In today’s article, 5.11 Stryke vs LAPG Battle Rattle Pant Review, we are going to compare a new purchase that quite surprised us, the LAPG Battle Rattle pant against its direct competition, the extremely popular 5.11 Stryke pant. We noticed them online on the LAPG site and thought they looked remarkably similar to the 5.11 Stryke pant at a savings of 43% over the 5.11. They had to be worth a try at that price point, so we ordered a pair to check them out, so glad we did.
When they arrived and got a quick look over, it was obvious right away these were good to go. These pants are the same rip stop stretch fabric, which is great for mobility. The cut and finish are indeed remarkably similar to the 5.11 pant, so it was decided to go all out to nitpick these against the competition. We even went so far as to measure the material thickness as a judgement criterion which you will find in the table at the bottom of the article, so here goes.
5.11 Stryke vs LAPG Battle Rattle Pant Review
First up is the material, both the 5.11 and LAPG pant are made from the same weight 65% polyester 35% cotton Teflon coated rip-stop fabric. This is standard for most Tactical pants as it has proven itself to be the go-to for tear resistance and long-term wear and stain resistance.
Zippers, oh zippers, usually the death of gear when they fail. The LAPG pants have great YKK zippers, which are the gold standard zipper company. The 5.11 has an inhouse 5.11 branded, but made by YKK zipper of the same gauge as the LAPG pant. Both pants have great zippers which will outlast the pants for sure!
The waist fasteners, the 5.11 pant has a Prym Snap, these are the Gold Standard snap that last forever. The LAPG pant has the tried-and-true metal crimp button, simple and effective. Both pants have a secondary button fastener which is a great feature and actually makes the waist band more comfortable when both are done up.
Waist band and belt loops, the 5.11 pant uses heavier fabric for both the waist band and the belt loops in comparison to the LAPG pant. This is a user preference thing as to whether you like the thicker waist band or not. Seasonal temperature variation will also make a difference to preference.
Top, front pockets on the 5.11 pants have a thicker gusset at the bottom of the opening for knife clips to pinch onto without damaging the fabric, the LAPG pant lacks this feature.
The LAPG pant has a zippered pocket inside the right top pocket. This is a nice feature that is lacking in the 5.11 pant. At first, I thought it was just a small pocket to store ID in, nope it is massive, a HK USP 45T will fit in there and zip up still. Another feature of the LAPG pant, look above the Kestrel and below the LAPG tag, there are two pockets on the back that perfectly hold an AR-15 mag. This is a great idea and the pocket holds the mag firmly so it won’t fall out, this pocket is big points in the 5.11 Stryke vs LAPG Battle Rattle Pant Review.
Pockets on front of legs of the LAPG Battle Rattle are wider yet not as deep as the 5.11 pant. The LAPG is 3.5” wide by 5.25” deep vs the 5.11 at 2.75” x 6”. This works well with 3” x 5” notepads as these do not fit in a 5.11 front pocket, whereas a Kestrel fits great in a 5.11 front pocket, but a notepad does not fit.
The LAPG pant has a 5.5” deep knife pocket on the right leg behind the centreline above the cargo pocket as shown above, this is a great location and a good-sized pocket. The 5.11 pants need a knife with a clip, or you will be fishing around in a pocket for it as there is not a knife sized pocket to be had.
Check out the stitch quality on the LAPG, certainly every bit as good as the 5.11 line. They have good quality bar tacks and the stitching is straight and tight.
The cargo pocket design is nearly identical, except for the LAPG having pockets lower on the leg than the 5.11 pants. The LAPG pant is 11” from top of waist band to top of pocket flap, where the 5.11 Stryke pant is 9” from waist band to top of pocket flap. Either design works better in different situations, so this is a user preference thing as well.
The other item that is different is the 5.11 pant having two small pockets vice the LAPG one pocket internal to the main cargo pouch. Either pant is great here, the difference does not matter at all.
Knee pad pouches, both the 5.11 and LAPG have same design for adding knee pads to the double knee portion. Both are great quality stitching throughout the pants, but this area is critical as to not tear out a knee, no disappointments here.
Blousable hem, the 5.11 pant has this feature while the LAPG does not. It is rare that this feature would be used anyway but was worthwhile noting.
Fit and Finish, the 5.11 pant comes out of the bag and ready to wear prior to washing or anything. The LAPG has many threads internal to the pant and some external from where a sewing operation stopped. The threads are not from loose seams, just errant threads that were not trimmed off yet.
The leftover threads are not a big deal, only take a couple minutes with a lighter and you are good to go. This is something LAPG should consider looking at with the manufacturing process however. They are marketing this kit to people who spent a career getting yelled at for having loose threads on their uniforms…
5.11 STRYKE | LAPG BATTLE RATTLE | |
---|---|---|
MATERIAL | 65% POLYESTER 35% COTTON | 65% POLYESTER 35% COTTON |
MATERIAL TYPE | STRETCH RIP-STOP | STRETCH RIP-STOP |
MATERIAL THICKNESS | .013" | .013" |
WAIST BAND THICKNESS | .063" | 0.055" |
BELT LOOP THICKNESS | .050" | .042" |
WIDTH OF BELT LOOPS | 1.00" | 1.00" |
POCKET FLAP THICKNESS | .050" | .027" |
NUMBER OF POCKETS | 12 | 12 |
KNEE PAD POCKET | YES | YES |
ZIPPER | 5.11 branded YKK | YKK |
WAIST CLOSURE | PRYM SNAP | BUTTON |
BLOUSABLE HEM | YES | NO |
SEWING QUALITY | EXCELLENT | EXCELLENT |
LEFTOVER LOOSE THREADS | NO | YES |
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN | BANGLADESH | CHINA |
MSRP | $80.00 | $49.99 |
The Summary
Spending our money, the LAPG pant wins the 5.11 Stryke vs LAPG Battle Rattle Pant Review against the big dog easily.
How can it not, it is only 57% of the price of 5.11 with all the same features, looks the same, feels the same, fits the same. It is a no-brainer for us.
We love our 5.11 pants and have listed them here, https://sentineltactical.com/best-rated-5-11-tactical-pants/ but these LAPG Battle Rattle really caught our eyes.
For the price of 2 pairs of 5.11 pants, you can buy 3 pairs of LAPG and still have $20 extra in your pocket, who wouldn’t do that?
Try a pair, you will be happy.
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