Gear that is 100% made here in the US by one person, made to spec with only the best materials available in the $300-$400 range - possibly metal buckles. Something that exceeds specs and will last forever.
Or
A imported product that will also hold up to most use built like most of the current rigs on the market with standard materials in the $100-$150 range?


This also applies to most other tactical gear as well, mag pouches, rigs... Do you aim for what will get you by, or "work" or are you willing to pay a premium for something that is over manufactured  and custom made to your specs?

What are some of the features you guys look for when buying tactical gear? Weight, size, materials??? Thanks.

Buy american the job you save may be your own. If you can afford it buy the best.

Buy Once, Cry Once. USA Made all the way

I'd like to buy American but I'm a poor college student.

It also depends on the product.

Gun parts that my life may depend on? USA.
Flashlight? China (Fenix is a great brand). Not paying 200 for a Surefire.
Backpacks? Mixed. (Maxpedition is great, TT, Kifaru, MR, etc)
Tactical gear (probably will be used overseas)? USA only.
Vehicles? Mixed.

Tools are a big one. I only buy name-brand power tools but they are probably mostly foreign (DeWalt, Bosch). As for wrenches and sockets, I spent less than $70 at Harbor Freight and now have a full range of metric and SAE. I'm not a mechanic and cannot afford to pay $160 for 15 Armstrong wrenches. I got 22 HF wrenches for about $15...and they threw in a free tape measure.

Once I'm making a good salary, I'll be more inclined to but American for more stuff.

There's so much quality, Made-in-the-USA gear available for very reasonable prices, that there's no reason to consider Condor, Blackhawk, or 5.11-branded stuff.

Nobody, here or abroad, makes what I want. I'll do it my damned self.

Body armor, duty weapons, anything that my life depends on is worth a premium.

Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile

I'm almost as tired of Chinese gear as I am of over priced US made gear.  I'm going to give option A and option B the finger.  

For the cost of a full set of US made gear I bought the an industrial sewing machine and enough of the highest quality materials to make 10 sets completely custom to my needs.  Sewing tactical gear rally isn't very hard I'm learning,  maybe my stitching doesn't look as professional but it holds just as well.  Screw buying gear.

My thoughts as well.

I would rather have American made mass-produced gear of reasonable quality. The market is already flooded with super-primo low production rate companies charging stupid high prices. I'm not really interested in encouraging more of that.

I'm a capitalist, not a protectionism.

What I look for is "what best fills my needs, including usability, durability, and price".

I've had foreign-made "cheap" tactical gear that's similar or better quality to US made stuff, and I've got some US made stuff that's crap quality. The US isn't the only place where people make good quality items.

If two items are the identical price, identical quality, and fill the same need, I'll give the US made preference if all else is EQUAL. If I can get a better quality item made in Japan for a cheaper price, I drive a Toyota (that's actually Japanese, not from the NC Toyota factory).

Buying USA doesn't save my job or whatever bullshit people spout. My job is safe because the shit I produce at work is the best shit in the world. If you lost your job to someone overseas then the free market has determined what you did wasn't worth the price you were charging for it. Become worth your price, or lower your price.

---------

Since it's the gorrilla in the room, IMHO, the new-production Condor pouches are good. The "one size fits landwhale" nature of the Condor chest rigs and plate carriers keeps me away from that, and I can't stand the valves on all the Condor hydration items so I stay away from those.

I'm wearing a Maxpedition cellphone case and using a Maxpedition wallet as I type this, but avoid their tactical gear because it's overpriced for what you get and in funky colors.

I've never seen a 5.11 item that impressed me. I'm wearing Kmart store-brand pants everyday because they're the best price/durability/quality item I've found. I tried a few of the $60+ pants options, and I never had one last more than 4 days without ripping; I typically get close to 50 days before I need to replace my $17 pants, and that's mostly because they slowly shink in the wash over a year.

I think my boots are made in China, but not 100% sure.

Currently all of the tactical gear I'm actually using is made in the USA except one pouch made in South Korea, just because that's what fit my needs best. I've been unimpressed with the Korean pouch so may end up replacing or improving that someday, just like I need to do some stitching on a crappy designed Tactical Tailor pouch.

Yup.

Are you talking only range/training/duty days or days period?  Each pair of pants I have will be worn at least fifty times a year, and washed fifty times a year too, and most of my pants are 3-4 years old on top of that.  Many days they will be soaked in sweat when I take them off at the end of the day, I work hard in them daily.  After 150-200 wearing and washing they are showing some age but nothing to worry about.  What kinda pants are blowing out on you after four days?

I'm talking days walking around an office building...mostly sitting on a comfortable padded chair and the occasional 100 yard walk to the coffee machine. Not exactly the situation where you expect the stitching holding empty cargo pockets onto the paints to rip 1/4" holes in the base pants material at the corners of the pockets in three places on the 2nd day I wore them.

Maybe I was unlucky, but I'm not wasting money like that again.

ETA: Now you've got me thinking...specifically what pants are you seeing that lasted that long? I hate buying pants, so I might try the expensive stuff again.

I'm issued  mostly crye, arc'teryx first spear and Solomon stuff.
When I buy personal items I buy what I'm issued. I tried buying cheap to save some money, but in the long run buy the best you can regardless of where it's made. I go by quality, color, fit  in that order. Don't care where it's made as long as it will hold up to my hard use and does what I need it to do.

Buy American, save the imported crap for the airsofters

ETA: when I say imported crap, I mean exactly that. Arc'teryx, Ferro and some other companies have imported products that are top notch and these are not what I'm referring to

Free market.

Most of my gear is made in the U.S.  I do have some Condor med pouches that are in my vehicles. They get little use and are cheaper than I can make one for.

TT, TAG, HSG Inc.   love their gear.  buy once cry once.

that being said i do own a condor jacket that is a knock off of the bazillion dollar TAD jacket.  it's pretty decent.  $80 vs $450 ish

I'd prefer it to be made here, but I have no problem with buying foreign-made quality gear.

This. It also depends on what kind of item it is.