First off, a big thanks to Second Summit Surplus for lending me these trousers to be photographed and featured here on the site. They are so rare and unusual that I have never seen anything quite like them before and somewhat doubt I will again. Indeed I have no concrete information about these trousers aside what I can gather from a physical examination and the fact that they were purchased by Second Summit direct from UK MoD surplus disposals. Anything else I say here is pure guess work and conjecture – though based on experience writing about a great many pieces of military apparel over the years.
On a basic level, these are an insulated softshell over-pant with what I believe to be extensive soft armour protective coverage on the outside. Given their heavy weight, total lack of a fly or any pockets or pass-throughs and the presence of the armour panels – 21 in total.
These probably would not be intended for a light dismounted role unless in a stationary position. Perhaps intended for the crew of a vehicle venturing through arctic climes, or passengers in an unpressurised aircraft that would be flying at high altitudes for a long period.
I cannot actually be certain which side is the front and which is the back with these trousers, due to the aforementioned complete lack of pockets or a fly. They are mostly symmetrical from front to back with the exception of the layout for the armour pockets, most notably one extra armour panel in the waist area.
The header image I used for this post is what I am estimating to be the front, based on the assumption that one might want extra protection for their groin and all the blood vessels contained therein. But equally that could be the back face given the layout of the waist adjusters and the way the seat of the trousers would curve around the body when the wearer is seated.
At each side of the waist there is a very limited amount of adjustment via a velcro tab, though potentially this feature is originally intended purely to secure the top of the leg zip. There is also a 4-hole button sewn on next to those full-length side zips on each side (more on those further on). The buttons presumably serve as attachment points for a simple set of suspenders, though none are present.
The most unusual and intriguing feature is the multitude of pockets attached all over the outside of these trousers. These pockets are placed in various different orientations but are all the same size and shape, and they all contain the same mysterious white pads. I have messaged a few different people who work full time at some of the best tactical gear companies in the world, but so far nobody has 100% positively identified what these are.
My best personal guess (hence the title of this post) is that these are some very light/low level armour protection panels, intended to stop spall and light frag. Whatever it is that is contained within the white outer fabric, it’s a flexible but non-compressible material, which is in keeping with a low profile soft armour composition. At the time of photography I did not own these pants so I wasn’t going to cut in through the outer fabric just to take a look.
Another guess I have heard from a few people is re-usable hand warmer type items, which based on appearance would somewhat make sense and might tie in to the cold weather usage. However, given the nature of these ‘pads’ being thin and solid (i.e. cannot be squashed) and the fact they are on the outside where all the potential heat would be lost, I myself lean more towards them being a lightweight anti-fragmentation armour.
In a similar way to the Crye Generation 1 combats, these pants feature a sturdy Vislon zip that runs the full length of the outside of each leg. This allows for both easy donning and removal of the pant while boots and other clothing layers are worn and heat can be retained.
The entire lining of the garment is a black micro fleece material visible here, with the majority of the exterior being a softshell. Most likely a Tweave brand fabric similar to those that are currently used extensively throughout the Crye apparel line.
An exception on the exterior is the knees, where there is a double layer of fleece and no nylon shell, which is somewhat the opposite of most modern designs in which the knees are generally reinforced against abrasive wear. Again this points towards these pants not being intended for a man to go climbing a rocky mountain while wearing them (or indeed any similar activity).
What this tiny pass-through slot on the inner thigh might have been used for is really anyone’s guess. It is certainly not a feature I have seen on any other garment at any point in my life previously. A wire for a heating system perhaps? Tubes for some ‘personal comfort’ when sat in a restrictive space while wearing many layers of clothing for a long period? No way to be certain, though usually the simplest explanation is the correct one and if a person is expected to be stuck still in a position for potentially days at a time and remain hydrated, nature will certainly call.
The ankle cuffs on these trousers are elasticated and foot loops made from a combination of elastic and webbing ensure the bottoms of the legs are held down firmly at all times. This could potentially imply that the wearer would be moving, but equally if heat loss is a big concern and a lot of clothing/gear is worn, then you don’t want to be reaching down to your ankles all the time to adjust your trouser legs.
Sadly the conventional type of label attached inside the trousers does not give us any extra information or explanation on the background of these pants. This tag style is generic to any pre-Gen 3 item that was not mass produced in sufficient quantity to receive a specific designation or nomenclature.
As to who or what 4A might be, I could only guess. Possibly short form for a contract batch or maybe example 4A of a series of design prototypes. Potentially even written on by whichever storage or disposal organisation held these in inventory before being sold on to the public.
I will also note that for some unknown reason there is another ‘XL’ mini sizing tag sewn in around the waist area of the pants (as seen here opposite the CP logo), but I did not take a picture of it.
This orange Crye Associates logo label generally predates even Generation 1 items. The only other times I have seen this same type of tag have been on what some refer to as Generation 0 kit. Product information from that time period of the company is essentially non-existent, but my personal estimation is that there was a time where there was production going on at a scale slightly larger than prototyping, with some items being looked at by the military, however this was before any commercial sales were happening and before really large scale production began.
While Gen 1 items are uncommon but were produced in significant quantities and sold commercially, Gen 0 items are rare to see even online; extremely rare to encounter in the real world. I was pleased for the opportunity to get some hands on time with these trousers myself.
Again many thanks to Second Summit Surplus for loaning me such an unusual and interesting piece to be photographed and posted here on the site. If you are in the UK or Europe in particular check them out via the link at the very start of this article. They do ship worldwide however and sell a very good variety of items, from time to time even including complete unicorns such as these.
My main goal on this website is to showcase the best gear that I can and particularly to preserve and freely disseminate imagery and information of rare and interesting items that might otherwise sit in a warehouse or in the back of a dark cupboard for decades. Personally I despise gatekeeping of knowledge and information. I am yet to encounter a person employed by a tactical gear company who acts in the role of a company historian, which is of course because these companies are in the business of outfitting war fighters, not servicing hobbyists and collectors. That means writers such as myself have a lot of digging to do and even more guesses to make, but that can be enjoyable in itself.
If you like enjoy reading about the details of rare and high-end tactical gear such as these trousers feel free to look through the many pages of posts or use the Search box below to put in brands such as Crye, Spiritus, FirstSpear or other topics like your favourite camo patterns. Finally if you’d like to contribute to the hosting costs of this site check out the Support The Site tab above and thanks for reading.
Addendum:
Somebody over on the F9 facebook page was good enough to share an old auction link to the jacket that matches these trousers. So the full set does indeed exist.
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