Reposted from earlier when the comments weren't working.
Many of my friends are out working the road tonight, including at least one of the female officers who had input on these and my sister-in-law. Part of the conversation I just had talking to the former reminded me that I hadn't posted anything about these pants yet - so here they are.
The 5.11 Tactical Women's PDU Go Pant work off the same premise as those longjohns with the dropping flap-bottom - remember the red "union suit" long underwear? Same basic theory here, but without the big buttons. It's bad enough as a male officer that once in a while you have to go by the station or other safe location to pull off your duty belt and all your gear for a mid-tour deuce (assuming your call load even lets you). I can only imagine how irritating it is to have to unlimber all of it just to pee...especially if you're on graveyards and you're swilling coffee and energy drinks the first half of the shift.
The Go Pants eliminate the need for that, at least for agencies with uniform standards or P&P that will allow it. Silly as it sounds, this is going to have an impact on officer safety and will certainly make things a little easier on female officers during the course of their shift. The trousers are described as "...ultra fade, shrink and wrinkle resistance along with its Teflon treatment for soil and stain repellency..." They're 65% Polyster, 35% Cotton Twill with 5.11's Drop Tail.
Hopefully they are working on something similar for those male officers brave enough to grab a little Mexican food during their tour. Having once been on the receiving end of a 'roll all available units' call while in a rather vulnerable position, I can assure you I'd have worn something like this, and I know several male officers who would as well.
I haven't spoken to female officers who've worn these pants (yet) but I'll let you know as soon as I get any feedback on wear durability (don't want one coming unzipped in a foot chase), comfort and fit.
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EDIT: Just got a response from 5.11 (that was fast, thanks fellas). They advise that initial response has been very positive and that they have already received requests for a male version and so may be considering it down the road.
http://www.511tactical.com/All-Products/Pants/Womens-Pants/Womens-Pdu-Go-Pant.html
