Review: 5.11 Covert Khaki vs Covert Khaki 2.0

A few years ago I bought a couple pair of 5.11 Tactical’s Covert Khakis. I really liked them, to the point where I wore each pair twice a week for almost two years. Just recently I lost a button on one of them, about 5 years after I bought them. Mrs wizardpc kindly repaired that last night.

So, really durable, then. Virtually no signs of wear.

My only complaint is that they shrank about a half inch in inseam the first time I ran them through the dryer on high heat. Learned my lesson on that one. So they’ve been a little highwater-ish.

A couple of years ago, 5.11 discontinued the Covert Khakis. By the time I heard about it, my size was sold out everywhere. It made me sad.

When I was writing the post on the Columbia ROC pants I discovered that 5.11 had come out with a Covert Khaki 2.0. I was thrilled! I ordered a pair a size larger than last time to hopefully prevent the shrinking issue. That ended up being a mistake, for reasons I’ll explain in a minute.

When the pants came in, the first thing I noticed was that unlike the originals, v2.0 doesn’t have the zippered pockets inside the front pockets. Those were neat, and had the bonus feature of built-in magazine holders which I admittedly don’t use. The good news is that the pockets they do have are gigantic, just like the old ones. My Glock 23, with taclight, will fit:

You probably also noticed that the pockets in the originals are made out of 5.11 branded cloth, while the v2.0 uses standard white cloth for the pockets.

The next thing is that the material is thinner. A lot thinner. The originals are about as thick as canvas. The new ones are more like summer pants. I doubt I would wear them in Tennessee winters, much less New England winters. They probably will be a whole lot more comfortable in the summers, though.

It’s really hard to capture the difference in pictures, but the old ones are at least twice as thick. This is why it was a mistake for me to buy a size up. The material is completely different and didn’t shrink at all in the wash. So, hemming it is!

A subtle–but important–missing feature from the 2.0 pants is the gusset. The originals had a gusset, which made the pants a whole lot more comfortable than your average khakis.

At this point, there really isn’t any difference between the Covert Khaki 2.0 and, say, regular old Dockers that cost a whole lot less.

But wait! What about the side zippered pocket?
The new pants have a leg up on the originals here. The two hidden side pockets are significantly larger, twice as large I would guess, in the new version. Length wise they are the same, but they are twice as deep.

It’s a neat feature. I used to carry an epipen in one, and have occasionally used them to hold a cellphone.

But guess what? Dockers makes khaki’s with a similar pocket for $20 less.

I feel like the old version was just made a whole lot better than these new ones. Add to that the fact that the Dockers mobile khakis are basically the same pants, with one fewer side pocket, for 40% less, and I’m going to have a hard time buying a second pair.

I’ve heard stories where gun shops stopped carrying 5.11 gear because the quality is starting to take a hit. I can’t say they’re wrong.