REVIEW: Blackhawk! Performance Cotton Pant

The demands of work and leisure call for comfortable pants. Here we have one. Following a trend in tactical clothing initiated by 5.11 (here's the review), other manufacturers are now following suit. We tested the Blackhawk! Performance Cotton Pant for you.

So far so good: the thigh pocket is where it belongs, on the thigh. Above it, a small pocket perfectly sized for a phone. The nice thing about these pants is that they have this configuration on both sides of the body (5.11 only has one phone pocket). Durable: the knees and butt are double-stitched. Foam pads can also be inserted at the knees.

The front pocket and back pocket are both large and spacious. Blackhawk doesn't skimp on additional pouches. Behind the front pocket is a hidden pocket that can be zippered shut. And above the back pocket, the same thing again, but smaller: here, your wallet can be securely closed. Good idea, because in the wide back pockets, normal wallets tend to get lost, no matter how full they are. Where 5.11 has a fixed loop over the back pocket, Blackhawk! has MOLLE. And the idea isn't bad, because you can use the MOLLE loops to hold a flashlight (if it's not too thick), hammer, or pen.

A look inside: Blackhawk includes a silicone strip ("grip strip") in the waistband to ensure that your shirt doesn't come out of your pants. Too bad, because especially when kneeling, you could always show off your plumber's crack. That is prevented by this.

These pants grow with you: because they are meant to be comfortable, they have not only an elastic band in the waist, but a whole expansion joint (white fabric) that goes down to the bottom of the pelvis. At the top of the waistband, an elastic band pulls the two pant legs together. You can't see it from the outside. But these pants have a lot of room, in case your belly should grow significantly, you will probably be able to keep these pants as the only ones.

CONCLUSION: The Performance Cotton Pant is an excellent tactical pant. Slightly more appealingly cut than the 5.11 pants and yet clearly inspired by them, but with good improvements. A tactical legwear for everyday use...

The Blackhawk! Performance Cotton Pant costs around $60 and comes in various colors.

Special thanks to Bergbach for providing the test sample.