UF PRO Striker XT BDU trousers – review and new color options

Thanks to their cutting-edge, practical, and well-made garment designs, UF PRO has been grabbing the attention of a lot of people in the military, law enforcement, PMC, and tactical enthusiast markets – both in Europe and North America. Their latest offering, the Striker XT BDU system, is particularly generating a ton of interest and enthusiasm. Thanks to an exclusive first look by our friends at SPARTANAT, we are able to bring you the first in-depth look in English language at the innovative and useful features of the Striker XT BDU trousers.

The review that follows was translated from the original German-language article on SPARTANAT (we’ve added a bit of additional info and photos where appropriate):

UF PRO’s original Striker BDU has now become the XT – and in the process has evolved into a heavy-duty combat pant.

Our first impression, after noticing the number of zippers, was that these pants are, like everything from UF PRO, made to the highest level of quality – from the design to the materials used. Particularly new on the XT trousers is the elaborate knee protection system – as well as many small features that we will show you.

For knee protection, there is a 500D Cordura knee patch and two different inserts, one is the “soft” insert (above right) and one is the “hard” insert (above left). The hard insert is made from a thin, but highly durable plastic, which is inserted at the front of the knee.

Their appearance is somewhat reminiscent of an isopod. Behind it you will find, in its own mesh bag, the “soft” contribution from D3O Labs. It hardens quickly when its struck, such as when kneeling, but remains soft and pliable during normal wear. Due to the special ‘FlexZone’ design, there is no need for Velcro adjustment tabs and the positioning of the inserts is always very good.

Now to the other features of the pants from top to bottom. It closes at the waist with a button and hook-eye, which is very reminiscent of many hiking pants, and is good and practical. The fly is opened or closed by means of two-way zipper up or down.

The waist band itself has double belt loops – one set is fixed and the other opens and closes with a snap fastener. The concept is that you run a trouser belt through the fixed belt loops, and a holster / equipment belt through the second set. In this way, you are able to easily add of remove a holster / equipment belt when needed, without needing to change or remove your trouser belt.

The slash hip pockets are lined with fleece and very spacious – this makes them great for use as quick hand-warming “Air Force Gloves” if/when needed. In the right slash hip pocket is also a zippered “secret compartment” (left) for coins, keys, etc. The pants can also be fitted with UF PRO’s Windstopper liner for cold weather / winter use. The liner is easily attached via a concealed zipper in the inner waist band.

A large part of the butt section incorporates durable stretch material – which is more noticeable on the camouflage versions of the trousers. Also on the butt section are the two back pockets placed left and right.

On the front there are two knife pockets near the level of the groin. It seem that most popular sizes of folding knives will fit them – we tried a ‘normal’ sized Pohlforce knife (left) and a large one (right).

The thigh cargo pockets, with their internal divider, can be accessed both from the top and from the front – via zippers – which is very handy when you are sitting or kneeling. A quick access pocket is attached on the thigh pocket that is perfect for holding your mobile phones or similar-sized gadget. In order not to lose the contents, this pocket is provided with a locking tab – this tab does not use Velcro so there is therefore no noise when opening.

On the lower leg is the now typical vehicle operators’ pocket – but this one is quite a bit larger than those found on most other pants.

On the back of the lower leg is a zipper concealing the ankle draw cord storage slot – the ankle draw cord set-up is another example of UF PRO’s innovative but effective design skills and uses an elastic drawstring with a cord-lock for adjustment.

In Conclusion:

The UF PRO Striker XT BDU pant is an extremely well-thought-out and superbly-engineered Combat Pant. The features show that UF PRO are very responsive to customer needs and incorporate a lot of serious know-how to perfect their products.

All in all, the Striker XT is the European answer to Crye Precision’s lauded and often imitated Combat Pants. In fact, this resourceful and sophisticated design is even superior to the American model in the knee protection design. UF PRO have indeed taken the Combat Trousers class to a new level and created a new standard in this category.

Striker XT BDU pants are available directly through the UF PRO website, and also through UF PRO’s dealer network. Check out UF PRO’s website for full details – including accessories, prices, shipping, etc.

The Striker BDU pants are currently being offered in PenCott-GreenZone™ camo, SLOCAM camo, Black, Olive-Grey, and Coyote Brown. PenCott-BadLands™ camo will also be coming later this year.