5.11 Tactical

5.11 Tactical
Company typePrivately held company
IndustryClothing
FoundedModesto, California, U.S. (1992; 32 years ago (1992))[1]
FounderDan Costa[1]
Headquarters
Irvine, California
Key people
Francisco Morales, CEO
ProductsUniforms, tactical clothing, tactical gear, knives
RevenueIncrease US$300 million (2016)[2]
Number of employees
550 (2017)[2]
ParentCompass Diversified Holdings
Websitewww.511tactical.com

5.11 Tactical (pronounced "five eleven tactical") is an American apparel brand of outdoor clothing, footwear, uniforms and tactical equipment, primarily targeting the market of military, law enforcement and public safety personnel. The company is based in Irvine, California, and operates a chain of retail stores with over 100 locations as of August 2023.

History

5.11 started in Modesto, California, as a clothing line created by rock climber Royal Robbins. Upon reaching the top of a climb in Yosemite National Park, Robbins noticed that the pants he was wearing were not suited for climbing and decided that he needed to design something more durable and with better functionality. He and his wife Liz owned a boot and clothing company, Royal Robbins LLC, and began manufacturing specialty pants by the name of "5.11" in 1968, which had a trademarked strap-and-slash pocket design.[1][3][4]

The name "5.11" comes from a high level of climbing difficulty listed in the Yosemite Decimal System, which Robbins helped develop in the 1950[5] The difficulty level is somewhat jokingly defined as "after thorough inspection, you conclude this move is obviously impossible; however, occasionally someone actually accomplishes it".[6]

Robbins sold a 51% stake in his company to Dan Costa in 1999,[7] who, after much streamlining, noticed that the 5.11 pants were becoming popular at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia.[1] Costa bought the entire company in 2002 and ended up selling Royal Robbins Clothing back to Robbins in 2003, but kept the 5.11 brand and spun off a whole new company called 511 Inc. or 5.11 Tactical. Partnering with the FBI, Dan Costa and his co-partner Francisco Morales began creating additional tactical apparel and improving on the existing product line.

In 2006, 5.11 Tactical was ranked #211 on Inc. magazine's list of the 500 fastest-growing companies in the nation.[1] In 2007, TA Associates, a Boston private equity firm, bought a majority stake in 5.11 Tactical for $305 million.[8]

In 2012, 5.11 Tactical purchased Seattle-based custom outdoor apparel brand Beyond Clothing LLC,[9] for an undisclosed amount.[10] An April Fools' joke that same year resulted in the production of the Tactical Duty contemporary kilt.[11] Also in 2012, the company announced it was moving development jobs to Irvine, California, while leaving some functions in Modesto.[12]

In 2014, the company expanded into retail and opened pilot locations in Riverside and Las Vegas, and the following two years it opened stores in California, Colorado, Texas, Florida, Utah and Australia.[2]

In 2016, the company was acquired by Compass Diversified Holdings for US$401 million.[2]

Retail stores

As of August 2023, 5.11 Tactical operated a chain of over 100 retail stores across 34 states in the United States, as well as overseas branches in Australia, Bahrain, China, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Philippines, Portugal[13] and Taiwan. Additionally, the flagship store was established in Finland in August 2020.

In 2023, they have continued their plan to open new stores with multiple locations under development.[14][2]

Actress Jennifer Garner and her co-stars wore 5.11 watches in the 2007 film The Kingdom.[1]

In the episode "The Truth Has a Ring to It" from the second season of the HBO series Barry, Monroe Fuches (portrayed by Stephen Root) is seen wearing a 5.11 backpack.[15]

Table of 5.11 products featured in various video games:

Caption text
Game Title Gear Developer
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands [16] TacTec Plate Carrier, RUSH backpacks and Apex™ pants Ubisoft[17]
Far Cry 5 [18] Sidewinder Flannel Shirt, Stryke™ Long Sleeve Shirt, H.R.T.® Titanium Watch, Station Grip Gloves, Sabre Jacket 2.0™, Cable Hiker Boot, Rapid Half Zip, Multicam® Flag Bearer Cap, All Hazards Nitro Backpack, Men’s Taclite® M-65 Jacket, Men’s Sierra Softshell Ubisoft
Tom Clancy's The Division 2 [19] Apex™ Pant, AMP24™, RUSH12™ Backpack, RUSH24™ Backpack, RUSH72™ Backpack, All Hazards Backpack, 5.11 All Hazards Nitro Backpack, 5.11 Stryke® Long Sleeve Shirt, 5.11 H.R.T.® Titanium Watch, 5.11 Speed 3.0 Boot, 5.11 Cable Hiker Boot, Flag Bearer Cap, 5.11 Flag Bearer Cap in MultiCam®, TacLite® Plate Carrier, 5.11 Station Grip Gloves, USA Patch, One X One Scope TPR Patch and BEAST Tactical Unit Ubisoft
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint [20] Apex Pant, RUSH 12, 24, 72 backpacks, AMP Bag, All Hazards Pack, Tac Tec Plate Carrier Ubisoft
Escape From Tarkov Tactical TacTec Plate Carrier, Tactical Hexgrid Plate Carrier BattleState Games [21]
Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile [22] Meridian Pant, TacTec® Plate Carrier, EVO 2.0 8" AR 670-1 Boot, 5.11® A/T 8" Non-Zip Boot, Flex-Tac® TDU® Ripstop Long Sleeve Shirt, Cold Weather Rapid Ops Shirt, Maverick Battle Belt, RUSH® 24 2.0 Backpack 37L, Field Watch 2.0, Station Grip 3.0 Glove, RAPID PL 1AA Flashlight, 5.11 Scope Cap, Flex Vertical GP Pouch, Flex Double Pistol Mag Cover Pouch, Flex Double AR Mag Pouch 2.0, Flex Single AR Mag Cover Pouch, Flex Flashlight Pouch, EXO.K Gel Knee Pads Activision [23]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f van der Meer, Ben (2007). "A tactical decision by Costa leads to sale of company He sells majority ownership of booming 5.11 uniform company, buys back 20%". The Modesto Bee. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d e "5.11 Tactical's Target: Fast Growth at Retail". ocbj.com. 2017-01-09. Retrieved 2017-01-23.
  3. ^ McGowan, Elizabeth (1985). "Royal Robbins". Backpacker. 13 (3). Active Interest Media, Inc.: 17–18. ISSN 0277-867X.
  4. ^ Woodward, Bob (1985). "Short Cuts". Backpacker. 13 (3). Active Interest Media, Inc.: 38–39. ISSN 0277-867X.
  5. ^ Graf, Mike (20 March 2012). Yosemite National Park: Harrowing Ascent of Half Dome. FalconGuides. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-7627-8409-7.
  6. ^ Graydon, Don (1992). Mountaineering Freedom of the Hills. Seattle, Washington: Mountaineers Books. ISBN 0898862019.
  7. ^ Gitman, Lawrence J.; McDaniel, Carl (2008). The Future of Business: The Essentials. Cengage Learning. p. 187. ISBN 978-0-324-59075-3.
  8. ^ van der Meer, Ben (2007). "Costa's Six". The Modesto Bee. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  9. ^ "Beyond Clothing - Cold Weather Clothing Systems - Made in the USA". Beyond Clothing USA. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  10. ^ Hamanaka, Kari. "5.11 Tactical Acquires Performance Clothing Company". Orange County Business Journal. Archived from the original on 2021-01-27. Retrieved 2014-06-23.
  11. ^ "No Joke: How 5:11's Tactical Duty Kilt Was Born". officer.com. 2014-04-16. Retrieved 2017-01-23.
  12. ^ "Modesto 5.11 Tactical Jobs Move To Irvine Is Another Blow To The City of Modesto". modestopress.com. 2012-05-01. Archived from the original on 2017-02-02. Retrieved 2017-01-23.
  13. ^ "Inicio - 511 Lisboa Store" (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  14. ^ "5.11 Locations - 5.11 Tactical". www.511tactical.com. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  15. ^ "5.11 Tactical Backpack Worn By Stephen Root In Barry - Season 2, Episode 6, The Truth Has A Ring To It (2019)". 6 May 2019. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
  16. ^ "5.11 Tactical Teams Up with Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands Tactics -". The Firearm Blog. 2017-03-09. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  17. ^ "FPS gamers can now look the part with 5.11 tacticoolness". Military Times. 2019-03-20. Archived from the original on 2020-02-17. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  18. ^ "5.11 Tactical Bridges the Gap with Tactical Apparel from the Real World to the Digital -". The Firearm Blog. 2018-03-27. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  19. ^ Johnson, Duncan (2019-03-14). "5.11 Announces Partnership with Ubisoft for Tom Clancy's The Division 2". AmmoLand.com. Archived from the original on 2019-04-06. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  20. ^ "Ghost Recon Breakpoint - The Gear". 5.11 Blog. 2019-09-27. Archived from the original on 2021-10-05. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  21. ^ "Escape From Tarkov Official Website". Escape From Tarkov Official Website. 2024-10-17. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  22. ^ "5.11 Community Call Of Duty: Warzone Mobile". 5.11 Website. 2024-01-17. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  23. ^ "CoD Warzone Mobile Website". Call of Duty. 2024-08-24.

37°42.1′N 121°0′W / 37.7017°N 121.000°W / 37.7017; -121.000