I have heard only good things about such "tactical" shells and jackets from TAD, OTTE, SORD, etc., but I have also come to realize that many outdoorsy companies present similar offerings without the $200+ increase in price for a bit of Velcro on your shoulders. Yes, these companies use exclusively fantastic fabrics that can withstand the fury of ten thousand suns and yes, cheaper jackets will repel water and refuse to fray just as well without looking conspicuous. As I will explain later, some shells from Mountain Hard Wear, The North Face and the like even offer better features in terms of pockets, their layout and the general fit of the garment.
And for fucks sake. I once saw a guy in an airport wearing a TAD jacket with morale patches all over his shoulders. For fucks sake dont be that idiot. Be prepared, but not overtly so.
OTTE is, I have found, fairly unknown even among the tactical community. I once sat next to another guy on a plane who sported a TAD jacket and a Mystery Ranch bag but he said he'd never heard of OTTE. I wouldn't worry, though. Given the quality of their products, I doubt that they're a bunch of startup guys in a shed in New York. The DK I have and one a friend got when OTTE had a sale a couple months back are nothing short of amazing. It is designed to be a highly lightweight, water-repelling shell ONLY. There is absolutely NO insulation of any sort. If you plan to use it year-round, plan to buy extra layers. I took the DK skiing about 5 months ago at Wolf Creek in Colorado. This was not the coldest weather I have experienced while wearing the DK, but it certainly got plenty of snow and water on it during that trip.
With only cotton base layers, I was fine. Apart from some snow up the back of my shirt from some nasty wipeouts, the DK refused to allow me to get wet. (I did not ski with patches). On other occasions I've taken the DK out (with plenty of layers) in sub-zero conditions and had no issues with anything freezing up. Except my nose hair.
The collar is high enough when popped to keep shoulder straps, slings and brass off your neck. I wouldnt worry about abrasion with a sling, either. It might wear the DWR coating faster, but the Durastretch Tweave fabric used throughout the jacket's shell has held up nicely. I've negotiated countless concrete and steel edges when rappelling in this thing and despite just sliding over some of them on my belly, no evidence of wear can be found on the jacket today.
Speaking of the coating, the Schoeller NanoSphere coating has worn faster than any other DWR-coated fabric I have ever owned. Out of the box, you could do the traditional hold-it-under-a-sink-and-then-shit-yourself-when-its-totally-dry test. But after about two months (without washing it once) water stopped even beading on the surface. After a wash it did not improve noticeably.
There are two large internal pockets. Open tops on each of them, no closure method of any type. This lack of closure does not bother me... The fact that they left a portion of the side of the pocket at the very bottom of the pocket wide open bothers me quite a lot. If you have some explanation for the lack of complete stitching on these pockets, please go ahead and explain away in a comment. Otherwise, I will continue to be annoyed at the internal pockets' inability to securely retain anything smaller than say a water bottle. Surefires, phones, pens, knives, they all fall out. Sometimes you dont notice and its an expensive loss. Sometimes you need what was dropped and it was a very expensive loss.
The interior pocket fabric is also very thin, with patterned perforations. It is nowhere near waterproof so I highly doubt that the holes in the pockets are there for drainage.
There are 20" pit zips but I almost never use them. OTTE included an elastic strap inside each sleeve with some Velcro on it for use as a sleeve keeper. I also never use that. Ever.
Shock cord and GTSP-style locks are used to adjust the fit at the waist, or just below. When carrying a P220 OWB I once had the end of the right adjuster catch on the base of the holster (Galco) and stop my draw dead in its tracks. I was able to repeat the problem. While this is probably unlikely to occur, I imagine that OTTE could easily move the adjusters to the very front or rear of the jacket's base and eliminate the possibility of this issue ever recurring.
The DK packs down to become pretty compact. The fabric is pretty scratchy, theres a fair bit of Nylon in there. Not the most comfortable of pillows but better than a backpack. Remember to keep your jacket in mind when searching for a soft shooting platform for precision rifles. I find they make better rests than a bulky and sometimes bumpy backpack stuffed with crap.
The two exterior pockets are secured with small YKK zips and some thin cordage pulls. No complaints here. The zipper does not reach the base of the pocket, so even if you forget to close it, important stuff like phones, wallets, etc., are retained fairly well.
The main zipper is also YKK. It does NOT ship with a pull attached, I used 550. Beneath the zipper, running the length of the zipper, is a rubber strip with suede-esque backing. Water-resistance, I suppose.
Wrist size is adjustable via hook and loop. Not exactly secure. Regularly comes undone and must be reattached. Sleeves are large enough to fit over large glove gauntlets. Sleeves will roll up and stay that way as long as you want them to.
Note that this is a water-resistant shell, not a water-proof one. Heavy rain will and has soaked mine through, though even when soaked the fabric remains stretchy enough to fit a handle of Jack in one of the interior pockets. I think this is a decent demonstration of the pocket's capacity. You can carry quite a bit of shit in there.
The DK has a rather smock-like fit to it. I ordered a Medium and received what appeared to be an extra large, but it was indeed marked with "M." It is very loose and has absolutely no inherent form to it. This translates into a natural range of motion for the wearer and very easy concealing of a handgun. Not my first choice, again, for an inconspicuous covering garment, but effective. Not many people will notice the Velcro in public so its not like wearing daisy dukes and a tube top, but be sure to at least avoid Multicam if you plan on sporting the DK in public.
The bicep pockets are massive and will fit a very respectable booboo kit. Flat supplies such as gauze pads, bandaids and alcohol pads fit very easily. Combat Gauze and tape fit easily and print a little more. TKs, 4" IBDs, massive packages of rolled gauze and even some abdominal dressings fit. If you dont like the idea of extra med supplies on your arms, these pockets are always a good place to stuff gloves, small earpro, pens, cameras, phones, etc. when wearing load-bearing equipment and not given space for an admin pouch for that stuff.
A small loop is provided. I find that this is rarely appreciated in the wilderness, where one can simply throw their jacket over any branch, but absolutely lovely in a public restroom when you need to shit but dont want to unnecessarily dirty up your $250 jacket.
The stitching on the Velcro has yet to weaken noticeably. Corners are all still held in tight.
I have put only one hole in it thus far, and I'd like to keep it that way. Screwed up a landing on my mountain bike and ended up eating some asphalt. The hole pictured below, compared to a penny, was the only mark on the jacket. Just below the elbow. Elbow was still bruised, but the jacket saved it from an annoying scuff.
All in all a decent shell. Could use a few small improvements in my opinion, but overall I'm certainly happy with it.
If you have any questions or comments regarding this or other equipment, feel free to ask away. I'll respond to the best of my ability. Cheers.
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