paranoid56
Adventurer
if you look on their site they list where every item is made under the specs section of that item.
Triple Aught Design?
- Thread starter Sempertoy
- Start date
if you look on their site they list where every item is made under the specs section of that item.
DiscoDavis
Explorer
Made a statement not a question... I was already aware of what you mentioned. Like I said, I was surprised, used to buy a few things from TAD back in 07-09, and their entire brand rep was based off of the whole Made-in-the-USA line. Not a comment on chi-com stuff, I like the praetorian as much as my old pieces. And I live near their home-base, have always liked the brand. When I ordered I asked them about whether or not they stand by their china-made stuff, and they replied that they do, which I appreciated them saying. I find it to be well-made, no qualms about quality. I like more than anyone else to get salty about a company downgrading quality so that they can outsource the production of cheaper items but they approached this pretty well.
Since nobody else provided feedback re: praetorian/artemis I'll give some. It will shrink in the wash. I don't have time to dry clean things and it was made to be worn and probably abused. I am fairly lean so fall in between sizes. Ordered the next size up and it shrunk down ever so slightly to a very nice fit. The first time it got wet I was outside in the rain trying to finish up a few projects. It had been brand new, no wash yet. The merino smelled like wet dog which was interesting.
Now I haven't been soaked yet since the first wash. Might have just been a bit of residue from chemicals or dye/etc. that produced the smell and I wasn't overly concerned. It's not a dinner jacket. It will not keep you dry at all in anything more than a sprinkling, but wool does keep you warm. Air dries pretty quick.
The sleeves get really thin around the wrists, I can get where the stories of them fraying come from. If this starts on mine I will probably just have a tailor roll the material up a few millimeters and sew heavy stitching to make the wrist cuffs a bit more resistant to wear.
djrez4
Adventurer
All of my merino does that when it gets wet.
I'm in a similar spot as @Sempertoy was in the OP. I know TAD makes great stuff. It's just making myself pull the trigger. Really want the Recon RS pants but they don't have the color/size combo I'd like. Covert RS does so I may go with those. Funny though, because the Covert line is less covert than the Recon or Spartan pants because of the D-rings and other pockets, IMO. Just a name though. Spartans look great, and are multi-functional as someone pointed out. Would love to get the Recon AC shorts next spring/summer. Question: anyone in the 6', 185# range? Based on a review article I read the 32" inseam should fit me, but I would like to hear from anyone with experience. Thanks for any info.
shellb
Adventurer
So - I'm similar size and bought 34s. They are "biggish" and certainly need belt for me. But I figure better big than small...
I would think you'd be ok with the 32s. If they were available I'd pick them up. Sometimes that is the deciding factor for me.
I went with 34/32 in the Covert pants. Fit is great. Slightly long but not bad.
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bigskypylot
Explorer
If I am going to shell out $$$ for good gear, I'll go with WildThings.
http://www.wildthingsgear.com/pages/about-us
http://www.wildthingsgear.com/pages/about-us
DiscoDavis
Explorer
UPDATE: Interesting bonus of Merino in general after living with it for a year or so...
Merino doesn't reek if you spent the night out around cigarettes and spilt beer. That was a pleasant discovery, and not a fluke. All smells in general don't hang around. Not a daily occurrence testing this mind you, but a few nights around a campfire or long Euro summer nights do have a lot of smoke and beer exposure
The praetorian I was initially skeptical about is now a favorite Call me a merino convert now. 10/10 would recommend
Merino doesn't reek if you spent the night out around cigarettes and spilt beer. That was a pleasant discovery, and not a fluke. All smells in general don't hang around. Not a daily occurrence testing this mind you, but a few nights around a campfire or long Euro summer nights do have a lot of smoke and beer exposure
The praetorian I was initially skeptical about is now a favorite Call me a merino convert now. 10/10 would recommend
2025 deleted member
Well-known member
Yikes. I have a hard time spending that on clothing.
How did your pants hold up? I just ordered a pair of the Force AC cargos via ebay.
I'll add my 2 cents. I had a Stealth hoodie for a bit over a year and sold it. Flawless construction and very long sleeves (size large) which I really appreciated as I usually have to order a med or large long in jackets because of my long arms. Really fit my body type almost perfectly: 6'2", 190lbs and what I would describe as "athletic". My wife described it as "fat swimmer" when we were watching the summer Olympics when compared to Phelps, etc. But I digress.
I sold the Stealth as I didn't like the fleece lining or waterproof/"breathable" membrane as it simply did not breathe as well as non-laminate softshells regardless of all the cool Schoeller marketing. I need waterproof like 5% of the time here in CO for which I have a dedicated eVent shell. The rest of the time, breathability is paramount as overheating and sweating sucks when its really cold.
Ultimately, I picked up a US made (Berry compliant) PCU level 5 softshell (Patagonia), for around a 1/3 of what I paid for the Stealth and much prefer the breathability under exertion.
Additionally the US made ECWCS level 5 softshell can be had for around $60 and uses the same highly breathable EPIC fabric as the PCU softshell. Potential downside, depending on how you roll, is that the color options are unlimited as long as you like the following two camo patterns: UCP and Multicam (I have the multicam version). This is why I picked up the neutral colored PCU L5 jacket.
Side note, the US made ECWCS (and PCU) level 2 grid fleece is probably my overall favorite layer and those can be had for around $20-30 (new) on ebay. Compare that to TAD's Vortex grid fleece at $120 and non-existent inventory.
Not trying to slam TAD as production in the US, using high tech, expensive materials and rock solid build quality aint cheap and the price reflects that. Look at Western Mountaineering and Kifaru for similar examples. TAD certainly isn't alone in this category. But...there are other, perhaps less flashy, options that are also US made and of good quality.
This all being said, I did just order a pair of TAD Force 10 AC pants but I had to order them from ebay because of...yep...non-existent inventory.
I sold the Stealth as I didn't like the fleece lining or waterproof/"breathable" membrane as it simply did not breathe as well as non-laminate softshells regardless of all the cool Schoeller marketing. I need waterproof like 5% of the time here in CO for which I have a dedicated eVent shell. The rest of the time, breathability is paramount as overheating and sweating sucks when its really cold.
Ultimately, I picked up a US made (Berry compliant) PCU level 5 softshell (Patagonia), for around a 1/3 of what I paid for the Stealth and much prefer the breathability under exertion.
Additionally the US made ECWCS level 5 softshell can be had for around $60 and uses the same highly breathable EPIC fabric as the PCU softshell. Potential downside, depending on how you roll, is that the color options are unlimited as long as you like the following two camo patterns: UCP and Multicam (I have the multicam version). This is why I picked up the neutral colored PCU L5 jacket.
Side note, the US made ECWCS (and PCU) level 2 grid fleece is probably my overall favorite layer and those can be had for around $20-30 (new) on ebay. Compare that to TAD's Vortex grid fleece at $120 and non-existent inventory.
Not trying to slam TAD as production in the US, using high tech, expensive materials and rock solid build quality aint cheap and the price reflects that. Look at Western Mountaineering and Kifaru for similar examples. TAD certainly isn't alone in this category. But...there are other, perhaps less flashy, options that are also US made and of good quality.
This all being said, I did just order a pair of TAD Force 10 AC pants but I had to order them from ebay because of...yep...non-existent inventory.
Last edited:
2025 deleted member
Well-known member
So what company is a less expensive alternative to TAD with similar lines? I can pay those prices, but I really think its ridiculous.
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