A tech pack has one job: to remove interpretation. Wherever the document is silent, someone will decide for you, usually during production, usually without telling you. A tech pack that is short but complete beats a beautiful one that leaves the important variables open.
Tactical garments need more of this than most apparel, because they have equipment interfaces, layered fit requirements and a durability expectation that cannot be expressed as a look. The structure below is the one that covers the most risk.
Start with the use case, not the drawing
Before the first page of measurements, the pack should state three things in plain language: the climate the garment is issued for, whether it is worn under load-bearing equipment or as an outer layer, and what the programme's priority is when two requirements conflict.
Those three sentences resolve dozens of later arguments. A combat shirt worn under a carrier and a tactical pant worn on patrol for heavy-duty field use have different conflict priorities, and a supplier who does not know the priority will optimise for cost.
The core sections
| Section | What goes in it | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Programme summary | Climate, layer position, priority order, end user | Prevents silent trade-offs |
| Technical drawings | Front, back, detail views, callout references | Single visual reference for all parties |
| Measurement chart | Points of measure, graded across the size range | Removes "it depends on the size" |
| Tolerances | Acceptable variation per measurement point | Makes non-conformance judgeable |
| Material schedule | Each fabric with construction, colour standard and reference | Prevents substitution |
| Trim schedule | Threads, zips, closures, webbing, labels | Prevents mismatch between components |
| Construction callouts | Seam types, reinforcements, bartacks, edge finishes | Turns drawings into instructions |
| Labelling and packaging | All labels, folding, bagging, carton marking | Prevents delivery problems |
| Inspection standard | What is checked, how many units, acceptance rule | Makes bulk defensible |
| Revision log | Version, date, what changed and who approved | Prevents production on an old version |
Technical drawings and measurement points
Drawings should include the views a maker needs and should carry callout numbers that match the construction section. In practice this means a front, a back and as many detail views as the garment has complex features: collar, placket, cuff, elbow, pocket, hem.
The measurement chart should be written as points of measure, each with a number and a drawing reference. Ambiguity in measurement points is the single most common cause of a shipment that is "the right size but does not fit". If a point can be measured two ways, the pack has to say which way.
Measurements should be given as a graded chart across the whole size range, not as a single size. Buyers who develop a mid size and scale the rest are usually developing the failures of the largest and smallest sizes at the same time, which is a size development problem rather than a sewing problem.
Materials and trims
Every fabric in the pack should be described by construction and by a reference the supplier can hold: a physical swatch, a mill reference or a retained standard. On a ripstop combat shirt programme, that distinction is what stops the sleeves being cut from a different cloth to the torso. Trading terms such as "ripstop" or "NYCO" are families rather than specifications.
For each fabric, state the construction, the colour or pattern standard, the required behaviour after laundering, and any treatment. A nyco ripstop and a poly-cotton ripstop are not interchangeable, and a pack that lists only the family name invites substitution.
The trim schedule carries more risk than most buyers expect. Zips, thread, hook-and-loop, elastic, webbing and labels all come from different supply streams, so each one needs its own description, colour reference and performance expectation. If a trim does not matter, say so explicitly; if it does, describe it.
Construction callouts
This is the section that most tactical packs under-develop. It is where you say how, not what.
For each feature, describe the operation: seam type, seam allowance, stitch density and thread, whether an edge is folded, bound or taped, where reinforcements are placed, and where bartacks are required and not required. Reinforcements should be described by position relative to the panel, not by a general instruction such as "reinforce stress points".
If the garment has a pad pocket, a pocket system or an attachment panel, treat each as an interface and define the dimensions of what it must accept. Any customization the buyer expects — embroidery position, label placement, patch panels — belongs here with a position reference, because a placement instruction given in words will be interpreted differently by two different operators.
Labelling, packaging and inspection
Labelling covers the main label, size label, care label and any origin labelling required for the destination market, plus the marked position for each. Packaging covers folding method, bag type and carton marking, including the size and colour breakdown per carton. These are the details that decide whether a shipment can be received without repacking.
The inspection standard states which measurements are checked, how many units are checked, which defects are critical and how acceptance is decided. Written this way, a bulk dispute becomes a measurement rather than an argument. This section is also where you state the tolerances from the measurement section as the acceptance rule.
The sample trail and revision control
A tech pack is only useful if everyone is working from the same version. Give every revision a number and a date, keep a log of what changed, and make clear which version production is authorised against.
Alongside the pack, keep the physical trail: the approved pre-production sample, the retained fabric standards, the approved colour standard and the trim approvals. When you place a second order, the pack and the retained samples together are what makes the repeat reproducible. A pack without retained samples is a description, not a control.
Common gaps that cause bulk problems
The first gap is tolerance. Without it, "the measurements were slightly out" cannot be resolved either way. The second is the measurement method, which allows both parties to be right about different things. The third is the material standard, which allows a substitution that meets the words but not the intent.
The fourth is the missing priority order. When a garment cannot be both lighter and more durable, someone must decide, and if the pack does not decide, the factory will. The fifth is the inspection rule, which is what stands between an arguable opinion and a defensible rejection.
If your pack covers the sections above and holds the retained samples, it will support a development conversation with any manufacturer and a comparison between them; the same discipline is described from the sourcing side in how to source custom combat shirts. Development is a product development process, and the pack is its interface.
FAQ
Do I need a pattern, or will measurements be enough?
Measurements alone are enough to make a garment only if the supplier develops the pattern. If you already have a pattern that defines the fit, supply it, because then the measurements become a check on production rather than a design brief. If the fit is important to you, own the pattern.
What tolerances should I allow?
Tolerances depend on the measurement point, the fabric's stability and the construction. Points that are affected by several seams and by laundering generally need wider tolerance than a flat, single-seam measurement. Ask the supplier what they can hold reliably, then negotiate rather than imposing a number that cannot be met.
Should the pack include the fabric's test requirements?
State the behaviour you require in terms the supplier can act on: drying behaviour, colour retention, dimensional stability after laundering. Naming specific methods helps comparability, but express the requirement as a garment performance expectation first.
How do I keep the pack from drifting between orders?
Version everything, log what changed, keep the approved pre-production sample as the physical reference, and authorise production only against a named pack version. When a change is genuinely needed, issue a new revision and re-approve the sample, rather than allowing a change that exists only in correspondence.