The material seemed a little lighter than I was expecting. It's equivalent to Ripstop BDU's. I don't know why I was expecting something heavier, but this will work well in the summer, spring and fall. In the winter, it may be prudent to throw on a light insulating layer underneath.
These pants are VERY similar to the TAD Gear Force 10 Cargo Utilities. I have not had a chance to review the TAD product yet, but initial impressions are that the LAPG "Operator" pants added the two lower leg pockets and went with overseas production.
I wear a 34/34 in civilian pants and a Medium/Regular in BDU Trousers. I ordered the 34/34 "Operator" pants and they were a perfect fit. I did not have to adjust the cinch straps. My 34" waist jeans are sometimes a little loose so take this into account.
NOTE: When sizing the Operator Pants you may need to buy slightly larger than your regular pants. The cinch straps only allow you to tighten the pants. They will not give you any extra room.
Pockets are plentiful. The two slash pockets are easy to access and extended inside to the top of the cargo pockets. You can easily fit a "pocket pistol" in there if you so choose. The corners of the pockets are reinforced for knife clips although I question the manner in which they did this. It seems all they did was sew an extra piece of material on the outer face of the pocket. There is no reinforcing at the seam edge. This is where most of my pockets wear when carrying a clip on folder. Time will tell how this works out, but since there is nothing protecting the stitching from the clip I have a feeling these pants will need some mending in the future.
In today's age most of us carry out electronic leashes wherever we go. I know if I leave my house without my cell phone I feel lost. These pants account for that with two "upright" pockets on the front. They are secured with a small tab of hook and loop on the inside and are large enough to carry an iPhone. Initially I was worried about how high the pockets were placed on the front of the pants. My cell phone is one of the new touch screen models and is not exactly small. I was worried that it would be uncomfortable when sitting. This doesn't appear to be an issue. What is a problem is quickly getting to the phone if you are seated in a car with a lap belt on. If you do a lot of driving, you may want to relocate your phone to the cargo pocket, or do like I do and just put it in the cup holder.
The cargo pockets are massive and bellowed at the back. The flaps are slanted to the front. LAPG states that this is to make access easier while seated, but I never seem to have an issue with my BDU pants. The flaps are secured with two large patches of hook and loop. I long for the old days when we had buttons on everything. Hook and loop is definitely faster, but everyone around you knows you just opened your pocket. Also your gloves will look like crap in short order from the hook side pulling fibers loose.
The pocket flaps are not stitched to the pant leg in the center. This gives you a "pass through" into the pocket for long items that would not normally fit in the pocket. This is especially useful for longer rechargeable flashlights.
The pocket "organizer" system is really a misnomer. The "organizer" consists of three additional pockets inside the cargo pocket. This would be great except for the fact that they are all so narrow and long that you cannot get your fingers to the bottom of them. If you drop something (like a CR123 battery) into it, you may be taking your pants off to remove it. The front and rear pockets in the "organizer" can hold a single stack 1911 magazine IF you have a basepad on them. If you don't it may take some fiddling to get it back out. The CMC magazines with basepads that I use for my carry gun are a perfect fit. Do not even attempt to put a double stack mag in there. The center pocket is bellowed and will hold a double stack G21 magazine, however the pocket is too deep to retrieve it easily. The "organizer system" may be useful for long items with pocket clips. Pocket knives, surefire flashlights, and some other items come to mind.
Each cargo pocket also comes equipped with two D-Rings. I presume these are to dummy cord items of importance. If they get in your way they can be easily removed with some scissors.
These pants also come equipped with two lower leg pockets. They will just barely hold a 30 round M16 magazine, although I would hate to walk around with one in there. I rarely use these pockets. They could be useful for very light items, but I just can't think of anything that I would likely place in there.
The Operator pants also come with "blousing strings" in the hem of the cuff. These are a common feature on BDU's. Since I really do think that blousing civilian trousers looks silly I usually just pull these out as far as they can go and cut them off. If you don't use or remove them, then they hang down and look sloppy. If I do choose to use them in a situation where I want to blouse my trousers (muddy range) then I just use the old Marine Corps blousing bands.
After wearing these for a couple of weeks (yes I did wash them once or twice) they are a great deal for the price. The advantages are, lots of pockets but with a cut that is similar to current "cargo" or "carpenter" pants. The legs have much more room than my 5.11 TDU or my 5.11 Tactical Pants and do not crowd the crotch area like those two tend to.
