TFB Review: AdaptivX Concealed Carry Jeans

However, when it comes to the world of today, jeans cannot be ignored. Young men and women in urban centers throughout the world wear them regularly. From Beijing to New York, blue jeans in all their various styles and options are prevalent on the open markets of any clothing scene. Sometimes I hear folks suggesting that to blend in among the local populace of places like Kabul, make an attempt to don the local garb and I simply shake my head. For a young man in Kabul, the local garb in terms of pants are jeans or a pair of slacks. Anything ‘local’ worn by a Caucasian makes you look like a spy, end of story.

Thus, I’m caught in a contradiction of sorts, especially when overseas. On the one hand, I genuinely dislike jeans. But on the other, if you want to blend into an urban setting anywhere in the world, you’ll have to don them. This brings us to Dynamis Alliance.

My first reaction to the AdaptivX system was “This is neat”. Finally, someone is thinking of ways to incorporate everyday clothing in a tangible low-profile way. The reason why I say this is that an issue I’m constantly seeing with any of the low-profile or low-visibility gear out there is that so much of it doesn’t really blend in. Whether it is a logo, a crest, or a unique design, the items usually still stand out. To this end, I always point out that the bad guys are reading the same tactical magazines and blogs that the good guys are reading. Something I think we tend to forget.

The reason why the AdaptivX system doesn’t stand out is that outwardly, the jeans are similar to any other. Sure, the company has a number of different styles online in terms of colors, texture and options, but unless one were a true jean aficionado, it would be very hard to differentiate the jeans among a lineup of designer options out there on the open market. The small features such as the side cut pockets and the slit front pockets are tough to make out unless you’re right next to the person wearing them. Internally there are definitely differences, but unless the person takes the jeans off, you won’t be seeing these finer points of identification. This is why I liked the system, to begin with, because it passes that generic litmus test of does this scream “tactical” to the public.

The second reason why I was drawn to the AdaptivX product line was the internal attachment system termed IWS by Dynamis Alliance. The IWS system is a two-part belt segment that wraps along the inside of the jeans forming a shell from a wearer’s 12 o’clock to the 6 o’clock, separated by a Dynamis Alliance tag, then stitched after the tag back around to the 12 o’clock position, completing the circuit. The two segments are essentially a single layer of vertically emplaced MOLLE sections that are cut from a rigid Hypalon-like material, with the top and bottom rims constructed from a suede lining. Into these “MOLLE sections” are slipped the pouches that the IWS system consists of. The pouches are the inside the waistband concealed carry component of the AdaptivX jeans that come equipped with them (not all versions come with the IWS system, double-check the product descriptions before purchase).

Good: The AdaptivX pants that I got from Dynamis Alliance are how I want all my pants to be. Baggy with room. I cannot stand anything that is tight when it comes to pants or pockets, no matter what society tells me should be right. The fit of the pants was fantastic in this regard, from the pockets to the ankle dimensions, these were baggy jeans. If you want tighter ones, Dynamis Alliance offers those too but I won’t be buying them anytime this century. In terms of stretch and being active in them, the pants didn’t have any issues either. You could do almost as much in them as you probably could in a pair of sweat pants for example when it comes to flexibility.

In regards to the pockets, the concealed side hip pockets were fantastic. They are concealed to folks that might not realize they are there, and are tight and taut enough to keep whatever you put in them from falling out. Front pockets are great as well, very deep compared to your standard jeans pockets, allowing room to fit longer items such as STANAG magazines.

Neutral: The smaller pockets such as the two-slit front pockets and the two coin pockets have their drawbacks. The slit pockets I found couldn’t hold much weight, because when they did, they started tearing. I found this out when I carried a spare Glock 19 magazine in one of them for a month on end. A single stack magazine might be fine but really they are more designed for your minimalist wallets, chapstick, things like that. I will admit there can be a ‘stacking’ issue that can occur when you have the main pocket full, something in the coin pocket, and then more stuff in the front slit pockets.

Bad: The butt pockets were all but useless unless you were putting an item that was bulky but lightweight, such as gloves or a beanie for example. Anything of weight would spill right out if you sat in a car for too long. I realize there might be design constraints with putting a butt pocket fold on top of a hip pocket, but nonetheless, I’d never put my wallet for example in one of these butt pockets. Light, fluffy-like objects such as gloves or beanies work great, but anything heavier is a no-go. Similar to the front slit pockets, things like loaded magazines would start tearing the slit pocket corners if you’re wearing them for long periods of time.

So are the Dynamis Alliance AdaptivX jeans worth it? For me, if I’m going to wear jeans at all these days, Dynamis Alliance would definitely be at the top of my list for choices. I’m not a jean guy at all, but these fit a good blend of the functionality I’m looking for along with a low-profile way to blend in better.