The shift from tactical to covert

[VDNKstalker]

I've noticed an interesting shift in the tactical/prepper/firearms community lately and I'd like to hear agreements/arguments on my theory. Bear with the longer post.
Over the last 10 years, but more-so the last 3-5, I've seen a shift in the "tactical" community away from the multicam, molle webbing, plate carriers, OIF/OEF 'operator' style gear and clothing to something I kind of see similar to the 80/90's era FBI/CIA style of tactical gear i.e. jeans, sweatshirts, running shoes, 'battle belts', concealed armor, etc
The more I'm on forums and podcasts the community seems to be making a steady shift away from the "tacticool" of the 2000's and more integrated gear into civilian apparel. I see companies like 5.11, Condor and Apex going from tactical pants to new kinds of jeans. Combat shirts and BDU's to Adidas and Nike. Hell, some of the biggest Youtube gun nerds aren't being known for ATACS or Kryptec anymore... they're training in plaid button-ups and cargo shorts.

And this change hit me with a realization: The enemy is changing.

Now I want to start this off by saying: IMO a solid 70% of the tactical community aren't LEO/MIL/FR, they're civilians who want to be those things but won't put in the time. But they DO follow the operator trends more than most LEO/MIL would ever even notice that they have. And what they're noticing the OIF/OEF veteran and law enforcement community focusing on fighting isn't ISIS or Taliban or North Korea or Russia... It's home. Left or right, black or white, the Vet and LEO community are afraid of home not abroad. They're afraid of having to defend themselves against a mob of their neighbors. So what are military and police trained to do? Change tactics. OIF/OEF and Vietnam vets have seen the unfortunate effectiveness of their era's enemies. The rice paddy farmer with the SKS hidden under the ox cart and the Hadji calling sitting in his DVD stand waiting to detonate his homemade IED with a 90's brick phone have defeated every single multi-billion dollar army on earth time, after time, after time.
There has been an UNDENIABLE push against the gun community in the last 10 years, and the hardest hit are the men and women who came home to a nation that would love to forget every hour of the war they fought in and their Vietnam war peers, of which a large chunk of the new LEO consists of. And the tactical community watches with puppy dog eyes for any tips and trends in the military community. So when the vet community hangs up their BDU's and starts experimenting with how to hide body armor and 3 mags in jeans, a grunt style hoodie and Solomons... they follow, they copy and they buy.

Again I'd love to hear comments.

 

[chucktay]

I think it has more to do with the fact that due to that 70% of the community the general public is far more aware of the telltale signs of "this guy has a gun." Those that are actually in a profession where being made, either at home or abroad, could have severe consequences are clueing into this and adjusting.
We also had ~15 years of high intensity conflict and all the direct action stuff that gear came from. Now we're rotating into more covert operations with occasional DA stuff, just like the late 80's and early 90's
Due to GWOT that community of professionals is also larger and now the retired guys are providing training, writing books, hosting youtube channels etc. This info then trickles down the 70%.

 

[Sunshine_Shooter]

I have some thoughts on this as well. To preface this, I'm in the 70% majority. I'm a civilian who EDCs daily, I've never worked for any government entity, nor carried a gun professionally.

I think the switch from molle & multicam to demin & plaid is more from the fact that 70% of the consumers in this community are people like me. That multicam arid and 'everything in FDE' phase was cool, but it got old. I can't wear Crye precision pants to my desk job. I can't wear my plate carrier to Target. Denim and plaid (and Hawaiian shirts when it warms up) are things that I can relate to because I wear them on a normal basis. When the companies making stuff to sell me notice that I'm buying much more gingham than multicam tropic, they're going to try to sell me stuff I'm more likely to buy. They back-fill the new products to the influencers so they can still get cool-guy cred.

I honestly believe that this trend is driven by the growing civilian shooter market, just as the LVPO trend and the current boom in precision shooting is. I'm not saying that you haven't stumbled upon something sinister, nor that we shouldn't keep an eye on it, I just see this being more easily explained by business practices and customer bases.

 

[VDNKstalker]

I have some thoughts on this as well. To preface this, I'm in the 70% majority. I'm a civilian who EDCs daily, I've never worked for any government entity, nor carried a gun professionally.

I think the switch from molle & multicam to demin & plaid is more from the fact that 70% of the consumers in this community are people like me. That multicam arid and 'everything in FDE' phase was cool, but it got old. I can't wear Crye precision pants to my desk job. I can't wear my plate carrier to Target. Denim and plaid (and Hawaiian shirts when it warms up) are things that I can relate to because I wear them on a normal basis. When the companies making stuff to sell me notice that I'm buying much more gingham than multicam tropic, they're going to try to sell me stuff I'm more likely to buy. They back-fill the new products to the influencers so they can still get cool-guy cred.

I honestly believe that this trend is driven by the growing civilian shooter market, just as the LVPO trend and the current boom in precision shooting is. I'm not saying that you haven't stumbled upon something sinister, nor that we shouldn't keep an eye on it, I just see this being more easily explained by business practices and customer bases.

Great insights! Funny enough i remember when friends of mine in the civilian AND military wolrd DID wear crye pants to work because it was kinda a statement. But yeah i totally agree that sport shooting is the new tactical trend right now and that will obviously affect gear and clothing

 

[JLL2013]

Follow the money...

It's a marketing trend to sell stuff. 5.11 covert anything isn't covert. If you want to blend in wear the normal things that everyone around you is wearing. Demeanor goes a long way. Sitting with your back to wall in with your 5.11 sling bag, your laptop with Magpul stickers, while looking at people's hands screams amateur and we all know what's going on.

 

[blitz]

I think it's more aestgetic pragmatism than anything else, coupled with the realization that if they wind up actually needing any of the Gucci cool guy gear they bought, they aren't gonna get a chance to change their pants first.

what's the point in paying a few hundred bucks for crye pants that you will only ever wear at the range when you can get something normal looking that has many of the same desirable features and actually wear it?

As for the concealment trends, imaging you are a regular working stuff and you paid a weeks wages for your plates just to sit there doing nothing? Or you can figure out how to wear them so you get the benefit you paid for without looking like a moron going to wall mart like its Fallujah 04.


I'm not saying the evolving unconventional threats stateside don't play into it, but I don't think it is the primary driving factor so much as simply wanting to actually get daily use out of things that cost quite a bit of money.

 

[Mammoth1016]

I cant speak for older generations, but I think you're wrong about current carriers mindsets. I am not MIL/LEO and the general majority of my shooting buddies aren't either. While I do have some friends who are into tactical gear they don't acquire it because they "Wanna be MIL/LEO but don't wanna put in the work". From what I can gather from our conversations, they have no desire to be anything other than concerned citizens/protectors of their families and communities. They just like tactical gear and collect it as a hobby. One guy said he mostly buys it just because of a constitutional/rights perspective (he wants to own whatever the government has regardless of whether or not he'll use it very often). Maybe I live in a bubble, but of the dozens of shooting pals of mine who use or collect overt gear, none of them seem interested in trying to be like LEO/MIL folks. Other folks in this thread I think have hit the inquiry on the head as far as the greater and more practical appeal of lower visibility gear so I wont say much to that. Overt gear has a time and a place but for EDC uses its just goofy to try and wear Cryes to the grocery store.

 

[Barry B]

I am not a tactician. I carried a weapon for the gov’t for a year, about 3 decades ago, with almost zero training. I now take my own training on pistol and shotgun with highly regarded instructors, some who post on this site. I do EDC, not because I’m paranoid, but I have a healthy respect that 100% of the world is not 100% benign 100% of the time. I am neither a republican, nor a democrat, I don’t like much of either party, esp as you get further from the center and out toward the fringes. I have an AR, 2 shotguns, glocks, Ruger LCP, a 9mm suppressor, and a gun safe. I am full-on harry homeowner. I am under no illusions and I do not see myself as a sheepdog, that’s a fool’s folly, and will get you wrapped up in shit so you open yourself to civil/criminal prosecution, or injury/death. I do what I do to be safe, keep my family safe, and protect our home. Full stop. Being smart, and not engaging if at all possible, is option number 1 every time, if it is available.

That said, I have some thoughts. There are people who want to for whatever reason “look the part”, regardless of their experience, knowledge or ability, and looking the part part makes you cool in some people’s eyes, a douche in some people’s eyes... and to others it makes you the first target. Tactically, looking like you may be a problem for a bad buy, is a problem for you. Never tip your hand. The element of surprise is paramount.

Every single professional I know, that I’ve trained with, does not dress “tacticaool” every time I see them (generally on the range), but like the average guy you see getting gas or buying groceries, or walking their dog.

So I think there are several things at play... one is those in the know, not wanting to look like a target because sadly there is some shit happening in the US right now. Being low profile is not a bad thing. The other thing is as someone said “follow the money”... looking like you are possibly gonna’ go hike or camp, is tne new “EDC” tactical, IMHO. And it sells. It’s also comfy clothing so a lot of non-practitioners dress this way, making it common attire, to a point.

What I found a few years ago, that makes very good sense, and has been reiterated by pros I train with... “Look like the least dangerous man in the room, but be the most dangerous man in the room”.

 

[ggammell]

Bought ReFire Gear for a tactical jacket due to its decent price and style I wanted. It fits me well, and the arms are the correct length. It arrived in good condition, on time. I can't speak for longevity yet, but after trying it on and wearing it outside for a while, I can say that it is very warm, and comfortable. It's warm and it has a great tactical multi-purpose look and it's functional .

Neat.

Maybe in your next post you could actually say something constructive, like why you did something. Your generic, poorly worded uninformative drivel adds nothing to the discussions you post in. This isn’t an amazon review.