Hot on the heels of a hugely successful appearance at the IWA trade fair in Nuremberg Germany, Helikon-Tex® has launched a new eCommerce website and an Amazon® USA store as well!
With both of these moves Helikon-Tex is expanding the service options for end-users in markets where Helikon-Tex does not have a dealer network in place. This means that customers in such markets, like the USA and Canada for example, can now purchase any of Helikon-Tex’s extensive product offering online and receive their order shipped directly from Poland.
To browse the products, and to find out more about the purchasing and shipping options, please visit the new www.helikon-tex.com website for full details.
Also in the news is the launch of the first official Helikon-Tex store on Amazon.com. All products are shipped from within the US, and although the current product selection does not yet represent Helikon-Tex’s full offering, more and more products, will be added over the coming weeks and months.
Already in the US Amazon store are the best-selling Urban Tactical Pants®, the multi-season / multi-weather Outdoor Tactical Pants®, several items from the Bushcraft Line, and a wide range of Helikon-Tex pouches and belts, as well as several models of Morakniv® knives from Sweden.
Keep an eye for further updates, and in the meantime be sure to check out the official Amazon® store for Helikon-Tex® US at helikon-tex.com/amazon.
Tags: HELIKON-TEX
Question, how do the urban tactical pants stack up to the Vertx pants? I love my vertx but am ready to jump ship if these are better.
I have both. UTP’s aren’t necessarily better, though. They are OK and come with some nice features. UTPs are much slimmer fitting than Vertx, I would say standard straight fit, straight legs, enough opening at the bottom to go over boots, yet not being a boot-cut as such. Vertx come with ‘fake’ knee cutouts (no reinforcement, just single rectangular piece of fabric cut at top and bottom).
What I found (in my case) with UTP pants is the zipper pull gets in a way far too often. I am about to cut that dangling bit as it serves little purpose, it was supposed to assist cargo pocket opening when wearing gloves but believe me that YKK metal pul is sized just right for it and you don’t need the pull. Also, after few washes (I have green and coyote UTPs) the main material fades while the zipper fabric doesn’t as it’s made of polyester, it now sticks out like sore thumb – in my opinion the zipper should be covered with a narrow flap of sort, in a similar way cargo pocket are covered on the latest version of Crye-designed Aussie army combat pants.
Vertx cargo pockets (Arcteryx designed) are a work of art and they are one of the best and most-covertly designed cargo pockets there are. They look good, don’t get in the way and don’t scream army-tactical. On the other hand Helikon’s UTP while being called ‘tactical’, are screaming ‘operator’. Main cargo pockets are just to large and visible for this category of pants, IMO anyway.
Both pants came in cotton canvas (UTP also come in poly/cotton ripstop etc), however the UTP canvas is much thicker and stiffer than on Vertx tacticals. I wear them both, under different conditions and situations. If I had to chose between the two, I’d give Vertx tacticals a little more of a thumbs up.
Not sure if this helped you at all ejb3, maybe you should get both and test for yourself.
I just ordered the nylon OTP pants but based on what you said, they might be going back due to sizing….
Thanks for the feedback.
OTP pants are their new product line, so if what strike-hold mentioned below abot corrected sizing on later models is anything to go by you should be ok. I don’t own any OTPs but own two pairs if UTPs, one older model (MK II) and one I got 3 months ago (MK IV). They’re both in Large and fit as standard Medium, so no, Helikon hasn’t adjusted their sizing on UTP pants to be true to fit, not yet anyway.
Similar sentiments here babola, while I really like my UTP pants in cotton canvas, I would also like Helikon-Tex design team to revisit cargo pocket design on these. A more covert and low profile appearance like Arcteryx or Vertx pockets would be much welcome. And yes, I also would like that zipper covered with a narrow flap or similar and dangling bit removed.
Forgot to add: UTP wear 1-2 sizes smaller at the waist. Basically their Medium wears as US army’s Small. The elastic inside the waste band helps very little here. My first ever pair went back for replacement for Large – these fit like a glove.
Also, the cargo pockets are angled and positioned too close around the back of your thighs, just under the buttocks. Too easy to sit on top of your pocket content if you’re not careful. It happened to me few times so I make sure I re-position pocket load before I sit or squat. It’s a pain IMO. Something I disliked on Crye’s AC pants in the past, too.
Sizings have been adjusted since the first runs – they now fit true to US sizes.
The OTP’s are my favorite pants in the Helikon line-up for everyday use. The stretch fabric is super comfortable and durable, and the angle of the cargo pockets works great for carrying your wallet when you’re driving but still need to have access to your wallet.
The only thing I’ve done is to cut out the elastic magazine-retainer loops inside the cargo pockets. I never used them for that purpose, and without the loops its easier to stash and retrieve stuff from the cargo pockets. It also helps with ventilation if/when you open the pockets and let the inner mesh fabric work its magic.
I left the fabric zipper-pull assists on my OTPs too – they do actually help, whether wearing gloves or not.
With all things in perspective with pants and outerwear, consider the intended use of the product and it’s intended application v. How it looks compared to a familiar brand.
Being lean, 31×32, I found no fit problems even with European sizes, I’m fact the UTP fit better then most brands I’ve worn. As for durability, I’ve used them in training and range andpplications in a wide range of climates, finding good performance. Last year we hiked, including technical trails, in Petra in UTP pants and other Helikon-Tex outerwear. I was very pleased.
I tried the OTPS this weekend, way too tight around my thighs. I have thick strong legs and while 36 west in very are great, I could barely get these OTPS AL the way up in size 36. Not sure what size to try next.
That 36 is great fit for me in the vertex is what I forgot to say.