Australian gear manufacturer Plat-A-Tac have been busy beavering away making some very high end kit for Aus government contracts (and specifically Aus SF) for many years now; they even did the run of ‘D3 Uniforms’ that Haley Strategic sold some time back in some Kryptek patterns; yet they’re comparatively unknown when put next to the big US apparel names. Sadly I get the impression that since Afghan has wound down the contracts have largely dried up for them since the selection of kit on their site is now a shadow of what it was even 6 months ago, with them deeply discounting a lot of their apparel to shift stock during that time period (something I took great advantage of and placed many orders). Customer service from them was always excellent with shipping prices to the UK somehow managing to be drastically cheaper than shipping things here from the US. I spoke directly to their CEO via e-mail a couple of times who was extremely polite and amicable in general and when there were a couple of slight hiccups with my orders everything was always resolved in a more than satisfactory fashion. Luckily despite so many of their products now being discontinued (a real shame given the top-end quality shell jackets and modern uniforms they manufactured) there is hope on the horizon and they’ve mentioned multiple times via their social media that a new uniform is on the way. I hope to see them carry on with the same high quality manufacture in both popular and less-popular patterns and particularly the compatibility with the G3 kneepads in their trouser line.
One product that was briefly sold at a deep discount and can no longer be found on their site was the Patrol Pant – ATACS AU that you see pictured above. In many ways this is essentially a G3 Field Trouser but with some deviations and a slightly more European feel to a few of the design aspects. There’s a tough but flexible NYCO employed throughout with all the double layering and pockets that you’d expect from a Field Pant (plus a couple extra) as well as pockets for your field type knee pads.
Unlike the Crye design however you’ll find a button fly, draw-strings at the ankles, button closures on the rear pocket and zips on the main cargo pockets and calf pockets, along with a few other very small minor changes. I’d have preferred to see tape buttons for strength as per CS95 as opposed to the more pedestrian style buttons and perhaps some zips on the back pockets too, but those would be the only small niggles I’d highlight. The overall construction feels more durable than Crye and certainly compared to the Propper ATACS-AU trousers which these replaced in my collection, they’re a massive step up. They may not quite have the pyjama feel of G3s but they just give you that impression that they’re going to hold up for a good long while and having far less velcro than the Cryes is another lean in that direction. Overall a good looking and comfortable trouser with good, neat stitching throughout.
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