Flight Suit substitute

[SpinnyThing]

Has any one found a good set of pants that could substitute nomex flight pants? Sick of paying big bucks for a pair of pants! Doesn’t have to be nomex but needs to look like them. TIA

[Hello Pilots]

Kinda like these? Not sure where to buy them....maybe Oxford Street

[SpinnyThing]

similar! Need them a bit tighter around the groin though!

[Ala rotante]

Kinda like these? Not sure where to buy them....maybe Oxford Street

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An then you are hot on fire

[Tactical71]

[url]https://www.hardyakka.com.au/foundations-drill-cargo-pant-with-tape.html
[/url]

[TreeTrimmer125]

AUK does some good stuff - but I might be similarly pricy - we were lucky to get them paid for by the company. Might be a little too warm up in QLD tho, I have been wearing them in Cambodia during the "cooler" months and they were pretty comfortable.

https://www.aukprotection.com/webshop/

[CyclicH145]

personally have been flying in these for a year both great,

Pants: https://www.511tactical.com/au-en/apex-pant.html AUD$75
Shirt: https://www.511tactical.com/au-en/rapid ... shirt.html AUS$80

4 sets for the price of a flight suit.

I have 2 Flight suits but these are great.

Just my thoughts!

[Mick Cullen]

Can second the 511 stuff as really comfortable, looks good, the stitching is high quality and handy pockets. Lasts a lot longer than King Gee cotton pants. The pants I've got I think were closer to $180 though so might be different.

67% Polyester/ 33% Cotton

They are not fire resistant and don't make any claims in this area.

"Most synthetic fabrics, such as nylon, acrylic or polyester resist ignition. However, once ignited, the fabrics melt. This hot, sticky, melted substance causes localized and extremely severe burns. When natural and synthetic fibers are blended, the hazard may increase because the combination of high rate of burning and fabric melting usually will result in serious burns. In some cases, the hazard may be greater than that of either fabric individually." - https://www.phoenix.gov/fire/safety-inf ... me/fabrics

"Cotton-polyester blends pose a special flammability problem because the thermal and mechanical properties of the fibers are so different. Cotton tends to char on heating but generally maintains some structural integrity; polyester normally melts and flows at temperatures of ca. 260°C. If a mixture of the two fibers is burned, the molten polyester frequently tends to wick on the cotton char, resulting in the phenomenon of scaffolding detailed by Kruse." - https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.10 ... 4-6973-8_5

"Most fabrics are made of combustible materials (such as cotton, nylon, and polyester) and will ignite when exposed to a flame. A flame hazard may be short-lived, but if your clothes catch on fire, the potential for burn injuries is exacerbated. Thus, the most important defining characteristic of an FR fabric is that it doesn't support combustion – meaning that, at least, it won't add to a burn injury; and, in many cases, will protect the user from getting burned by creating a thermal barrier between a flame hazard and the skin." - https://www.massif.com/why-flame-resistance

Then again how many of us follow the proper laundry instructions to keep flight suits flame resistant.

Doesn't mean they are no good. It is just a consideration.

[Chopper Guy]

I have no direct experience with these, but Sisley have a range of Fire Retardant clothing that is definitely less than the cost of a nomex flight suit.

Pants - $127.05 (https://www.sisleyclothing.com.au/sisle ... -with-tape)

[Mag seal]

Good thread, I do like Nomex at work but I do wonder why it is so expensive.

I think I'd rather wear cotton than the 5:11 tactical clothing due to the mix of fabrics. A work shirt and jeans look as professional as a flying suit in my opinion so I don't see the need to wear a non nomex lookalike.

[Tactical71]

I wear those 5.11 pants for work. They are issued so I don't have to pay for them. They are great, however I am not working in a flame environment so it doesn't matter what the material mix is.

Nomex doesn't actually stop you getting burnt. Make no mistake. Nomex will burn! It just becomes flakey and brittle and won't stick to you like other material types. So it will give you some minor protection initially, however once the material has been impacted by flame, its stuffed.

I've watched a guy wearing a Nomex flight suit set himself on fire to demonstrate what happens! I was very surprised as I always thought it was essentially flame proof. Wrong! They only reason he didn't get brunt was that he was wearing nomex under garments under the flightsuit.

Frontline Safety is an Australian owned tactical and police supply business operating out of Newcastle, north of Sydney. If you want to keep your Aussie dollars here in Australia, then they have a huge range of clothing that are as good as 5.11
https://frontlinesafety.com.au/apparel/pants/

However, If you want proper flame retardant clothing, you want woollen clothing.

Cheers