Undercover with 5.11: Founder’s “Tactical” Sport Jacket

Ever want clothes designed for concealed carry that could blend into a non-tactical environment? In today’s evaluation, Scott Wagner reviews the 5.11 Founder’s Jacket and Chukka Boots. Call it a blazer or sport coat if you like, the Founder’s Jacket offers an appearance suitable for church or a business meeting while offering functional features that many readers will appreciate. The jacket and boots were provided to the author for review.

As great as the “tacticool” look is, there are times when you don’t want to flaunt that “ready-to-rock” appearance when undertaking certain missions. Before I retired from law enforcement, I used to regularly wear more than my share of 5.11 tactical pants, belts, boots, shirts and jackets as either training wear or as casual wear. The 5.11 apparel was comfortable and practical and required no more maintenance than throwing it in the washer and dryer when dirty and sticking in on a hanger. How easy is that?

My wardrobe situation was going fine until I ran head on into the number one irrevocable fact of life that prohibits you from wearing your standard tactical manner of dress — I got older and retired from active law enforcement.

At 67, it was time to dial back on the tactical clothing and move towards more “dress casual” wear. Think of dressing more like Bruce Wayne instead of Batman. The other situation that I have found that has called for dressing in a lower-profile fashion has been due to providing volunteer armed security during worship services.

5.11 Founder’s Jacket

While a standard off-the-rack sport jackets would work well for most churches and schools who utilize private or volunteer security, there is always room for improvement. This is particularly true as technology adds more equipment to carry.

Unlike all other men’s jackets on the 5.11 website, the Founder’s Jacket is designed as an outer jacket that fits in well with dress or casual dress situations. All the other 5.11 men’s jackets and outerwear have a rugged yet subdued tactical/practical appearance. The average person may not have their attention drawn to the jacket or the wearer, but someone who is “one of us” or a “bad guy” will take note.

It’s best that the bad guy doesn’t recognize you before you have time to “make ready” to deal with the threat. The Founder Jacket is designed to facilitate this mission of security personnel as well as the civilian concealed carrier.

Details

The Founders Jacket is very nicely done, including in terms of its overall appearance and cut. The Founder’s Jacket is available in both Black and Dark Navy colors. Had it been available three or four years ago, the Founders Jacket would have saved me an expensive trip to a men’s clothing store when I was looking for a blue sport jacket. As it turns out, the Founder’s Jacket fits me better than the more expensive jacket from the men’s store rack.

The Founder’s Jacket is extremely comfortable thanks to its stretch double-weave polyester construction. The actual fabric composition is 89% Polyester, 11% Elastane, Double Weave that is treated with a DWR (Durable Water Repellent) finish. DWR finishes are used on waterproof breathable fabrics to prevent the outer layer of a garment’s fabric from becoming saturated with water. The lining of the jacket is lightweight dobby nylon for abrasion resistance, strong tensile strength and breathability.

These characteristics are particularly desirable for use in the Founder’s Jacket considering the type of modern security-related equipment the Founder’s Jacket wearer will be covering. It’s doubtful that a men’s store dress jacket lining would hold up as well. Obviously, the folks at 5.11 knew improvements were needed to bring a men’s dress style law enforcement sport jacket into the 21^st century.

The Founder’s Jacket is very sharp-looking due to the specialized fabric used, and very comfortable. But there is one particular feature that I wasn’t expecting. According to the information on the 5.11 website, the Founder’s Jacket is “designed to look great coming out of your home laundry”. Talk about having cops in mind when designing clothing!

There are two advantages to this design. First, if you somehow mess up and your Founder’s Jacket ends up in your laundry with other items in your haste to have some clean clothes available, your jacket will come out looking just great. On the flip side, the Founder’s Jacket can be professionally laundered and pressed at the dry cleaners.

Tactical Features

While the fabric chosen for the Founders Jacket is superb, it’s the features designed to facilitate the easy carry of necessary equipment, guns, comm gear, restraints, ID, etc. — all without making the wearer uncomfortable and making the public aware that the wearer is heavily geared up.

Before I get to the list of specialized modifications, let me make another point. The Founder’s Jacket is designed for missions where minimum gear is required. There will only be a certain amount you can carry before it starts to show under the jacket. The mission of the Founder’s Jacket is to let the wearer blend in with the rest of the people that are present in their assigned area.

Keeping the Founder’s Jacket mission in mind, here are the additional specialized hidden support features:

Integrated communication gear routing
Elastic MOLLE webbing
A drop pocket
Two internal zippered chest pockets
Two hidden key pockets
An integrated Flex Cuff channel
Two interior phone pockets featuring the Ready Loop system to help keep contents in place. The pockets can also accommodate smaller walkie-talkies.
External chest patch pocket
Three internal dump pockets
Internal pen loop
Two wear-resistant Melamine buttons at center front closure
External patch dump pockets
Cuff key pocket in back vent and center front button
Buttonhole at wearer’s left lapel

Practical, Comfortable, Low-Profile Design

The Founder’s Jacket has been extremely comfortable to wear, and has drawn zero attention. The jacket greatly expands what you can carry without notice by others until you are ready to bring the devices to bear. Ultra-lightweight, less-lethal devices like various pepper sprays or the Taser Pulse 2 can be fit in the jacket pocket along with either ultralight handcuffs or flex cuffs.

I currently keep a small pocket notebook for gathering information when working volunteer security in an interior pocket in the jacket. It also deflects attention from you if you are wearing concealable armor under your shirt.

Again, the 5.11 Founder’s Jacket isn’t just for armed security or law enforcement personnel, but for anyone who wants to upgrade their practical concealed carry wardrobe.

5.11 Chukka Boot

If you have the need to invest in the 5.11 Founder’s Jacket for a low profile ‘I’m not a cop” look, you don’t want to mess that look up by wearing a pair of 5.11 ATAC boots — as great as they are — and ruin that low-profile look. A more appropriate shoe to mate with the jacket is the 5.11 Chukka Boot.

Located in the “shoe” — not “boot” — section of the 5.11 Tactical website, the 5.11 Chukka boot is a multi-purpose platform designed for casual wear or outdoor use. 5.11’s promotional video on the website advertises it as the “Luxury SUV of Shoes”, which I think is an apt description.

The Chukka features a full-grain leather upper, Vibram sole, and an Ortholite open-cell foam footbed technology for comfort. I can vouch for the comfort of these shoes. My feet are pretty broken up after leading police academy physical fitness and defensive tactics classes for over 20 years. If the 5.11 Chukka’s are comfortable for my feet during extended wear, they should be comfortable for nearly anyone.

Paired with a set of blue jeans or khaki slacks and a black or blue Founder’s Jacket, the 5.11 Chukka Boots should allow you to fit in mostly unnoticed anywhere from a security mission to a night on the town.

Conclusion

The 5.11 Founder’s Jacket and Chukka Boots hit a sweet spot for anyone looking to balance everyday style with the discreet practicality that concealed carriers, security professionals, and even retired cops like myself appreciate. The jacket delivers on its promise of looking sharp and blending into just about any setting, all while quietly packing in features you won’t find in a department store blazer. Paired with the equally comfortable and unassuming Chukka Boots, you have an ensemble that works as well for a church service or a business meeting as it does for an evening out or a low-profile assignment.

If you’ve ever struggled to find gear that lets you stay prepared without standing out, the Founder’s Jacket and Chukka Boots make a compelling case. They’re thoughtfully designed for real-world use, comfortable enough for long wear, and — importantly — won’t draw the wrong kind of attention. For those looking to upgrade their concealed carry wardrobe with something that actually looks and feels at home in a non-tactical world, both pieces are well worth considering.

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