Men's 5.11 Stryke Pants Tactical Reviews, Deals, Problems and Guides

These are my favorite tactical pants that I have bought yet. They blow the 5.11 Taclite Pros out of the water.

Compared to the Taclite Pros, the Stryke Flex-Tacs are made from a lighter material and have a much neater overall fit and finish.

Starting from the top and moving down...

Waist

I had to order a size smaller compared to the Taclites because of the tunneling waistband style. I have a small waist and I am very picky about having my pants fit just right without needing a belt to stay up. However once I went from a 30 to a 28, I was very happy. The waist is comfortably snug without being too tight. I personally prefer the Flex-Tac's tunneling waistband over the scrunchy rubber band waistband of the Taclites. For me, the tunneling waistband is more comfortable for wearing all day and leaves much less marks on my bear skin.

Belt Loops

The two front belt loops are about two inches wide and they feature a sleeve that is intended to hold an ID badge. A small folding knife could also be used instead. There is no longer a D-ring like there was on the Taclite Pros.

The other five belt loops are each about 7/8" wide and are evenly spread across the rest of the waist. Not a whole lot to say about them.

Button/Zipper

These pants close with a snapping copper button (noticeably harder to snap and unspan than the Taclite button) and a YKK zipper. It would be helpful if the zipper head was a bit bigger, but it's not very problematic.

Inseam

Just as I am picky about my pants having snug waist, I am also just as picky about having an inseam that is not too long or too short. That being said, the Flex-Tacs have the most comfortable waist and inseam fit-up that I have ever worn.

Both the waist and inseam are exactly where I want them. I like my pants waist to naturally rest on my hips and have an inseam that ends as high up the legs as possible without getting too close for comfort. The flex-tacs deliver this ideal fit-up. When this fit-up is combined with a flexible material, the outcome is a pair of pants that allows the same flexibility as sweat pants while still having a rugged feel and allowing the wearer to stash all kinds of goodies in the assorted pockets. These could easily be worn during activities such as yoga or martial arts, without needing to set aside any small to medium edc items (keys, phone, wallet, folding knife, etc.)

Pockets

All of the pockets are a major improvement over the flex-tacs. The primary pockets have more comfortable larger openings, and a flat 1-2" bottom for holding a knife or pens/pencils. They are also made of the flex material, and I like the pockets having that small amount of leeway.

The front pockets are both designed after the front right pocket of the Taclite Pros. I believe they also have a larger opening now. They are great for slipping a cell phone or smart phone into. A phone is easily removed by pushing the bottom of the phone up and out of the pocket.

The side cargo pockets have a thin profile, and are barely noticeable when compared to typical cargo pants. They blend into the pants well without looking bulky. The flaps open with velcro straps on both ends, and the flaps also look very neat and tidy. There are also partitions along the inside of the pants in the cargo pockets, although the entire cargo pocket is not completely partitioned and can still be treated as "one big pocket" for something like a roll of duct tape.

The back pockets are exactly like the side pockets, minus the partitions. They are also a bit smaller than the cargo pockets.

I wish that these pants had more zipping pockets, such as the Blackhawk Lightweight pants that have a hidden wallet pocket beside the primary pocket. All of the pockets are great as-is, but on any pants I want as many completely enclosing pockets as possible for hiking, camping and trail running.

Overall, I love these pants for their look, style, fit-up and flexibility.

The tactical pants you can wear without screaming tactical. The cut is stylish enough to wear with dress shirts, jackets, and shoes. They are correctly sized - choose the size just like jeans or slacks. The right size is comfortable, great for active and mobile/travel use, and is great in most weather conditions. It's not as lightweight as 5.11 Traverse 2.0, so very warm/humid conditions are not ideal but it won't slow you down.
Great pocket features -- side pockets have internal magazine pouches and secure flaps, rear pockets have velcro flaps, front pockets are nice and deep with knife clip reinforcements. The front slit pockets are very useful for flat items like room / credit / subway cards, flat keys (your car fob is kinda thick but try it and see), folded cash, tissues / wipes, earplugs, chapstick, lockpick set, thumbdrives, and that compact combo bottle opener and corkscrew. Don't put coins in there, too hard to fish out.
I've used Stryke pants for everyday activities, for semi-formal events, out on the range, for hiking, for tactical training, for travel (air, road, public transport), and for dancing (ballroom and regular clubs). Nobody even notices that they are utility pants. But those times when you ask a lady to dance and she needs a place to secure her cellphone (or tiny purse), or your travel partner needs secure but quick storage for passports, tickets, tissues/wipes, energy bars, reading glasses -- those sidepockets are total winners. And you become the alpha gentleman of her dreams.
For those results, these pants are worth what you pay for.

PS I've never used the knee protector pockets, but I appreciate the knee reinforcements.
PPS note that the water-repellent coating beads water, and also your own pee that you didn't realize splashes back at you. Bring a tissue to dab your front.

Great quality, Light weight and comfortable. But the length was a half a inch shorter than other pants of the same size I wear. Also the front pockets are too small my cell phone and too low for my keys. And there’s no d-ring. And finally, the cargo side pockets are too small. The cargo pockets are short and shallow. I carry two wallets, they barely fit.
And my I pad mini sticks out over an inch.
In hindsight I should have purchased the Apex pant, bigger pockets. I’m pretty disappointed.

Great Pants! I must say though that I have been wearing the Black Hawk Warrior wear pants and love them. I will do a little comparison between the two. First off these pants are super comfortable. At first i wasnt too sure i really liked them. They seemd a little thin and fit a bit narrower than the Black Hawks. After wearing them a few times i really started to like them and dont wear my Black Hawks as much. The stretch fabric is why it seems thin but that stretch fabric is just so comfortable and forgiving when moveing. The high cargo pockets are a pleasure to reach and the front slit pockets are stealthy and practical, they will fit a small phone, knife, magazine. What i really like is that these pants dont scream tactical Joe. They look very casual but are extremely versatile at the range,hiking, around town or at home. I wear a 34x30 in jeans and other pants and these fit accordingly. I like the higher waste and the belt loops are large and strong. The placement is also nice for 3-4 o'clock carry with an outside the waisteband holster.
The Black Hawks are a bit more roomy, the cargo pockets have better cargo holding capacity with there in pocket holder strip. I also like how the BH's have the reverse pleat on the cargo pocket so it doesnt blossom as much as the Strykes when full of stuff. 5.11 was really thinking when they put the cargo pockets higher and at a slight angle, this is first time I have seen such a design and it just works. The BH's have a rubber strip around the inside of the waiste band that holds onto your tucked in shirt, which works great, I wish the Strykes had that feature. The BH are deffinetly more tactical looking and maybe a little more range friendly. The BH have a key loop on the front belt loop, that would have been nice on the Strykes too. If you combine the pants into one pant, that woukd solve all issues and work like a dream. But I really like the Strykes for everyday wear, carry wear and just going about the town or hiking. I like my BH's for range wear, they just have a few more features, the fabric isnt as forgiving or stretchy, but is a little more durable, heavier weight. I dont think you can go wrong with these pants. I might also add the BH's OD green is a more military green and the Strykes OD green is more of a forest green. Like I said before, i dont want to scream "tactical", the Strykes green is deffinetly a nicer green for casual wear. When I recieved them I was pleasantly surprised. Both wash great and never wrinkle either. I do think that the price point is a little high for these pants. The BH's have many more features and are cheaper. I think were paying for the ""proprietary fabric".Good job 5.11. What I would like to see:
magnet catch pocket flaps (instead of velcro)
rubber strip on the inside of the waste band
key loop
reverse pleat cargo pockets.

I needed a pair of cargo pants to wear on my trip to Italy. The choices for women are few. The hubs wears 5.11s for work and loves them so I decided to give them a try. They are great! Lucky for me, they fit my body shape just right. I carried my phone, sunglasses, lip balm, keys, etc in the deep front pockets..all secured by tight velcro. There was enough room to fit a money belt in the back under my shirt to secure extra cash & passport. No need for a handbag or back, I was hands-free w/ no bags to check at security points (e.g. Vatican). I bought them in black so they wouldn't show dirt or stains. I wore them A LOT over the course of my 14-day trip and they never looked dirty or wrinkled. Although it didn't rain I did have a couple minor spills; the water beaded up and ran off. The waist has hidden elastic inserts which gave me extra room on the days I overdid the gelato and pizza. They performed exactly as advertised and were 1/2 the price of women's pants at the high end outdoor stores. I love these pants so much they may be my new go-to everyday pants instead of jeans.

I've been wearing the 5.11 Stryke pants for quite awhile and have noticed several things that set them apart from the other brands. First is the overwhelming size selection. Unfortunately, some other manufacturers have taken the one size fits all approach, limiting their lengths to no longer than 32" and large waist sizes. 5.11 has clearly acknowledged that not all of us are 5'9 and 230 lbs. Thank you, from the "average guy"! The Stryke pants are also lightweight, yet durable rip-stop. They are both stylish, fitting in when a casual look is needed, yet practical for tactical and/or concealed carry use. Also a great pant to hike in as they are water repellent. The elastic waist band and added, inside button closer help greatly when employing an IWB holster. I have nothing negative to say about this product. Once again, 5.11 hits a home run!

A friend recommended these pants to me after hearing about a story of me ripping two pair of Wranglers I bought less then a year ago. Needless to say I wasn't too happy that I had just spent a couple hundred dollars in pants for everyday use, and they didn't last very long.
I bought three pair of Stryke pants, and I've never looked back! I wear the Stryke pants for work, casual occasions, and even to church sometimes. They fit and feel great! The extra fabric and stitching in the crotch area is awesome. When crouching there is no tension, and you're mobility is not restricted because of how well designed these pants are. The material is durable and breathes pretty well.
I was so happy with the first three pair of pants that I immediately bought two more pair within a week of my first purchase.
The only negatives I have about the pants are that I wish there was an option to have the pants a little wider in the thigh area, and to make the zipper a little longer. These are just my suggestions because I've struggled to find pants that are a little wider in the thigh area. Hopefully an option will be made available for wider thighs like they have for people with wider feet.

Poor quality control, stitching errors on 4 different pairs, one pair fits much tighter than another in the same size. No consistency and would not find this acceptable on even a cheap pair of jeans let alone something around this price.
I bought these for hiking since they are cheaper than most of the pants made specifically for that and felt like these would be more durable. It's also hard to find hiking pants with both cargo pockets and normal sized waist pockets that are not zip offs and don't fit tight around the thighs.
The design of the stryke pants is well thought out, the cargo pockets sit at the right height on the thighs so they don't flop around knees and are angled forward for easy access. There is no annoying seam around the knees, the fit isn't baggy or too tight and the provision for knees pads is a nice option. The waist pockets are nice and deep and overall just a comfortable pair of utility pants for warm weather.
Sent an email to 5.11 complaining about the poor quality and they never replied so that's another mark against them. Disappointing for an otherwise good pair of pants. Would give them a higher rating but I had to buy 4 pairs to find 1 that was acceptably made and fit the way it marked and 5.11 doesn't seem to care so the stryke pants get 3 out of 5 stars.
This websites customer service and return policy was excellent and they made returns easy so I'm happy to buy from them again.

These pants are incredibly comfortable and very functional. They have more features than I use (badge holder, ankle cord, knee pad slot), but are so versatile that they work perfect for me. I really like all the pockets, especially the convenient angle and height of the cargo pockets. I use most of the pockets on a regular basis, to the point that standard pants don't work for me anymore. The material is very comfortable, but incredibly strong. I've hiked, done yard work, and roofed in them without any snags, tears, wear, or stains. I highly recommend them. I have several pair and have bought most from TacticalGear.com. I'm not sure why, but the quality of the tacticalgear.com 5.11 Tactical Stryke pant was superior to other suppliers, arrived faster, and had no damage to the packaging or the pants.

If there's such a thing as tactical pajamas, these are them. Elastic waist fits so well that I don't need a belt if I'm just knocking around the house. Pockets everywhere, with hip pockets so deep that they can hold my wallet and cellphone in one pocket, keys and tools in the other; I don't even need the cargo pockets other than to hold a bottle of water or full-size flashlight. Lightweight polyester rip-stop is great for Florida where we have summer temps 10 months out of the year, and the pants are light enough and roomy enough that they ventilate well, too. Pistol mag pocket on each let is great for lighters, coins, keys, dog tags, whatever. Definitely worth the money, and definitely preferred instead of jeans.