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Gear-Mania: Military Gear’s Huge Potential in the Civil Shooting Sector
Military-style gear is increasingly popular among civilian shooters for its durability, functionality, and unique aesthetic. Brands like Pentagon Tactical and Tasmanian Tiger offer high-quality clothing, packs, and accessories designed to withstand harsh conditions. These products, originally made for military use, are now sought after for activities like paintball, airsoft, and target shooting. The tactical look, combined with advanced materials and design, makes this gear ideal for outdoor enthusiasts. Explore the potential of military-style gear to enhance your shooting experience and discover new market opportunities.
It goes without saying that gear and equipment made for military use needs to be of a certain standard. The clothing, luggage, and other accessories used by military forces need to be able to withstand a beating in harsh conditions and still perform in the way they were intended. This gold standard is sometimes replicated in other non-military sectors – the best technologies and designs always trickle down from the top in most industries. And that trickle-down has been opening up possibilities for companies who create this kind of gear…
Military-style gear has always had a place in the civilian shooting market – some people are former military themselves, some covet the great build quality and durability, some just like the aesthetic. But whatever the root cause is, one thing is certain, military gear is now hugely popular among regular shooters. Whether it’s for paintballing, airsoft, target shooting, or just general outdoor use, the growth here is the tip of a pretty significant iceberg. Selling this kind of gear to the civilian shooting sector has huge potential to grow further in the years to come, and here are a few reasons why…
Getting the look
The look and aesthetic of military gear is very distinct, especially when it comes to clothing. When you imagine military-style apparel, you probably think of earthy greens, stoney, sandy, and muted grey colours. Not to mention a little camouflage thrown in for good measure. At their original point of use, these colour palettes were designed to help military personnel blend in, to ensure they are difficult to spot. But the distinct look has an appeal to civilian shooters too. On one hand, it helps airsoft users, or paintballers, closer emulate real-life tactical situations and also makes them harder to spot, on another hand, some people just like the plain and functional designs.One company discovering the hunger for its military and law enforcement apparel range among general shooters and outdoor enthusiasts is Pentagon Tactical. This Greek company has been offering jackets, pants, sweaters, shirts, t-shirts, hats, footwear and other accessories since the 1990s, and found that in the late 90s, more and more customers were seeking military gear with all the technological advancements and design features that they offered. This, in Pentagon’s eyes, was the birth of the tactical generation. It decided to fill the gap that it saw in the market. The range of products it offered – with modern fabric constructions, impeccable material functionality, and high-quality trims – began to grow, and it even invented a couple of its own camouflage patterns. This range of tactical sportswear, as Pentagon calls it, became one of the gold standards in military-style apparel that not only looks the part but also offers the same performance attributes of the real thing.
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Not only backpacks are being disposed at IWA: wests, gloves, helmets and other tactical gear is highly demand in the trade (Booth: Pentagon Tactical).Gear you can depend on
It’s not just clothing and apparel that are making the evolutionary leap towards the civilian shooting sector; packs, bags, and other luggage and accessories are also highly sought-after products. A specialist in this field is Tasmanian Tiger. While its products all have the ideal look of military gear, where they truly excel, and where the appetite for them from civilians is driven, is their impressive durability and functionality. Whether it’s backpacks, hip bags, rifle bags, pouches, vests, belts, or even packing cubes, all Tasmanian Tiger gear is designed to be able to withstand the rough handling of military and law enforcement environments. You could argue that this makes the products overengineered for civilian use, but that is most certainly not a negative thing in the eyes of many shooters – it’s actually a selling point. Especially in the present market, where people are watching their money a little more, shooters appreciate gear they only need to buy once and can rely on time and time again. The durability is only one side of the coin, performance and functionality are also of huge importance. Just by taking a quick look at one example, the TT Mil Ops Pack range, you can see how versatile and functional the design is. How many other backpacks out there have snow skirts, load control straps, height adjustable lids, removeable side pockets, loops for tools, device holders, and helmet attachments to name just a few? This makes packs like this hugely valuable to sport shooters, airsoft users, paintballers, and even just general outdoor enthusiasts.
Specialist uses
Clothing, packs, and other luggage accessories are one thing, but products with specialist uses from the tactical world are also gaining popularity among everyday shooters. A great example is lighting. Hunters and sport shooters often need lighting solutions, and in recent years they have found the best place to get high-performance answers is to look to military and tactical-style gear. Companies like German firm NEXTORCH offer a wide range of torches, light modules, batons, signal lamps, and headlamps that feature a tactical aesthetic and offer performance characteristics relied upon by professionals. Think of properties such as fast charging, ultra-bright beams with long reach, rugged anodized metal designs, impressively low weights, and other benefits such as being waterproof.Lighting is just one example of military products with applications in civilian shooting. Holsters, ear protection, knee pads, communication devices, belts, knives, eyewear and eye protection, and even accessories for vehicles are all product categories starting to expand their horizons and realise the potential of this sector.
And if you are interested in how you can expand your own horizons and sell some military gear to regular shooters in your store, make sure you take time to visit Hall 6 at this year’s IWA OutdoorClassics exhibition. You could walk away with the potential to grow your profits in 2025 and beyond.
About Tasmanian Tiger
Tasmanian Tiger is a leading manufacturer of professional military and tactical gear. Known for its high-quality backpacks, vests, and pouches, the brand ensures durability and functionality in the harshest conditions. Their products are designed to meet the needs of military, law enforcement, and outdoor enthusiasts.
About Pentagon Tactical
Pentagon Tactical has been active in the field of military clothing and accessories since 1991. The company offers a wide range of tactical apparel and gear, including jackets, pants, and backpacks. Known for their modern fabric constructions and high-quality materials, Pentagon Tactical products are designed for both military professionals and outdoor enthusiasts.About Nextorch
NEXTORCH is a global leader in professional lighting solutions, specializing in flashlights, batons, and other illumination tools. Trusted by law enforcement and military professionals worldwide, NEXTORCH products are known for their reliability, high performance, and innovative designs, making them ideal for tactical, outdoor, and everyday use.
