I received the Duratex (non-Raider) Mag Pocket pants last year as a gift, and for the most part, I liked the pants for daily wear. It was time to get a new pair of pants, so this time, I ordered myself the Raider Mag Pocket. I wanted to highlight some of the things I noticed with the two pants.
Non-Raider Mag Pocket pants:
~ I think one of the D-rings was missing. The pants came with a D-ring only on the right side. I notice that the product page on Amazon shows D-rings on both sides.
~ The Velcro is not durable, and began not closing very well maybe 6 months after use. The loop side got so fuzzy and quit working.
~ I wasn't a fan of the large cargo pockets, because coupled with the weak Velcro, things kept falling out especially while in a seated position in a car.
~ I also wasn't a fan of the pocket flaps on the rear pockets also because of the Velcro. While things didn't fall out of these pockets, the Velcro was just annoying.
~ The inner button fastener broke off after about 3 months of use. I didn't fix it because it was more of a hindrance than anything.
~ I was annoyed with the pocket knife clip hole/feature of the pockets. At first, I thought it was a cool idea because it conceals the knife clip to prevent snagging, but getting the knife clip into the hole every time was not intuitive or easy. Getting the knife clip over multiple layers of fabric was not easy either. I was never able to use my knife, and put it back into my pocket quickly.
~ I never used the small pocket with a flap on the left thigh. I tried keeping my flashlight there sometimes, but it was just an odd place to store anything.
Raider Mag Pocket:
~ I like that it does not have the useless pocket knife clip feature.
~ There's only one D-ring, and it's on the left side, which I'm fine with.
~ The back pockets do not have a flap, but does have a single Velcro in the middle near the top of the pocket. I might use a seam ripper and remove the velcro from these pockets. I think Velcro here is unnecessary and again, a hindrance.
~ The left cargo pocket is a divided into two to better store things, and because the even the larger left pocket isn't as big as a full size cargo pocket (and shaped more rectangular), I think things will be less likely to fall out even after the Velcro fails.
~ The right cargo pocket is a full size pocket, which I don't like, but even worse, for some reason, it is to the lateral thigh. I bet I would lose things from this pocket.
~ I think the cargo pockets are higher than in the non-Raider Mag Pocket pants. I don't wear climbing harnesses much any more, but if you do wear these pants with a climbing harness or a drop leg gun holster or first aid kit, the pockets might interfere a bit.
I think I'll be happier overall with the Raider pants for my use.
The fabric is a bit stiff like BDUs (therefore a bit noisy when stiff and new), but they soften a bit after a while and a few washes. It doesn't seem like these pants shrink very much probably because of having a 65/35 Poly/Cotton blend. Water resistance doesn't last long, but I guess you can spray Teflon products on it. Don't breath it in!
Price for these is about $50, and I think it's a bit high. I would think $40 to 45 would be a great value.
If you don't need ripstop, big pockets, and prefer soft and pliable fabric, the Carhartt canvas work pants are definitely more durable, though those are 100% cotton, so they definitely shrink quite a bit.
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