The Tru-Spec 24-7 Tactical Jacket was the second tacticool jacket I purchased in 2012, after the rather spectacular failure I had in the form of a Phantom by Condor. I ordered a black TruSpec 24-7 Tactical Jacket hoping it would be an upgrade from the Phantom.
TruSpec Jacket Front
What I Bought
Atlantco has been making military clothing since 1950, and the Tru-Spec brand was introduced in 1996. Tru-Spec’s spokesman is R Lee Ermey, of Full Metal Jacket fame, so this stuff should be good right? I have a needfor a jacket that i can wear at the the range and stay warm and dry in as well as wear a belt holster or wear my first and second line kit over the jacket.
Tru-Spec 24-7 Tactical Jacket available here on Amazon
What I Thought
The jacket runs a little snug through the chest and torso. I wear a 16″ neck 34/35 chest dress shirt or a large T shirt. This jacket can be worn over 1 layer, but having a sweater or more layers makes it uncomfortably tight. The arms are very long and wear similar to a motorcycle jacket. Freedom of movement is not a problem when wearing one layer under the jacket. The collar can be worn up or turned down, and it usually stays in position. A totally tacticool feature is the 4″ wide by 3.5″ tall loop fabric on each arm, perfect for displaying patches. There is also a pocket under each piece of loop material, but I don’t know what some one would want to use them for.
Tru-Spec 24-7 Tactical Jacket loop area and pocket
I have not found a use for the lower back pockets. They are hard to open, close, and to reach in to. The jacket also looks terribly bulky around the middle with the front pockets unzipped or holding anything larger then my car keys. I also find I grab the cord lock with my keys, or phone, or whatever I try to take out of the front pockets. I’ve never needed to use the draw strings since the jacket is already snug.
The side zips are nice for shooting with a belt holster when it’s a little breezy or damp. Unsnapping the fastener an unzipping the side allows easy access to the holster. With more then a little a little wind the jacket starts blowing around where its unzipped and can interfere with drawing and re-holstering With more then a little mist in the air, like light rain for example, the jacket losses its ability to repel water rather quickly and I find the arms near the elbows in particular become wet inside. Despite the advertising this jacket is hardly wind or water resistant. The mesh front behind the pockets does nothing to stop the wind if the pockets are open, which mine often are.
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- Tru-Spec 24-7 Tactical Jacket side zip
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- Tru-Spec 24-7 Tactical Jacket mesh interior and inside of side zip
Pros
- Collar stays up or down
- Generous arm length
- Loop material on each arm
- Side zips
Neutral
- Rear pockets
- Biceps Pocket
- Waist draw string
Cons
- Sizing is snug
- 0 internal pockets
- Only 2 front pockets
- Cord lock in only usable pockets
Disappointments
Overall I am disappointed by the Tru-Spec 24-7 Tactical Jacket. For the price and lack of features I could have picked up a soft shell from an outdoor clothes manufacturer like North Face and probably been warmer and drier. The lack of pockets make me think this jacket is not very tacticool, since most tactical products have an over abundance of pockets, … because tactical operators that operate on operations carry a lot of tactical stuff. I don’t know why most manufacturers have so many pockets on their tactical products but this jacket is like a pocket minimalist. Did I mention that I don’t understand the pockets on the lower back, because I still don’t know why they’re there.
The Tru-Spec 24-7 Tactical Jacket makes a decent wind breaker but calling it wind or water resistant, or tactical is a stretch in my mind. I’ll be looking for another soft shell to fill my closet.
