Triple Aught Design
Tactical bags and clothing, made in San Francisco since 2009
Mixed reviews on recent quality. Some users report finishing defects and slow customer service, others remain satisfied. The price point remains high for a quality level that divides opinion.
Philosophy
TAD had a genuine cult. High-end tactical, sewn in San Francisco, technical materials. Then quality slipped: 'AWFUL quality these days,' 'I'm done with TAD,' 'they're assholes.' Jackets (Recon RS, M65-RS) still hold. Hoodies? Loose threads, interior finishing shocking for the price. Fashion tactical at artisanal prices.
History
The name says it all. "Triple aught" - 000, a thousandth of an inch - is engineers' and machinists' shorthand for the highest precision tolerance for over a century. TAD's ideal is right there: precision, functionality, zero compromise.
Founded in 2009, TAD started in a historic warehouse on Linden Street in Oakland. The space was a mix of survival shop, production knives (Benchmade, Kershaw, SAK, Striders), NATO compasses, Sparklite fire starters. Pure gear, no fashion. The first retailer to stock a Sparklite, recalls a BladeForums veteran.
Production is American - non-negotiable. The "Made in USA" label is FTC-protected, and TAD takes it seriously: every product made in the US from virtually all American parts. The sewing factory is in San Francisco. Technical jackets (Recon RS, M65-RS) in Polartec and Gore-Tex are the catalog's core.
TAD opened a second space in Hayes Valley, SF. GearJunkie headlined "Haute Tactical": wood floors, clean aesthetic evoking designer lingerie more than military surplus. But the products were serious.
The Dogpatch Base at 660 22nd Street SF was HQ: 4,000 sq ft in a historic factory district on the city's eastern waterfront.
The cult was real. FAST Pack Litespeed, Ranger Hoodie, Transport Pack. But the trajectory got complicated.
On specialist forums, feedback turned harsh. enthusiasts: "AWFUL quality these days. Absolute garbage." The Ranger Hoodie: "so many loose threads and bad finishing on the inside that I was kind of shocked."
Technical hardshell jackets still hold. But the rest slid into fashion tactical - lots of style, branding, limited drops, less substance. The price stayed artisanal, the quality didn't always.
The Yelp listing shows CLOSED as of March 2026. TAD now operates primarily online with coast-to-coast facilities.
Iconic Products
FAST Pack Litespeed
The signature modular tactical backpack. The product that built the TAD cult. When it worked, it was a reference. The problem: recent reports flag uneven QC, and prices only went up.
Ranger Hoodie
Polartec technical hoodie, city/mountain versatile. Emblematic of the TAD style but also of the problem: 'so many loose threads and bad finishing on the inside that I was kind of shocked.' The symbol of QC decline.