Fred Rowlands

Here at SOFREP we get a good amount of gear for testing and review. By and large, most is pretty good. If gear is well-made, built to serve a purpose, and functional, someone is going to use and enjoy it, and I often pass along good gear to people who will use it more than I. We also get gear that becomes part of our daily rotation, the kind of stuff we reach for and use because it just works, and that stays with me. The 5.11 V.XI Sigurd Shirt falls squarely into that second category.

Many years back, I was introduced to 5.11 apparel. It was good, rugged, and well-suited for my profession at the time, Law Enforcement. Today’s 5.11 apparel is light-years beyond what I wore then. Today, 5.11 has dedicated people gathering real insight into what professionals in the field need. Thanks to those people, the 5.11 V.XI XTU MC Pants are available to everyone who needs a strong and versatile set of pants, not a sales pitch.

Since moving to NW Florida, I’ve been a fan of off-body carry when it comes to my EDC. It offers many advantages, most of which are connected in some way to the wonderful humidity and weather we have here. In the last year, I’ve also added a new aspect of life, motorcycle riding, which brings its own unique set of circumstances. Due to changing world and national events, I decided to move back to on-body carry.