see two extra thick lines of stitching, one at each corner. This is bar tacking, an extra thick dense line of thread which increases strength at connection points on clothes.

FUNCTIONALITY

LIQUID PROOF

The 5.11 Stryke tactical pants have been coated in Teflon a substance that gives the nylon extremely good water, stain, and oil resistance literally causing these liquids and more to simply roll right off.

What is Teflon? Teflon, like GORE-TEX is a  polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE). A polymer known for how good it is at resisting and preventing the transfer of moisture. It is a product used by adventurers, avid outdoorsmen, and militaries worldwide to protect themselves and their gear from liquids of all kinds.

This is another awesome feature 5.11 added to the Stryke. It makes the pants much more versatile, greatly widens the climates they can be used in, and as I stated already will greatly increase the longevity of the life of the pants.

TOUGH

5.11 has pretty much ensured that every single idea that went into making the Stryke tactical pants in some way made the pants stronger and tougher. Strength is the measurement of force something can take, in this case, 5.11’s Stryke tactical pants and toughness is how many times they can take that force. The 5.11 Stryke are strong and extremely tough.

The ripstop nylon, reinforced knees, the capability for knee pads, gusseted construction, double stitching, vital seam bar tacking, and Teflon coating all come together to make the 5.11 Stryke tactical pants one of the toughest articles of clothing you will ever find in the tactical gear community anywhere.

There are few objective truths in this world and saying that the 5.11 Stryke are tough is one of them.

STYLISH

Depending mostly on the colour, the 5.11 Stryke’s are also pretty darn stylish. They’re overall just good-looking pants. The tans, browns, greys, and blacks can easily pass for semi-casual dress wear.

This is another factor that increases the versatility of the pants, as it moves them from simply being good wilderness operating pants to also being great pants to wear in urban operations.

Of course by urban operations in this case, I mean a day out with the family, a night out with the wife, or just hanging out with friends. No matter what you do or where you go, throw on a dress shirt and some nice shoes with these pants and you’re good to go.

STRETCHY

This is another point I touched on briefly at the beginning, but the two-way flex-tac fabric is awesome. Being a bigger guy, finding pants I can move in is quite hard for me. 5.11’s Stryke pants though have a nice loose fit to them and have a very good stretch to them.

Whether I’m wrestling with the kids, kneeling gutting a bear, or hiking up a mountain I have never felt restricted in my movement while wearing the Stryke. My buddy who is more average in height and build than I am, was also wearing his 5.11 Stryke while we were installing his cow fence and he expressed the same sentiments to me.

We both love the freedom and ease of movement which the two-way flex-tac fabric of the Stryke offers.

COMFORT

One might think that the ripstop nylon makes the fabric uncomfortable, but that just is not so. The Stryke are as comfy as can be. They feel nice, smooth and soft to the touch.

The stretch aspect makes sure that they never feel overly tight or constraining as you’re sitting and relaxing and the seams although having many reinforced spots never dig into you.

Overall the pants are very comfortable.

CONCERNS AND CRITICISMS

Honestly, I don’t know what to put here. Nothing stood out to me as obvious flaws in the system. All though I know nothing is perfect, I don’t have anything negative to say.

CONCLUSION

5.11 is an awesome company, they make awesome gear and yes I’m a huge fan of theirs. I think 5.11 did an awesome job with their Stryke tactical pants. They set out to make one of the best if not the best tactical pants on the market and they got close, maybe even succeeded.

The Stryke are tough, durable, comfortable, and compatible in any environment. The Teflon coating makes them great in the rain and the two-way flex-tac fabric makes any activity you use them for easy from hunting to hiking or from combat to climbing.

5.11’s Stryke tactical pants are absolutely… top-tier. They are tactical gear 4 life.

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