Woooo more pants. Magnum is mostly known for boots, but have expanded their offerings in tac clothing this year. One may have low expectations due to the company not specializing in apparel, but I personally was pleasantly surprised. Using 5.4 oz. 100% cotton ripstop, the pants are very light and breathable. The intent to make these hot weather pants is clear with other signs such as the vent holes in the inner thighs and even mesh material pockets.
Starting up top, 1.125" wide belt loops are used which are a good size for being durable yet not not obnoxiously wide. The fly area utilizes a metal button and YKK zipper delivering ease of use and reliability. I am a fan of the extra width of the hand pockets as it offers easier hand access. So far no issues with the mesh, but I do worry about long term durability as I've blown out so many pockets on other pants. As a cool feature, right next to the hand pockets are pockets for folding knives. Having them separated gives more room to the side pockets to prevent crowding, for example if you already had a thick wallet in there. The design sheet notes the knife pockets have opening reinforcement, but as I've complained on other designs this is just delaying the inevitable since the same material as the rest of the pants. To give real reinforcement a higher abrasion resistant material needs to be used. Over on the frontal thigh side are some smaller pockets I've mostly found good for pens. If the user wants to get creative a folding knife will fit, but overall I would recommend making the pocket a little larger to allow stowage of pistol magazines.
Back on the butt are some simple no flap pockets, most would consider them about medium sized. Low on security, but fits the hot weather theme of the pants and does add some comfort with no flap to create pressure points while sitting. Rather than cargo pockets, more streamlined pockets are in the usual sidal placement. These are rotated substantially and positioned higher which does help out access while standing, sitting, and other action positions as they say. The larger pocket is sized with the intent to hold a standard 30 round NATO magazine. When I first saw it at shot I was all "yea right!", but turns out I guess we are sorta both right. A standard metal mag with fit in there just barely being covered by the flaps, however other larger mags such as the PMAG will stick out some. Sticking out is easier to grab, so this isn't necessarily a bad thing. On top and a little lower is another pocket that works out great for holding most smart phones. Some of the bigger phones like an IPhone with a case are too tall so one would need to use the mag pocket instead to fully cover. Both these areas rely on diagonal flaps for security so there is no velcro or buttons.
The knee area has some articulation to help with movement and even has knee pad compartments in the interior. I'm not sure which pads they plan on people being able to use, but there is enough space to fit in the 5.11 type pads. Overall fit was nice, allowing solid leg movement in the assortment of action positions I dished out; No noticeable stress on the crotch or thigh area. As expected the light material does help out trying to beat the heat, I do however have some long term concern with the 100% cotton factor as that never lasts as long as my Nylon mix stuff. As for some reasons why they did go 100%, it may contribute to the ColorLock fabric dying process which offers precise color consistency and a 6-Month No Fade Guarantee.
As an end result I find the RD Pant an interesting hybrid. The low profile pockets reminds me of some VERTX concepts, yet the pants also sport some tac gear specific pockets along with the lightweight fabric keeping desert dwelling demographic in mind. The low profile features come out of trying to use less material to beat the heat and keep things snag free rather than worried as much about how tactical the end result looks like. Overall I'm a fan and look forward to pounding on them more this summer.
