A light-hearted look (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/07/magazine/tactical-gear-marketing-boys-trend.html?unlocked_article_code=1.glA.sA5T.3-hplYk_0cL3&smid=url-share) at how the word is used in marketing. Touches on everything from the origins of the clothing/gear company
5.11 to coyote brown diaper bags. It's a short, fun read.
QuoteIt can make even a simple act, like retrieving a store loyalty card from your wallet, feel like a strap-in, lock-and-load, mission-critical experience. Which, in the context of your personal day, it may well be.
QuoteWhen somebody asked the r/tacticalgear subreddit, "Why is military tactical gear so popular?" one answer pointed to the practical selling points — claiming that it's "generally built for harder use than its ultralight civilian equivalent" — while another equally popular post simply said: "Because deep down we all know what's coming."