5.11 by Karl Malone Ruston

This gave climber Royal Robbins an idea. He started a company to sell quality equipment to these climbing enthusiasts. He called it Royal Robbins Outdoor Accessories.

One of the first products the company made was pants built to take the punishment from climbing rugged terrain. The pants became popular among climbers in the Yosemite Valley and beyond. Little did he know that decades later, the pants he designed would catch on among a completely different demographic.

The origin of the 5.11 name

Royal Robbins called those first pants that he produced “5.11 pants.” The name comes from the Yosemite Decimal System, a method of measuring the difficulty of recreational climbs. Within the five general classes of climbs, a decimal signifies the relative difficulty of each climb.

In the 1930s, 5.10 was the hardest possible climb. A 5.11 climb, then, meant “impossible, but occasionally someone manages to accomplish it.” It was the perfect name for a pair of pants tough enough for the people climbing sheer rock faces in Yosemite.

From Yosemite to Quantico

One of the most significant moments in 5.11’s history came in the 1990s. One of the customer service representatives at Royal Robbins was married to an FBI agent. The agent was assigned to the FBI National Academy. The Academy is an invitation-only 10-week program that trains law enforcement managers from across the United States and around the world. Many of the people who attend the Academy end up as law enforcement leaders.

As the story goes, the agent wore his 5.11 pants, and other agents, impressed, kept asking him where he got them. They were a hit across the entire academy, and soon became the spec pant for anyone who enters the FBI Academy. From there, their popularity spread to police departments and agencies in every state – and the “tactical” side of 5.11 was born.

A new beginning

In 2003, 5.11 Tactical recognized the growing demand among law enforcement for these products and saw an opportunity to refocus the company to cater to the growing tactical market. The company sold everything but eight core products that fit this new tactical vision: the 5.11 pants, the tactical shirt and a handful of others.

This new, slimmed-down collection was re-dubbed the 5.11 Tactical series, and the company as it is known today was born.

You say how is Karl Malone connected with all of this?

Karl Malone Grew up in Summerfield, Louisiana. Played College ball at Louisiana Tech, where he's still a legend, Then to the Utah Jazz, and eventually the Los Angeles Lakers. In almost 20 years in the NBA, he made two finals appearances, was a member of the 1992 Dream.

Karl Malone in 2014 travels to Las Vegas for a major 5.11 Tactical Event, it was the beginning of what was about to be a long relationship.

Malone waived an appearance fee for the clothing apparel store and told them at the time, “I’m sure we’re going to do something more.”

In the last three years, Malone said every time he’s left the house he’s had on a piece of 5.11 gear. It’s one of the reasons he’s put his name behind the chain as he opens up 5.11 Tactical by Karl Malone in Metairie Louisiana. The store encompasses 5,070 square feet of retail space at 6601 Veterans Memorial Boulevard in January of 2019. Malone also operates the only other Louisiana franchise in Ruston that opened late a year before.

Karl: “We are excited to bring 5.11 purpose-built gear to the Metairie market and surrounding New Orleans area. The 5.11 brand is built on the foundation of durability, quality and value. Our store will be well stocked with the perfect performance clothing and accessories for any professional or recreational mission.”