Blackie Collins, internationally known knifemaker and sporting goods industry designer, has created a new kind of firearms-friendly jeans.

The Woodford resident says he got tired of wearing holes in his pockets from carrying his pistols, so he decided to do something about it. He designed and patented Toters Jeans, which have pockets reinforced by a special abrasion-resistant fabric. Called cordura plus, this fabric is extremely durable but will not scratch the pistol being carried, Collins said. He said it’s possible to carry a pistol without being obvious about it, if, for example, a person has a concealed weapon permit, or has to carry a weapon for business reasons.

“I wanted a product made in the USA. The denim material in these jeans is the best denim in the world,” Collins said.

In 2001, Collins located a manufacturer in McGee, Miss. to make the jeans.

“We had just gotten our first order of about 600 pairs when they went out of business. It took a little while, but we found another manufacturer in Tupelo, Miss., called Reed Manufacturing. They manufacture upscale and designer jeans, some under the McKenzie Tribe label,” he said.

When asked how he came up with the name Toters, Collins said, “When I was about 9 or 10 years old, I remember my father calling a permit to carry a hand gun a ’pistol toters license.’ That name just stuck with me.”

Both the hip pockets and front pockets have patented holster features. The jeans have regular front pockets as well as pockets for pistols.

“The right front pocket is laced and adjusted to fit most medium to large frame semi-automatics. And extra lace is furnished down inside the left front pocket so that the user can lace and adjust that pocket for left-handed use. All pockets are designed to be used with equal facility with the right or left hand,” Collins said.

“Smaller pistols can be carried in the hip pockets, and the jeans have special pockets on the front for carrying knives,” he added.

Another unusual feature is that a belt can be put over the label or can be threaded under the label if the wearer chooses.

Collins noted that there are some special considerations for manufacturing and selling a product like jeans.

“We have to have a lot of sizes available, with many different combinations of waist and length measurements. We usually stock waist sizes from 28 to 60, but anything over that would be a special order,” he said. “I have sold sizes as big as 74 waist.”

Collins moved to the Woodford area in 1981, and started a design studio where he designs knives and cutlery for more than 20 different companies, scuba gear and other outdoor items. He has also designed other cordura products such as knife sheaths and knife pouches.

Toters Jeans can be ordered through catalogs such as Blue Press, Brigade Quartermaster and GunVideo, and at www.totersjeans.com. More details about these jeans can be seen at the Web site.

nT&DCorrespondent Loretta Demko can be reached by e-mail at eeshtenem@yahoo.com. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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