HELIKON TEX WOMEN’S URBAN
TACTICAL PANTS
The Women’s Urban Tactical Pants (or UTP) from Helikon
Tex are the sister pant to their well-known unisex UTP,
but are specifically designed to fit the female shape,
but how do they stack up? Kelly tells more…
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When I opened the packaging and got my hands on these
ladies-specific (hurrah!) tactical pants, I was actually very
impressed with the feel of the material, it doesn’t feel
or look cheap despite their affordable price point; it has
a little stretch to it and is a durable 2 way rip stop blend
fabric - perfect for the field/range.
Looking at the overall construction of the garment, it is
solid and with this I threw them on so let’s check out the
fit. So as we know, these are designed specifically to fit
the anatomy of the female form and have a classic jean
neck shape to prevent the trousers from slipping down. I
am very happy with the fit although with these trousers
it is really important to measure your body and check the
sizing before ordering! In mens/unisex combat trousers I
usually wear a 28” waist/32” leg and majority of the time
they do the trick, but as these are an extremely fitted pair
of trousers I had to measure my waist and hips to make
sure I had the correct size. I’m a size 8/10 in most jeans/
trousers depending on the brand and worked out my size
to be a 30” waist.
They are comfy and not too restrictive despite their tight
fit. After putting these through their paces with squats,
running during my daily fitness routine for most activities,
especially for range days the size is perfect however if I
were to wear these for more physically demanding tasks
I would probably opt for a size bigger because I like my
trousers to be a little looser to enable a better range of
movement especially when I’m crawling under/climbing
over or through obstacles.
The trousers are very fitted around the waist, hips,
buttocks and thigh areas and loosen up around the knees.
The length of the trousers is 34” no matter what size you
opt for and this is to give the user greater freedom in
choosing their leg length - just fold them up and you’re
good to go. I for one quite like the long leg.
They feature an elasticated waist and zip/velcro
fastening which gives them a little movement around
the waist and keeps them securely fastened. There are
7 wide belt loops which are perfect for loadout belts for
holsters, mags etc. I feel pretty confident when I say that
it is unlikely that you would need a belt to keep them
up. They also come equipped with 12 pockets - two front
pockets with strengthened edges, two wide back pockets,
two slim back pockets for accessories, two angled internal
waistband pockets, two zipped thigh cargo pockets and
two velcro thigh pockets.
Although I think the amount of pockets is exceptionally
useful and they do enhance the overall aesthetics of the
trousers, I only really used the zipped/velcro and the
waistband pockets. I liked the security of the fastened
pockets and my iPhone fitted well in the waistband
pockets. They come in 5 colours - shadow, black, denim
blue, khaki and olive drab; I opted for the shadow grey
colour as I’m really loving that shade at the minute. From
www.military1st.co.uk the shadow colourway is UK£53.00
with free shipping which is a little more pricey than the
unisex trouser option but cheaper than other brands who
also offer ladies cuts. For the quality of the construction,
material and fit, I feel the price is justified and affordable.
Overall, I found it very hard to dislike anything about
these trousers.
For more information and to check out more in the
ever-expanding Helikon-Tex range please do visit www.
military1st.co.uk in the UK, and www.helikon-tex.com
where you’ll also find current prices in UK£, US$ and Euros.
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