My morning ritual consists of waking up before the sun rises, stretching, waking the dog, getting dressed and pick a playlist to listen too. I wear basketball shorts because of the freedom of movement they offer, how light they are and how comfortable they feel. What does this have to do with anything? Well, I’ve been wearing the Propper Kinetic pants for about a month now and they are the basketball shorts of the cargo pants world.
What?
Bear with me, while they aren’t shorts, they are lightweight, comfortable and offer an incredible amount of freedom of movement. After a day at work, I typically shower and retire to the pair of shorts I’ll wear for PT the next day. It’s liberating to get out of pants and into something comfy right? Well, I don’t ever feel that way while wearing the Propper Kinetic pants. I’m always comfy in them.
The Kinetic NEXstretch
A big part of that comfort is the NEXStretch material Propper has used in the Kinetic pants. While they look and even feel like khakis they stretch like almost like spandex. Sure it’s comfortable, but it also offers you almost 100% freedom of movement. Never do they feel stressed or in a position to tear. On the range they are incredible. I can dodge, dip, duck and dive like I’m Patches O’Houlihan.
Transitioning from position to position is easy and the pants allow me to assume odd and low positions while working barriers without needing to be adjusted. It allows me to focus on what’s directly in front of me. Also, I live in Florida and today was what we call ‘nice’ because it was only 91 degrees and the humidity was only 69 percent. It’s hot and miserable here, but these pants breathe and they breathe so damn well.
Speaking of comfort they’ve been my go to pants for a bit of road marching. I’m planning to do the Federal Wildland firefighter pack test later this year so I’ve been making sure my time is where it should be. They don’t chafe, ride, or fall down. That’s another major pain when marching, pants slowly drifting down and fighting to pull them up while wearing a pack.
No More Plumber’s crack
So what keeps these pants up is more than just whatever belt you wear. Propper calls it the Gripper Waistband and it works. Inside there is a plastic polymer material that is naturally a bit sticky and generates enough friction to keep the pants from riding downwards or even sliding just a bit. It’s absolutely amazing how well it works. I thought the material would waste away after being washed a few times. However, it’s still there and it’s still sticky.
The waistband is also slightly expandable. Roughly an inch on each side will expand. This is perfect for carrying IWB. I have zero issues carrying my Walther PPS in my Clinger holster. That little bit of extra give makes it so much more comfortable to carry IWB than standard pants.
Kinetic Specs
Before I finish I want to do a quick features rundown.
The Kinetic pants feature a total of 8 pockets. Your normal front and rear, and then a secondary set of small front pockets. These small front pockets are perfect for small gear you don’t want to crowd your pockets with. Be it flashlights, knives, keys, etc. the front and rear pockets are generous in size, and the front pocket can easily fit a gun the size of a J frame revolver.
The cargo pockets are large and easy to access via Velcro secured flaps. The cargo pockets have a divided that offers two smaller internal dividers to keep necessary gear separate.
The Kinetic pants have a DWR treatment that is resistant to water, dirt and other stains. The testament to its resistance is the fact my pants are still presentable. I’ve changed my oil, mowed my yard, run a rifle course, and chainsawed a tree or two and they still look brand new.
Fanboy
If you can’t tell I’m a fan of these pants. After years of wearing one kind of tactical pants or another, I can say these are by far my favorite style. What I would love to see is a jean cut style sans cargo pockets for those semi formal events. I see why Propper is such a well-respected brand trusted by so many Federal, State and Local police agencies. These pants are absolutely amazing, and worth every penny. Get a pair here.
