• Honoring The Fallen
  • Publications
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • Forums
  • Contact Us
    1. On the Street
    2. Apparel

    Editors’ Christmas Wish List

    Dec. 24, 2021
    Our editorial team created a short list of gift ideas for any officer in your life.
    ID 78494214 © Julia Sudnitskaya | Dreamstime.com
    Dreamstime Xxl 78494214 6193ed3fd5e91
    Each year we try to take a look at what officers and deputies on the streets might make good use of. The list can change year to year but, at the end of the day, it seems like officers continue to need a fairly basic list of items. Some seem silly to list, but they can make a big difference in the officer’s duty shift. We share this list not only for the officers (in case someone is asking you for gift ideas) but also for the friends and families that we know read our materials. Here is a quick list of good ideas to get those officers as Christmas (or other holiday) gifts.
    Safariland Group
    HATCH Winter Specialist Police Duty Glove
    HATCH Winter Specialist Police Duty Glove

    Gloves This is one of those “it might seem silly, but…” items. Those who have never worked a winter shift might not understand, but gloves, socks (next) and boots (farther down) can make a huge difference in comfort. Gloves, for officers, need to insulate and protect while maintaining as much manual dexterity as possible. Thin leather or neoprene gloves tend to do that pretty well.  Our pick for gloves is the HATCH Winter Specialist Police Duty Glove. Make sure you know your officer’s hand size.

    GALLS LLC
    Galls 11” Duty Boot Sock
    Galls 11” Duty Boot Sock
    Socks Having clean, warm and dry socks to put on at the beginning of a shift is usually taken for granted. Having those socks end up cold and wet (depending on the boots and conditions) happens more than we’d like. At those times, as soon as the office can, it helps to change into a pair of clean, warm and dry socks. That change in comfort can make all the difference is how the rest of the shift is perceived. Higher comfort levels usually mean less aggravation. Our pick for socks is any one of the four types available from Galls. The Galls 11” Duty Boot Sock is probably best for most conditions.
    Safariland Group
    Safariland Model 637ALS holster
    Safariland Model 637ALS holster
    Holsters On-Duty or off-duty, your officer is most likely carrying a sidearm. The holster it’s in should be comfortable to wear and secure the weapon even in odd / violent conditions. Our experience with the Safariland Model 637ALS holster leads us to put it on the Christmas Wish List. It’s low-profile (for carrying a full size handgun) and has an internal locking mechanism that is quickly and easily released when the weapon is drawn under time constraint.
    5.11, Inc.
    RUSH24 2.0 Backpack 37L
    RUSH24 2.0 Backpack 37L
    Backpack It might not seem obvious, but there are several uses an officer can put a good backpack to on duty to include creating an Active Shooter Response kit or carrying emergency food supplies, dry clothes, etc. The pack is going to take a beating in any officer’s trunk or SUV storage space so get a rugged one. Our pick is the 5.11 RUSH 2.0 pack in either the 24- or 72-hour configuration. 12 hours simply might not be enough for some shifts.
    Boston Leather
    Leather Garrison Belt
    Leather Garrison Belt

    Belt As popular as nylon is these days, and as comfortable as it can be because of its pliant nature, a good, sturdy leather belt is still appreciated and used by a great many officers. It will flex a little, but no belt carrying a gun should flex much. Sag is a bad thing. Our pick is a Leather Garrison Belt from Boston Leather. The company has a history of creating trusted products that are durable and perform as necessary.

    ASP Inc.
    ASP Raptor DF
    ASP Raptor DF
    Flashlights There are distinctly different needs for an on-duty flashlight versus an off-duty flashlight. Yes, both could (theoretically) be called into action in a lethal force encounter, but experience shows that off-duty lights are more often than not used to find car keys, look for something in the family SUV or to find the candles when the power goes out. For our on-duty flashlight pick we chose the ASP Raptor DF (duel fuel) light. It can run on its rechargeable battery or on CR123A lithium batteries and produces almost 2,000 lumens of light. It’s rugged and sized right.
    Streamlight
    Streamlight Wedge
    Streamlight Wedge
    Off-duty lights Off-duty, with the different requirements as mentioned above, we selected the new Streamlight Wedge. Different from most pocket lights, the Wedge is shaped more like a folded knife than a pen. The light is rechargeable and produces (standard power) 300 lumens of light, which is plenty for most needs. If you use the momentary THRO setting, the light output jumps up to 1,000 lumens. That’s more than plenty.
    CRKT
    Bona Fide
    Bona Fide
    Knives A good quality knife depends on maintenance like every other tool. Up until a couple years ago, to maintain your folding knife you needed some specialized tools to remove the screws, etc. CRKT changed all that with their knives that integrate “field strip” technology – the latest of which, and our pick for this list, is the Bona Fide. This Ken Onion designed locking folder requires no tools to field strip or reassemble. It’s the perfect size for a pocket knife.
    5.11, Inc.
    EDT Pry
    EDT Pry

    Multi-tool Does anyone else remember the TV show “MacGyver”? That man could do anything as long as he had his multi-tool. Surely, having a single simple unit on your person that offers you multiple capabilities is a good thing. That’s why we picked the 5.11 EDT Pry. It’s as simple as it gets, can be carried on your keychain, and offers you a few tools that will come in handy at the least expected of times.

    Rocky Boots
    Trailstalker
    Trailstalker

    Boots Picking your favorite pair of boots is as personal as picking your self-defense handgun, so we were hesitant to add a specific pair to our Christmas Wish List. That said, we took a look around for a good pair of off-duty boots that would serve in multiple environmental situations. Our choice is the Rocky Boots Trailstalker hiking boot. Past experience shows Rocky boots to be a good value, rugged, durable and – perhaps most important – comfortable.

    So… that’s our wish list. We hope you find it helpful and, if you buy/give any of these items as a gift, it serves well!

    Continue Reading

    Sponsored Recommendations

    Voice your opinion!

    To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Officer, create an account today!