Modifying pants for EDC

The problem with “tactical” clothing, more specifically pants, is that they scream mall ninja oPeRatOr to the world, alerting predators and telling them who to take out first. Our approach as prepared citizens is to always remember our Mission Environment Context (MEC) acronym. Therefore, it is advantageous to keep as low a profile as possible by blending in. This is reflected by our behavior and clothing, both of which have to match the baseline of our area of operations. Thus, in order to maintain operational deniability, it’s good practice to avoid fancy schmancy (most probably overpriced) apparel and rely on procurement on-site as much as possible.

In today’s post, we are going to look at how one can take a normal pair of jeans, and, by having two simple yet useful modifications, enhance said pants and facilitate one’s EDC protocols.

Let us first address the issue of the belt placement: most people, even those who carry Appendix Inside The Waistband (AIWB) often leave the belt buckle in the middle, “AS GAWD ALMIGHTY INTENTED™”. While this isn’t wrong per se, it does fairly limit your available real estate, if you decide to add more than one clip for your holster or use this location for a knife or magazine carrier (especially if your buckle is fairly large).

Moreover, in case you decide to remove your belt one-handed, you’re most likely going to experience drag and delay, which, in specific situations, is the difference between life and death. (For more information about the Why and the How, enroll in one of our classes or seminars).

Thus, moving the belt buckle to the area spanning from the 8 to 11 o’clock is optimal. Kindly note that the belt positioning is a clear “tell” to those in the know, and might not be optimal depending on your MEC, especially with deniable carry.

Looks weird innit? But it does keep your pants up.

Enter the mods

The first modification is directly linked to the belt buckle position: if you decide to place the buckle at 11 o’clock, you will run through some interference because of the belt loop positioned there, especially if your buckle is medium to large, like on the Kore Essentials EDC/dress belts we recommend and use. Thus, we’re playing around with either widening the 11 o’clock loop, or completely eliminating it and moving it back to around the 8 o’clock position. We are currently experimenting with both options, assessing stability, longevity, and its ability to keep the pants up. Time will tell as this is very much a work in progress.

Despite what the naysayers eructate, this is what peak belt positioning looks like :D

(July 2024 Update: Moving the 11 O'clock loop did not bring any advantages. We therefore recommend it to be kept in place. Widening it is fine.)

Our second mod is to thicken and reinforce the pockets for mags and gear storage. This accomplishes the following: a) It replaces the flimsy original fabric with a more robust one, slightly increases its waterproofing abilities, and reduces the contents’ signature/footprint. This is especially useful for those who put metal mags in the left side pocket, whose sharp edges eventually eat holes through b) It cushions contact with your thigh, nothing more annoying than a couple ice cold Makarov magazines in contact with your flesh in the winter…

Reinforced pockets have numerous advantages...

As always, your mileage may vary, experiment with your gear and adapt methods to fit YOUR needs.

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