6 products with features you never knew about

16 pockets in a pair of pants? Organizers with multiple uses? Tactical clothing with clever additions? These are just some of the things Helikon-Tex is known for. Upgrading, adding new features to proven solutions, and creating clothing and accessories that last for years with their users. Sometimes, getting lost among all those compartments and hidden features is easy, right? That’s why we’ve prepared a list of selected products with unexpected uses and properties. See if you know about all of them!

Covert Tactical Pants – clever yet modest

In some situations, you can’t bring a gear belt, but you might still need a weapon, ammunition, or flashlight. The Covert Tactical Pants, or CTP, were created with such scenarios in mind. They have six external pockets (three on each side) and, at first glance, don’t look like typical tactical pants. The most exciting features are hidden inside.  

It’s easy to overlook, but the CTP pants have four additional slanted internal pockets. The two back ones are slightly larger and designed for carrying a handgun, while the two front pockets are for carrying ammunition. This way, you can carry pistols and magazines discreetly. To be sure, you can wear an unbuttoned shirt or hoodie over them. Of course, the internal pockets can have various uses, such as carrying a small flashlight or folding cash flat for emergencies. Warning! The pockets in the Covert Tactical Pants are so well-hidden that you can easily forget about them and accidentally wash the contents. 

Guardian Dangler as a waist pack

We have a pervasive range of accessories for the Guardian Plate Carrier. Among them is the Guardian Dangler, a pouch for essential items underneath the plate carrier. It has a flat front pocket, internal wall organizers, and a zippered inner pouch for long items, such as a chemical light. But that’s not all of the features – you can also use the Guardian Dangler as a waist pack! Remove the hook & loop panel that attaches it to the plate carrier and use the adjustable strap included in the set instead. This way, one product turns out to be two products – not just for strictly tactical users but also for those looking for a new waist pack or something different from our Possum, Bandicoot, and Rat options. 

Bail Out Bag Backpack for sleeping

As the name suggests, a bail-out bag isn’t for going on a picnic. It’s meant to help you through the first 72 hours when you must get up and leave due to a threat. It should contain supplies, a first aid kit, clothing, and accessories to make those hours as safe and easy as possible. However, 72 hours is quite a long time – to survive an emergency in good condition, you need to sleep if possible. If conditions allow, meaning it is safe enough to fall asleep, the question arises: on what?  

A sleeping mat is comfortable and insulates well, but it takes up a lot of space and is cumbersome, especially if you must leave in a hurry. An emergency blanket is too thin to lie on comfortably, for example, on the ground. This is where the Bail Out Bag (BOB) and its features comes in handy. Just empty it and lay it flat, pull out the extra layer of material from the pocket, and use the included seat pad as a pillow. This way, you create an improvised insulating layer to make sleeping in an emergency more comfortable. 

Wolfhound Jacket as fancy insulation

Favorite outdoor wear? Camo cargo pants – a term that may not be correct, but it’s still popular today. Made of durable material, with plenty of pockets, preferably in camouflage, and with strictly military origins. Add a white T-shirt and an olive M65 Jacket, and you’re set for the whole year. However, there are situations when you need to adapt your wardrobe to the occasion and choose something more elegant. A suit might be available, maybe even a coat. But how do you avoid getting cold in all that? Here, we recommend an unusual use of the Wolfhound jacket without the hood. The smooth cuffs, absence of a collar, and simple cut mean it fits easily under most coats and light jackets, as long as they’re not too tight. The Climashield® Apex™ insulation weighing 67 g/m2 will provide excellent warmth, allowing you to enjoy a family walk during the holidays or a New Year’s Eve night out, even in a formal outfit. 

Raid Jacket – comfortable or quiet?

The Raid Combat Shirt introduced new solutions to our range, but not all of them may seem obvious. One of these features is the way the pockets are closed. Usually, you have a choice of zippers, buttons, or hook & loop. Each solution is very popular in tactical clothing, but each has limitations. Zippers break, buttons fall off, and hook & loop makes noise. That’s why, in the Raid shirt, we decided on Canadian buttons, which are slightly elastic and mounted on tape, so they hold much better than traditional sewn-on ones. But there’s something not everyone knows: there are two types of closures in the arm pockets of the shirt. Of course, there are buttons, but there are also hook & loop closures, which you can use when circumstances allow. However, when you need to be quiet, or the humidity makes it impossible to use hook & loop, you can cover them with the included covers and use only the buttons. 

Bergen – a bushcraft backpack with a surprise

Like its older sister, Matilda, the Bergen Backpack is inspired by the military Alice pack. These military roots are evident not only in Bergen’s styling but also in its solutions. At first glance, you see a vintage-style shape, but there’s a feature you might not notice right away. Hidden above the backpack’s pockets is a strap compatible with the MOLLE/PALS system. Just fold back the Cordura flap that covers it, and you gain additional options for carrying gear. Once the strap is exposed, the Bergen backpack takes on a more military appearance, which many users greatly appreciate. 

Summary 

One product – many uses. This is how you can describe Helikon-Tex’s range. All these features, like the backpack that doubles as a sleeping mat, pants with sixteen pockets, a jacket with a hidden waist pack, or a hat with a pocket, are created to meet better the needs of demanding users. We cater to bushcraft enthusiasts, athletes, soldiers, and other uniformed services. Also we offer advice on how to make life easier in the city and on the go. We use our products ourselves and strive to improve them over time. If you want to know more about us, sign up for the newsletter and join us on our #JourneyToPerfection.