The 5.11 Tactical Raven Range Tights bring a comfortable approach to carry and range days. (Photo: Jacki Billings/Guns.com)
5.11 Tactical is known for its sturdy, reliable apparel and gear that easily transitions from day-to-day life to range time. Looking to expand its market to include more options for women, the company unveiled its own take on leggings with the debut of the Raven Range Tight. Aptly named to imply the leggings are as comfortable on the range as they are in civilian life, the leggings bust into a budding leggings movement; but how do these leggings measure up on the range and what sets them apart from similar apparel? 5.11 Tactical was kind enough to send Guns.com a pair to find out.
What are the Raven Range Tights?
The Raven Range Tights aims to bridge the gap between functional and comfortable. Bringing a Ponte di Roma fabric to the traditional yoga look, the Raven Range is available in two styles – full length and Capri. The material feels durable, not thin like many other yoga type leggings. The leggings offer a compression like feel, fitting tightly and molding to the shape of the wearer. It’s reinforced at the knees with abrasion panels to accommodate any groundwork wearers want to incorporate while training at the range. The moisture-wicking material, despite feeling thicker, breathes well and there’s no swampiness involved while wearing.
The Raven range Tights aren’t as sturdy as jeans, so they can’t carry the full weight of a complete EDC setup. They manage with a midsize gun, though. (Photo: Jacki Billings/Guns.com)
Offering the tights in black, gray and an olive drab color sizes range from XS to XL. The tights run true to size. In average life, I am an XS to SM wearer and that carried over to the XS leggings I was sent.
The Raven Range sets itself apart from other designs with the inclusion of belt loops. The saving grace of any gun owner sporting a traditional inside-the-waistband holster, the belt loop design allows wearers to outfit themselves with their everyday carry loadout.
Range Performance
For this review, I tackled the full-length version of the Raven Range Tight. With a. 26.5-inch ankle-length inseam, the full-length version hit my 5’2” frame almost perfectly, with just a little excess fabric bunched at the bottom. The Raven Range leggings offer a versatile approach to range-day wear excelling in environments where jeans or standard range wear feel to repressive — case in point, hot summer days in the South. With temperatures nearing 80 degrees and the sun beating down, the moisture wicking fabric on the leggings helps keep wearers dry while its breathable fabric allows for more air flow than jeans or standard pants.
The Raven Range Tights offer reinforced knee panels. (Photo: Jacki Billings/Guns.com)
Now, I was skeptical about the durability of this material. Yes, it was cool but could it withstand the rigors of range day where movement is on the docket and you never know when you might go prone? In short, these pants have held up well. With over a year in use, the Raven Range Tights have accompanied me on many range trips with no signs of wear and tear. The reinforced material on the knees offers protection when shooting from a kneeling position or in the prone position, while the flexible material accommodates a full range of motion. In fact, I found myself able to move easier and more freely than in my usual skinny jean setup.
The addition of belt loops is really where this product shine, though. The ability to done a standard EDC holster without having to go the way of belly bands is a major bonus for this system. The belt loops are wide enough to fit an array of gun belts through and are also reinforced to support the weight of a gun. While the integration of belt loops is appreciated, it doesn’t completely stack up to the structure of jeans or khakis. I found the Raven Range pants handled my Glock 19 in Dark Star Gear holster but little else. Adding a spare mag or tourniquet quickly weighed the waistline down, tipping the grip of the gun outward enough to become noticeable. These aren’t jeans though so expecting them to hold the same structure and security isn’t really realistic.
The leggings do adequate when it comes to concealment. (Photo: Jacki Billings/Guns.com)
The belt area would be less of an issue for me if 5.11 Tactical had included pockets to stow a spare mag or knife; but alas this version is pocketless. I get it. Pockets add bulk and for those wanting that traditional yoga pant style, pockets would interfere; however, it would be nice to have at least one rear pocket to stow a phone or keys.
Pockets aside, the Raven Range Tights do exactly as advertised – provide a functional yet comfortable take on the yoga look. They’re more athletically styled than fashionable but for a day at the range, they work well.
Final Thoughts
Priced around $55, they aren’t necessarily as cheap as what you can find at your local store, but they offer more in the way of concealment. The ability to carry my Glock or any gun for that matter while still achieving a zen-like yoga look makes the Raven Range Tights a winner in my book.
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