Sn3aKyGuY
.30-06
I finally got my 5.11 Sabre Jacket 1.0 this past Monday and wanted to post up a review. Right off the bat this thing screams quality. Starting from the top, you have a detachable hood with a fold out rain visor that is sure to keep you warm and dry. When the rain really starts falling it's just a quick flip to deploy the rain visor which is tucked up under the hood. The visor is sturdy enough to hold it's shape, but not so stiff that it causes the hood to stick up when folded in. When you don't need the hood it's just a matter of detaching 4 snaps and 2 velcro areas at the front to remove it. Then just stow it in the rear id panel pocket. It would of been nice if there was a dedicated pocket lower on the coat, but not a huge deal. 5.11 did address this with the Sabre 2.0, but more on that in a minute. All seams are seamseal welded ensuring no water can get in and all the exterior zippers that don't have a tight rain flap covering them are waterproofed.
Moving down the jackets exterior you have two exterior chest pockets, two interior chest pockets (left side zips and right side velcros shut), two fleece lined hand warmer pockets and two arm pockets with hook and loop patch areas (3"W x 2"H) on the outside. In addition to the storage pockets, just above the chest pockets are two pockets that hold removable id panels (5"W x 5"H) as well as a pocket on the rear of the coat that holds another removable id panel (12"W x 8"H). These panels come blank and can be embroidered with whatever lettering/logo you wish. It's just a matter of ripping them off via hook and loop. When you don't want them displayed you just tuck them in the pocket and zip it up.
On the sides there is a zipper that runs from the bottom of the jacket up past the armpit area with a zipper on each end. This allows you to open up the coat for more breathability if conditions were to change on you. The bottom zipper also allows you to rapidly draw a weapon without having it exposed to the elements. My only complaint about this zipper is when I'm wearing my OWB holster the zipper tends to ride up and undo its self. Now, it doesn't go more than maybe 1/4", but I can't really find anything else to complain about so there it is. Tightening the bottom of the jacket around you is as simple as sticking your hands in the hand warmer pockets and pulling on a draw cord. I really like that they thought to route the cord up into the pockets, because 9 times out of 10 when I feel the need to tighten a coat around me it's cold out and my hands are probably already in my pockets.
I just wanted to add this little bit about the difference between the Sabre 1.0 and 2.0 as I looked high and low for this information and ended up having to browse a few different sites to figure it all out.
-The 2.0 does have a lower pocket dedicated to hood storage. The 1.0 rear id panel pocket goes all the way to the bottom so the hood wont be clumped up half way up your back, but it's kind of a pain to get to.
-The 2.0 hood also rolls up into the collar. The 1.0 hood can be rolled up, but it's not quite as 'neat' when rolled up. Again, not a big deal, just throwing it out there for you guys.
-The 2.0 has larger patch areas than the 1.0 to accommodate bigger/more patches.
-The 2.0 incorporates the 5.11 back-up belt system into the interior pockets. It's pretty much hook and loop that you can attach any of there hood and loop holster, cuff pouch, light/baton pouch, etc etc to.
-The 2.0 interior is a nylon mesh where as the 1.0 is polyester and solid.
-The 2.0 claims to have an upgraded 'QUIXIP' setup for the side zippers to allow faster drawing of a weapon, but I have no problems at all getting my 1.0's zipper out of the way for a fast draw.
There may be a few other things I missed, but this covers the major changes that were made to the 2.0. Overall, for $100 (closeout price from LAPoliceGear.com) vs $260 (5.11's Price/MSRP) the 1.0 was defiantly a good choice for me. As it gets colder and I get more use out of the jacket I'll be sure to give updates. I decided to go with black, but here's a few pictures from LAPoliceGear.com of it in Coyote.
Moving down the jackets exterior you have two exterior chest pockets, two interior chest pockets (left side zips and right side velcros shut), two fleece lined hand warmer pockets and two arm pockets with hook and loop patch areas (3"W x 2"H) on the outside. In addition to the storage pockets, just above the chest pockets are two pockets that hold removable id panels (5"W x 5"H) as well as a pocket on the rear of the coat that holds another removable id panel (12"W x 8"H). These panels come blank and can be embroidered with whatever lettering/logo you wish. It's just a matter of ripping them off via hook and loop. When you don't want them displayed you just tuck them in the pocket and zip it up.
On the sides there is a zipper that runs from the bottom of the jacket up past the armpit area with a zipper on each end. This allows you to open up the coat for more breathability if conditions were to change on you. The bottom zipper also allows you to rapidly draw a weapon without having it exposed to the elements. My only complaint about this zipper is when I'm wearing my OWB holster the zipper tends to ride up and undo its self. Now, it doesn't go more than maybe 1/4", but I can't really find anything else to complain about so there it is. Tightening the bottom of the jacket around you is as simple as sticking your hands in the hand warmer pockets and pulling on a draw cord. I really like that they thought to route the cord up into the pockets, because 9 times out of 10 when I feel the need to tighten a coat around me it's cold out and my hands are probably already in my pockets.
I just wanted to add this little bit about the difference between the Sabre 1.0 and 2.0 as I looked high and low for this information and ended up having to browse a few different sites to figure it all out.
-The 2.0 does have a lower pocket dedicated to hood storage. The 1.0 rear id panel pocket goes all the way to the bottom so the hood wont be clumped up half way up your back, but it's kind of a pain to get to.
-The 2.0 hood also rolls up into the collar. The 1.0 hood can be rolled up, but it's not quite as 'neat' when rolled up. Again, not a big deal, just throwing it out there for you guys.
-The 2.0 has larger patch areas than the 1.0 to accommodate bigger/more patches.
-The 2.0 incorporates the 5.11 back-up belt system into the interior pockets. It's pretty much hook and loop that you can attach any of there hood and loop holster, cuff pouch, light/baton pouch, etc etc to.
-The 2.0 interior is a nylon mesh where as the 1.0 is polyester and solid.
-The 2.0 claims to have an upgraded 'QUIXIP' setup for the side zippers to allow faster drawing of a weapon, but I have no problems at all getting my 1.0's zipper out of the way for a fast draw.
There may be a few other things I missed, but this covers the major changes that were made to the 2.0. Overall, for $100 (closeout price from LAPoliceGear.com) vs $260 (5.11's Price/MSRP) the 1.0 was defiantly a good choice for me. As it gets colder and I get more use out of the jacket I'll be sure to give updates. I decided to go with black, but here's a few pictures from LAPoliceGear.com of it in Coyote.
