STORIES FROM THE 5.11 COMMUNITY.

DISCOVER THE STORIES FROM THE 5.11 COMMUNITY - STORIES OF HOW PANT BELT LOOPS HELPED SAVE A LIFE, OR OF AN 11-YEAR OLD SLING PACK STILL BEING USED FOR WORK EVERY DAY.

SINCE 2017, THIS RUSH12^® HAS BEEN A TRUSTED TRAVEL COMPANION and it's still going strong. It has traveled all over the UK, Kenya, Cyprus, Poland, Estonia, Gibraltar, Iraq, America, and Jordan, just to name a few destinations. It is also a real chameleon, handling everything from climbing mountains to being a mobile photo editing office.

“Its greatest adventure must be the National Three Peaks Challenge in the UK; a 24-hour challenge to climb all the highest peaks in England, Scotland and Wales.”-Adam W.

MATT F. HAS HAD THIS SABRE JACKET FOR MORE THAN 10 YEARS. It's a first-generation Sabre, and what he calls his "camping jacket" - always in the truck and beat up quite a bit. You can find AA batteries in the arm pocket, a headlamp in the chest pocket, gloves in the hand pocket and the occasional flask stashed. It's got burn spots from the fire, a singed cuff on one side and the front placket is a little grimy.

Most of all, it tells a good story and smells of camp.

IN 2009, A SPECIAL UNIT OF CZECH CUSTOMS CRACKED DOWN on a local narcotics manufacturing plant. As they were getting in position, they were spotted, and one operator got pinned down on a roof top where he was under fire and got shot in his leg.

His team covered him and launched a rescue attempt by lowering a rope from an adjacent roof top. Unable to climb due to his injury, the operator weaved the rope through his front belt loops and his colleagues managed to pull him up to safety.

After recovering, the operator looked at his bloody and trashed Covert Cargo pants and was amazed that they had held up and carried his weight with all his equipment, by the stiches on two belt loops.

He washed the pants and gave them to 5.11 to say thank you for making top quality gear, which literally helped save his life.

THESE A/T 8" ARID BOOTS ARE PERFECT FOR HOT CLIMATES and dry quickly when wet, a tried and tested practice on many missions around the globe. Purchased just after they were released in 2021, these boots have been around.

They have trekked all over Jordan, Poland, Kenya, and Gibraltar.

"Their greatest adventure has been spending 4 weeks straight in the African savanna." -Ali C.

THIS RUSH^® MOAB™ 10 SLING PACK HAS HAD ITS FAIR SHARE OF JOBS, serving its owner well for over 10 years. Currently, it holds the supplies needed for his job in mining: daily necessities, cord cutters, lynch pins, PPE, and headlamps.

“When I was in the Army Reserve, I converted it into a combat first aid medpack to carry around on training exercises. On hikes it would carry my food, water, medkit, nav gear, hatchet, rain poncho and emergency equipment. On hunting trips, it would be loaded with magazines, ammo, medkit, a camelback bladder and a couple tools. On holidays I paired it up with a RUSH^® 72 pack which gave me more than enough space to live out of for a couple months.”-Martin A.

The slingpack has traveled to 13 countries and it goes everywhere Martin goes. It can easily convert into a pack for just about any task you can think of – it even doubles as a great pillow on a nightshift!

“When I was in Switzerland it came with me on a train ride to the Sphinx observation deck of Jungfraujoch at 3454 metres above sea level. From there I could see the Aletsch Glacier which is the largest glacier in the Alps. I experienced snow and altitude sickness for the first time in my life and had a great day.”