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Product Review: Vertx Tactical Pants

I have always been partial to comfortable pants. I eschewed denim some time ago for pants that are functional, roomy, soft, and fit me instead of me fitting into them. Six weeks ago Vertx – makers of clothing for the operational athlete – sent me a pair of their men’s tactical pants to trial and review. My desert tan Vertx pants now occupy the coveted second position in my closet (just behind three different pairs of sweat pants).

Urban Adventuring

When I was in grade school I carried a key on a brass woodstock (from Peanuts) key ring to my house because after school my parents were not home. That experience initiated a compulsive habit to regularly (like 20x an hour) check the contents of my pockets. Did I still have the key?

Now as an adult the compulsion continues but now includes more keys, identification, money, business cards, and BlackBerry. I received my Vertx pants the day of my flight to San Francisco for the Chronicles of EMS premiere in early February. After a quick inspection I decided the pants would be ideal for a long day of traveling and an even longer day of urban adventuring in San Francisco.

The Vertx pants feature an excellent set of pockets that truly secure the contents. My favorite is a hidden zip pocket inside the right front pocket where I could stow my photo ID, debit card, and cash. Just as awesome is a pocket inside a pocket for my BlackBerry. No more compulsive pocket checking. As I traveled  to and around San Francisco; a growing collection of boarding passes, receipts, city maps, business cards, and tourist brochures found a home in one of the six different pockets.

Durable

Once I find a pair of comfortable pants – there are lots of candidates but few victors – I tend to wear them until it is a collection of bare threads held together by a belt. These Vertx pants are scuff and abrasion resistant. I am confident they will maintain a top spot in my closet for hundreds of wears in the years to come.

In addition to urban adventuring I have used them already for family hiking, yard work, dog walking, household projects, wrestling with my kids, EMS training sessions, and more.  They are holding up as I expected after lots of use in the last six weeks and numerous washings.

Ready to Wear

Obviously comfortable pants should be comfortable from Day 1. I was not disappointed. The brushed fabric is soft on the inside and outside. As you can probably predict as an aficionado of comfortable pants I don’t iron – ever. My Vertx pants were ready to wear out of the box and are ready to wear out of the dryer with no ironing.

EverydayEMSTips.com Recommended

The Vertx Men’s Pant is comfortable, functional, and easy to wear. I will be wearing mine for a long time and looking to add more to my collection.

For a full description of features, sizing, and purchasing visit WearVertx.com.

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By Greg Friese

Greg Friese, Stevens Point, Wisconsin, is an author, educator, paramedic, and marathon runner.

Greg was the co-host of the award winning EMSEduCast podcast, the only podcast by and for EMS educators. Greg has written for EMS1.com, JEMS.com, Wilderness Medical Associates, JEMS Magazine, EMSWorld.com and EMS World Magazine, and the NAEMSE Educator Newsletter.